The reason for his visit to Enschede on 10 October is to meet with Solar Boat Twente, which has sparked his interest. He is keen for these environmentally responsible boats to sail in the Amazon region. Renewable energy is easy to obtain as there is plenty of sunshine in the rainforest. This means that the indigenous peoples are able to avoid using diesel, which is a pollutant and generally expensive. Chief Dadá Borarí: "The products and ideas these students are working on are very inspiring and could help so many people in the Amazon." 5% of the world’s population, namely the indigenous peoples, protects 80% of the world’s biodiversity. Managing and regenerating these indigenous areas is crucial to our future.

Solar Boat Twente

By designing, developing and optimizing a reliable solar-powered boat, Solar Boat Twente is encouraging environmental awareness and the use of renewable energy in the maritime sector. Pushing the boundaries, the multidisciplinary team is embracing a major challenge: designing and building the motorboat of tomorrow. Dadá Borarí: "In the future, solar boats might enable us to sail silently through the waters of the Amazon without polluting fuels."

Future Factory

As well as his specific interest in Solar Boat Twente, Dadá Borarí also wants to acquire knowledge about other sustainable vehicles. During his visit he discussed with Green Team Twente, which is building a hydrogen-powered car, with Electric Superbike Twente; They are building an electric motor. Next to the sustainable vehicles, Drone Team Twente showed Dadá their autonomous aid delivery drone which can have a huge impact for the healthcare in the Amazon rainforest. "With all these technologies the students showed me today, it really feels like I've landed in a new world", says Dadá Borarí.

Support from Pope Francis

In 2015 Pope Francis wrote: Laudato Si’ (later filmed as The Letter), an encyclical on the environmental crisis to all the world’s inhabitants. The objective: to give a voice to all those who are not heard in regard to the climate crisis. One of the four key players is Cacique Dadá Borarí from Brazil. The stories and talks with Pope Francis gave rise to the film documentary 'The Letter’, directed by Emmy and BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker Nicolas Brown. On 4 October Cacique Dadá Borarí was at the Vatican, where the film premiered. The official trailer of 'The Letter' can be watched below.