Brazil, Reimagined?

Capital of Hope, that’s how Brasília was perceived when it was given shape in the 50s. Emerged from the ground in 5 years, the capital was hailed as a modernist miracle and a symbol of modernity in the wildness. For designers, politicians, workmen and citizens, it became a place of dreams, of change, of new times; but also, of disillusion.For this last episode of ‘Brasil, Reimagined?’ I thought back of this city where I started my journey, of the place where I did my first interviews with people who talked to me about how to reimagine a place; here, through art and poetry. Within the concrete architectural design, they are creating a place under reconstruction: the Brasília of their own dreams.Interviews with:-          Meimei Bastos. Poet, writer, teacher, and owner of the cultural space Caracas Vei in Taguatinga.-          Cláudia Garcia. Professor at the department of Architecture and Urban Studies at the University of Brasília-          Marcos Fabrício Lopes da Silva. Poet, journalist and independent researcher.

While EU leaders have been cheering president Lula’s green ambitions, seeing it as the chance to reinforce EU-Brazil relations, what has actually changed since January 1st?For this 7th episode of Brazil, Reimagined? I aimed to make a connection between the people working to reconstruct, forest, and produce in harmony with nature in Brazil; and the voices of those who are working to influence EU-Brazil policies and trade relations that could change the situation on the ground.In Brussels and online; I talked about the EU deforestation law and the EU-Mercosur agreement, which can both have an important impact on deforestation and production in Brazil, as well as on the situation of people who depend on the protection of Brazil’s biomes. The episode also includes the story of leader Gãh Té Nascimento, who came from Porto Alegre to Brussels to alert European citizens and leaders about the invasions and destruction on her people’s land.Interviews with:-          Casica Gãh Té Nascimento. Sounds extracted from her intervention at an event organised by the organisation Espírito Mundo on October 25th in Brussels.-          Dr. Patricia Pinho, Deputy Science Director at IPAM (the Amazonian Environmental Research Institute in Brazil) and lead author for the IPCC.-          Nicole Polsterer, Sustainable Consumption and Production Campaigner at FERN NGO.

On September 21st, there was a historic victory for indigenous people in Brazil, when the supreme court voted against a proposal for a time frame argument to limit indigenous land claims. Thereby, the court blocked agribusiness supported efforts to prevent indigenous communities claiming land they did not physically occupy in 1988.For this new episode of Brazil, Reimagined? I talked to the people involved in the protests against the time frame argument; to the people who have been fighting for their lands for years; and to the people who are working every day to reconstruct what was destroyed or erased. Forests, cultures, and knowledge.

When talking about the reconstruction and reimagination of national environmental policies, Guajara-Mirim, a small border town located in what is perceived to be Brazil’s periphery, might seem of minor importance. Yet, it was precisely in this place that history was written in the beginning of March, when a public hearing was organised to recognise the rights of the Lajé River.

By more and more farmers, agroforestry is considered as the solution to produce while at the same time working on reforestation and restoration. Recovering the lands cleared and degraded for monoculture farming.

“Never Again a Brazil Without Us,” were the last words of Sônia Guajajara’s speech when she took office as the minister leading the 1st Ministry of Indigenous People in Brazil. 

The second episode of this series takes you to Rondônia, in the west of Brazil. Situated in the so-called ‘Arc of Deforestation’, it is known for being one of the regions with the highest rates of deforestation, for invasions in indigenous territories, for conflicts in the countryside.

This first episode takes you to Brasília, the political capital, at the time of the political transition. It includes interviews with scientists and experts in different policy areas, allowing to understand what impact ‘A posse do Lula’ can actually have on environmental and agricultural policies, and on the groups impacted by them.