Riverine Amazonia - a landscape of resistance

Essay Description: For over 30 years I have been diving into the universe of the simple populations that live on the banks of the rivers of my land, Amazonia. It was through this coexistence and complicity that I built my career. Honoring my ancestry of the Tefé people of Alto Solimões (AM), where my father was born, is a lifelong commitment and explains the fascination that the people of the waters and their colors exert over my gaze. In this essay that is still in progress, I feed myself with the lights, colors, and environments created by this people. Territories of resistance through which they resist the gentrification dictated by globalization and greed. The painting of the houses and boats with primary colors, in original combinations and surprising geometry, the fluorescence of the lights builds a welcoming and singular territory of affirmation of the identity of the Amazon people. A common history, made by anonymous heroes, attentive observers of nature, whose creativity helps overcome the adversities of the environment and the precariousness of infrastructure and government attention. My choice in this essay is as natural as the sprouting of a water eye, but like my characters it is an act of affirmation of my own identity. Image Caption: Manaus-AM, 1992, Mr. Antônio Laborda inside his boat used to transport passengers in the Amazon region and that at that time were adorned with multicolored lamps. Original Kodachrome film.

Santarém-PA, 2007, the transportation of the riverside population between the most distant cities is done by boats where most passengers take their hammocks and travel during the night sleeping in them.

Rio Amazonas, 2022, the young woman of indigenous descent travels to meet for the first time the boy she met online.

Rio Trombetas-PA, 2001, after work the boatmen gather on the riverbank to talk and tell stories of their daily lives. Original Kodachrome.

Belém-PA, 1996, in the riverside outskirts of Amazonian cities, small wooden bars painted in primary colors are very common. At this moment, the owner and her daughter wait for the customers in the early evening. Original in Fujichrome.

Ilha de Marajó-PA, 2012, sitting in the living room of his house, the cowboy rests after taking his cattle to graze in the fields of the island. In this region, colorful curtains are used to add color and divide environments.

Maranhão, 1988, the color of the Amazonian houses is a way of expressing the identity of the inhabitants and their ancestry. Original in Fujichrome.

Abaetetuba-PA, 1997, the handicraft with buriti wood (abundant palm tree in the region) is an ancestral tradition and is exercised by entire families that sell their toys in religious festivals and festivities. Original in Fujichrome.

Belém-PA, 1990, portrait of a bar waitress in the riverside outskirts of Belém. Original Fujichrome.

Marajó Island-PA, 2013, little Railana after an afternoon of playing in the family’s charcoal works in the quilombola community of Pau Furado.

São João de Pirabas-PA, 2022, grandmother and granddaughter await the festivities of the Umbanda Terreiro.

Belém-PA, 2018, Dona Maria in preparation for her granddaughter’s 15th birthday party on the banks of the Guamá River.

Belém-PA, 1988, a worker rests at the counter of a grocery store at the end of the day watching the boats coming and going on the Guamá River. Original Kodachrome print.

Marajó Island-PA, 2021, a child plays in the clear water stream at a leisure moment with his family.

Ilha de Marajó-PA, 2013, portrait of a young quilombola girl at Christmas.

Belém-PA, 1985, grocery store and açaí sale with snack stand on the banks of the Guamá River. Fujichrome original.

Marajó Island-PA, 2019, rigorously polished and tidy pots are a status symbol in the riverside communities of Marajó Island.

Belém-PA, 1996, bar and grocery store on the banks of the Guamá River with painting reproducing the owner’s original place on the left wall. Original Fujichrome.

Ilha de Marajó-PA, 2023, a young cowboy arriving at the grocery store to buy ingredients for dinner.

Belém-PA, 1988, children play in front of the açaí seeds in the family’s store. Açaí is a very popular food in this region being consumed at lunch and dinner. Original Fujichrome.

Belém-PA, 1989, facade of a dance club frequented by fishermen and farmers. Original in Fujichrome.

Belém-PA, 2022, portrait of a participant in a feast at a Terreiro de Umbanda.

Marajó Island-PA, 2019, roof of a building materials store with a nationalist bias.

For more than 30 years, I have been immersed in the universe of the simple people who live on the banks of the rivers in my homeland, the Amazon. It was through this coexistence and complicity that I built my career.

Honoring my ancestry from the Tefé people of Alto Solimões (AM), where my father was born, is a lifelong commitment and explains the fascination that the riverside people and their colors exert on my gaze.

In this ongoing essay, I feed on the lights, colors and environments created by these people. Territories of resistance through which they resist gentrification dictated by globalization and greed.
The painting of the houses and boats with primary colors, in original combinations and surprising geometry, the fluorescence of the lights builds a welcoming and unique territory for affirming the identity of the Amazonian people.

A common story, made up of anonymous heroes, attentive observers of nature, whose creativity helps to overcome the adversities of the environment and the precariousness of infrastructure and government attention.

My choice in this essay is as natural as the sprouting of a waterhole, but like my characters it is an act of affirmation of my own identity.