– We are facing a humanitarian crisis, says Sonia Guajajara. She makes her first speech after being sworn in as Minister for Indigenous Peoples. – We indigenous people have four extremely difficult years behind us. My task will be to fight to win back our historical rights. And the fact that Brazil has created a Ministry of Indigenous Peoples is a promise to the world to protect our people and to protect the environment we live on, she says. – We will win back our historical rights, says the new minister. Photo: SERGIO LIMA / AFP When Lula da Silva took power in Brazil at New Year’s he had made a historic move: to give the country’s indigenous people their own ministry. And it was no surprise that its first minister was 48-year-old Sonia Guajajara. Has led the fight She was born in the Arariboia indigenous reserve in north-eastern Brazil in 1974. Her parents were illiterate, but with the help of government scholarships she obtained a higher education. She has participated in a large number of national and international conferences on indigenous peoples, the environment and climate. And she has for a number of years been at the head of Brazil’s largest indigenous organization APIB. In recent years, she has led the hardest fight Brazil’s indigenous people have fought in recent times – against the Bolsonaro government’s many anti-indigenous schemes. Last year she spearheaded large demonstrations when the government tried to introduce new laws to start mining and other economic activities in indigenous areas. Sonia Guajajara at the head of a large demonstration for indigenous rights in Brasilia last year. Photo: Midia Ninja – Such activity leads to more disease, more violence, more conflicts, more alcoholism and more prostitution. This is what the desire for wealth leads to, she told news at the time. The forest rangers And the expectations for the new minister are enormous – not least among her own people, the Guajajara tribe in the Arariboia reserve. This area has had the bloodiest clashes between indigenous people and white invaders in all of Brazil. The Guajajaras in Arariboia have organized armed resistance against loggers, hunters and gold diggers – the so-called “Guardiões da floresta” – the Forest Guardians. And the price has been high. In recent years, a dozen forest rangers have been shot and killed by the invaders. Paulino Guajajara gave his life in the fight for Brazil’s rainforest. He was a relative of the Minister for Indigenous Peoples. Photo: UESLEI MARCELINO / Reuters Among those killed is Paulino Guajajara, who became world famous when the BBC made a TV program about him just a few months before he lost his life. His cousin Tainaký Guajajara was wounded in the attack, and news met him during a visit to Arariboia just over a year ago. – Proud of Sonia Tainaký is a close relative of the new minister for indigenous peoples, and I call him to get a comment on the appointment. – I am happy that Sonia has become a minister. It is very good news for those of us who know her, and for all indigenous people here in Brazil, says Tainaký Guajajara. – What is the most important thing she can do for you? I ask. The forest ranger Tainaký Guajajara believes in peace and progress for his people. Photo: Arnt Stefansen / news – The most important thing is to put an end to the offenses and assaults in our territory. Under the Bolsonaro government, the white loggers and hunters have been allowed to do what they want. – If they are arrested, the police will release them the next day. And if they get fines, they simply stop paying, says the forest ranger. Now, when someone from his own tribe sits at the president’s table, he is more optimistic than in a long time: – With Sonia Guajajara as minister, a new era starts here on the reserve. I think it will be a time of peace and progress for our people, says Tainaký Guajajara in the indigenous area of Arariboia in north-eastern Brazil, to news.
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She wants to save Brazil’s indigenous people – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
