“O rio secou, e agora?” (The river has dried up, what now?) That’s the name of an adventure involving the giant of the rivers, and it’s now available for the little ones to watch!
By Clara Machado and Andressa Scabin
Translated by Laiane Lessa
In Turma do Juruá’s first episode, we will meet Arapa, the big-heart arapaima, and its daughter Guiga, a fry worried about the river’s natural drought. Arapa tells Guiga how they arrived at the protected lake where they live, in a funny story that involves dangers faced and friendships made along the way.
The animation is educational and aims to introduce children to the animals of Amazonian megafauna and to portray the conservation activities carried out by traditional communities in Mid Juruá and other parts of the Amazon. The episode mentions the threats of unregulated fishing and extreme drought in a climate change setting. In addition, it introduces three species of Amazonian river megafauna as charismatic characters: the arapaima, black caiman and Amazon river turtle.
At the end of February, Instituto Juruá will conduct a course for rural teachers in partnership with the Education Department of Carauari. This episode will be integrated into the material provided for rural teachers in the municipality. The episode will be presented during the course with the intention that educators utilize it as pedagogical practice in their communities.
The episode of Turma do Juruá is part of the communication component of the project Guardiões dos Rios: Conservação de Base Comunitária da Megafauna Aquática Amazônica, a project that began in 2022, and is receiving support from the National Geographic Society and Rolex for its execution. This first episode has already inspired its producers to create a series with multiple episodes, which will include other aquatic megafauna species – such as manatees and pink river dolphins – in new adventures along Juruá River.
The production of this animation is part of a partnership between Instituto Juruá and associations and institutions that make up the Mid Juruá Territory Forum (FTMJ). The execution of Turma do Juruá is by Eldorado Arte Digital, with creation by Renato Barreto and Pablo Carvalho, voice acting by Jonathan Faria (Arapa) and Rafaela Duarte (Guiga), executive production by Fernanda Arraz, audio direction by Napoleão Cunha, sound effects, soundtrack and mixing by Attitude Áudio Criação and its producer Newton Carvalho. The animation also has creative supervision by Andressa Scabin, Clara Machado, Maria Cunha and Phamela Barbosa, all from Instituto Juruá.
Special thanks to Henrique Cunha for advice on designing the lake landscape.
