Surrounded by the Atlantic Forest, small indigenous villages still resist the invasion of construction companies and the exploitation of their resources by outsiders. One of these villages is Guarani Mbya, located just a few hours away from the city of São Paulo, Brazil.

Geni Vidal, the village’s Chief (known as Cacique in the indigenous language), emphasizes the essential role played by women in the community’s economy. They are responsible for crafting products that serve as the village’s source of income. These pieces are made with raw natural materials like bamboo, coconut trees for making bows and arrows, as well as wood from a tree known as urupá by the Guarani, sourced from Pico do Jaraguá.

After harvesting, it takes a week to prepare the wood, so they can only start crafting after seven days,” she adds.

Another famous artisan in the village is Monica Ara, who explains that each artisan has their own way of making the pieces. Tools such as chisels and pyrographs are employed, as well as glue and paint, among other things, throughout the process.

To prepare the paints, Monica Ara takes the raw material from nearby plants. ‘We have annatto, which is red, saffron, which is yellow, all planted here within the village,’ she reveals.

Each piece of craftsmanship has a meaning that can be linked to the spiritual world, the activity of war, and the cure of physical illnesses and illnesses. According to Monica Ara, the color red is used to prevent bad things from reaching a person, yellow represents freedom, green symbolizes hope, black signifies mourning, blue conveys tranquility, and orange symbolizes the sun and joy.

To get to the village, you need an authorized guide, such as Renato Crestinov, who managed to get closer to the indigenous villages in the region and open them up to bring tourists and researchers on tours after helping the community during the pandemic.

He highlights notable aspects that he has observed since he started going there regularly. ‘One notable aspect of Guarani culture is its well-defined division of roles between men and women, which appears more structured than what I observe in our contemporary society. However, when a woman or man wants to perform another activity, it is not a big problem. I have never seen any issue of LGBT phobia or transphobia or discrimination based on gender performance; quite the opposite.

The arrests came after an outpouring of support for Vinícius Júnior after he said he was abused in Valencia.

MADRID (AP) — Spanish police took action Tuesday after the latest case of abuse against Vinícius Júnior, arresting seven people accused of racially insulting the Real Madrid player.

Spanish soccer officials also acted, fining Valencia 45,000 euros ($48,500) and closing part of the team’s stadium for the next five games.Workers pass a poster of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Monday, May 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Three people were detained in Valencia for alleged abuse against Vinícius in Sunday’s match between Valencia and Madrid. Four were arrested in Madrid for allegedly hanging an effigy of the player off a highway bridge in January.

The arrests came after an outpouring of support for Vinícius after he said he was abused in Valencia. The case prompted widespread reaction from sports figures and government officials in Spain and worldwide.

The section of Mestalla Stadium that will be closed is where the insults against Vinícius came from, behind one of the goals. It’s also where the club’s more hardcore fans usually are located.

The Spanish federation’s competition’s committee also made the unusual decision to annul the red card shown to Vinícius after an altercation with Valencia players late in Sunday’s match. The committee said video review failed to show the referee the entire altercation, including the part in which Vinícius was grabbed from behind by an opponent.

Vinícius had complained that his red card ended up being a reward to the racists who insulted him.

Spain has been criticized for its lack of action in racism cases in soccer. Brazilian government officials, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had publicly expressed their concerns.

“It’s a crucial moment, a moment to take drastic measures,” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Tuesday. “Now that the issue has visibility, the institutions have to take this opportunity to try to fix this problem.”

Source: Police make arrests following racist abuse of Real Madrid player

Source: PABLO PORCIUNCULA / Getty

Brazilian voters rejected a second term of far-right rule Sunday evening. With over a two million vote lead, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as simply Lula, is now president-elect.

Lula beat Bolsonaro by approximately six million votes in the first round, but not enough to beat incumbent Jair Bolsonaro outright. Unlike the United States, the popular vote dictates the presidency. There is no Brazilian electoral college.

Lula was very popular during his last tour as president. Fifteen years ago, I traveled to Brazil as a part of a law school study abroad trip during Lula’s second term.

After Nash Nets Resume Losing Ways 

Periodically following up with students I met during that time, Bolsonaro’s election brought deep concerns for hard-fought progress in the country. But Sunday night felt different for one friend who said she shed tears but for a different reason than four years earlier. She said they were tears of joy.

As we’ve seen in the U.S., defeating a far-right leader is only one step to combatting the global pull toward fascism. Brazil took a decisive step in the right direction Sunday.

Black and poor voters overwhelmingly Back Lula

Lula garnered most of his support from the northern part of the country. Northeastern Brazil overwhelmingly showed up for the leftist candidate who promised a new era of equity and justice.

