The Week of Fake News is a one-off large cross-sector initiative encompassing cinema, music, academic debate and fine arts. Its objective is to investigate how fake news and media bias have impacted the democratic institutions and the election process in Brazil, drawing pertinent parallels to the UK and the rest of the world.

The Cambridge University Brazilian Society (CUBS) and the Cambridge Latin American Research in Education Collective (CLAREC) and DMovies are delighted to be hosting at the Faculty of Education (University of Cambridge) three events of this insightful week. The events will take place in-person and also online, and free of charge on 24th May 2022:

16h UK - Documentary Screening: “The Coup d’Etat Factory”

18H UK - Catering & Book Signing with Jean Wyllys and Márcia Tiburi

19H UK – Seminar and Q&A “The Role of Education in the Fake News Era” (in-person & online) - with simultaneous translation into Portuguese and live broadcast via Zoom Webinar. Attendance certificates will be provided.

21H UK - After-Seminar Party - featuring: Brazilian jazz singer Leila Azevedo and jazz group Temor at the Tall Trees, 67 Lensfield Rd, Cambridge - CB2 1EN

📍Note: Limited availability. To attend any of the events (in-person or online), please register on Eventbrite - https://education_and_fakenews.eventbrite.com

Zoom link will be sent to those registered on Eventbrite.

The seminar “The Role of Education in the Fake News Era” will promote debate on the phenomenon of fake news, which has become a global threat to democracy. We seek to understand what role does (or can) education play in times marked by the advance of misinformation and a social and political context with the rise of populist movements, global polarisation and technological advances increasing the potential for rapid dissemination of fake news. The seminar will be chaired by Dr Haira Gandolfi (Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge), with guest speakers Professor Susan Robertson (Head of the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge), Márcia Tiburi (Philosopher and Lecturer, University Paris 8), Jean Wyllys (Journalist and scholar, University of Barcelona and Harvard) and Victor Fraga (journalist and filmmaker). By promoting the premiere of the documentary “The Coup d'État Factory” before the seminar, we hope to enrich the debate with the presentation and contextualisation of a relevant case.

Agenda 24 May 2022

16h: The Coup d'État Factory (A Fantástica Fábrica de Golpes)

Intro by Victor Fraga, Writer and Filmmaker

An Anglo-Brazilian documentary about media bias, “fake news”, and democracy. Brazil has a long tradition of coup d'états. These coups would not have been viable without the support of the big media, particularly TV Globo. Two Brazilian journalists in the UK reveal the manipulative tactics of these organisations.

When: Tuesday 24 May 2022 - 16h – 18h

Where: Auditorium, Mary Allan Building, Homerton College, University of Cambridge

18h: Book Signing and Refreshments

With Jean Wyllys and Márcia Tiburi

Meet Jean Wyllys and Márcia Tiburi as they sign copies of their books. Márcia will sign copies of her new book: Psycho-Cultural Underpinnings of Everyday Fascism: Dialogue as Resistance.

When: Tuesday 24 May 2022 - 18h – 19h

Where: Rooms GS4/GS5, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

19h: Seminar “The Role of Education in the Fake News Era”

With Dr Haira Gandolfi, Professor Susan Robertson, Marcia Tiburi, Jean Wyllys, Victor Fraga.

Guest speakers will talk about the role of education in times of “fake news” and hate speech since the presidential elections in Brazil in 2018 that led them to self-exile in Europe.

When: Tuesday 24 May 2022 19h – 21h

Where: Rooms GS4/GS5, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

21h: After-Seminar Party

Featuring two amazing Cambridge music scene rising stars: popular Brazilian jazz singer Leila Azevedo and highly acclaimed local jazz group Temor bringing a mix of MPB (Brazilian popular music) and jazz.

When: Tuesday 24 May 2022 21h - 23h

Where: Tall Trees, 67 Lensfield Rd, Cambridge - CB2 1EN

Guest speakers:

Márcia Tiburi is a philosopher, plastic artist and writer. She is currently living under exile in Paris, and works as a professor at the University Paris 8. She has written extensively about the rise of fascism and fake news in Brazil. She authored the book The Psycho-Cultural Underpinnings of Everyday Fascism, published in 2021.

Jean Wyllys is a scholar in Political Science at the University of Barcelona, where he researches the contagion by fake news and the rise of authoritarian governments. Award-winning journalist, he writes about civil rights and liberties. He served two consecutive terms as federal deputy in Brazil.

Susan Robertson is the head of the Faculty of Education at University of Cambridge and went on to hold academic posts at the University of Auckland, University of Bristol. She sits on the ESRC’s funding council and is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Globalisation, Societies and Education.

Haira Gandolfi is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Education – University of Cambridge. Her teaching and research interests are Science Education, Decolonial Curricula and Pedagogies, Science & Technology Studies, and Teachers’ Work and Professional Development.

Victor Fraga is an Anglo-Brazilian journalist and filmmaker. He is the founder and director of the DMovies, the portal for thought-provoking cinema. He co-directed the documentary The Coup d'Etat Factory, about the role of media manipulation and fake news in the collapse of Brazilian democracy and rise of Neo-fascism.