International Decolonial Journey in Freiburg - Amazon Arc of Regeneration

Everything you need to know about our journey

This journey will be guided by the Community Manager of the NGO Meli Bees Network, Sina von der Heyde. Based on local, amazonian knowledge, stories and science shared by members of Melis wide network in the Amazon, Sina will take you by the hand and travel with you through the Amazons history, sociology and ecology!

You will hear indigenous and quilombolan voices as well as voices of smallholders that are currently struggling to protect the Rainforest and that are investing a lot of time and energy to have a sustainable impact on the ecosystem.

Underlying topics during our journey will be decolonization and the links between our life here in Europe and the destruction in the Amazon. This event also acknowledges that there can be no strict division between humans and their environment – nature and culture are and always have been interlinked.
The participatory design of this event will give a lot of room for discussion and reflection – it is all about your experience and gaining knowledge about the Amazon, based on local realities!

Our journey will start with an Opening talk, presenting to you Melis work in the Amazon, giving you a first insight into our focus region – the states of Maranhão and Pará – and some basic information about the event.

Accompanied by forest sounds we will then immerse into the history, environment and social context of the Amazon – what did this place already experience, which stories does it tell?

Continuing our journey, we will deep dive into these two focusses:
Day one (30th of July) — Amazon as endangered Ecosystem
We will touch upon the ecology, biodiversity and climate of the Amazon, focussing on the diversity of Meliponini (native, amazonian bees) and the story of Jonas Guajajara, indigenous beekeeper and Bachelor Graduate in the Environmental Sector.
Day two (31st of July) — Amazon as Hotspot of Social Struggles
We will reflect upon humanrights violation and violance against traditional as well as indigenous communities in the Amazon and what indigenous people can teach us about resilience.

After having gained some new energy in our lunch break we will watch the movie Pureza, that tells the story of Mrs. Pureza whos son, Abel, ended up as a victim of modern slavery inside a farm in the southeast of Pará – thus the movie shows the complex situation in the focus region of our journey!

We will end our journey immersed in green and accompanied by brazilian drum-music, where we will have a closing reflection – what did we learn today, how can we decolonize, how are we as humans interlinked with the Amazon as Ecosystem and what did we feel during this journey?
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Do you want to embark on this journey together with us?
Choose your focus-day, take a friend with you and make sure to register here!