Oct 29, 2026 |
Kambaku is hosting a Knowledge Circle in Maputo today on the role of artificial intelligence in conservation in Mozambique, at 16:00 at the JFS Tower, in the city’s Baixa district.
The Kambaku session brings together in the same circle two leading projects in the application of technology to conservation in the country. Hugo Pereira, of the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance (MWA), will speak about the use of GPS platforms in managing conflict between people and wildlife, while Wanda Veríssimo, of Gorongosa National Park, brings the experience of training young Mozambicans in science applied to biodiversity.
The format departs from the traditional panel. There will be no stage and the speakers will sit at the same level as the audience, in a circle moderated by Isildo Nhatumbo, of Kambaku. José Maria Langa, of Kambaku and ObservA, will take part remotely and present the concept of Con(pre)servation.
The session, titled “The Ecological Mirror”, is part of the official programme of the Maputo Fast Forward 2026 festival and takes place at the JFS Tower, in the capital’s Baixa, over roughly two hours. The conversation is themed “Who Programs Nature? Kambaku’s View on AI and Con(pre)servation in Mozambique”. Around 25 minutes are set aside for questions and testimonies from the audience, including those following the session online.
The starting point is the observation that the nature we know today increasingly reaches us through technology, whether through the location of an elephant transmitted by a GPS collar, the counting of whales using sonar or the identification of a poacher through forensic science. Hence the question that will run through the debate, namely who holds, who makes and who can afford this technological mirror of nature, and what natural Mozambique we want to see reflected in it.
This year’s edition of Maputo Fast Forward marks ten years of the festival, runs until 1 November and is dedicated to “Artificial Realities”, inviting the public to question a reality increasingly shaped by algorithms, artificial intelligence and digital networks. The programme includes an international conference, immersive installations, performances and the so-called Knowledge Circles, with names such as Achille Mbembe and Mia Couto among the confirmed participants.
The Knowledge Circle “The Ecological Mirror” takes place today, 29 October, from 16:00, at the JFS Tower, in Maputo’s Baixa district, and can be followed live via this link.
Photo: MFF 2026
