Journalist and writer Eliane Brum, the latest international CCCB and UOC resident

Brazilian journalist, writer and documentary filmmaker Eliane Brum, a global leader in the preservation of the Amazon, joins the international Resident CCCB programme, organized jointly by the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), this autumn with activities scheduled from October to December. The aim of the programme is to promote creation and critical thinking, providing resident artists, researchers and writers with a space in which to develop innovative projects during their stay at the Barcelona cultural centre. Brum takes over from the American writer and journalist Patrick Radden Keefe, who was the programme's resident back in June.

Eliane Brum (Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul, 1966) is known for her extensive career in investigative journalism, chronicling social issues and the defence of human rights, especially her work on the climate crisis and the destruction of the Amazon. Through books such as Banzeiro Òkòtó: The Amazon as the Centre of the World, documentaries and articles published in international media, Brum raises awareness of the importance of the Amazon rainforest, not only for Brazil, but also for the survival of the planet.

She lives in Altamira, in the middle Xingu region, the epicentre of the destruction of the Amazon, and is the creator and director of Sumaúma, a journalism platform focusing exclusively on news from the Amazon.

During her stay at the CCCB, Brum will be able to further her research and creative work around the defence of life in the Amazon. This period in residence is not only a recognition of her career, but also provides a valuable platform to spread her message to a European audience, at a time when the climate crisis is at the centre of the global debate.

The Amazon as the epicentre of global life

Brum's work has been instrumental in raising awareness of the threat that mass deforestation and industrial exploitation pose to the Amazon. Her work as a journalist has been a key testimony to the dangers that affect this region, such as the displacement of indigenous communities, the extinction of biodiversity, and the increase in environmental destruction.

This invitation to Brum, together with a programme that emphasizes the defence of life and the environment, reflects the commitment of the CCCB and the UOC to critical thinking and cultural action to deal with the great challenges of our time. The presence of one of the outstanding voices in contemporary journalism, at a key moment in the fight against the climate crisis, reinforces their work as centres for cultural production and reflection.

During her stay, Brum will participate in a series of cultural activities and meetings with local figures. As part of her residency, she is curating a series of conversations entitled Rainforest is Female, which invites speakers from the Amazon to explain the current struggle to keep the rainforest alive.

●       12 October: "The Amazon: Centre of the World", at the Biennal de Pensament

One of the most eagerly awaited encounters is that between Brum and the writer Gabi Martínez. The Amazon: Centre of the World: this conversation will deal with literature and ecology, discussing the role of the Amazon not only as the largest rainforest on the planet, but also as a symbol of a radical transformation in our way of thinking and inhabiting the world.

●       11 November: "Amazonia, Placing Life at the Centre. A morning with Eliane Brum"

Amazonia, Placing Life at the Centre is an activity aimed at secondary school students, in which Brum will invite young people to reflect on the key aspects that the Amazon can present us with to think about the climate crisis. This session is part of the Talks for secondary school students programme, which seeks to bring contemporary debates closer to young people between 15 and 17 years old. During the autumn, this programme will feature other speakers who are on the front line defending the Amazon.

●       12 November: exhibition "Amazons: The Ancestral Future"

Brum is one of the advisers for the Amazons. The Ancestral Future exhibition, which will open on 12 November, and which addresses the strategic importance of the preservation of the Amazon region on a global scale. It highlights recent scientific and archaeological studies that question many traditional paradigms and present convincing evidence of the important role of Amazonian ecosystems in preserving our world. These studies show that over 50% of the Amazon is not a primary forest, but an 'induced landscape': indigenous peoples and local communities have forged forest landscapes throughout the region, interacting with their ecosystems for thousands of years, and in some cases have shaped the composition of forest species to suit their needs.

Far from being a fatalistic exhibition on the current complex situation of the region, it seeks to stimulate visitors and raise awareness of the importance of preserving the largest rainforest ecosystem in the world, through an immersive itinerary, which allows visitors to hear the sounds of the rainforest.

●       18 November: conversation with Ehuana Yaira at L'Alternativa festival

The Yanomami artist, researcher and leader Ehuana Yaira will reflect on the body-territory perspective of the women of the rainforest and talk to Brum about the current situation of her people, who are threatened with genocide due to illegal mining.

●       25 November: conversation with Patricia Gualinga

Patricia Gualinga, a climate and women's rights activist, will talk to Brum about another way of understanding and living in nature and about her people's long struggle for the living forest.

●       2 December: conversation with Txai Suruí

Activist and youth leader Txai Suruí will talk to Brum about indigenous communities' resistance to extractivism, deforestation, and massive fires.

●       9 December: conversation with Eduardo Neves

Eduardo Neves, one of the leading archaeologists focusing on the past of the Amazon, will talk to Brum about the memory of the rainforest.