Climate Justice Forum discusses in Belém 'Peripheries, forests, and futures of the Global South'
Held by the Museum of the Amazons in partnership with the Museum of Favelas, the event discussed environmental racism, culture, and sustainability over two days of programming
The Museum of the Amazons, a facility of the Government of Pará that is part of the Porto Futuro Complex in Belém, held the Climate Justice Forum on October 16 and 17. The initiative, in partnership with the Museum of Favelas (SP), marked the beginning of the Museum's debate and training activities, reaffirming the space as a hub for reflection on the role of the Amazons and the peoples of the Global South in the face of the climate crisis and environmental inequalities.
With the theme "Peripheries, forests, and futures of the Global South," the Forum promoted two days of programming, gathering community leaders, artists, communicators, and researchers from different regions of Brazil. The debates addressed art, culture, territories, ancestral technologies, and communication, with an emphasis on building policies and narratives around Climate Justice.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Ursula Vidal, participated in the panel on art, culture, and imagination, highlighting the role of culture as a tool for mobilization and social transformation. "These are very rich spaces that qualify our speech, our protagonism, and our struggle for climate and environmental justice," she stated.
For Camila Costa, Communication Coordinator of the Museum of the Amazons, the Forum symbolizes the purpose of the space. "It is very significant that the Museum begins its activities with a Forum on climate justice, at this moment of pre-COP30. The theme reflects what we want to build here: a museum that thinks about the world from the Amazons and the perspectives of peoples who have historically resisted, created, and proposed paths for sustainability and justice," she emphasized.
Among the participants, Ana Luiza de Araújo, a member of the Tucunduba Pró Lago Verde Movement and a resident of the Terra Firme neighborhood in Belém, highlighted the importance of placing peripheral issues on the environmental agenda. "I see this space as fundamental for us to bring our environmental and peripheral agendas, like those occurring in the Terra Firme neighborhood," said Ana Luiza.
Urgency - Singer Ivy Sophia reinforced the need to bring the debate closer to the most impacted communities. "It is important that we take this discussion to the people most affected, who live in the peripheries. This debate is urgent and concerns all of us," she stressed.
For Jairo Malta, curator of the Museum of Favelas, the partnership broadens the dialogue between different territories in the country. "Favelas, lowlands, and communities unite the North and Southeast as peripheral and marginalized territories, present both in the Amazon and in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro," he stated.
The Museum of the Amazons was inaugurated in early October and is part of the set of investments that will remain as a legacy of COP30 (the world conference on climate change). The space currently hosts the exhibitions Amazon, by photographer Sebastião Salgado, and Ajurí, organized by IDG (Institute of Development and Management). It is also open to becoming a research, science, and debate environment on possible futures for the Amazons.
The Museum has the partnership of the Ministry of Culture, through the Federal Law of Incentive to Culture (Rouanet Law), and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. Its conception and implementation were conducted by IDG, with support from the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi.
A successful example of cooperation between the state and private initiative, the Museum of the Amazons has Vale as a strategic partner, international support from CAF, technical partnership from BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development), and financial support from Finep (Funding Agency for Studies and Projects). It also collaborates with companies such as Hydro, New Fortress Energy, Ipiranga, Mercado Livre, and Ultracargo.
The Museum of the Amazons operates from Thursday to Tuesday, from 10 am to 6 pm, with the last entry at 5 pm. On Wednesdays, the space remains closed for maintenance. Entry is free, and tickets can be obtained in advance via the link sympla.com.br/produtor/museudasamazonias or directly at the Museum's box office during operating hours.
*With information from the Communication Advisory of the Museum of the Amazons
