Canoe, Ecology, and Culture Festival

Through the annual realization of the Canoe and Ecology Festival our objective is to promote the cultural, artistic and environmental sensitivity of the population of Caseara and neighboring municipalities.

The Festival consists of a race carried out in wooden canoes, an old tradition of the old riverside people of the Araguaia. This tradition is being lost as aluminum and fiber motorized boats gain the market. We identified some canoes and their craftsmen, former riverside dwellers whose livelihood used to depend on these canoes and their tireless arms. Our Institute ordered small canoes to be used in the races, and the event has been very successful among young people in our region, who have practiced the sport of canoeing in order to have a chance of qualifying. Other than male, the competition includes women and senior citizen categories.

The Cultural part is a key part of the Festival: ballet dancers, classic musicians, actors and invited celebrities perform for free, in support of bringing something new to our underprivileged community with little or no access to any kind of cultural performances outside our festival. The Festival is a great success among the local citizens.