Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the 12th GIFE Congress , held in São Paulo (SP). It was three intense days of meetings, reunions, and a lot of listening, especially in conversations that were not very comfortable, but necessary.
I returned to Rio on Friday night with my head buzzing and spent the weekend digesting everything I had experienced. As a good journalist, the best way I found to organize my thoughts was by writing – and I'm sharing some of my impressions here.
Racial equity at the center
The theme of the congress was "Challenging Structures of Inequality," and it's impossible to talk about inequality without including racial equity. If there were any doubts about that, the participants' speeches throughout the program quickly dispelled them.
The topic was present in all the panels I attended, from the participation of the writer and activist Edgar Villanueva at the opening, to the closing, with the beautiful speeches by Thuane Nascimento (Perifa Connection) and Txai Suruí (Indigenous Youth of Rondônia).
And speaking of Rondônia, I highlight the screening of the documentary "The Territory ," which immersed us in the tireless struggle of the Uru-weu-wau-wau indigenous people against the invasions and destruction of their territory in the southwest of that state.
Also standing out at the event was the group from the Pipa Initiative , which is, in fact, the newest organization to join the MBM network! The launch of the study "Peripheries and Philanthropy" coincided perfectly with the event, and there was no shortage of people citing the research at the panels and in conversations during the breaks.
Donations and inequalities
In the panel “When does grantmaking contribute (or not) to overcoming inequalities?” , I was able to hear Raull Santiago, founder of Pipa, talk more about the study and participate in a challenging conversation with our executive director, Carola Matarazzo, Rodrigo Pipponzi ( MOL Group and ACP Institute ), Daiane Pereira Sousa ( Baixada Institute ) and Fábio Tran ( Imaginable Futures ).
The packed room was a sign of the public's interest in the topic. And the four participants discussed points such as decentralization of resources, transparency of power and protagonism, the creation of spaces for active listening, and whether the philanthropic sector is prepared for racial equity.
Meetings
The lobby of the Latin America Memorial, where the congress was held, was a space for many meetings and reunions. It was the first social event I've participated in since the pandemic, and it was wonderful to be in such a conducive environment for exchange. There were catch-up conversations, opportunities for partnerships emerging, and new people connecting.
I left São Paulo with several themes swirling in my head, such as the decolonization of philanthropy by the aforementioned Edgar Villanueva, the poignant speech by Minister Anielle Franco on structural racism, and the commitment of philanthropy to confronting social inequalities, debated in the panel "Possibilities for a Brazil without hunger and misery".
Discomfort and a desire to act are the two feelings I experienced at the congress, and which now remain with me, still shaken by everything I heard, but more certain of what needs to be done from now on when we face the country's social challenges.
Diane Pereira Sousa highlighted in one of her speeches, “it’s easy to talk about reducing inequalities if you don’t live in a situation of social vulnerability. The right term should be 'ending inequalities'. It may sound bold, but we need to be bold.”
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