WHEN: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 1:30 pm
WHERE: Demonstration in front of the Brazilian Permanent Mission to the United Nations 747 3rd Avenue (between 46th and 47th) New York, NY
WHO: Actress Sigourney Weaver joins dozens of indigenous leaders from around the world who are participants of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
New York, NY – Indigenous people from around the world joined by Sigourney Weaver will peacefully protest in front of the Brazilian Permanent Mission to the United Nations on Wednesday, April 28 at 1:30 pm. The Demonstration is being organized to show solidarity with the Brazilian indigenous peoples who will be gravely affected by the dam project and to emphatically convey that the fight against Belo Monte dam is not over.
Indigenous peoples and riverine communities the world over have been displaced by dam projects. The Brazilian government is moving ahead “at any cost” with plans to build the third-largest dam in the world and one of the Amazon’s most controversial development projects – the Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River. On April 20th – in the face of increasing local, national, and international scrutiny – the government awarded the rights to build the hydroelectric dam to Norte Energia, a consortium of nine companies led by Chesf, a subsidiary of Electrobras. For over 20 years local indigenous groups have vociferously protested against the dam project, which will destroy their communities and livelihoods. Though sold to the public as “clean energy”, dams generate an enormous amount of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide.
Sigourney Weaver traveled to the Xingu region earlier in April, accompanying Avatar director James Cameron and actor Joel David Moore as they both publicly supporting the international campaign to stop Belo Monte. On April 12th, they joined 1,000 demonstrators in Brasilia, in an action planned by grassroots Brazilian environmental and indigenous rights organizations. On April 13 and 14, the delegation travelled back to Xingu River’s Big Bend region to observe a gathering of indigenous and local communities who are affected by the dam project. Straight from Brazil, Mr. Cameron and Ms. Weaver flew to Washington, DC, raising the issue with the media (including CNN’s Wolf Blitzer), U.S. Representatives and Senators, and in-person with President Obama. # # #
