FSA training and production at Seringal Veneza

13/11/2012

This is a brief description of the work in the State of Acre, Brazil. From 5th to 15th November 2012 the FSA training and production happened at Seringal Veneza with rubber tapping families that are part of the producers association of Parque da Cigana.

Vanda (who is the chemistry researcher from the Lateq) and I travelled on the 5th from Brasília to Rio Branco, and then to Feijó, and then to the community of Parque da Cigana on the 6th, after many setting up plenty of materials, food, utensils to take to the training days. Mr. Tabota from Seaprof in Feijó was really kind and efficient in helping us to sort everything out.

The first thing I did in Brasília was to buy Renascença laces in a crafts fair to make printing tests with the rubber. These laces are from a cooperative of women from the State of Paraíba.

Mr. Raimundo Flor is the president of the Parque das Ciganas Producers' Association.

Coincidentally, we had just arrived in Rio Branco and met people from Parque das Ciganas Producers' Association. They were going to travel to a rubber tapping conference, but unfortunately, later we heard they lost their flight. So, Raimundo and Edinaldo return to the community to work with us, which was important as they are local leaders.

On the 'ramal', as they call the ways to the communities in the rainforest.

First meeting with the families. Clarifications about the training and production.

Very participative discussion about the logistic of the next days of working. Who would do what; what needed to be organised, fixed, done.

We were very welcome by the families who would be involved in the course. However we were a bit frustrated because we expected to have latex to begin the course on the same day, but the production was not organised yet. In the end everything was right as we employed the time to discuss how things would work during the next days. Soon, women and men assumed their best roles, one in tapping the trees, others in organising the work space, cleaning, and producing the rubber sheets, among others. On the next day, each one were in their way to makes things happen.

Lovely breakfast before working. In the first picture, Miss Rosa holds a paca she was preparing for lunch. Mr. Raimundo hunted it on the previous evening.

Reorganising the producing unit.

Women cleaning the trays to the rubber sheets production and organising materials.

While we were waiting the guys with the latex, I played with the rubber showing them how we could work with the material to develop jewellery and other artefacts.

Mrs. Andreia and Mrs. Heloilda were very keen in learning and developing crafts with the rubber.

I brought these FSA (Semi-artefact sheets) to show them.

Mr. Vanderlei and children going to the river to take water.

In front of the processing unit.

First production

As the latex arrived, the first production took over. Mr. Piloto (wearing hat) highlighted himself for his performance in fixing, building, transporting, organising. Mr. Gentil collected a good amount of latex and were happy for this.

Mrs. Andreia highlighted herself among others for being very articulated and for her expertise in doing the FDL, consequently having great facility to learn how to deal with the FSA.

Mrs. Heloilda and Mr. João mixing the latex.

Testing pigments.

The first production was very enthusiastic. We made about 60 rubber sheets, but lost some of them because it was also a day of testing the latex with new pigments to achieve the pastel colours we wanted. We also lost a part of the latex because of the long distance and warm weather.

Tests with laces on rubber

On the second day we could see what were the pigments and sheets that worked and the ones that did not. From our notes, Vanda and I knew beforehand what worked well and what we should not repeat. After pressing the coagulated rubber we did some tests of printing some sheets with laces textures.

From semi-artefact to artefacts

After pressing all the rubber sheets I showed Iris and Andreia how to work with the wet rubber to develop products. They were enthusiastic about it and immediately began to materialise ideas. I was also glad to be part of this emerging creativity process.

Visitants

Later on, the team of the The Economist newspaper, with WWF UK and WWF Brazil arrived. They came out in such special moment, which just became even better through out the reportage. The rubber tappers exposed the difficults they are facing because of deforestation and the importance of the rubber and other productive activities in the forest. Moreover, we explained the FDL and FSA technologies, which the processing method was demonstrated by Vanda and the producers.