IN MANAUS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE FROM ALL THE AMAZON REGION DISCUSS POLICIES FOR THE REGION

 

The Pan-Amazon Social Forum (FSPA) is being held since January 18 in Manaus and is being attended particularly by representatives of countries whose territory is located in the Amazon forest. The event is a regional manifestation of the World Social Forum and involves popular movements, indigenous organizations, unions of rural and urban workers, and religious and environmental organizations for the purpose of strengthening alliances and bonds of solidarity amongst Pan-Amazon peoples.

 

Different debates are addressing topics related to indigenous peoples. Yesterday (the 19th) the conference “Decolonization and self-determination: A new geopolitics for the Amazon region” was held. On that occasion, the need to base political decisions for the Amazon region on the actual reality faced by local populations and on the requirement of meeting their livelihood and growth needs was highlighted.

 

During the conference, the current territorial occupation and economic organization processes observed in the Amazon region were challenged.  Referred to as neo-colonization, these processes are based on development approaches which allow the soil and territories inhabited by traditional populations to be destroyed.

 

Another point raised during the debate was the way the military have been present in the region, as their presence there is a direct result of the resistance of military sectors to the official confirmation of the bounds of indigenous lands located along borderlines. The difficulties to ensure the official confirmation of the bounds of the Raposa/Serra do Sol indigenous land show how this approach affects indigenous peoples. “Indigenous peoples should not be treated as obstacles to security measures,” Manuel Mura, an indigenous persion, said.

 

Today (the 20th), this topic will once again be addressed during the conference “Resistance and Struggle of the Pan-Amazon Peoples against military occupation strategies,” which will be attended by Egon Heck  from Cimi and Joênia Wapichana, an indigenous lawyer.

 

According to José Rosha, one of the organizers of the Pan-Amazon Social Forum, the event is being attended by indigenous people who live in the city of Manaus and neighboring regions, and also by about 200 representatives coming from other areas located in the Amazon region. There is also a group which is occupying the Funai office in Manaus. The agency was occupied before two weeks ago and the indigenous people continue to demand the dismissal of a regional manager of Funai, Benedito Rangel Moraes.

 

The FSPA was organized in the form of conferences, workshops and meetings of social movements. The meetings will be held on the last day of the Forum, January 22, and will be organized according to topics (afro-descendants, environmentalists, activists against militarization, communicators, women, young people, indigenous peoples, rural workers, urban workers and household and riverine farmers, among others). The meetings are intended to provide a space for the movements to jointly define action lines.

 

For the indigenous participants, the meetings will afford an opportunity to build alliances amongst people who live in the Amazon region and are affected by similar problems, among which militarization and the expansion of agribusiness.

 

IN PORTO ALEGRE, INDIGENOUS AUTONOMY, IDENTITY AND LANDS WILL DEBATED

 

“Ethnic identity, territoriality and building indigenous autonomy projects” is the name of the activity that will be carried out by Cimi during the 5th World Social Forum. The debate, which will be held on January 28 in the morning, will allow indigenous people and academics to discuss means to ensure the ethnic identity and respect for the autonomy of indigenous peoples. The physical and cultural survival of indigenous peoples will also be addressed.

 

Indigenous speakers will share autonomy experiences in Brazil and other Latin American countries. Speakers include the Mexican indigenous person Eleazar Lopez, the Paraguayan priest Bartomeu Meliá, and anthropologist Alfredo Wagner.

 

The World Social Forum will be held in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, on January 26-31, 2005. Over 400 indigenous people from Brazil and all Latin America are expected to attend this fifth edition of the event, which will have a specific space for representatives of indigenous peoples, the Puxirum de Artes e Saberes Space (Puxirum means self-help in the Tupi-Guarani language). 

 

The indigenous space will be made up of three tents where topics such as intellectual property, production, territory, and indigenous rights will be addressed. The initiative is aimed at strengthening links amongst indigenous peoples and draw attention to the indigenous diversity and cultural, artistic and religious richness.

 

One of the first activities of the FSM will be the opening ceremony of the Puxirum, which was organized by wise men of the Guarani and Kaingang peoples who live in the south region of Brazil. The ceremony, which will include protection prayers and rituals, will be held at 6:00 a.m. on January 26.

 

Brasília, 20 January 2005.

 

Cimi – Indianist Missionary Council