Through the Ponto de Cultura Alimentar Iacitatá, Indigenous and traditional communities from the Brazilian Amazon will prepare meals for heads of state at COP30. Tainá Marajoara, cook, activist, and cultural promoter who founded the collective, explains that having regional cuisine represented at such a privileged space in the conference was not easy, but achieved through pressure and mobilization.
“We see this as a victory for all peoples of the world, because this is a global conference and, for the first time, there will be food made by Indigenous peoples, traditional cultures, and peasant movements,” Marajoara told Radio BdF.
Initially, COP organizers wanted to confine Iacitatá to the “green zone,” reserved for popular movements. But the group demanded a place in the “blue zone,” where heads of state, including Brazil’s President Lula and France’s Emmanuel Macron, will dine. “These are the people who will smell, taste, and feel the revolution we create from the ground of the Amazon. That space had been denied to us, but we fought for it and won,” she celebrated.
Read the highlights from the interview
BdF – How did the Ponto de Cultura Alimentar Iacitatá become responsible for food at COP30?
Tainá Marajoara – At first, it seemed impossible. The bidding process was unfair and colonial. They even banned açaí (palm fruit pulp), tucupi (a fermented manioc broth), and maniçoba (a stew made from manioc leaves and pork). Only industrial juices were allowed. We denounced this racism and forced a public hearing, where organizers apologized. After pressure, we won the right to be there with our food.
What was the dispute over the spaces at the conference?
They wanted to place us in the “green zone,” with popular movements, but we demanded the “blue zone,” where heads of state eat. Leaders like Lula and Macron will now taste the food we produce in the Amazon. “They will smell, taste, and feel the revolution we make from the ground of the forest,” and that’s a huge victory.
What kind of food will you serve?
At least 2.5 tons of fish and 2 tons of shellfish from artisanal fishing, plus rice, beans, coffee, and sugar from the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST). It’s food produced with justice, culture, and tradition. We are not restaurants; we are peoples of the forest and rivers. Food is not just a commodity, it is our life.
What is the political meaning of this kitchen?
We call it a kitchen without genocide, without agribusiness, without pesticides. A kitchen of life. Indigenous and peasant food systems keep the Amazon alive. Without us, there is no forest, no water, no food for the world.