A CNN report days before the election noted that Black women are a large component of the Brazilian electorate. They were expected to support Lula given his record of supporting issues that benefit Black Brazilian women and their families. Some may simply be rejecting the outrageous cuts to social programs under Bolsonaro.

Source: ARISSON MARINHO / Getty

Bahia, by some accounts Brazil’s blackest state, went 72 percent for Lula.Earlier this month, the Amsterdam News reported that advances Black Brazilians gained under Lula’s previous term were “swept away under Bolsonaro.”

The outlet also reported that Lula worked alongside the Unified Black Movement to implement various progressive equity measures.

Source: ARISSON MARINHO / Getty

Read: It’s Not Just Congress. Downballot Elections Need Your Attention This Cycle. 

Voter suppression is not a U.S. only phenomenon

While there was no evidence of widespread political violence on election day, a. viral clip shared by BreakThrough News, hosted by Eugene Puryear, shows emotions running high right before election day. Brazilian Karen was busted on video pulling a gun on a Black man who supported Lula.

“Yesterday, far-right Deputy Carla Zembelli pulled a gun in a crowded restaurant on a Lula supporter (a black man) after an argument,” tweeted BreakThrough News. “He told her ‘Tomorrow: Lula!’”

Source: Lula Wins Brazilian Election With Overwhelming Support Of Black Voters

About 850 members from nearly four dozen Brazilian indigenous communities are camped in Brasilia to fight for indigenous land rights currently under consideration in the courts and Congress of Brazil.    While lawmakers still debate the issue, indigenous peoples continue to be forcibly removed from their villages and even killed because most of these disputes remain unresolved. 

   According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 817,963 indigenous people live in Brazil, representing 0.4% of the country’s total population. Indigenous peoples in Brazil represent 305 different ethnic groups and speak more than 270 indigenous languages. However, surveys show that less than 12.5% of the land is demarcated for indigenous peoples, which remains a source of tension. One of the most recent examples of this brutality was the attack on Indigenous peoples from the Tekohá Dje’y territory in Paraty, a four-hour drive from Rio de Janeiro. Last month, they were attacked during a meeting of indigenous women in the village, with threats, gunshots, and large dogs used to corner residents during a protective ritual for the community’s nameplate installed at the same event. The village – made up of 32 indigenous people of the Guarani Mbyá and Nhandeva ethnic groups – blocked the entrance to the reserve in a peaceful protest against the alleged theft of an identification plate installed to mark the territory. In an exclusive interview with the deputy chief of the indigenous village, Neusa Kunhã Takuá, she said that there were attempts to run over her nephew with a car while she was threatened with arrest. According to her, military police were at the scene but did not prevent the attacks. “At night, the attackers surrounded our houses in the village and fired shots. We were verbally and physically abused. The situation is hazardous for us.” 

 The community said the plaque, installed after a traditional three-day ceremony in early June, was forcibly removed on June 9 by citizens opposed to the reserve’s demarcation.  What’s going on  “We are facing a violent process of demarcation,” said Neusa Takuá, noting that she has received several death threats. “They are trying to paralyze, interrupt the demarcation process.” Indigenous leaders say their community has been under constant attack and intimidation for nearly two years. “The Tekohá Dje’y is under daily attacks, under pressure from land grabbers, real estate speculators, landowners, and under the widespread abandonment of federal and municipal governments with an openly anti-indigenous policy,” the community wrote in a statement. According to Neusa Takuá, authorities have failed to provide robust protection to their community, claiming that these settlers support local lawmakers who have repeatedly demonstrated against the demarcation. It is good to remember that the village occupies an area of interest for several tourist and agribusiness ventures, which increases conflicts over land. 

 The Federal Police said in a press release that it has “acted within the limits of its prerogative, investigating crimes under federal jurisdiction, and in a preventive manner, promoting dialogue between those involved and supporting the responsible bodies and authorities.” The Guarani Nhandeva people have already occupied parts of southern Brazil, northern Argentina, and eastern Paraguay, according to the Instituto Socioambiental, an ORG that defends environmental diversity and the rights of indigenous peoples. With the arrival of European settlers, the Guarani territories became the stage for disputes due to the region’s strategic importance for the settlers. The attack on Tekoha Dje’y is not an isolated case. In the Yanomami reserve, in the state of Roraima, the attackers reportedly threw gas bombs and opened fire on indigenous people with automatic weapons in a series of attacks last month.  FUNAI officially recognized the Tekohá Dje’y reserve in 2017. However, the demarcation process in Brazil could take years. Non-indigenous residents are not required to leave until the reservation is fully demarcated and the government issues an eviction order. The Federal Public Ministry informed that it urgently requested the government to move forward with the demarcation last year, highlighting the violence in the indigenous reserve. 

