Artists at COP30: Djuena Tikuna

The 30th United Nations Climate Change Convention, COP 30, in Belém do Pará, showed the world the strength and beauty of Amazonian culture. Music, dance, cuisine, handicrafts, and ancestral knowledge captivated the participants, who returned home with the flavors, smells, and rhythms of the North in their baggage and hearts. One of the artists who performed in the city of Belém during the two weeks of COP 30 is the indigenous singer Djuena Tikuna. The name Djuena means "the jaguar that jumps into the river". She was born in the Tikuna Umariaçu Indigenous Land, in the municipality of Tabatinga, Amazonas, on the border between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. She spent a large part of her youth on the outskirts of Manaus, Amazonas, and today lives in São Luís, in the state of Maranhão. Her people call themselves Magüta.

Djuena is a journalist by training, and was a pioneer when she emerged on the national scene singing in her mother tongue. Her lyrics defend indigenous identity, the preservation of sacred rituals, and fight against threats to indigenous people in the territories. With 15 years of career and three albums released, Djuena Tikuna has recorded partnerships with several Brazilian music artists, and has carried out national and international tours. In 2017, the singer made history as the first indigenous woman to produce and present a musical show at the Amazonas Theater, in more than 120 years of existence. The place is a symbol of European colonization in the Amazon. On the occasion, she released the album “Tchautchiüãne”. The name means "my village", and it is composed only of songs in the Tikuna language. The album received a nomination in 2018 for the Indigenous Music Awards, the largest award for global indigenous music.

Script, sound design and narration: Ana Pimenta