Building on this, in March 2025, JB’s Alison Tickell and Thiago Jesus, with artist-researcher Isadora Canela, later delivered the Cultural Leadership for Climate – From Ideas to Action workshop in Belém, COP30’s host city. Funded by Porticus and held in partnership with Secult Pará, it brought together 30 creative climate change-makers from across Pará.
Meet the Participants
Aiyra Amana Tupinambá
Director, Wyka Kwara Indigenous Association
An Indigenous woman and mother from the Calha Norte region of the Amazon River, Aiyra is a founding associate and vice president of the Wyka Kwara Indigenous Association. A leader in the Tupinambá Mairi Movement, she serves as an Indigenous Culture Councillor on Belém’s Municipal Cultural Policy Council and the Municipal Forum for Climate, and as a Traditional Food Culture Councillor on the Pará State Culture Council. Aiyra is also a producer, artist, social educator, accountant, and law graduate, with a specialisation in public accounting.
Anderson Santos Moura
Manager, Espaço Cultural Apoena and Casa Apoena
Anderson is a cultural producer deeply committed to the artistic scene of Belém do Pará. As the head of Espaço Cultural Apoena and Casa Apoena, he has turned these spaces into key cultural references in Northern Brazil, hosting more than 3,500 shows and organising three festivals that support artists and strengthen the independent scene.
Borô plays a key role in preserving and amplifying carimbó and Amazonian music. He is the founder of Alter do Som, a label dedicated to promoting Amazonian artists, particularly from the Tapajós region, and of of Espaço Alter do Chão, a cultural centre he established in Alter do Chão in 2011. Borô has represented Amazonian music at major industry events such as WOMEX, MicBR, and Porto Musical, and has supported performances at festivals across Brazil.
Cafá
President, Pretinhos do Mangue – Sociocultural and Environmental Association of Curuçá
Cafá is the coordinator of the Bloco Pretinhos do Mangue in the municipality of Curuçá and serves as president of the Pretinhos do Mangue Socio-Cultural Association. He holds a degree in Environmental Management, works as a public servant, and is also a small business owner. Married and a father of three, he is passionate about environmental initiatives, especially those focused on reforestation and waste recycling.
Carla Romano
Producer, Constelar Ancestral
Researcher, designer, and cultural producer, Carla co-created the Agenda Awaete project and the Constelar Ancestral Network, fostering artistic exchanges between the Awaete and Huni Kuin peoples. Since 2005, she has developed collaborative projects in environmental education and the decolonisation of Amerindian cultural heritage, supporting Indigenous communities in reclaiming autonomy through networking, fundraising, ethical protocols, and co-creative initiatives.
Carla Cabral
Teacher, School of Music, Federal University of Pará
Composer, cavaquinho player, producer, and teacher at UFPA’s School of Music, Carla Cabral has been active in the artistic scene since 2004. She holds a degree in Literature, with a focus on Portuguese Language, from the State University of Pará. Carla is a member of the groups O Charme do Choro and O Mercado do Choro, as well as the Collective Tem Mulher na Roda de Samba.
Claudete do Tijupá
Carimbó singer
Claudete is an environmental and cultural activist, social educator, composer, and carimbó singer. The daughter of farmers, she is from Fazendinha, in the freshwater region of Marapanim, where she has dedicated herself to preserving and promoting local traditions through music, education, and activism.
Daniel Araujo
Advisor, Pará State Culture Secretariat
A baritone from Pará, he holds a degree in lyrical singing from the State University of Pará and a master’s from the University of Missouri. As a soloist, he has performed in operas and oratorios in both Brazil and the U.S., including works by Handel, Menotti, and Michael Ching. His career spans classical, popular, and jazz music, with performances alongside renowned Pará artists and as a soloist with the Amazônia Jazz Band. Daniel was Technical Director and Superintendent of the Carlos Gomes Foundation, former Director of Theatro da Paz, and currently works with the Pará State Culture Secretariat.
Eduardo Souza
Director, Mekaron Filmes
Eduardo Souza is a screenwriter, audiovisual producer and director, photographer, and writer. He has directed both documentary and fiction films, contributed to international productions in the Amazon, and led youth-focused educational projects using cinema as a tool for empowerment. Eduardo founded the Amazônia Film Showcase, which has screened over 260 Amazonian films in five countries. He currently coordinates the Mekaron Screenwriting Hub, Amazônia Novos Portugais, and the Amazonian Connection exchange programme, and serves as vice president of Instituto Cultural Amazônia Brasil.
