Join us for a screening of "Ironland" (Brazil, 2021, 99'), a film by Lucas Bambozzi about how extractivism – and massive mining catastrophes – have shaped the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais and its inhabitants. The screening will...
Data, infographics, and technical reports cannot communicate the trauma suffered by communities impacted by tailings dam collapses. Though the failures of the Samarco-operated Fundão dam in 2015 and Vale´s Córrego do Feijão dam in 2019 are years in the past, local communities in Brazil are still reeling. Many continue to suffer from post-traumatic stress, the loss of loved ones, contaminated drinking water, and the impunity of those responsible for the dam failures. Join us to learn what justice, reconciliation, and reparations looks like for impacted communities.
In 2015, the Samarco-operated Fundão dam collapsed in the municipality of Mariana, Brazil, unleashing a tsunami of nearly two billion cubic feet of mineral waste onto downstream communities. Over the course of 20 days, the waste traveled over 370 miles downriver, contaminating waterways and destroying almost 1,600 acres of vegetation. Nineteen people died and more than 600 families lost their homes. Brazilian economist Mônica Viegas will share the results of her 2021 study to estimate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) losses among affected communities.
Since the Fundão and Córrego do Feijão dams collapsed in 2015 and 2019, respectively, local communities and the mining companies responsible for the catastrophes have battled over the causes of the failures as well as the control of impacted territories. Brazilian journalism professor André Luís Carvalho will share his experiences working with citizen journalists in affected communities to co-create and maintain media platforms to preserve memory and denounce violations.
The journey towards justice and reparations in the wake of the tailings dam failures in Brumadinho and Mariana has been arduous and protracted, marked by legal battles, environmental concerns, and demands for accountability. The legal process has been complex and international, with lawsuits filed against the companies for negligence, environmental violations, and human rights abuses in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Efforts to secure reparations for victims, including compensation for loss of life, livelihoods, and environmental remediation, have been met with challenges,...
The profession of journalism is surrounded by multiple threats in Latin America: those from criminal organizations that operate freely; political threats, regardless of ideology; and those from power structures that try to subdue or limit a profession which, despite everything, resists being submissive.
Speaker: Javier Lafuente, Journalist, Nieman Fellow of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Deputy Managing Editor of El Pais.
Moderated by Steven Levitsky, Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director of...
The yearlong Sawyer Seminar seeks to understand contemporary contestation over citizenship and belonging by Afrodescendants in Latin America, situating these struggles within long-term, historical patterns of nation building, racial stratification, and political mobilization. It will explore the struggles and experiences of citizenship of this vastly heterogeneous group, which have been starkly uneven across time and across (and within) countries. The Seminar will also ask what these differences can teach us, including how these Afro-Latin American perspectives can help inform our...
This event will be in English with Spanish interpretation. This event will be hybrid, register to attend online here.
Join us for a two-day panel series on Violence and Disappearance in Mexico.
April 24, 2024 from 3-5 pm: Dialogues of Knowledge on Disappearance in Mexico
In Mexico, we are confronting one of the world's worst human rights crises: The disappearance of more than 112,000 people. Decades of violence and government...
Beyond connecting Brazilians from different schools to strengthen the Brazilian community, the course will be very valuable to enhance leadership competencies and inspire people to increase their impact through their work, especially to contribute to make Brazil a more just and prosperous country. The program is made of two modules - each of them in one weekend. The first one is focused on self-leadership. The second is focused on leading groups, including facilitation skills and team management. Between the two modules, participants will have access to asynchronous materials.