Moinho Cultural has existed for 20 years in the heart of the Pantanal and on the border between Brazil and Bolivia, in Mato Grosso do Sul
As the Pantanal experiences the worst drought in its history, an institution from Mato Grosso do Sul has been drawing attention wherever it goes to the importance of conserving the biome and the largest wetland on the planet. Founded 20 years ago, in the heart of the Pantanal and on the border between Brazil and Bolivia, Instituto Moinho Cultural, which has already served more than 25 thousand children and adolescents in this period, has used art to prompt reflection on everyone’s responsibility for conserving the Pantanal biome.
One of these initiatives is the show Guadakan, which premiered in December 2022 and has since been performed for more than 5 thousand people in various states and also abroad. Last month, the production was presented in Paraguay, during an international dance festival.
Conceived from a Guató indigenous myth, an ethnic group established on the border between Brazil and Bolivia, the show tells a story that underscores the need to preserve the Pantanal and all its biodiversity, especially in the current moment being experienced by humanity, with various kinds of changes and climate emergencies. Combining contemporary dance and music, with a live-performed soundtrack, the production takes a journey to the origins of the peoples of the Pantanal, seeking the wisdom of this ancestry, which spans generations, to reveal warnings.
Guadakan was initially presented as the institution’s year-end show; the institution works in Brazil’s border territories for the positive transformation of local reality, giving voice and opportunity to children, adolescents and young people, through access to cultural assets, technological knowledge, notions of entrepreneurship and full citizenship.
This year, the show, already in production, is themed around the book “O Fazedor de Amanhecer” (“The Maker of Dawn”), by Manoel de Barros. The show, in the format of a public class, brings together more than 500 people in its organization and will be presented in early December, in a public square in Corumbá (MS), the Brazilian municipality with the most fire outbreaks on various occasions and where the institution’s headquarters is located.
Based on the book “O Fazedor de Amanhecer” (“The Maker of Dawn”), by Manoel de Barros, Instituto Moinho Cultural Sul-Americano has already begun preparations for the show in public-class format, Moinho In Concert 2024, scheduled for December 14, at Praça Generoso Ponce, in Corumbá (MS).
Manoel de Barros, besides being one of the Pantanal’s most prominent figures, was a devoted defender of nature, of life’s small things, and of the simple way of living. This is the third year that a work by Manoel de Barros has inspired the institution’s year-end show, which offers an eight-year training program for the children it serves.
Besides bringing together the children and adolescents served by Moinho Cultural, the year-end show, known as Moinho In Concert, also brings together, on the same stage, OCAMP (Orquestra de Câmara do Pantanal, the Pantanal Chamber Orchestra) and Cia de Dança do Pantanal (the Pantanal Dance Company). Both were born within the institution and are professional groups, with several former participants among their musicians and dancers.
For Moinho Cultural’s executive director, Márcia Rolon, talking about the Pantanal has never been more urgent. “With each performance, we have reaffirmed our responsibility for conserving the Pantanal, a unique biome essential not only for biodiversity, but for our own cultural identity. The Pantanal is under constant threat, and the urgency of concrete action has never been greater. Moinho Cultural, as an active part of this community, believes that education and environmental awareness are fundamental tools for conserving this natural heritage. Preserving the Pantanal is a cause that must be embraced by everyone, from future generations to today’s leaders, because what is at stake is our collective future,” she states.
Márcia Rolon will take part, on November 12, at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, in the ceremony for the historic 20th edition of Empreendedor Social (Social Entrepreneur). On the occasion, the winners of two award categories will be announced: Social Innovators of the Year and Solutions that Inspire.
Empreendedor Social has been held since 2005 by Folha and the Schwab Foundation. The award recognizes leadership in strategic areas, as well as impactful solutions in various fields.
