Authors: Stephanie Rodriguez and Haleigh Reutershan

Edited by: Keury Collado and Tracy Kay

      After the impeachment of former president Dilma Rousseff just over a year ago, her vice president Michel Temer, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, took office. 

      Since then, many Brazilian citizens have felt a growing discontent with the current administration (Dwyer).

       This past Friday, April 28th, a general strike took place in major cities across Brazil for the first time in over two decades. The strike began at midnight and began the weekend, lasting twenty-four hours.

       The strike was triggered by Temer’s labor reform initiatives, which will raise the retirement age by eleven years. Over 70,000 citizens were outraged with Michel Temer’s administration plans. Under Temer’s pension reform, men will retire at age 65 and women will retire at the age of 62. Brazilian citizens are accustomed to working until at 54 years. The pension reform will affect the  Brazilian workforce in that men and women will have to work passed an age where their physical capabilities may restrict their ability to labor properly.  Temer blames unemployment rates and the recession on the previous administration, and he plans to do what he thinks is best for creating jobs and boosting the economy, despite the people’s revolts. However, extending the retirement age is not the only thing citizens are outraged about. Temer plans to eliminate education and agricultural pensions. The Latin American television network Telesur, states that, “according to the head of the Landless Worker Movement, Joao Pedro Stedile, [retirement benefits] almost tripled during the governments of Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva and Dilma Rousseff.” Since the proposal of these bills, Michel Temer’s approval rating decreased by 10 percentage points.

     A group of protesters attempted to march onto the residence of President Temer, but they were met with force, police pushed back throwing tear gas. Across major cities in Brazil, police and protesters grappled as the night fell. One citizen claimed this strike was going to be marked down as Brazil’s largest in history, although this has yet to be confirmed (Krol.)

      The heavily unionized parts of the economy were most affected. Nationwide, schools and banks were shut down. Public transportation  halted and buses were burned, even some hospitals were affected (Krol.) Major roads in cities throughout Brazil were blockaded by structures created out of burning tires. Automobile production experienced great setbacks, as most of major car production takes place in Sao Paulo, where sixty thousand metallurgical workers striked (Krol.)    

         Citizens are very uneasy about the reforms and the current administration. One bank worker, Ricardo Jacques stated “We can’t keep quiet anymore with a government that isn’t legitimate, which wasn’t elected to dismantle the rights of workers,” (Krol.) Despite this opinion being backed by thousands across the nation, Temer still believes he is doing the best he can for Brazil, and plans to carry out his reforms (Dwyer.)

Factoids:

1.) Q. What political party is Michael Temer associated with?  

     A. The Brazilian Democratic Movement Party

2.) Q. What industry was heavily influenced in the city of Sao Paulo as a result of the protests?

     A. The automobile industry

3.) Q. What were two main causes of the protests? 

     A.  Labor reforms and growing dissatisfaction with current administration 

Sources:

Durden, Tyler. “Violent Riots Break Out In Brazil As First General Strike In 21 Years Paralyzes Nation.” Zerohedge.com. N.p., 29 Apr. 2017. Web. 3 May 2017.

Dwyer, Colin. “Nationwide Strike Clogs Brazil’s Big Cities, Grinding Daily Activity To A Halt.” Npr.org. N.p., 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Krol, Charlotte. “Buses burn in Rio de Janeiro amid general strike against proposed Brazilian labour laws.” Telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 29 Apr. 2017. Web. 2 May 2017.

Reuters. “Brazil Protesters, Police Clash in First General Strike in Decades.” The New York  Times. The New York Times, 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 04 May 2017.

Rasmus, Jack, James Cockcroft, Ramzy Ramzy Baroud, Dr., Arshad M. Khan, Dr., and N.  Malathy. “Brazil: More Massive Protests Against Temer’s Pension Reform.” News | TeleSUR. TeleSUR, n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.