Gláfira
Singer and Producer, Reator Cultural Socioambiental
Gláfira holds a degree in Pedagogy, a postgraduate qualification in Management and Social Responsibility, and a master’s in Cultural Management. She has led the Music Department at Belém’s Municipal Cultural Foundation and coordinated training programmes for intangible heritage guardians of Carimbó and Capoeira in Pará and has collaborated with institutions such as the Escola Livre de Cinema da Amazônia. In 2024, she served as Cultural Management Advisor at the Secretary of Culture of the State of Pará. Gláfira is also a singer and released her first album Mar de Odoya in 2019.
Iacy Anambé
Councillor, Irapã Anambé Association
Iacy (Danielle) is an Indigenous woman from the Anambé people, a writer, historian, anthropologist, and naturologist. She is a researcher at the Women’s Museum (MMDAS), and founder of the Amazonian Natural Gynecology Laboratory (GNA), a space for research and experimentation in ancestral knowledge. She has over 10 years of fieldwork experience conducting gender-focused social diagnostics in traditional communities and mapping the healing knowledge of master women healers in the Amazon. She is the co-author of books includingÁlbum Biográfico, Guerreiras da Ancestralidade, winner of the 2023 Jabuti Prize in the Innovation category.
Irene Almeida
Director, Fotoativa Association
Irene Almeida is a cultural producer, art educator, curator, and photographer from Pará, where she has worked for over a decade. Her experience includes projects and numerous collaborations with Associação Fotoativa, where she currently serves as president. As a photojournalist, Irene moves through the most diverse corners of Belém, capturing the city through her singular perspective.
Isaac Loureiro
Researcher, Carimbó Cultural Heritage Campaign
Isaac Loureiro is an activist, researcher of traditional Amazonian cultures. A member of the Irmandade do Carimbó de São Benedito in Santarém Novo, he was a leading force behind theCarimbó Patrimônio Cultural Brasileiro Campaign, which secured the recognition of Carimbó as National Intangible Heritage in 2014. He co-founded the Carimbó Safeguarding Management Committee and has played key roles in shaping national cultural policy, including positions on the Sectorial Collegiate for Popular Cultures and the National Council for Cultural Policy. Isaac has also coordinated both regional and national cultural networks and is a member of RIBIR, a network dedicated to the protection of intangible heritage across Brazil.
Jacque Carvalho
Lecturer, Fashion and Sustainability
With a degree in Fashion Design and a specialisation in ESG, Jacque is a professional costume designer and lecturer in Fashion and Sustainability at Usina da Paz. She has received five awards in fashion design and sustainability and brings 19 years of experience in the fashion industry, spanning design, production, costume, and sustainable practices.
Jean Ferreira da Silva
Co-founder, Gueto Hub
Jean is a cultural and community activist from the outskirts of Belém, with a degree in Cartographic Engineering from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon. He is one of the founders of COP das Baixadas coalition, an initiative to decentralise access to the climate debate since 2022. He is also a co-founder of Gueto Hub, an important cultural centre and library in the periphery of Belém.
João Guilherme
Coordinator, Instituto Arraial do Pavulagem
João Guilherme is an artist and educator with a background in Theatre Education and Law. A civil servant at the State Department of Culture of Pará, João is also an actor, theatre director, and arts teacher. He coordinates activities at the Instituto Arraial do Pavulagem and has taken part in numerous productions and tours withCia dos Notáveis Clowns.
Joelma Klaudia
President, Ararajuba Institute
Joelma Kláudia is the president of Instituto Ararajuba, a cultural producer, singer, and songwriter. She is the founder of Fecant (Transamazonian Song Festival) and a Cultural Ambassador of the Xingu region, leading initiatives that promote art and culture in various communities. An active artist, she recently released the album Nua&Crua, which explores themes of female empowerment and resilience. With three recorded albums and multiple music videos, her work spans cultural development programmes and celebrates local culture and regional identities through music.
Julia Garcia
Executive producer, Mekaron Filmes
Júlia is the president of Instituto Cultural Amazônia Brasil and executive producer at Mekaron Filmes. With over 20 years of experience in cultural project management, she has worked as an executive producer, coordinator, and production director on initiatives that promote Amazonian art and culture in Brazil and internationally. She is currently leading cultural exchange projects between the Amazon and Europe through cinema.
Luciana Medeiros
Journalist, Holofote Virtual
Luciana is a journalist, cultural producer, and documentary filmmaker. She is the founder of Holofote Virtual and a researcher of guitarrada, an Amazonian music genre that originated in Belém in the 1970s that blends electric guitar melodies with traditional rhythms. Luciana serves as Director of Communication at Associação Circular Campina Cidade Velha and will release her first feature film in 2025.
Matheus Botelho
President, Na Cuia
A social communicator, cultural producer, and president of Associação Cultural Na Cuia, Matheus is a young leader in the Youth Ambassadors Program of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). He serves on the executive committee of COP das Baixadas coalition and works in press relations, audiovisual production, and the management of socio-cultural projects. His work is rooted in youth and territorial engagement in the Amazon, with a focus on LGBTQIAPN+, Black, Indigenous, and peripheral communities.
