Press release
Exhibition - The Matriarchs of the Forest
October 30, 2025When the voices of Indigenous women cross borders
Presented for the first time in Canada, the exhibition The Matriarchs of the Forest pays tribute to the Indigenous women of the Chiquitanía region in Bolivia. Through portraits and intimate stories, it reveals the strength of intergenerational bonds and how ancestral knowledge continues to inspire today’s struggles to protect nature.
A collaboration between the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) and the Bolivian organization APCOB (Apoyo Para el Campesino-Indígena del Oriente Boliviano), the exhibition was inaugurated last night at the Montreal Planetarium during the Grand Rendez-vous politique – Dialogues for Climate 2025, an evening marked by climate solidarity and exchange between peoples. On the eve of COP30, this initiative highlights the vital role of Indigenous voices in shaping solutions to the climate crisis.
Passing on memory, protecting life
At the heart of the exhibition, portraits and stories from the Chiquitanía — an ecoregion between the Amazon and the Bolivian Chaco — honor elder women recognized as guardians of forests, memory, and traditional knowledge. These works are the result of a narrative photography workshop offered to young Indigenous women from the Chiquitana, Monkoxi and Ayorea nations, all members of the collective JUMA (Jóvenes Chiquitanos Unidos por el Medio Ambiente).
“These young women photographed their grandmothers, their models, their mentors. Each image tells a story of encounter between generations and a shared commitment to protect the forest,” explained Amélie St-Amant-Ringuette, Project Officer for Environment and Climate Adaptation at CECI.
The exhibition highlights how knowledge transmission and connection to the land are rooted in women’s experiences and actions — acts of care, sharing, and living memory.
Women who carry their forest
At the Montreal opening, two Bolivian representatives of APCOB took part: Patricia Patiño Caprirolo, Executive Director of APCOB; Mayerly Yaneth Rodríguez Cambara, young Indigenous leader and member of the JUMA collective.
Both spoke about the human and collective significance of the project.
Between the boreal forest and the Amazon
First presented in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, the exhibition now takes on a new dimension — both Amazonian and Boreal — through the contribution of Alicia Mollen, an Innu woman from Unamen-Shipu (La Romaine). Her work, added to the Canadian version, connects the wisdom of Northern Elders with that of the matriarchs of the tropical forest, creating a living dialogue between peoples and ecosystems.
The voices of the Indigenous women of the Chiquitanía now echo in Quebec, reminding us that to protect the forest is to protect life itself.
An exhibition to discover at the Montreal Biodôme
The Matriarchs of the Forest is on display until January 9, 2026, on the lower level of the Montreal Biodôme. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect: “What is the legacy of the women who have shaped your relationship with nature? What actions will you take to protect the Earth and future generations?”
You can share your reflections here: https://ceci.org/fr/matriarches-de-la-foret
A digital version of the exhibition presented in Santa Cruz is also available here: https://francomotorsbolivia.com/matriarcas-del-bosque/index.htm
About the project
This project was developed by APCOB and CECI, with the participation of the JUMA collective, as part of the Volunteer Cooperation Program funded by Global Affairs Canada. It reflects a long-standing collaboration aimed at promoting socio-environmental resilience and the valorization of Indigenous knowledge in the territories of Monte Verde, Lomerío, and Zapocó, covering over 1.3 million hectares of forest.
Media contact
Stephanie Nichols, CECI
514-358-4286
stephanie.nichols@ceci.ca