Between dream and trauma, Episode 1
South America is a continent of dreams: breathtaking, vibrant, sensual. But also a continent of trauma: forgotten by the world, scarred, haunted by violence. A continent of contradictions. Where reality is not always what it seems—or what one experiences.
It is between these poles that the stories in “Between dream and trauma” unfold. Stories that only South America can tell.
Tour de Pablo
In the footsteps of the cocaine baron in Medellín
Medellín remains closely associated with the name Pablo Escobar. This episode follows his traces — without reproducing the familiar myth. It explores how Escobar lives on in collective memory, how violence, remembrance and tourist marketing intertwine — and how a country deals with a past that is both constantly present and often reduced to clichés.
Montecristi and the Panama Hat
On origin, craft and a widespread misconception
The Panama hat is known worldwide as a symbol — and yet it carries the wrong name. This episode travels to Ecuador, the hat’s true country of origin, and explores the story of the Panama hat beyond common myths and misconceptions. It looks at colonial attributions, global trade routes and the role of traditional craftsmanship. At the center are the fine Montecristi Panama hats, their cultural significance and the question of how cultural identity is formed, displaced or lost.
Behind the mountains
A German-Austrian village in the Andes
In Peru, we encounter a German-speaking village: Pozuzo, founded by German and Austrian settlers. This episode traces an unusual history of migration — of German emigrants in South America and Austrian settlers in Peru, whose presence is still visible today. A journey to Pozuzo becomes a journey into Peru beyond the well-trodden tourist routes. An example of how continents are connected through migration and how distant histories continue to shape local realities.
The other 9/11
With former exiles to the sites of horror
For much of the world, September 11 is associated with the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. But in Chile, the date stands for a military coup. On September 11, 1973, the Chilean military overthrew President Salvador Allende. What followed was a dictatorship whose consequences are still felt today. This episode approaches that date as a historical rupture and follows the stories of Chilean exiles — of departure and return, of people forced to leave their country and later confront the question of coming home after Pinochet. At its center are memory, trauma and political reality — and how Chile continues to negotiate its past.
Failed utopia in the heart of the Amazon
Fordlândia – A forgotten city in the jungle
Deep in the Amazon lies Fordlândia, a failed industrial project from the early 20th century. Founded by the legendary automobile manufacturer Henry Ford, it was intended to become an industrial town in the Brazilian rainforest. This episode tells the story of an attempt to implant the American Dream in the Amazon — and of its failure in the face of nature, culture and hubris. A story about belief in progress, outside control and the traces utopian visions leave behind.