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https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/1/27/why-lula-has-failed-to-address-the-yanomami-genocide>
"In December 2022, Brazilian media published photos of malnourished Yanomami
children which shocked the nation. The Indigenous peoples of the Amazon had
long lived off of hunting, farming, and gathering food and resources from the
bountiful rainforest. But the encroachment on their lands by the Brazilian
state, corporations, illegal loggers, and illegal miners has now doomed them to
starvation and disease.
Soon after taking office in January 2023, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
rushed to address the crisis. He visited the Yanomami community in the northern
Roraima state and declared that a “genocide” was happening against the
Indigenous people, blaming it on his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. He vowed to
take action and put an end to the suffering of the indigenous people.
Today, a year after Lula made his promise, the Yanomami are yet to see a
radical change in their lives. Despite the measures the Lula government
undertook, expelling thousands of illegal miners, the crisis in Roraima state
has persisted. Many illegal miners have returned and the Indigenous people
continue to suffer from diseases and malnutrition.
In an audio message to the press, Indigenous leader Dario Kopenawa from the
Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY) said, “We have seen many operations to root
out the miners from Yanomami land and also on the humanitarian and sanitarian
crisis. However, precariousness still lies in the Yanomami territory.”
Indeed, the Lula government’s efforts have not improved the situation much
because the roots of the crisis go much deeper than the disastrous policies of
Bolsonaro’s presidency. Addressing it would necessitate radical action."
Via Frederick Wilson II.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
