Rio Celebrates National Botanic Day with Week of Free Activities

By Ciara Long, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – To celebrate Brazil’s National Botanic Day, Rio’s Jardim Botânico will have free activities throughout the week. As the official National Botanic Day fell on Easter Sunday this year, the week-long series of activities will begin today (April 17th) and include walks, lectures, films and activities for children.

Starting today from 2PM, activities will begin with a walk through the garden’s Arboretum. Visitors will learn about identifiable plant characteristics that distinguish the plants from one another, as well as how to tell what life stage a plant is at. The activities will also provide details on the uses of plant DNA extraction and how it works.

Tomorrow, April 18th, there will be another walk through the Arboretum at 10AM, led by researcher Alexandre Quinet. The walk will provide visitors with information about how different indigenous groups use certain types of plant.

Later in the day on the 18th, there will be a 2PM screening of Bianca Vasconcellos’s film ‘O Sonho do Pajé’ (‘The Shaman’s Dream’), as well as a talk on the film. Screenings will take place again from April 20^th until April 23^rd, in the Jardim Botânico’s multimedia space.

Jardim Botânico will commemorate Wednesday 19th, Brazil’s national Dia do Indío (Day of the Indian), with a 10AM screening of the documentary ‘Jogos Indígenas’ (‘Indian Games’). The documentary film shows the first edition of the 2015 Indigenous World Games, held in Tocantins, which brought together more than 3,000 athletes from five continents.

On Wednesday afternoon, indigenous Assurini member Timei will bring interactive activities to Jardim Botânico, with a sensory walk, storytelling and songs about the cultural exchange between the Aweete and Karai (non-indigenous) culture.

Timei, who left his village to find answers and produce alternative ideas for how Brazil’s indigenous and non-indigenous populations may be able to practice the same respect for nature, is part of the Assurini population of Xingu.

Visitors must reserve places on the walks, either in person at the Jardim Botânico visitor center, or by telephone on (21) 3874-1808. In case of rain, the walk will be cancelled and the DNA talks will be held at the Museu do Meio Ambiente.

What: Dia Nacional da Botânica and Dia do Índio
When: April 17th – 23rd
Where: Jardim Botânico – Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008
Entrance: Free with places reserved through the Visitor Center.