Intangible heritage of Pará, letter openers promote free workshops in Belém ILQF The ornate letters that for around a century have identified vessels on the rivers of the Amazon have gained, this year, important recognition: the craft of letter openers and traditional boat letters have officially become part of the intangible cultural heritage of Pará. To celebrate this milestone and bring the public closer to this traditional knowledge, the Instituto Letras que Flutuam is holding, on August 2nd, a free program at the Canto do Letras, in Belém. From 9 am to 1 pm, visitors will be able to participate in letter opening workshops led by masters associated with the Instituto Letras que Flutuam, discover the institution's collection and purchase pieces produced by the artists themselves, such as traditional decorative plaques inspired by Amazonian vessels, as well as books, t-shirts, ecobags and letters in miriti. The workshops are free, have limited places and registration is now open, online. The program, on August 2nd, will include letter opening workshops, visits to the collection and pieces produced by masters of the Amazonian graphic tradition. ILQF The result of more than two decades of research by researcher Fernanda Martins, the Instituto Letras que Flutuam is the first in Brazil dedicated exclusively to the culture of letter openers. Since 2004, the project has identified more than 130 masters in municipalities in Pará and works to document, value and safeguard this heritage, promoting training actions, income generation and protection of traditional knowledge. For the director of the institute, Fernanda Martins, expanding contact between the population and letter openers is fundamental to strengthening a cultural manifestation that, for a long time, remained invisible. "Spaces like Canto do Letras should exist in profusion in a city like Belém, because there is a lot of invisible riverside knowledge that needs the opportunity to demonstrate its production, sell its products and expand the dissemination of this knowledge", he states. In addition to learning the first strokes of opening letters, the public will be able to learn about the trajectory of the artists responsible for transforming a practical need for identifying vessels into a unique visual language, today recognized as one of the symbols of Pará's cultural identity. Instituto Letras que Flutuam Programming Service Date: August 2nd (Saturday) Time: 9am to 1pm Location: Canto do Letras – Travessa Rui Barbosa, 257, Sala 3, Reduto, Belém Programming 9am: opening of the space, visit to the collection and sale of products from the Instituto Letras que Flutuam and pieces produced by Abridores de Letras; 10am: first workshop on opening letters (50 minutes); 11:30 am: second workshop on opening letters (50 minutes); Registration: free, online and with limited places.