(Hybrid) DECIPHERING THE ETHICS OF LAND OWNERSHIP: BLOODY LANDS, BETWEEN AVOIDANCE AND SILENCING

(Due to the train strike announced, the event will use a hybrid modality in Part 2)

Programme:

First Part  (at Newton Park Campus, Commons, room G53)


10.15 - 12.00 Felipe Gálvez Haberle’s Film, The Settlers 
“A landowner in Tierra del Fuego, Chile, pay to three men to clear a ‘safe route’ through native lands. Based on true events that include the massacres of the indigenous Selk’nam people by white settlers, the film explores a grim period in Chile’s colonial past that has subsequently been all but written out of the country’s history books” (Wendy Ide)

1hr Lunch break (snacks and refreshments)

 
Second Part  (at Newton park Campus, Commons, rooms 136 and G23)


13.00 – 13.35           Poetry Reading  (CM. 136)
Girasol Press editors Leire Barrera and Dan Eltringham will present the recently published trilingual pamphlet by Mè’phàà-Mexican poet Hubert Matiúwàa, Xtámbaa / Landskin / Piel de Tierra, and read selected poems and translations. Girasol Press works with experimental approaches to translation, book-arts and old print technologies, and the recovery of forgotten or marginalised voices and languages.

15 minutes break

Philosophy workshop on “Deciphering the ethics of land ownership” 

The right to land ownership has always been a very controversial issue. There are different approaches to it, mostly involving political views, some in favour of private ownership and others in favour of communal ownership, with the question of justice at the heart of the discussions. In this workshop, we would like to approach this difficult topic from different angles, from the perspective of the indigenous peoples (the first inhabitants), from the perspective of people who have occupied a space where others live (colonisation). But we also want to look at the rights of the environment and non-human species to occupy the space where they belong (i.e. not to be destroyed or killed) and, in a closer context, to discuss how we can be protected from usury in a capitalist world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a place to live in dignity.

13.50 – 14.40      (1) Introductory talks  (Commons 136)

• Ms. Michaela Code (Bath Spa University)                                                   “How language affects the way we interact with land and how North American indigenous languages allow for a better relationship to land”.
• Mr. Rowan Packer-Hughes (Bath Spa University)                                        "Land ownership: not just a human issue”

20-minute tea and coffee break

15.00 – 17.20     (2) Keynote speakers  (Commons G23)

• Dr. Steven Emery (Guest speaker from University of Exeter)                   “Violence and Belonging: From the Occupied Golan Heights to Bucolic England”
• Professor Ambreena Manji (Guest speaker from Cardiff University)           TBC

20 minutes tea and coffee break

17.40 – 18.55     Mini-documentary and live video link to  Amazon (Commons G23)
The mini-documentary is put together from footage sent to us by the Nomãnawa, showcasing both their culture and their struggle to protect the forest. After this, we’ll attempt to connect with their leader, Yama Nomãnawa, live via video link so he can express his concerns directly to us.


The Nomãnawa are an Indigenous community from the Amazonian region of Acre in Brazil. Their existence is under constant threat from various forms of settler colonialism (mining, logging, big agriculture, land grabs) as well as natural disasters caused by climate change.

The Nomãnawa proudly refer to themselves as the "Guardians of the Forest". They possess a deep, spiritual connection to the natural world and aspire to one day open their community to visitors. This would allow them to share their traditional medicines and ancestral knowledge with the world.

Indigenous communities like the Nomãnawa are important protectors of our Mother Earth. Please help us ensure they can continue their vital work. The funding generously given by Bath Spa University through this event will go directly to the community.

1 hr. dinner break

Third Part  (at Newton Park Campus,  Michael Tippett Centre, room G01)
 

19.55-20.40     Nervio Cosmico, musical performance 
Nervio Cosmico is a Bristol-based duo formed in 2021 by Chilean composer Daniel Linker and Italian sound artist Matteo Amadio. They combine live acoustic performance with synthetic sound and electronic tools to express a spiritual approach to nature in which life is understood as a single self-conscious entity. Their philosophical perspective aligns with Deep Ecology narratives in that humanity is deeply connected to and part of nature. Their music seeks to find this connection by looking inward to our sensations and awareness of being present.

Inspired by rituals belonging to a shamanic tradition from the Peruvian Upper Amazon known as vegetalista, and from traditional musical practices from the South American Andes, they aim to immerse the listener into a shamanic journey, with its episodes of catharsis and states of blissfulness.  They handcraft and play ceremonial clay instruments based on models from ancient South America –some of them were made in collaboration with Dr Conor Wilson (Bath spa University). They also use shamanic instruments from the Amazon, such as the shacapa –a shaker made of dry leaves producing a soothing and rich sound similar to white noise. Their use of electronics provides the infrastructure for building the live piece and contributes with generative synthetic sound evoking expanded states of consciousness.