Global Citizen announced additional details on Wednesday (April 30) about the first Latin American edition of its signature event, Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia. Revealed during the Global Citizen NOW summit in New York, the world’s leading international organization advocating for an end to extreme poverty said the inaugural Amazonia show will take place on Nov. 1 at Estádio Olímpico do Pará (aka Mangueirão) in Belém, Brazil.
The show will feature sets from Brazilian superstar headliners Anitta and Seu Jorge, as well as Belém-bred singer Gaby Amarantos, as well as speakers including indigenous leaders Chief Raoni Metuktire and a special guest performance from Coldplay‘s Chris Martin.
Organizers said in a press release the event will focus on “amplifying the voices of indigenous peoples and local communities in the Amazon rainforest” and aim to raise $1 billion to protect, restore and rewild the Amazon rainforest.
Free tickets to Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia can be earned exclusively for the people of Belém and Pará State in Brazil by taking action on the Global Citizen app or its website. Tickets are also be available by sending a WhatsApp message to +55 (11) 4040-7099 demanding action to end deforestation and support communities on the frontlines of climate impact. The show will be broadcast for free across Brazil on Globo’s platforms.
In an effort to make sure tickets get into the hands of local Pará State residents, including ones without internet or smartphone access, tickets will also be available to people who participate in community volunteering activities in Belém and Pará State, including tree planting, riverbank cleanups and other environmental service projects.
According to Amazonconservation.org, the Amazon — often referred to as the “lungs of the world” — is getting closer to its “tipping point,” when it will no longer be able to generate its own rainfall and support its rainforest ecosystems. Quickly approaching the tipping point of 20%-25% of deforestation, experts say if that point is passed, it could turn the planet’s largest rainforest into a dry grassland.
“In our visits to the Amazon and conversations with Indigenous leaders and community elders, Global Citizen has heard their call, and we are honored to accept their invitation to partner with their communities,” said Michael Sheldrick, co-founder and chief policy, impact and government relations officer for Global Citizen, in a statement. “We acknowledge our responsibility to listen, learn, stand alongside, and amplify — as loudly as we can — both the voices and the urgent needs of Indigenous and local communities. That’s what the Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia campaign is all about. Not only are we laser focused on building a global coalition to raise $1 billion for the rainforest’s preservation, but we are dedicating our advocacy, energy and platforms to centering and amplifying these powerful calls to action, culminating on our festival stage on November 1st to ensure their voices cannot be ignored.”
Organizers pledge that given the event’s efforts to preserve the natural environment in the host nation, the show will be one of the most sustainable, low-impact large-scale events ever in South America. Among the mitigation efforts on tap are a mobile, rechargeable battery-powered stage using solar generation that will be made available to other events in Brazil to reduce their energy impact, as well as a dramatic reduction in waste through compostable packaging, no single-use plastics and the local donation of excess food.
“It is an immense joy to be part of Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia, which is taking place in my homeland, Belém,” added singer Amarantos. “This event is much more than music; it is a global call to protect and value the Amazon, its biodiversity and the people who live here. As an artist from the Amazon, I feel both the responsibility and the pride of bringing the voice of my region to the world, showing how urgent it is to care for our forest, our culture, and our communities. The Amazon is a source of life, resilience and hope. Participating in this collective movement is an important step toward the future we want, where development and preservation go hand in hand. I invite everyone to join in this vital struggle for climate justice and respect for Indigenous and traditional peoples.”
