Voices of Gurupi brings together young indigenous people for training on communication.

The event included visits to cultural spaces and media outlets, culminating in three days of educational activities in Brasília.

The closing of the in-person training program “Voices of Gurupi,” held between October 8th and 11th in Brasília (DF), included the participation of 15 Indigenous communicators from Indigenous Lands within the Gurupi Mosaic and regional Indigenous organizations. This final training phase was dedicated to the strategic use of communication tools in the production of media content, with a series of pedagogical activities and visits to cultural spaces and media outlets.

The training is part of the Management and Restoration of Indigenous Lands in the Gurupi Mosaic project, which aims to consolidate a network for sustainable management and restoration in the region. The project is a joint initiative of the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN) and the Coordination of Organizations and Articulations of Indigenous Peoples of Maranhão (Coapima), with financial support from the Copaíbas Program of the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (Funbio).

The Voices of Gurupi group

Divided into three modules, the "Voices of Gurupi" training aimed to strengthen the management and institutional communication of nine indigenous associations in the Gurupi Mosaic, a group of protected areas that extends across the Amazon in Maranhão and eastern Pará. The first module, held in August in Imperatriz (MA), focused on training association managers in project management. In September, the second module, held in São Luís (MA), addressed strategic planning and the development of communication plans. 

For Paula Guajajara, manager of the Nairuy Taw association in the Araribóia Indigenous Territory, the course was of utmost importance for developing plans and strategies for executing a successful project.

"All of this has a very positive impact on strengthening our autonomy in managing these initiatives in our communities," he stated. 

The third and final in-person module, held in Brasília, focused on training communicators in the use of communication tools for content production. The three training modules were conducted by Coletivo 105, a partner organization with expertise in community communication and audiovisual production focused on indigenous peoples.

 

The importance of strategic communication

The training highlighted the importance of strategically planned communication as an essential tool in the fight for indigenous rights and in the environmental and territorial management of their territories. The objective is to promote learning among the associations so that, through communication, they can amplify their actions and networks, strengthening the management and restoration of forests in the Gurupi Mosaic.

During the course, participants learned about photography, text production in various genres, including journalistic writing, the use of Artificial Intelligence in content development, graphic editing with Canva, and audiovisual production using cell phones. Each participant received a smartphone and a gimbal to assist in creating their materials.

 

Visits to cultural and media spaces in the Federal District

The communicators visited important cultural and communication spaces in Brasília, gathering information and interacting with content producers. Highlights included the Jovens de Expressão collective, a group of young community communicators from Ceilândia; the Cine Brasília, where they attended the closing of the socio-environmental film festival “Ecofalante”; and the Memorial dos Povos Indígenas, where they visited the exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Ecos Fund. They also visited the ISPN office and the Empresa Brasileira de Comunicação (EBC), where they were interviewed on the Tarde Nacional program on Rádio Nacional da Amazônia.

“It was great to be interviewed in such an important space and to be able to talk about our struggles in the territories. These spaces also need to be occupied by us, Indigenous people.”"Djelma Guajajara stated, commenting on her participation in EBC."

For João Guilherme Nunes Cruz, coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Program at ISPN, the training represents an important moment in the consolidation of the Management and Restoration project.

"This training was the starting point for stimulating the creativity of each communicator, showing how communication can be a strategic tool in defending indigenous rights and in the environmental management of their territories.""João Guilherme highlighted." 

Having completed all stages of training, the communicators will work directly in the execution of projects for the indigenous associations within the Management and Restoration project. from Indigenous Lands of the Gurupi Mosaic, being responsible for institutional communication actions within and outside their territories. By April 2025, the communicators will move to the virtual stage of training and will be mentored by Coletivo 105. 

Learn more about the Gurupi Mosaic

The Gurupi Mosaic is a group of protected areas covering approximately 46 km² between Maranhão and eastern Pará, comprising the Gurupi Biological Reserve and indigenous lands such as Alto Turiaçu, Awá, Caru, Rio Pindaré, Araribóia, and Alto Rio Guamá. This region is inhabited by the Guajajara, Awá-Guajá, Ka'apor, and Tembé peoples, and harbors the largest preserved area of ​​the Amazon Rainforest in Maranhão and eastern Pará, playing a vital role in maintaining biodiversity, particularly endangered species such as the jaguar and the golden parakeet.

Despite its socio-environmental importance, the Gurupi Mosaic faces serious threats, such as deforestation and land invasion, which jeopardize both the ecosystem and the rights of the region's indigenous peoples.