How can technology help fight deforestation? Would a smartphone be able to help protect and disseminate an entire secular culture, from a small village in the heart of the Amazon rainforest? To better understand these issues, the series of mini-documentaries Voices of Galaxy reached the Tururkari-Uka village, where the Kambeba ethnic group lives, originally from the Amazon region, between Brazil and Peru.
The video follows the routine of Uruma and Taissa Kambeba and shows the daily life of father and daughter, who live in the village and use their Samsung Galaxy cell phones1 to map and denounce actions of deforestation and illegal hunting in its territory. For this, the “Tô no Mapa” application, which allows demarcating the areas affected by deforestation, is used to take a photo marking the points that limit the area to be reported and causing the complaint to be processed by the local authorities.
Uruma says that he has been working to protect his space for more than two decades and knows how much the arrival of technological improvements speeds up contact between the village and protection entities. Before the popularization of digital resources, complaints were made through letters and phone calls.
“This fight of mine to protect the forest is for our good living. And living well is the dream of many people, of many indigenous relatives throughout Brazil. Now I have a cell phone and the power in my hand to do whatever I need to do. Everything is easier to do, from taking pictures to sending all these reports”, explains Uruma.
Taissa accompanies Uruma in all his activities, having already been identified as a young leader in training. Using social media to tell more about her culture and writing poems are other of her struggle tools. “I am small, but I am a warrior. With our drums, arrows and spears I call for the spirit of the forest so that we can take care of nature. As my father Uruma says, for each tree standing, I will save a life!”.
For the Kambeba people, as well as thousands of other indigenous peoples in Brazil, protecting the forest is more than an act in favor of the environment, it is the preservation of their culture and their lives, since they derive all their sustenance from the forest, from fishing, hunting and agriculture for food, to harvesting seeds, feathers and other items used in handicrafts.
The full video is available on the Samsung Brazil YouTube channel. Check it out below:
Voices of Galaxy is Samsung’s global program that highlights people who use their passion, creativity and determination alongside technology to make a positive impact in their own lives and their communities.