Once you've met Adriane Gama, she leaves a lasting impression on you. Her dynamic and warm presence fills any room with warmth and energy. This was very much evident at the National Encounter of Community Networks, which took place in São Paulo in November 2024, which brought together representatives of various civil society and community organisations seeking to foster a connectivity model that includes community-centred initiatives in Brazil.
This biologist, PhD in Environmental Sciences, environmental educator, cultural activist, art educator, educommunicator, film club organiser, theater and circus actress, dancer – just to list a few of her many accomplishments – brought her infectious enthusiasm to the Encounter, even as she did not shy away from talking about the difficulties she personally faces in her fieldwork. As a part of the Projeto Saúde e Alegria, in which she focuses on education, culture and communication within the Amazonian region of Brazil, she carries out her work with unwavering commitment, consistently supporting her colleagues and prioritising the voices of young people. In 2022 and 2023, she was a key facilitator of the Amazon Community Networks School – the first of its kind in Brazil.
As a native of the Amazon region in the country, she also brings a unique perspective on local specificities and the challenges faced in the north region of Brazil. Adriane’s reflections draw attention to the critical need for more inclusive and equitable spaces within community networks, particularly for women. She highlights the significant challenges women face in the Amazon, such as limited access to knowledge, entrenched power dynamics, and a lack of support and resources. As we continue to build and expand community networks, Adriane’s insights remind us that it is important to critically examine gender dynamics and ensure that the voices and contributions of women are fully integrated into the processes of technological and social transformation.
In your experiences with community networks, what is your observation regarding the participation of women? Which parts of the process do they not participate in and why do you think this happens?
During face-to-face meetings of the Digital Forest Network project, for example, we've noticed that women's participation has evolved and they have been very active. There is a greater number of women, especially as representatives of associations or cooperatives of their local enterprises. As a result, we can see a greater incentive for women to become more involved in collective activities in their territories. However, historically, in Amazonian meetings and movements, men have always been called upon more often and usually participate more. It can happen that some women justify their absences because they are looking after their family farm, the house and their children, and [oversee] other activities, which are their priorities in life. But when invitations are given in advance, most try to plan ahead and go. We realised that the women who don't interact in their territory are generally those who have less knowledge or awareness of their importance and their rights, which is why strengthening internal and external support networks with training processes is essential.
What challenges do women face in being able to act and express themselves in the communities you have met? What reproductions of structural power dynamics do you observe within the networks?
Lack of education and awareness contribute to the isolation of women in collective activities in their territories. Male hierarchy in decision making, machismo and individualism are other challenges that women can still face inside and outside the home. In addition, there are still differences in activities for men and women, such as the installation workshop or the network infrastructure workshop with equipment being more geared towards men or with little incentive for women to try it out. In some places, there is still a lack of incentives, resources and local and external partnerships for Amazonian women.
Women's ways of organising are the driving force behind community processes. How do you see this applying to the network ecosystem? Can you share any stories that inspire you?
Those who stand out are women who work as collaborators with other women from more vulnerable and distant territories across the women's associations and cooperatives. Their progress in terms of gaining knowledge and encouragement to study or returning to study is remarkable, and some of them are also getting politicaly involved with the social movements. We have countless examples, but I just thought of a young woman from the riverside in Amapá who is currently doing her master's degree in the capital but has decided to continue living in her territory and directly supporting other women from her association, even though she faces the huge logistics of moving from her community to the centre where she studies. Her dissertation will be precisely to investigate the reality of riverine women, their challenges and strengths in order to strengthen their traditional knowledge by means of scientific study. Another example is the resilience of a young Indigenous communicator in Amazonas who took the opportunity to study her relationship with the women in her family and village for her master's degree, from the perspective of her experience at the Amazon School of Community Networks initiative led by Projeto Saúde e Alegria in Brazil.
What, in your view, needs to change in the way we build community networks, so that we can overcome gender violence and inequality with regard to access and use of technologies?
The first step is to strengthen training processes for women, young people and girls, right from the grassroots. I believe that practical, holistic and playful workshops can deconstruct technological and digital tools in a critical, reflective and creative way. Considering the community networks; I think they would be these solidarity circles, imagetic and dialogic, adapted to our new times and territories, understanding the importance of women from their being, their family, to their enterprises, studies, art, culture and work in all their diversity, allied to the nature that is around them and intrinsically connected to their being.
Featured image: Adriane Gama (left) shares the lessons learnt from the Amazon Community Networks School in Brazil during the Internet Governance Forum in 2022. Photo: Daniela Bello.