October 1, 2022
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Fiona Frank
See more in this article to find out about:
– the exhibition ‘For Dom, Bruno & the Amazon’
– the conference ‘How can we help to save the Rainforest’ (Lancaster, 19/20 Nov 2022)
– the online talks
– suggestions for further reading/watching/listening
– signing up for info about future actions & activities
Environmental journalist Dom Phillips was travelling in Amazonia with indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, investigating the undeclared war on indigenous communities and solutions to tackle the destruction of the rain forest, when they were murdered by people involved in illegal fishing.
This report by Guardian global environmental editor Jonathan Watts gives an insight into the two men and their work on the front line of what he terms the “global war against nature”.
Sian Phillips, Dom Phillips’ sister, has led a choir in Halton for many years, and Dom visited the Mill along with Sian in 2021. In support of Sian and her family, Halton Mill honoured Dom, Bruno and other activists who have lost their lives with an exhibition and other activities – films, talks, arts activities, a conference, and more. These took place in November 2022 but the exhibition is touring nationally in 2023.
We intend to continue to shine a light on social justice & environmental issues in the Amazon with events and actions through 2023
- Sign up here for updates.
The Conference, ‘How can we help to save the Rainforest’ took place on 19 & 20 November 2022 in Lancaster and online, in English and Portuguese.
You can see presentations from the conference here.
The conference brought together academics, activists, campaigning organisations, and journalists from Amazonia and from the UK, with a keynote speech from Indigenous leader Dr Nelly Marubo, and was organised by Halton Mill and Lancaster University Environment Centre, and supported by Lancaster City Council.
The exhibition, ‘For Dom, Bruno & the Amazon’ was put together by Alison Cahn, Domonique Davies and Rhiannon Davies, with the support of academics, journalists and filmmakers, activists and campaigning organisations from Lancaster and around the world. It honours Dom and Bruno and others who have lost their lives to this cause, and demonstrates aspects of the destruction of the rain forest, but also points to hopeful solutions and offer next steps and ways you can get involved and support positive change. We are keen to work with educational institutions and other organisations & festivals who wish to host the exhibition. You can see a low-res version of it here. It consists of 14 A1 boards which can be displayed all together or you can choose to display just a few. It is printed on light durable boards which can be loaned out, or we can make a hi res version available for printing on paper and displaying (on a conference or festival wall or a school corridor for example). Contact fionafrank@gmail.com to discuss options.
We held a programme of five talks about the Amazon, from academics and activists, in partnership with the Lancaster Continuing Learning Group. The first was on 2 November with Indigenous leader Dr Nelly Marubo talking about ‘human and non human relations – Indigenous ways of understanding the world’ (in Portuguese, from Manaus, with English interpretation). You can see recordings of the talks here.
We spent some time working on plans for a MASTER CLASS for young and emerging film makers and investigative journalists, at Halton Mill – with input from Brazilian and UK filmmakers and investigative journalists. We’re sorry to say that this has now been cancelled.
In December 2022 we put together a RESOURCE BANK of just a few of the many films, books, websites, and other resources providing information on these issues, and we have now set up a ‘For Dom, Bruno and the Amazon’ FACEBOOK PAGE which can be updated by anyone – we hope that this page will become an ongoing resource for all. Find the page ‘here' (includes information about an ‘Online Discussion Group’ running April to June 2023.)
The raffle for an original oil painting by Janet Robinson, & a porcelain whale and a porcelain wren by Sarah Livingstone, was drawn on Wednesday 7 December. The raffle raised over £500 for the fund set up by Dom & Bruno’s families to support Univaja, the Indigenous Defenders of the Rainforest. Our activities in Lancaster, including this raffle and starting with a benefit concert at the end of September, have raised nearly £3000 for the fund as well as bringing the crisis in the Amazon to the attention of many new people
The Gregson, More Music in Morecambe, The Dukes Theatre, Good Things Collective, and the Many Worlds Film Club were among other organisations hosting activities in Lancaster during the month.
A new fundraising campaign has now been set up to help to get Dom’s book published: for more information and to donate see this link.
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Sian Phillips, Dom Phillips’s sister, said about Lula’s election, on the day we launched our exhibition and series of events: “We are immensely relieved by the run-off election result, after a tense campaign, and hope that power transfers smoothly. We are encouraged by statements from Lula ally Marina Silva that the new government will honour Dom, Bruno and many others who have died defending the Amazon, and that they will put conservation centre stage” (See the full statement here,)
Sian visited Halton Mill on 28 October, two days before the launch of the exhibition and the series of events, to speak about the importance of the exhibition and the issues it covers.
The exhibition and the whole programme was launched on Sunday 30 October, with more than 100 people present to hear Sian Phillips, local composer/musician Pete Moser, Amazonian original songs from Brazilian musician Gabriel Silveira, Brazilian sounds from DJ Naomi Carole, Brazilian food lovingly prepared by Tiliana Bezerra of Manchester based Brazilian caterers Tilisalgados.
Please follow Halton Mill on facebook, on twitter and on instagram – and our new ‘DomBrunoAmazon’ account on Instagram for the latest posts to share. And ‘like’ and follow the new ‘For Dom, Bruno and the Amazon’ Facebook page here.
See us in the Guardian at the end of October ,
On the Morecambe Bay podcast.
In the Lancaster Guardian
Thanks to:
Mandy Blackwell Recruitment, Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community, Moonloft, Signs Express Lancaster, Amari Plastics (Manchester), Metamark (Lancaster), Hannah Frank Art (www.hannahfrank.org.uk), Complete Homeopathy (Dawnkeyse.co.uk), Trybooking (trybooking.co.uk), Janet Robinson,Sarah Livingstone, Lune Valley Voices, Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community, Mine Tech Services (minetechservices.com), Green Elephant Cooperative (haltonmill.org.uk) , National Union of Journalists, and two anonymous donors.
Watch, below, a video of Fiona Frank speaking at the Continuing Learning Group, Lancaster University, in October 2022, about the ‘backstory’ to this exhibition and set of events (1 hr)
If we don’t have what you want currently available, we’ll try to work some magic and find space for you, or put you on our waiting list.
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