The Amazonas

When planning this fellowship my intention was to visit Rio Branco, capital of the north-western state of Acre, which borders Peru and Bolivia. Rio Branco has a well established "Orcamento Participativo" (Participatory Budgeting) process and offers a particular rural perspective, given its interaction with reservations and rubber tapper movements. I am extremely grateful for the help and advice of Claudia Cunha and Dande Tavares for helping me to try and arrange appointments with both NGO's and the Co-ordinator of Rio Branco's PB process. Alas, difficulties with co-ordinating dates, and travelling the sheer distance to Rio Branco meant that I had to revise my itinerary and settle on the Amazonian capital Manaus, which was more manageable from Brasilia.

During the first phase of my fellowship I have been rather anxious about having a full diary. In my normal working life at home 3-4 meetings or appointments a day is common, however in a different cultural context with limited pre-exisitng networks and contacts I realised this was too ambitious. I have also found that I've needed to be flexible with my time to ensure that I have the ability to chase leads passed to me by those I meet and see some of these processes in practice. The language difference has also meant that meetings have often been longer than I would normally anticipate to allow time for translation. I have also accepted that the essence of learning from this fellowship is the opportunity to observe and reflect - perhaps that's why I studied a social science degree at university! Nevertheless I currently feel like a giant sponge, soaking up everything around me and trying then to make sense of it. My notebook has become a curious collection of anecdotes, stories, quotes, observations and to-do lists which at the moment make some sense but I am sure in a few months will mean very little.

Manaus is the capital of the state of Amazonas, orginally home to the Manau tribe and colonised int he 17th century. It grew mainly due to the rubber boom as the main centre of commerce across the Amazon region. Today the city heaves with over 3 million inhabitants and is a major transport hub for a hundreds of river communities stretching deep into the Amazon. Transport by boat is by far the most popular way to leave or enter the city and many tourists leave the city by boat along Rio Negro to the famous "meeting of the waters" where the Negro meets the mighty Amazon River, lifeblood of the rainforest.

Coincidentally, on the day I arrived in the city the local newspapers were covering the story of the previous day's ruling by the state government to implement PB across Amazonas.
http://www.d24am.com/noticias/politica/orcamento-participativo-ganha-forca-na-assembleia-legislativa-do-amazonas/24207

I was intrigued to learn more, however the response I could deduce from the State government was more one of ideology - the belief that community participation in formulating the state budget had to be a good thing. It has long been established in the southern state of Rio Grand do Sul and is therefore possible on a large scale. What didn't seem to be clear was the practicality of running a PB process across the Amazon region relating to the spend of state monies. That is not to say that  the indigenous communities of the Amazon region are not familiar with participatory processes, indeed it appears to have been the machinery of development with these communities for a number of years. But what does appear to be the challenge is making such a bold political statement and then fulfilling that ambition- indeed the government is proposing legislative and institutional changes rather than just piloting a process. There are likely to be notable challenges of running a PB process across the Amazon region, not only in terms of geography and connectivity, but also in terms of the way the state apportions it's budget to areas and communities- this may not be in quite the same ways in which the communities see themselves. Equally the challenges for those living in the wider Amazon are likely to be very different to those living in Manaus, where PB has been embedded at a city level and in a more manageable way spatially.

I also made some contact with NGO's working in the region to understand the implications of government activity and relationship between the state and communities in across this region. I decided to utilise my 4 nights vacation time in Brazil with a trip into the rainforest. Perhaps the fact that the guide had lost an eye should have been warning enough, but it felt like a Bruce Parry meet Crocodile Dundee meet Indiana Jones type adventure complete with piranha fishing, alligator spotting, camping and survival techniques in the jungle and experiencing one of the most incredible environments I have ever been in. The experience was completely awe inspiring and I would wholeheartedly recommend, providing your equipped with at least 4 cans of insect repellent and  heavy duty waterproofs and can survive without the internet or a phone signal for a few days.  The trip also gave me an opportunity to talk to local people, manioc farmers, rubber tappers and others living in those communities where PB is likely to impact. What was clear was that the state will need to fine-tune PB to best fit the Amazon region and its communities.

There are particularities to life in the Amazon that don't necessarily fit with the urban model of PB - least of all the more limited contact people have with state institutions like the Police and Healthcare and also the ways in which such communities mobilise to address challenges. It would certainly be fascinating to see how PB plays out in the Amazon region over the coming years. Perhaps a reason to return someday, although I don't think I need too many excuses...