 The Munduruku Indigenous Reserve in the state of Pará is also under attack, with illegal miners shooting and burning the homes of indigenous leaders in late May. A couple of weeks ago, authorities arrested the head of an association of illegal miners and the deputy mayor of the municipality in connection with the attack, according to the Federal Police and indigenous groups. Violence on indigenous reservations occurred when around 800 indigenous leaders gathered last month in Brasília to protest against several anti-indigenous proposals currently underway in Congress. This includes a bill that would allow illegal miners to exploit indigenous reserves.

The Brazilian government fails to act, but solidarity and voluntary work are doing everything to save the Brazilian forest

Photo credit: Marcele Becker

 

 

By Viviane Faver 

 

The Pantanal forest is the largest continental wetland in the world. Formed by flood plains, it has a gigantic aquatic environment, and is home to an immense biodiversity: 2000 species of plants, 582 species of birds, 132 species of mammals, 113 species of reptiles, and 41 species of amphibians. 

 

Unfortunately, since July, this Brazilian forest and all these living beings face their worst crisis of all time.  Under severe drought, the biome suffers from human-made fires and has already had more than 15% of its area devastated by flames, according to data from the National Center for the Prevention and Fighting of Forest Fires (Prevfogo)

 

The animals are dying of hunger; with burns in their bodies, part of the forest has turned to ash, and residents of the region have had their houses burnt, losing everything they had. Even so, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment (Ibama) slowed the pace of inspection operation.

 

 

Amid the Brazilian government’s inaction, voluntary work is doing everything to save Pantanal forest. I talked to two women, volunteers, who have rescued animals in the Pantanal forest since the fire started. Co-founder of the non-profit organization Ampara Marcele Becker, and Pantanal tour guide Eduarda Fernandes met at the beginning of the crisis and have ever since fought this cause together. 

 

Eduarda Fernandes was one of the first people to witness the Pantanal forest’s tragedy. She says it all started in July when she saw fires and smoke signals from afar. “Three days later, the fire increased dramatically, and I found several injured animals that needed help. So, I had the idea of setting up a wild animal rescue group. “

 

 

She reports that at the beginning, all the help was made by Orgs and volunteers. She contacted the National Association of Environmental Specialist Career Servers (Ascema) and the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) asking for help, and they said that they would not be able to put together a team.

 

 

Black Scholars Form Group to Counter Election Myths & Misinformation on Social Media (Video)

 

 

“So I asked if I could set up a group of volunteers, and they said that only if I could get Ascema’s permission. So, we still had to wait for this permission to get on with the work, and by then, it was too late, and the situation had already taken on a gigantic shape “, she says.

 

From then on, images began to circulate on social networks, which caught the attention of international organizations. “The help of the Brazilian Army and the mobilization of the government came only last month (September), but the Pantanal was already on fire since July”.

 

In the meantime, Eduarda Fernandes and her group of volunteer partners opened an Instagram account called “Pantanal Relief Fund”, with which she managed to raise $75,000 to help hire veterinarians, get equipment for rescue and care of animals, and finance the placement of troughs with feed for hungry animals.

 

Regarding her personal experience, the tour guide says she has no words to describe the feeling. “The places where I used to walk every day turned to ash; the trees were burned and turned to dust, and rivers dried up. It is a devastating and catastrophic scenario”, she describes.

 

The organization Ampara Silvestre, founded four years ago, has about 15 permanent volunteers in the Pantanal. In an interview with co-founder Marcele Becker, I hear the situation is terrible and far from being resolved. “We operate mainly in the Transpantaneira area, and our concerns now are the soil that continues to burn on the inside, burning the animals’ legs, thirsty because the rivers have dried up and hungry because all the trees die.” She adds that 80% of Encontro das Águas State Park has been destroyed.

 

The two Brazilian activists, Eduarda Fernandes and Marcele Becker, agree that this tragedy could have been avoided had the government been more agile. “The government acted late, much after several organizations had been pushing the matter on international media.”

 

They also add that this serves as a lesson for us to recognize and value the forests, which are the source of life for human beings to live in this world. Because if they die, we die too.

 

According to the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), fires in the Brazilian Pantanal region increased by 210% in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Considering the period from January to September 2019, 4660 fires were registered in 2020, and 14,489 outbreaks were recorded. Until then, the record was 12,536 fires in 2015, which was surpassed in the first seven months of 2020.

 

A survey published by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Union’s Copernicus System revealed that the fires in New South Wales (Australia), the Siberian Arctic, the west coast of the United States, and the Brazilian Pantanal were the largest of all time. The survey was based on 18 years of data on global forest fires compiled by the mentioned organizations.