1st Fiocruz Literary Festival debates the role of health in the anti-racist fight
Between the 10th and 12th of June, the 1st Fiocruz International Literary Festival (Flifio) will take place, in partnership with the Ministry of Racial Equality. The event, based in Rio de Janeiro, at Fiocruz's Manguinhos unit, articulates literature, education, health promotion and peripheral territories around the theme of the anti-racist fight. The curators will debate the role of science against the country's social and racial inequalities.
The program includes literary tables, a book fair, reading circles and musical and theatrical performances. The activities are mainly aimed at young people from public schools in territories where Fiocruz supports social projects, such as Complexo da Maré, Manguinhos, Jacaré and Complexo do Alemão. Students will receive book vouchers worth R$250 to purchase works of their choice during the event.
The president of Fiocruz, Mario Moreira, commented on the foundation's historical relationship with encouraging culture: "Culture, health and science go hand in hand on campus. Flifio is another cultural event that we host and we hope it becomes annual, contributing to disseminating books in the communities around us", he states.
The purpose of the event is to value territorialized and community knowledge from historically marginalized people, such as young black and peripheral people. "The purpose is to expand the field of citizenship through social participation, forming critical subjects and strengthening links between communities, institutions and the universe of books and reading", highlights Felipe Eugênio, coordinator of the area of Culture in Social Cooperation of the Presidency of Fiocruz.
The main event integrates actions promoted by the foundation since 2025, starting with the Literary Cities seminar. The agenda seeks to make the project increasingly permanent in the territories and articulate art, research and social action. The event is also sponsored by the City of Rio de Janeiro and the Municipal Department of Culture.
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Source: CNN