Jun 19, 2012 04:50 PM

Organization, culture and entertainment at the People’s Summit

CNO Rio+20

Events organized by the Civil Society Facilitating Committee for the Rio+20 should attract around 15 thousand people a day until June 23

Open to the public since Friday, June 15, the People’s Summit is one of the biggest side-events at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).

Various tents occupy a vast space at Aterro do Flamengo, and will stage numerous lectures, plenary sessions and cultural manifestations, which will have the objective of promoting social mobilization, searching for solutions to environmental problems and demonstrating the political strength of the organized civil society.

The Summit is organized by the Civil Society Facilitating Committee for the Rio+20, representing the global civil society, and brings together the most diverse groups and discussions. The activities taking place at the Summit are based on three axes of actions: denouncing the causes of the socio-environmental crisis, presenting practical solutions and strengthening Brazilian and the world’s social movements.

Activities at Rio+20

The main socio-environmental debates and the ones presenting a synthesis of the reflections will take place at the Self-Managed Discussions and the People's Permanent Assembly. As informed by the organization, there will be five simultaneous plenary sessions, each one with three sessions followed by positioning building on the contributions to the Self-Managed Discussions.

The People’s Summit political program this Tuesday, June 19, revolves around the debate “Structural Causes and Fake Solutions”, with Self-Managed Discussions from 9 am to 1.30 pm and a People's Permanent Assembly from 2 pm to 6 pm.

Wednesday, June 20, there will be a Global Mobilization, at 3 pm, with the topic “against life’s commercialization, advocating the common goods”.

To see the program for the next days, check out the People’s Summit website (portuguese).

The organization estimates that 15 thousand people a day will attend the event

Leisure at the Summit

Besides discussing more serious topics related to the environment, the visitors can have fun and get to know new cultures. Just go for a stroll around the place to see that it caters to all tastes, from ‘candomblé’ (Afro-Brazilian religion), to dance circles and indigenous groups.

How about painting your arm or leg with ‘Genipapo’ (Genipa Americana) for only R$3? The responsible for the art is the Indian Tkibumrã, from the Xerentes tribe, of the State of Tocantins. “I want to experience firsthand our history”, said the psychoanalyst Ana Maria, which was excited with the fact of going to work with the arm painted, since the ‘Genipapo” paint lasts for 10 days in the skin.

In Rio de Janeiro since 9 months with the family, the Argentinean Maria Ines took the family to visit the event. “Their school had some activities related to Rio +20, so I came so they could participate. We are enjoying it very much”, she said.

Costa Rica’s Rolando Castro also approved the event; he made a presentation in a plenary session and spoke about mining in his country. “This is the second time I’m in Rio de Janeiro and I’m finding everything very interesting.”

The Socio-Environmental Arena, at the Modern Art Museum (MAM), is one of the most sought after. It has debate rounds, an exhibition and musical attractions.

On Saturday June 26, the group Patubatê from Brasília was the one in charge of the public’s entertainment at the arena. Transforming scrap metal into musical instruments, the group does a modern retake on Brazilian rhythms through background electronic music. “Since the beginning of the Rio+20 talks, we’ve set as our goal to perform here, even if on an open space, in the middle of the Summit”, explained Fred Magalhães, the group’s leader.

The activity the People’s Summit Vigil started on June 17.

Its objective is to discuss and promote human rights though the symbology and expressions of different religious traditions. The Vigil will be at the main tent at the Religion for Rights space.