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Indigenous representatives from more than 100 ethnicities are spending their second day encamped in Brasilia to demand the demarcation of their traditional lands by the Brazilian government, as well as increased investment in health, education and other services that are vital for their community. The camp, called the Free Land Camp, or ATL, was set up on Monday and is located in front of the Indigenous Peoples Memorial in Brazil's capital city.
Mia Alberti, reporting for teleSUR at ATL Tuesday, said the Munduruku kicked off the day by protesting the construction of a dam in their territory. Alberti noted that the project would strip away seven percent of their land based in the Amazon.
A member of the Munduruku at the protest told her that the project will “destroy our lives, destroy our way of living...(and will destroy) nature, religions, beliefs. It's an irreparable destruction for us.”
Dinamam Tuxa, an Indigenous leader at ATL, said the Brazilain authorities must invest more in public areas and an education system that's less conservative. Tuxa stressed that present-day discrimination and racism practiced against Indigenous people begins at an early age, in the way they are depicted in school books, appearing naked and without the slightest notion of technology or technological tools.
Telma Tapirape expressed her gratitude for the presence of women at ATL, paying special tribute to the women of the Kaingang ethnic group.
Free Land Camp will host a series of meetings, rituals, prayers and book releases. Several films and documentaries will also be viewed during the encampment, which will go on until April 27.
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