During the second day of protest camp “Defense of the Xingu, against Belo Monte!” participants affirmed that the demonstrations are against any of the great infrastructural works of the Brazilian government that violates human rights.

 

Cleymenne Cerqueira

from Altamira

 

Colorful feather head dresses, painted faces and bodies, emotional and firm speeches characterize the second day the protest camp In Defense of the Xingu, against Belo Monte! The approximately 500 people present (indigenous and riverine people, family farmers and representatives of social movements) meet to discuss the serious environmental and social impacts caused by large infrastructural projects of the Brazilian federal government.

 

With a rich programming and experts invited to present their work on the theme, the meeting discussed this morning (10) the major developments in the Brazilian Amazon, such as the hydroelectrics Belo Monte and Jirau and the construction of highways, such as the transamazonian highway number 163 linking Cuiabá (MT) to Santarem (PA).

 

The first round of discussions was chaired by Marcos Apurinã, general coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab) and with the participation of professors of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) Hermes Fonseca de Medeiros and professor Jose Herrera, as well as William Carvalho, Federation of Organizations for Social and Educational Assistance (FASE).

 

“Although it is not possible to fully measure the real impact that will be caused by these large projects, like Belo Monte, it is important to be clear about what we’re talking about. Thousands of families will become homeless, who will be without natural resources that guarantee their survival, that will be without water. We must ask for public support to stop these aggressions to the environment, the traditional culture of these people," says professors Medeiros.

 

Human rights violations

In every speech one specific point was pointed out by the participants: the fight is not only against the Belo Monte, which the government has insisted in building for more than 30 years now. The fight is against any state project that does not respect human rights. "When the government announces that it will create big infrastructural works, it is not thinking about what is best for the people. It is serving big business, the big capital," sais Moises Ribeiro, representative of the Movement of peoples Impacted by Dams (MAB).

 

Ribeiro also stated that the excuse is unacceptable that there is no money to invest in public health policies, better living conditions for riverine communities or to invest in indigenous education. “The government has money to build its huge projects.”

 

Madness

William Chapman agrees with Ribeiro. “The government gives billions of real to contractors, while many indigenous are dying of hunger and of lack of health care and sanitation. Our campaign, therefore, is not only against Belo Monte, it is broader and more definitive. It is a campaign to denounce for the public opinion to denounce the madness that the federal government is planning to do against Brazil, against the Amazon and against the Brazilian people”, he said.

 

Participation

After the speeches and comments of the experts participants had the opportunity to speak  out. For Kretã Kainging, leader of the Kaingang people and of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of the South (Arpinsul), Belo Monte is a crime against the indigenous people of Brazil like others already executed by the state, as the construction of the Itaipu Binational hydroelectric plant , built in the border region between Brazil and Paraguay: “What kind of progress that government union wants for us? We strongly believe in this government. They wanted to get in power and they got it. They wanted to pass laws and did pass some, however, many of which go against the rights of the indigenous peoples. Many of us, indigenous, put these people in power and now they turn against us,” stated Kreta.

 

For Marcos Apurinã, the major concern is who will maintain the traditions of indigenous peoples. “Money is worth no more than nature, than our traditions! So I would say, indigenous, we will not sell our blood, our children, for big business. We will fight. We will never give up!”

 

Rise in crime and prostitution

José Luiz, South Rondonia, added that the damage caused by hydroelectric dams does not affect only the Indigenous, but society in general. “Along with the construction works social, economic and cultural damage comes along. Look at the state of Rondônia, you see easily the increase in violence and prostitution. Altamira runs a great risk that the same will happen and that we cannot allow to happen.”