Indigenous People Go Digital is a photo exhibition of the Thydêwá indigenous peoples’ journey into the digital landscape, following the introduction of the first wifi hotspot – presented as a display of artworks!
This launch event offers a chance to see the exhibition and meet the team behind the project, who are visiting from Brazil. On the 29th we will be offering free family activities to create your own photo art.
This inspiring event will share information about the culture and traditions of several different indigenous groups from north-eastern Brazil, and in particular about the ways in which, with the help of the NGO Thydêwá, these communities have used digital tools to help increase their visibility, fight prejudice and lobby the government for their rights.
Intercultural communication is at the core of this event. The community members are coming to the UK in order to reach out to other communities elsewhere in the world, sharing their experiences and learning from other communities with similar stories to tell. They will be coming to Leeds because of their strong links with the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds, and they are keen to get into discussions with the attendees at the Leeds International Festival.
Their use of the internet dates back over 15 years now, and has been recognised with a series of different prizes, both nationally and internationally. Beyond running an ethno-journalist website called Indios Online, these communities have used the internet to run online educational networks, sell craftwork, share information about environmental sustainability and much more. Their current projects include a network specifically for indigenous women, and a project to create indigenous digital art.
The event will be delivered by the director of the NGO Thydêwá, Sebastián Gerlic, in conjunction with Maria das Dores de Oliveira of the Pankararu community.
We will also screen the Indígenas digitais documentary (in Portuguese with English subtitles), which explores what digital technologies mean to indigenous people, and how they use them.
This will be followed by a talk by Sebastián Gerlic and Maria das Dores de Oliveira (with interpreting from Dr Thea Pitman from the University of Leeds) about the communities themselves, their marginalisation by mainstream society and their struggle for cultural survival, as well as discussing how they have used digital technologies to amplify their voices and enhance their visibility worldwide.
Finally, there will also be a display of artworks stemming from the indigenous digital art project for you to view, and further opportunities for local community engagement after the event.