Project Navegar Amazônia is a non-governmental organization which develops activities to seek out, identify, document and transmit cultural data about the people and communities along the riverbanks of the Brazilian Amazon.
Another feature of the project consists in offering workshops in computers, photography, music and video production to the inhabitants of these communities.
Valorizing local and regional culture, we focus on the production of digital media and internet broadcasting, through a sophisticated laboratory (installed on the boat’s upper deck) equipped with computers and the latest in communication technology. Through the universalization of internet access and skills training, our goal is to empower these citizens to participate in the global information society.
Counting now on a partnership with the project Cidade do Conhecimento-USP (City of Knowledge - University of São Paulo), we aim to enhance the economic income of these communities by commercializing content to cell phone operators, such as ringtones with sounds of the forest, and wallpapers derived from images and local art..
Navegar Amazônia’s infra-structure consists of a wooden boat (of typical regional design), a laboratory with six desktops, one laptop, web cams, digital cameras and camcorders. The lab and lower deck also double as dormitories for the technicians travelling on board.
In addition, the NGO has an office in downtown Macapá.
Area of operation
Our activities take place on the rivers of the Brazilian Amazon. Up to the present moment, we have been covering the states of Amapá and Pará.
This stage of the project continues through to March 1997.
Justification
The cultural richness of the Amazon region is undeniable. Nevertheless, very little of this diversity is known to the world.. The fact is, local culture and customs are in a constant state of evolution, propelled by the introduction of new customs and values.
The preservation and valorization of Amazon culture, by publicizing and making possible the consolidation of this identity - which represents the secular wisdom of the people of the forest - is essential.
Information and communication technologies are still out of reach of the majority of the world’s population. This situation is exacerbated in the Amazon by the geographical isolation faced by most communities. While most of the developed world is interconnected by high capacity digital networks with access to the latest equipment and services, most of the population of the Amazon do not even have access to basic telephony. Hence an ever-widening gap leading to exclusion and reinforcement of existing inequalities. It is necessary not only to invest in modern communications and infra-structure, but also in knowledge and education, guaranteeing a degree of freedom and autonomy for these communities.
