I’m Helga. Founder of biu biu.
Bridge builder between worlds.
I grew up in Heidelberg, Germany, in a family where politics was a way of standing in the world. Our family was trying to be silenced for raising their voice for equality of opportunities. An idea that clashes with many structures our current world is built on.
Driven by curiosity, wandering between worlds, I lived in several countries, and travelled many. Travelling teaches you to observe, drop judgement, and keep learning and exploring this infinite world.
What is normal for one, is strange to others. This world is a diverse place, and that is exactly the beauty of it. Beyond personal believes and rigid dogmas, there lies a truth that we are all humans on earth.
I worked over 15 years connecting technology and people across different countries and cultures. And am now using my personal history to connect humans with humans. Knowing that each given gift and priviledge bears opportunity and responsability.
In 2021 I traveled to Putumayo, Colombia for the first time.
To the south of Colombia, where the Andean meets the Amazonian rainforest, one of the most biodiverse regions of the world, home to many ancient cultures.
It felt like coming home, and I reconnected with parts of myself I had been silencing for years. The region holds so many medicines: The forest, animals, plants, ancient cultures, wisdom, art & craft, the mystic, the stories.
I met people who live with a connection that some of us have slowly forgotten. To listen more carefully: To silence, to a plant, to a person, to cultures that hold wisdom we have no name for.
I experienced that resistance does not has to create separation amongst society and destroy families, instead I can work towards a common understanding.
And Yagé helped me understanding my gift.
Translation.
Not only between languages. Between worlds. Between people who believe they have nothing in common and then create something together that neither could have created alone. That is biu biu.
Living between cultures, building bridges means to me to learn and transform prejudices and misunderstandings into commonalities as humans.
Because I believe that genuine cultural exchange is possible.
One that is built on reciprocity. On respect. On the desire to truly understand and create together, not to consume.
South America and Europe share a complex history. Colonialism leaves traces, in structures, in relationships, in the way knowledge and resources flow across borders. Entire cultures, ways of living and families were prosecuted, extinct, exploited, humilliated and violated.
And some people and cultures face it with resistance and forgiveness, and keep being open to share their wisdom to cultivate consciousness and create a more harmonious world.
In practice this means: We create together with local communities, artists, entrepreneurs and shamans who want to share, and respect and support protection of those who don´t.
biu biuuuuuuuu
In 2022 I founded biu biu bringing Andean-Amazonian Art & Craft to Europe, born from the admiration of the beautiful creations and the desire to support cultural heritage, territory preservation/expansion, language preservation/restoration.
Since 2021 I accompany Yagé retreats in Putumayo as facilitator and translator. And since 2025 I offer the full retreat support and personalized experiences in the region. With German, English and Spanish translation.
Who I work with:
I work with people who want to immerse into this biodiverse region and discover its medicines in customized expeditions with or without plant medicines.
I work with coaches, therapists, facilitators and educators, who want to guide their group in carefully curated Yagé retreats to get to know or deepen their studies with the plant, forest and its cultures.
Yagé belongs to the forest.
I adapt every program to the group. More forest. More music. More culture. More plant knowledge. More history. More silence. Continuously learning from the territory.
When you open your heart, the region will change you.
Transformation is not only what happens in ceremony. It is what happens in the body. In the morning. On the trail. While weaving. Around the table. After the journey. At home.
And it is proportional to your ability to feel, and to respect your nervous system, your openness to challenge your status quo and change perspectives, and your humility to continously learn.
We all came to this earth to be human.
And we are the only species on earth destroying each other and nature.
What we carry inside reflects outside. Which means individual well-being goes hand in hand with societal well-being. With equity and dignity. This is lived spirituality for me.
We all carry responsibility for the world we create.
biu biu is my expression of that and my invitation to you:
Let’s create something openhearted that enriches yourself, community and nature.
Create your experience
Create your personal group expedition, curate your Yagé retreat,
create your personal spiritual and cultural experience in Putumayo, Colombia.