Author: Tracy Kay

Edited by: Haleigh Reutershan, Stephanie Rodriguez, Keury Collado

For over forty years plans of building a dam along the the Xingu River in northern Brazil have been revitalized and redesigned in the hopes of supplying Brazil’s growing population with a stable amount of electricity. The hydroelectric dam, formally named the Belo Monte Dam, began construction after the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) issued an installation license to do so in 2010. Many citizens of Brazil have realized that Belo Monte exhibits the same authoritarian tendencies as the brutal regime of Brazil, not surprising as the country is currently in the hands of a military dictatorship.

It’s ultimate goal — to provide clean, renewable, and sustainable energy and aid Brazil in prospering socially and economically.  However, there’s a reason that this project was negotiated again and again before its relatively recent approval. Long term and persistent controversies surrounding the project stem from the environmental damage and negative impacts on local communities. Being submerged deep in the Amazon Rainforest, the Xingu River connects with its fellow rivers to sustain the lives of indigenous people who use its current to provide food, water, and transportation. Anti-dam protests have been active all over the country for the last 20 years, one of the most famous being the protest of the Candonga Dam in 2003.

Due to the $17 billion project being constructed by the Brazilian government, the body of water will be diverted away from its natural flow in order to power what is believed to be the third largest hydroelectric dam on the planet. Eighteen of the forty ethnic groups that live in the Xingu River Basin depend on the sustenance of the Xingu River alone and without it, will be forced to relocate. One of these groups, the Arara tribe, depends so heavily on the natural resource that in an interview conducted by Bianca Jagger, the Arara leader of thirteen years described their lives to be “irreversibly affected” by the implementation of the Belo Monte Dam. The inability to fish and farm will most likely cause thousands of people to go hungry. Over 20,000 people will be forced to relocate into nearby cities where they will have to compete for jobs and if they are unable to avoid unemployment, will work in logging. Logging is one of the leading causes of deforestation in the amazon, thus starting the vicious cycle of environmental degradation over again.

The city of Altamira, located in the state of Para, has noticed a massive spike in criminal activity. The reason is primarily the negative impact on the quality of life of the residents due to the construction of the Belo Monte Dam. The immense pollution of the river has jeopardized the water and food as well as their means of bathing and transport for indigenous peoples. The indirect effects of this has caused people to spiral into alcoholism and depression leading to cultural disintegration.

Despite the danger to indigenous communities along the Xingu River, the Brazilian government decided to proceed with the dam. It was mandatory for the government to take into consideration the people who reside near the area that their project aimed to settle itself, but the government claimed that the likelihood of the community being flooded by the reservoir was comparable to the impact they would endure during the building of the dam. This gave them incentive to continue the project as they emphasize the potentially immense economic benefits.

What is a country to do when nearly 80% of its energy needs stem from hydroelectricity? Amazon Watch, a nonprofit organization founded to protect the rainforest and the rights of indigenous peoples commented on the dam, calling it the “most devastating infrastructure project ever built in the Amazon”.

Summary Factoid Questions!

1. How is the Belo Monte Dam affecting the lives of indigenous people?
2. What is the Brazilian government’s argument as to why they should continue building the dam?

Sources

Amazon Watch “Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam.” Amazon Watch. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

http://amazonwatch.org/work/belo-monte-dam 

 

“Arara do Para Indian Language (Araras).” Arara Language and the Arara do Para Indian Tribe

(Araras, Pariri, Ukargm). N.p., n.d. Web. 27 April 2017.

http://www.native-languages.org/arara.htm

 

Intercontinental Cry.”Harmful impacts of the Belo Monte Dam on the Amazon’s Xingu

River.” Web. 27 Apr. 2017.

https://intercontinentalcry.org/harmful-impacts-of-the-belo-monte-dam-on-the-amazons-xingu-river/

Jagger, Bianca. “The Belo Monte Dam: An Environmental Crime.” The Huffington Post.

Web. 27 Apr. 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bianca-jagger/the-belo-monte-dam-an-env_b_1614057.html

Knowledge@Wharton “The Tug of War Over Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam.” Web. 27 Apr.

