The Institute of Society, Population and Nature (ISPN) will host a special program at SESI Lab in Brasília from October 24th to 26th, featuring the screening of the short film series "Cerrado, Coração das Águas." Produced as part of the national campaign of the same name, the series brings together stories of traditional peoples and communities who live in and conserve the Cerrado, a biome responsible for supplying the country's main river basins.
More than half of the Cerrado's native vegetation has already been cleared. Yet, this territory is the source of water for millions of Brazilians. The campaign and films demonstrate that without the Cerrado, there is no Amazon, no Pantanal, and no water security for Brazil.
"The Cerrado cannot remain invisible. Valuing the people who protect the land and water is the way to guarantee life and a future," says Isabel Figueiredo, coordinator of the ISPN Cerrado Program.
The voices of the Cerrado
In the shorts, the characters speak for themselves. The coconut breakers remind us that "if the babassu tree runs out, our lives will run out." Vazanteiros (people from the vasa) tell how they follow the rhythm of the rivers' floods and droughts to cultivate, harvest, and feed their families. Indigenous and quilombola peoples emphasize that land is a territory of life, not a commodity. In all the stories, the message is clear: caring for the Cerrado means guaranteeing water, food, and culture.
Each episode reveals a dimension of the biome:
Water – rivers and springs threatened by deforestation and intensive land use.
Territory – the struggle of communities against land grabbing and violence in the countryside.
knowledge – ancestral practices that combine conservation, agriculture and cultural identity.
future – the urgency of policies that recognize traditional territories as a barrier against destruction.
Boi de Seu Teodoro: the celebration that preserves memories
Before Saturday's session, the audience will be welcomed by Boi de Seu Teodoro, a group recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Federal District. Created by Teodoro Freire, the Boi originated among Maranhão workers who participated in the construction of Brasília and helped establish the presence of Maranhão's cultural manifestations in the Cerrado.
Based in Sobradinho, the group keeps alive the tradition of Bumba Meu Boi, Tambor de Crioula and other expressions of the state, bringing together music, rhythm and narrative in performances that are an essential part of the cultural identity of the Federal District.
To learn more, visit: cerrado.org.br
SERVICE
Screening of the series Cerrado, Heart of the Waters
Directed by: Fellipe Abreu and Luiz Felipe Silva
Production: ISPN and Margem Sul
SYNOPSIS
The series “Cerrado, Coração das Águas” takes the viewer on a journey through the waters that connect the Cerrado to neighboring biomes – the Amazon, Caatinga, Atlantic Forest and Pantanal – from their source to their confluence with large rivers.
Based on reports from indigenous peoples and traditional peoples and communities, the threats and destruction of the environment and ways of life that protect nature stand out.
The Cerrado: Heart of the Waters Campaign is a network initiative led by the Institute of Society, Population and Nature (ISPN), with the Cerrados Institute, WWF-Brazil, Cerrado Network, Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), Funatura and the International Institute of Education of Brazil (IIEB).
Programming at SESI Lab
Free entrance
October 24 (Friday)
SESI Lab institutional program – screening of the short films “Cerrado, Coração das Águas” and thematic workshops.
October 25 (Saturday)
SESI Lab + ISPN Programming
17pm → Presentation of Seu Teodoro's Boi at Praça da Árvore (40 min)
17:40 p.m. → Speeches and presentation of the Cerrado, Heart of the Waters project
18pm → Screening of the four shorts in the series (1h15)
19:15 pm → Acknowledgments and closing
October 26 (Sunday)
SESI Lab institutional program – screening of the short films “Cerrado, Coração das Águas” and thematic workshops.