Massive Brazilian Protests Find Common Ground with Indigenous Resistance

June 20, 2013 | Maira Irigaray

Over the last week, and right after indigenous peoples vowed to continue resisting Amazon dams, Brazil has been flooded with a huge wave of massive street protests coinciding with the opening of the Confederation's Cup, reportedly the largest the country has seen in the last 40 years. The protests have been met with violent repression, a sign of what's to come in the next year as the country prepares to host the World Cup next June. Check out this Witness blogpost featuring photos and video footage by Han Shan summarizing the events of the last week, "As Protests Rock Brazil One Year Before World Cup, a "People's Cup" Celebrates Resistance to Forced Evictions."

Read more »

Indigenous Protests and Unity in Brasília

The fight for the Amazon has just begun

June 18, 2013 | Brent Millikan

In the late morning of June 4th, two air force planes descended upon the capital city of Brasília, carrying aboard an unusual group of passengers: over 140 indigenous people, mainly members of the Munduruku tribe from the Tapajós River – including leaders, warriors, women and children – along with a small number of representatives of Xingu tribes – Xikrin, Arara, Kayapó. For the indigenous delegation, the purpose of the trip, negotiated during the latest occupation of the Belo Monte Dam site, was to meet with Minister Gilberto Carvalho, General Secretary of the President’s Office, to discuss their demands for consultations and consent regarding a series of mega-dams on the Tapajós, Teles Pires and Xingu rivers, planned and, in some cases, under (illegal) construction.

Read more »

We Won't Stop Fighting

Facing enormous setbacks to indigenous rights in Brazil, 400 Kayapo leaders and warriors met on the Xingu River to discuss strategy for upholding their rights

June 17, 2013

Four hundred chiefs and warriors of the Mebengokre (Kayapo) people met between June 3rd and 5th 2013 in the village of Kokraimoro on the Xingu River in the Kayapo Indigenous Territory, Para state, to discuss serious threats to indigenous rights that are being considered by the Brazilian government.

The Kokraimoro meeting was an entirely Kayapo event that was organized by their three main representing organizations: "Protected Forest Association", "the Raoni Institute" and "the Kabu Institute". The meeting was attended by chiefs and warriors from all 45 Kayapo villages and settlements as well as guests from their Panara, Tapayuna and Juruna indigenous neighbours.

Read more »

Ecuador's Challenges with Oil Development

June 17, 2013

A May 31 pipeline break in Ecuador leaked an estimated 420,000 gallons of oil. The oil contaminated rivers, the urban water supply of Coca, and traveled downriver into neighboring Peru. Brazil has placed itself on alert in case the spill crosses its borders.

In recent days, the incident has made headlines for good reason. A spill of that size in an ecologically fragile area rightfully deserves widespread attention.

An Oil Infrastructure Past Its Prime

At the same time, oil spills in Ecuador are anything but unusual. May’s spill is just one of many that occur on a regular basis, adding up to an enormous amount of oil spilled over the years.

Read more »

Eye on Brasília: Indigenous Resistance to Dams Persists

June 13, 2013

Last week, indigenous groups that occupied the Belo Monte dam site and who traveled to Brasilia to meet with top representatives from the Brazilian government attempted to enter the Presidential Palace to deliver a letter to President Rousseff and were met by a blockade of police. The group remained in the capital after their first encounter with ministers to demand further dialogue and express frustrations with the government's unresponsiveness.

Read more »