The story of the indigenous fight against a super hydro-electric dam in the Amazon, and what you can do to support them.
by
Sophie McAdam
via
TrueActivist.com
Many of you will have seen these two disturbing images of indigenous abuse by the
Brazilian
authorities that have been circulating the internet recently. The
first depicts a visibly shaken indigenous man being forcibly restrained
by a soldier as other members of the military take up arms and run to
their positions in the background.
The second shows a mother with a toddler on her hip trying
desperately to push back against the armed men surrounding her. Their
faces and bodies are obscured by shields, so we can see only their
military boots and a single threatening baton. These soldiers tower over
the petite woman, whose distressed expression as she struggles against
them makes for a very powerful photograph.
The story behind these tragic images relates to indigenous protests
against the proposed building of the Belo Monte mega-dam on the Xingu
river in the
Brazilian
Amazon. The dam would flood a vast area of fertile land, dry up parts
of the Xingu river, cause huge devastation to the rainforest, and
greatly reduce fish stocks along a 100km stretch of river, a food source
which the
tribal people in the area depend on for their survival.
The Belo Monte dam is just one of many planned under
Brazil‘s
‘Accelerated Growth Plan’, which aims to create jobs and boost the
economy by building roads, dams and other infrastructure, mainly in the
Amazon basin. Belo Monte will be the world’s third largest dam if it
goes ahead. It was first proposed in the 1980s, and the fight against it
has been brought to the world’s attention by endless protests by tribal
people in the area: The Kayapó, Arara, Juruna, Araweté, Xikrin, Asurini
and Parakanã Indians all depend on the proposed site for their
survival, according to
Survival International, a charity that fights for the rights of indigenous people worldwide.
The man and woman shown in the upsetting viral photographs are members of the Kayapó
tribe, who have been at the forefront of the battle against this so-called ‘growth’ for three decades and counting.
“We don’t want this dam to destroy the ecosystems and the
biodiversity that we have taken care of for millenia and which we can
still preserve”, the Kayapó explained to their government in an open
letter. In another statement given to
Survival, one of the
tribe‘s
elders urged: “The world must know what is happening here. They must
perceive how destroying forests and indigenous people destroys the
entire world.”
Huge tribal
protests
in 2009 were successful in halting the progress of the Belo Monte dam,
when the Kayapó warned that its construction would force them to declare
war on the
government;
the rivers would run red with blood before they would stop fighting the
proposed ecocide. The battle was won but the war was not, and
indigenous people continue to defend their land to this day.
The dam will cost over US$10 billion and affect over nine million
hectares of pristine rainforest. Although many would argue the economic
benefits of such a plan. it’s worth pointing out that while the dam
would bring in more than 200,000 workers to the area, it would also
force an estimated 20,000 local people from their homes (not to mention
many species of wildlife). A large proportion of those humans displaced
will be indigenous peoples, who have been living in (and protecting) the
area for centuries.
Above (photo by Terence Turner, Survival International): Kayapó
form a dance line at an anti-dam protest, Piaraçu, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
in 2006. Two hundred representatives of the Mebegokre Kayapó Indians met
for five days to discuss the Belo Monte dam and four other dams which
will devastate their lands. Almost a decade later, the tribe is still
fighting government proposals.
Tribal people are very vulnerable to infections and illnesses from
outside; even the common cold can be fatal. The proposed area to be
dammed is thought to be home to many uncontacted tribes, who have the
right to be left alone to live in harmony with their ancestral lands.
The construction would attract large numbers of migrant workers and
colonists who are likely to bring diseases to indigenous
tribal
people, literally putting their lives at risk. There is a high risk of
invasion of native territories and violence, and the livelihoods of
thousands of tribal people who depend on the forest and river for food
and water would be destroyed.
In addition, the
Brazilian
government’s plans are illegal. Indigenous people have not been
properly consulted about the dam, which violates both Brazilian and
International law. The Xingu River is one of the
Amazon’s
main tributaries, and more than 80% of its flow would be diverted by
the massive hydro-electric dam. This would have a devastating effect on a
vital eco-system, one frequently referred to as ‘the lungs of the
world’.
Please share this story if you want to support the
Amazon‘s indigenous people in their fight, and consider writing a
letter to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to urge her to re-consider Belo Monte and other proposed dams being built in the Amazon.
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