2017. http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-tug-of-war-over-brazils-belo-monte-dam/

By Keury Collado

Co-Authors: Haleigh Reutershan, Tracy Kay, and Stephanie L. Rodriguez 

         In late April, a peaceful protest held in Brazil’s capital city, Brasilia, led by various indigenous groups suddenly turned violent. The police and indigenous protesters’ confrontation started when, according to a Reuters’ photographer, protesters climbed over a ramp that gave way to the entrance of the congressional building. The protesters, though, argued that the police were just looking for any excuse for their removal. These various groups were calling for laws that would finally set boundaries on their lands and reservations, which are constantly being trespassed by ranchers and farmers. Although Brazil’s indigenous people only make up 0.4 percent of the nation’s population, 12 percent of the country’s territory is supposed to be under their jurisdiction. The failure of the Brazilian government to implement and enforce laws regarding demarcation has led to numerous violent confrontations between the indigenous population and the ranchers and farmers living on the borders of these lands. Just recently in the northeastern state of Maranhão, indigenous leaders were violently attacked by ranchers on a late Sunday night. The attacks were a result of territorial disagreements between both parties, these disputes tend to turn brutal and violent very quickly. On this particular incident, thirteen people were reported to be hospitalized and one individual was even reported to be mutilated, his hands and feet being chopped off. The indigenous group involved in this particular altercation were the Gamela people. They argued that they were just occupying lands that was rightfully theirs. The land that was being occupied by them, they said, was illegally strip from them by the military dictatorship that controlled the country from 1964 to 1985. The cattle ranchers, who claim to be the legal owners of the land, were stated to have gotten together in the middle of the night, gotten drunk and attacked by surprise the Gamela community. The ranchers and farmers argue that the indigenous populations who are claiming these lands to be theirs aren’t making proper use of it. The land isn’t being used for agricultural production, so in their eyes they see no point in why land should be given to them. In the other hand, indigenous population state that they are in fact making heavy use of the land they claim to be rightfully theirs. It is used for the daily rituals that are needed for them to stay healthy and whole (Nolen 2016). The land is also used for fishing and hunting, the river used for things such as bathing and drinking water. A simplistic life that mirrors many of the indigenous communities found in Latin America. Genito Gomes, a member of the Kaiowa community, states “we need the land to be able to live our culture” (Nolen 2016). They know of the danger the farmers pose to them, but the land is deemed too sacred to give up on it so easily. They’re ready to risk it all just to be on the land of their ancestors.

(source: REUTERS/ Ueslei Marcelino)

 

The current situation in Brazil is a very complicated one that has put neighbors against each other, disagreements very often leading to bloodshed. Even though the indigenous communities in Brazil have stepped up activity in attempts to reclaim their land, land rights activists are constantly threatened and murdered. Making Brazil one of the most dangerous places in the world for these people. A government report put the total deaths of activists at 61 in the year 2016 alone.

Summary Factoids

 

1.Name one group of the indigenous community in Brazil suffering from confrontations with farmers and ranchers?

 

The Gamela or Kaiowa people.

 

2. What percentage of Brazil’s population do indigenous people make up?

 

0.4%

Sources

“Brazil Promises Backing for Beleaguered Indigenous People.” Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 04 May

2017. Web. 04 May 2017.

Marcelino, Ueslei, and Anthony Boadle. “Brazil Indigenous Protest over Land Rights Turns

Violent.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 25 Apr. 2017. Web. 04 May 2017.

Nolen, Stephanie. “Brazil’s Land War between Indigenous People and Farmers: ‘We Just Need to

Be home’​.” The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail, 07 Apr. 2017. Web. 04 May 2017.

Solomon, Feliz. “Brazil: 13 Hospitalized After Attack on Indigenous Tribe.” Time. Time, 01

May 2017. Web. 04 May 2017.

Watts, Jonathan. “Brazilian Farmers Attack Indigenous Tribe with Machetes in Brutal Land

Dispute.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 May 2017. Web. 04 May 2017.