VOICES FOR THE AMAZON
en
arzh-CNnlenfrdeitptrues

mauricio rivera ramirez

ARTIST FOR THE AMAZON

Testimonial

In my work as a fiction writer and visual artist, I have often been inspired by the mythology of the tropical jungle. For example, a few years ago, I published a novella titled Postales de Villalibre (2016) , which focuses on an imaginary city that is the architectonic and cultural jewel of a nation, from an alternative universe, located in the heart of South America. At one point, the ruling authorities decide to gamble the fate of the city and its neighbouring populations, on a ‘pharaonic’ project that aims (or rather dreams) to connect the Amazon River with the Río de la Plata, through a network of hydroelectric dams. Before that, I wrote a stage play titled The War on Meats (which I later turned into a graphic novel ). It occurs in a future where the possession, consumption and traffic of meat products have been declared illegal. One of the main events leading into this future, is the establishment of supra-national reservations in ecosystems, like Amazonia, which have been labeled as necessary for the survival of the human species. This action is described by one of the characters as the ‘first major blow against the nationalistic barriers of the modern world.’ Although the future foreseen in this story may be described as dystopian, it includes a dose of optimism, as it does not present a post-apocalyptic backdrop. This vision implies the survival of the Amazon jungle

About Mauricio Rivera Ramirez

I am a writer, journalist, scholar and visual artist born in Bogota, Colombia. I studied journalism and communications in Colombia and later undertook postgraduate studies in Melbourne, Australia: including a masters degree in professional communication with an emphasis in creative writing from Deakin University and a PhD in journalism and media studies from RMIT University. During the past decade I have combined my work in academia and freelance journalism with the production of multiple literary and audio-visual artworks.

Stay Connected

#amazonaid