Rolf Blomberg
Encyclopedia
Rolf Blomberg was a Swedish explorer, non-fiction
writer, photographer and producer of documentary film
s.
, a district of the Danderyd Municipality
, in Sweden
. In 1934 he made his first travel to South America
and visited Ecuador
and the Galápagos Islands
. During World War II
he worked as neutral war correspondent
in Indonesia. He joined the resistance movement
and helped people who were trapped in Japanese Internment
camps.
After the war Blomberg returned to Ecuador where he visited the tribe of the Huaorani
. In six expeditions he failed with his efforts to find the lost Treasure of the Llanganatis
. In 1950 he discovered Bufo blombergi which is considered as largest toad in the world.
In 1955 Blomberg became a member of The Explorers Club
in New York followed by memberships in the Travellers Club
s of Stockholm
, Gothenburg
, and Malmö
in Sweden. Blomberg was married twice to Ecuadorian women. The first time to Emma Robinson who deceased in 1952 and the second time to artist Araceli Gilbert
. In 1968 he moved to Ecuador, where he died in Quito
on 8 December 1996.
Blomberg took about 35,000 photographes around the world. His Hasselblad
camera was provided to him by Victor Hasselblad
himself.
Blomberg produced 33 documentary features for the Swedish Television
. He made films in Ecuador (including Galápagos), Indonesia, Australia
, Colombia
, Brazil
, and Peru
.
Rolf Blomberg wrote about 20 books and hundreds of articles which were published in magazines such as Life
, Sea Frontiers, and the National Geographic Magazine
. Many of his books were translated in several languages, including Spanish, English, Danish, Norwegian, Russian, Czech, Polish, and German. Three fourths of his publications dealt with the culture, nature and history of Ecuador.
Many social scientists around the world were influenced by Blomberg's work. His reports on human rights violations of ethnic groups served as inspiration for the establishing of organizations such as Cultural Survival
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
in Oslo
.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
writer, photographer and producer of documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s.
Biography
Blomberg was born in StocksundStocksund
Stocksund is an upper-class or upper middle-class suburb in Metropolitan Stockholm, Sweden.Located immediately across the Edsviken from Bergshamra, Stocksund is one of four parts of Danderyd Municipality north of Stockholm....
, a district of the Danderyd Municipality
Danderyd Municipality
Danderyd Municipality is a municipality just north of Stockholm in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It is one of the smallest municipalities of Sweden, but the most affluent...
, in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In 1934 he made his first travel to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and visited Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and the Galápagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he worked as neutral war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
in Indonesia. He joined the resistance movement
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
and helped people who were trapped in Japanese Internment
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
camps.
After the war Blomberg returned to Ecuador where he visited the tribe of the Huaorani
Huaorani
The Huaorani, Waorani or Waodani, also known as the Waos, are native Amerindians from the Amazonian Region of Ecuador who have marked differences from other ethnic groups from Ecuador. The alternate name Auca is a pejorative exonym used by the neighboring Quechua Indians, and commonly adopted by...
. In six expeditions he failed with his efforts to find the lost Treasure of the Llanganatis
Treasure of the llanganatis
The Treasure of the Llanganatis refers to a huge sum of worked gold and other treasures supposedly hidden deep within the Llanganatis mountain range of Ecuador by the Inca general Rumiñahui....
. In 1950 he discovered Bufo blombergi which is considered as largest toad in the world.
In 1955 Blomberg became a member of The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is a professional society dedicated to scientific exploration of Earth, its oceans, and outer space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, it currently has 30 branches world wide...
in New York followed by memberships in the Travellers Club
Travellers Club
The Travellers Club is a gentlemen's club standing at 106 Pall Mall, London. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs, having been established in 1819, and was recently described by the Los Angeles Times as "the quintessential English gentleman's club." Visits are possible by invitation...
s of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, and Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
in Sweden. Blomberg was married twice to Ecuadorian women. The first time to Emma Robinson who deceased in 1952 and the second time to artist Araceli Gilbert
Araceli Gilbert
Araceli Gilbert was an Ecuadorian artist.Gilbert enrolled in the School of Fine Arts in Santiago de Chile in 1936, studying under Jorge Caballero and Hernán Gazmurri, well-known encouragers of the Chilean plastic rebellion that later transformed into the Montparnasse group...
. In 1968 he moved to Ecuador, where he died in Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
on 8 December 1996.
Blomberg took about 35,000 photographes around the world. His Hasselblad
Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras and photographic equipment based in Gothenburg, Sweden.The company is best known for the medium-format cameras it has produced since World War II....
camera was provided to him by Victor Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad was a Swedish inventor and photographer, known for inventing the Hasselblad 6x6 cm medium format camera....
himself.
Blomberg produced 33 documentary features for the Swedish Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
. He made films in Ecuador (including Galápagos), Indonesia, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Rolf Blomberg wrote about 20 books and hundreds of articles which were published in magazines such as Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Sea Frontiers, and the National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
. Many of his books were translated in several languages, including Spanish, English, Danish, Norwegian, Russian, Czech, Polish, and German. Three fourths of his publications dealt with the culture, nature and history of Ecuador.
Many social scientists around the world were influenced by Blomberg's work. His reports on human rights violations of ethnic groups served as inspiration for the establishing of organizations such as Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival
Cultural Survival is a nonprofit group based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA which is dedicated to defending the human rights of indigenous peoples. Their stated mandate is to promote the rights, voices and visions, of indigenous people. For 37 years, Cultural Survival has partnered with...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs is an independent and non-profit international human rights-based membership organization, whose central charter is to endorse and promote the collective rights of the world's indigenous peoples...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.