Nicobates
Coordinator, Outros Nativos Sociocultural Association
Nicobates is a journalist and cultural producer with over 30 years of experience. He is also a singer and songwriter of Brega Rock, and the organiser of the Outros Nativos Festival. Active in the Sacramenta Administrative District, he collaborates with more than seven local organisations and community collectives to promote cultural engagement and artistic expression.
Nina Matos
Director, Belém Museum of Art (MABE)
Nina is a visual artist, curator, and cultural manager whose work spans painting and digital media, exploring themes of identity, the human condition, and social critique. A graduate in Visual Arts, she has presented solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows and art salons, including award-winning exhibitions. Her works are held in both institutional and private collections. Since 2023, she has served as Director of MABEand, as an independent curator, was the chief curator of Arte Pará 2024.
Paula Amaral
Coordinator, Na Cuia
An Amazonian, non-binary trans person, communicator, and popular educator, they specialise in mental health and well-being and currently serve as General Coordinator at Associação Cultural Na Cuia. They are part of the COP das Baixadas coalition, shaping strategies for organisational safety and well-being. In 2024, they served as an ambassador for Safer Internet Day (SID) Brazil with SaferNet and previously participated in the Digital Citizenship programme as part of the youth leadership team. They also coordinated Criptocuia Belém in 2024 and are active in cultural production and social mobilisation.
Pedro Ribeiro
Culture Director, Grupo Acauã
Pedro Ribeiro is a cultural producer and director of culture for the municipality of Cachoeira do Arari. He is the artistic director of Grupo Acauã and the founder of several cultural and social initiatives. The son of a cowboy and a domestic worker, he is deeply committed to promoting local culture and preserving the cultural heritage of the Marajó island. His many roles include dancer, choreographer, producer, musician, presenter, workshop instructor, physical education teacher, and community facilitator.
Preto de Fortalezinha
Councillor, Algodoal-Maiandeua Environmental Protection Area
Manoel de Oliveira Teixeira, known as Preto de Fortalezinha, is a cultural activist, producer, musician, and tour guide from the village of Fortalezinha, on the island of Algodoal/Maiandeua (PA). He coordinates the Tio Milico Cultural Space, where he promotes carimbó and traditional local culture. As a carimbó musician and community leader, he is actively involved in cultural preservation and sustainable tourism. Manoel also serves on the managing council of the Algodoal/Maiandeua Environmental Protection Area (APA), contributing to the protection and cultural vitality of the region he calls home.
Raul Bentes
Manager, Espaço Cultural Apoena
Raul Bentes is a cultural producer, DJ, radio host, and music researcher. He is currently the manager of Casa Apoena, a cultural space dedicated to promoting and showcasing the richness of Pará’s artistic scene. Through his work, Raul contributes to the strengthening of local identity and the circulation of Amazonian music and culture.
Renée Chalu
Director and curator, Se Rasgum
Renée is the founder of the Se Rasgum Festival, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025, as well as the Sonido Festival and the Mangueirosa Carnival Circuit. In 2025, she is also leading the organisation of the first International Conference on Music from the Brazilian Legal Amazon, grounded in the principles of sustainability and the creative economy.
Sabrina Sousa
Activist, Black Women Cyberactivists Network of Pará
Sabrina is a storyteller, cultural producer, and activist from the Guamá neighbourhood in Belém. Her work focuses on promoting human rights, racial and gender equity, and the visibility of peripheral communities. She is an Articulator with the Black Women Cyberactivists Network of Pará and a co-organiser of the Black Women March in Belém. Sabrina also works as a film club organiser, digital visual artist, and video mapping creator. She is widely recognised for her commitment to amplifying Black and peripheral voices in the Amazon.
Samara Cheetara
Artivist, COP das Baixadas Coalition
Samara, also known as Cheetara das Maracas, is a young LGBTQIAPN+ artivist from Icoaraci and a resident of the Pedreira neighborhood in Belém. She holds a degree in Chemistry and works as a teacher, grassroots communicator, maraca player, cultural producer, and artivist with Juventude do Carimbó. Samara coordinates the Multicultural Secretariat at Associação Cultural Na Cuia and the Culture and Activism Working Group of the COP das Baixadas coalition, where she strengthens the voice of peripheral communities in the climate debate through culture and activism.
Tainá Marajoara
Iacitata Amazônia Viva
Tainá Marajoara carries the ancestry of the Aruã-Marajara people. She is a cook, cultural producer, curator, professor, and thinker. Author of the concept of food culture, she is dedicated to the intersections between food culture, anticolonialism, futurisms, and human rights.
Header image: CCL Belem alumni, photo by Secult Pará
