Lancaster musician joins special event to mark three years since her brother Dom Phillips was killed in the Amazon

The event also celebrated the posthumous publication of the book Dom was researching when he lost his life – How to Save the Amazon, a journalist’s deadly quest for answers.

Environmental journalist Dom Phillips, brother of Lancaster musician Sian Phillips, and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, were murdered on June 5 2022, while Dom was engaged on what should have been the final research trip for this book.

The event started with a beautiful rendition of ‘My heart be rain ’ by Brendan Taaffee, sung by the Dot Crotchet’s choir led by Anni Tracey.

After a second river-themed song, beautifully sung by Pete Moser together with Sian Phillips, Sian spoke movingly about her brother’s death and about the hope that has sprung out of the tragedy, with the production of this book.

She said “I travelled to Brazil for Dom’s funeral. I spoke at the funeral, and perhaps the most important thing i said was ‘the story that Dom was investigating has to be told’. I’m so grateful that so many of Dom’s friends and

colleagues shared this commitment and they managed to finish the book. “

Alongside Sian those gathered heard from indigenous leader Beto Marubo – who had worked with Bruno for 12 years and whose organisation helped with the search for the two men in 2022, Dom’s widow Alessandra (Ale) Sampaio, and Guardian global environment editor Jonathan Watts, who is based in the Amazon, and who led the team who completed the book.

Ale said:” The indigenous people have told me that Dom and Bruno have become spirits and continue to protect the forest. “

She stressed the importance of listening to people from the Amazon and working collectively. And she introduced the work of the Dom Phillips Institute which she has set up to further Dom's legacy of amplifying the voices of the Amazon and the knowledge of its Indigenous peoples.

“We are nature,” she said. “We are not isolated, separate. We are a part of this. We are killing ourselves every day. We are lost. We need to reconnect to our essence.”

In answer to a question by a young audience member, Beto Marubo replied: “You are young. You are the future consumers, the future politicians, the future economists. You need to work to change the future to be one that YOU want to see.”

He reminded everyone that Dom and Bruno had both come from outside, had left their ‘comfort zones’ to travel to the remote Amazon to listen to indigenous people and to help to make change happen. And he asked everyone to think about what we personally, as Dom’s compatriots, are going to do to change things.

“It’s not just Dom and Bruno who can change the world. All of you can do that” he said.

Jon Watts said: “It was a huge honour that Ale and Sian trusted us to finish this work and it’s a bittersweet moment to be with you today. It’s a triumph for Dom, and a tragedy that he’s not here to enjoy it.”

Jon said the numbers of environmental defenders killed each year – roughly one every two days – and the number of journalists killed each year – roughly one every three days.

And he said that often, it was important to tell those individual stories.

“Often the people who died defending the forest live in places where there isn’t much media, so the stories go unreported...but when you start putting them together, then you start to see a picture emerging, of a war on

nature, which effects all of us. If we know the names, the faces, and feel a bond with these people, we can feel that they are all helping US to survive.”

The session was chaired by Jos Barlow from Lancaster Environment Centre.

A linked exhibition, For Dom, Bruno and the Amazon, was on show at the launch. It was first produced in 2022 and has been updated to reflect political changes in Brazil, the publication of the book and the launch of the Dom Phillips Institute. The production of the updated exhibition was funded by the NUJ. It is on show in the Gregson bar until Saturday June 7, and will go on show at Halton Mill later in the summer, with an opening event on Wednesday July 23.

The Dom Phillips institute would be grateful for donations at https://institutodomphillips.org.br/en/ and the book can be purchased for one more week at the reduced price of £20 (rrp £22) from Carnforth Bookshop, who can arrange delivery post free in the Lancaster area: [email protected], tel 01524 734588.