From February 25 to 28, the Willimon community, Willimon Regional Center, Serras region, located in the municipality of Uiramutã, hosted the second edition of the State Seminar of Indigenous Communicators of the Wakywai Network. With the theme "Indigenous communication as an instrument of struggle", the meeting brought together about 30 participants from nine regions of the state, from the Wapichana, Macuxi, Wai Wai and Patamona peoples.
The seminar took place at Malocão Kamarakko, which in the Macuxi language means, "Bee House", it moved one, it moved all. One of the historic sites of struggle and resistance of the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land (TIRSS). The coordination of the Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR), the deputy coordinator Enock Taurepang, from the Youth Nucleus, Alcebias Constantino and Raquel Viana, were participating in the event.
The event was organized by the CIR's Communication Department. Communicators from the Serras, Serra da Lua, Amajarí, Surumú, Alto Cauamé, Tabaio, Murupú, Raposa and Wai Wai regions participated. In addition to the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Training and Culture Center (CIFCRSS).
Communicators from the 9 regions participated in the II Seminar, at the Willimon Center.Photos: Ascom/CIR
For communicator Paula Nascimento, from the Novo Paraíso community, Manoá/Pium Indigenous Land, Serra da Lua region, the seminar was very important. This was the first time she participated in the event. According to her, the knowledge acquired will help to show about what happens within the community, such as the productions in the fields and the projects taking the information to other regions.
"This is the first seminar I am participating in and the importance of this is both for my region and for my community. Because we learn in the middle of communication everything we can and cannot do. I will use this knowledge first within my community and then for the others in my region. So that's why this seminar for training communicators is important," he said.
The CIR has focused on the training of indigenous communicators and has as one of its main objectives to show the true reality that happens within communities and regions. In which most of the time the media show distorted information when it comes to indigenous peoples and with the performance of communicators it is possible to show the real information in the bases and also in the fight against "Fake News".
Communicators in action for the good living of indigenous peoples. Photos: Ascom/CIR
For the coordinator of the CIR's Communication Department, Márcia Fernandes, since the communities understood the importance of having indigenous communicators, they have sought to train and strengthen this training. And this support has grown since January 2020, when the first seminar was held, in the Pium community, Tabaio region.
"From the first seminar we saw the great challenges we were going to face. Since then, the CIR has sought more support from our partners for grassroots communicators. Due to the pandemic period, in 2021, they underwent virtual training. And now seeing the communicators of the Wakywai Network arriving at the second seminar, with a baggage with the work that was carried out in their regions, communities and also in the communication department, it is noticeable the advances in indigenous communication that is so urgent in the current scenario we live in. This new training only came to strengthen communicators and leaders", he highlighted.
For the coordinator of the Willimon Regional Center, Amarildo Macuxi, it was an immense satisfaction to receive the seminar and that from now on the region will have more visibility of the productions with the training of new communicators in the community.
"We welcome this training of indigenous communicators here at the Willimon Center and with that I feel more strengthened. More and more communities are organizing themselves for more battles with various cultural activities and also in production. We who work with organic and sustainable production have not been much publicized due to the lack of indigenous communicators. But the Willimon Center today feels very strengthened and grateful that communicators from various regions of the state are with us", commented the leader, the event took place with the support of the leaders of the Willimom Center, Serras Region and FORD FOUNDATION.
The organization of the seminar took all sanitary precautions in the prevention of Covid-19, such as the use of masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing.