Amazon Rising Part II
I received a copy of the text read from the stage on day one. I encourage you to read it. It set an appropriate context for the days ahead of the WSF and was powerful to be witness to.
Brothers and sisters of the world. Receive a strong Pan-Amazonian embrace. An embrace from the Andes of the Amazon, from the Orinoquia and Patagonia. An embrace from SUDACA, the South American struggle which is constructing Other Possible Worlds. Today is the Day of Afro-Indigenous and Popular Resistance. They cut our lives, but not our roots, and after five centuries of colonial and capitalist destruction, they have not been able to silence us. Now we move from Resistance to Alternatives, here in a unique World Social Forum, to begin to speak from below, with the voice of the voiceless, from three simultaneous stages, in three hours of collective work to transmit our dramas, our struggles, our hopes, our proposals and joys.
We call everyone to radical and profound action and reflection in this grave moment when our mother earth is sick with the fever of global warming, soon to rise by 2 degrees. Mother earth is beginning to convulse and it will soon become very difficult to heal her. The illness of this suicide is destruction, in the name of the myths and the traps of so-called ‘development’, modernity’ and ‘capitalism’, which are ending millions of years of equilibrium between the simultaneous use and conservation of the world by its peoples. Life, not just human life, is in danger, in strategic places: the Amazon, the Pantanal, the Chaco and the remaining tropical forests; the glaciers and cordillers, as in the Andes; the Polar Circles. And it is no accident that the struggles to defend these sites are carried out by indigenous women and men, native peoples, rural workers, Quilombolas, mixed-race people, Garifunas, people of African descent, extractors, coastal peoples and diverse social movements.
There has been enough dismissal of the amazonian peoples and the Global South in the name of the ‘kind’ and their ‘one way of thinking’, always suspiciously colonial, capitalist, Eurocentric and patriarchal. The solutions have been the reverse of what has been thought: walking into the future in the footprints of our ancestors. The unity between the Amazon, Mother Earth and Peoples is threatened by consumerism, contamination, greed, unemployment, land concentration, sexual and religious discrimination and the criminalization of social movements, encouraged by the capitals of agro-business, agro-fuels, genetic engineering, hydroelectric, mineral, hydrocarbon, livestock, timber exploitation and other forms of the commodification of life by multinationals and the States at their service. The Amazonian, Andean and Abya Yala peoples have moved from protest to proposal with alternatives such as economies based on solidarity, community, reciprocity, interculturalism; equilibrium between nature, society and culture; the decolonization of power, knowledge and site of the imagination; the autonomy of bodies and sexual orientations; community self-government and the profound transformation of states, markets and societies; so that other worlds are possible, here and now. We continue constructing new paradigms based on mother earth and the peoples, searching for our roots to walk into the future.
On this 1st Stage, we deal with development, climatic changes, environmental justice, sovereignty and safe food, destruction of the forests, the melting of the Andes and the desertification of the Amazon, energy models, the struggle against forest dams, the impact of the large mining and petroleum companies, and criticism of agro-business and agro-fuels.
On this 2nd Stage, we deal with slave labour, dhescas, unemployment and human migrations, the struggle for land and violence in the country and the city, the criminalization of social movements and leaders, and the campaigns of persecution by the media, and criminalization of popular communication.
On this 3rd Stage, we deal with land and territory, national and popular sovereignty identity, regional integration, identity, reaffirmation of the culture of native peoples, autonomy and plurinational state, imperialist intervention, regional integration based and for the people.
We invite you to listen to the protests of the rivers, the song of the lakes, the histories of the great trees; to listen to the spirits of the forests, glaciers and deserts … to listen to the voice, the cry, the proposals of the children of the earth, the birds of a single wing, which we need to embrace to be able to fly.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Amazon Rising
Amazon Rising
I spoke earlier about the WSF planning committee and some of their process of deciding where WSF 2009 would be. The first day was dedicated to the struggles and the peoples of the region. It was a beautiful display of voices, dances, and the culture. Some of it is expressed in the pictures below. Just so you folks know, there was so much going on during the forum that I only got a glimpse. There were multiple campuses and things going on all the time.
I am trying to get a copy of the statement that was read from the stage that I was at for the Amazon day. It was powerful and I would love to share it. I will post it when I get it!
I spoke earlier about the WSF planning committee and some of their process of deciding where WSF 2009 would be. The first day was dedicated to the struggles and the peoples of the region. It was a beautiful display of voices, dances, and the culture. Some of it is expressed in the pictures below. Just so you folks know, there was so much going on during the forum that I only got a glimpse. There were multiple campuses and things going on all the time.
I am trying to get a copy of the statement that was read from the stage that I was at for the Amazon day. It was powerful and I would love to share it. I will post it when I get it!
Monday, February 2, 2009
A Dramatic Beginning
A Dramatic Beginning
The WSF 2009 kicked off with a parade of the participants. Folks were to come out with their colors, banners, signs ect. It was a glorious spectacle. To add to the drama of the moment, just as the stage performances of the Amazonian region welcoming the world to Belem, it began to downpour. A thick unending warm rain. I believe that I have not mentioned that Belem is the one of the rainiest places in the world. Yes, it is in the rainforest but even so, it is a rainy place. The parade continued and it rained most of the time. There was really not much one could do to avoid it. One of the SVD´s that I was walking with had a full length poncho and a big hat. He was prepared and protected my camera. I one the other hand got wet and that was fine. I just kept in mind that it was below zero in Chicago and embraced where and what I was experiencing. Pictures of the parade below.
The WSF 2009 kicked off with a parade of the participants. Folks were to come out with their colors, banners, signs ect. It was a glorious spectacle. To add to the drama of the moment, just as the stage performances of the Amazonian region welcoming the world to Belem, it began to downpour. A thick unending warm rain. I believe that I have not mentioned that Belem is the one of the rainiest places in the world. Yes, it is in the rainforest but even so, it is a rainy place. The parade continued and it rained most of the time. There was really not much one could do to avoid it. One of the SVD´s that I was walking with had a full length poncho and a big hat. He was prepared and protected my camera. I one the other hand got wet and that was fine. I just kept in mind that it was below zero in Chicago and embraced where and what I was experiencing. Pictures of the parade below.
Belem and the World Social Forum 2009
Belem and the World Social Forum 2009
Belem, the capital in the state of Para, has a privileged ans strategic location in the extreme north of Brazil, and therefore considered to be the most important gateway to the northern part of the country and to Amazonia. It’s the biggest city in the brazilian amazon with approximately 1,5 million inhabitants.
(the photo show Belem in the distance and the lush rainforest and expresses the paradox of a large city in the rainforest region. Belem is also situated where the Atlantic and the Amazon converge)
The World Social Forum is based on a Charter of Principles.
Around these principles people gathered in Porte Alegre in 2001, it has been held in India, Kenya, Veneszuela and Brazil. There have also been local, national, region and other manifestations of forums around the world.
A short history can be found at http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/main.php?id_menu=19&cd_language=2
Why the Amazon?
The International Council of the WSF, composed by 130 entities, chose the Pan Amazon to host the WSF 2009 in recognition of the strategic role that the region has for all mankind. The region is one of the last areas of the planet still relatively preserved in a geographical area of immeasurable value for their biodiversity and that adds a wide and diverse range of social movements, labor unions, associations, cooperatives and civil society organizations fighting for an Amazon sustainable, compassionate and democratic, articulated in networks and forums, building this ample movement to resist the prospect of another model of development.
The WSF 2009 Amazon will be guided by three strategic guidelines:
• effectively be a space where you build alliances that strengthen proposals for action and formulation of alternatives;
• be hegemonized by self-managed activities;
• and have a clear emphasis in the pan-Amazon.
The effort and demand of the Pan Amazon were recognized and embraced by the International Council (CI) and the result will be one of the major novelties of the WSF in its 8th edition, a full day devoted to the theme Pan-Amazon. The Day of Pan-Amazon. On that day, the testimonies, panels, lectures, discussions, marches and alliances between peoples of the Pan-Amazon and the will world also understand as the 5th edition of the Pan-Amazonian Social Forum (FSPA).
Santarem to Belem part II
Santarem to Belem part II
(From the top deck where we spent most of our time)
(There is so much that flows through this river that it is a brownish color)
(some of the traffic on the Amazon, moving goods from Belem to Manaus the two big cities on the river)
(you can see the rain coming
It is obvious to me that even that these photos only capture a small portion of the beauty that I was so blessed to see and be amoungst during my 45 hours on the Amazon.
(From the top deck where we spent most of our time)
(There is so much that flows through this river that it is a brownish color)
(some of the traffic on the Amazon, moving goods from Belem to Manaus the two big cities on the river)
(you can see the rain coming
across the river pouring out of the clouds)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Santarem to Belem- via boat
Santarem to Belem- Via Boat
After a few days on the Amazon River I have made it to
(The picture is on the top deck where we spent most our time)
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Visiting Vila Franca
Visiting Vila Franca
The images below are from our trip to visit an indigenous community about two hours by boat from Alter de Chao, where we have been having our meetings the past few days. It was a beautiful boat ride and we got to spend the day with some beautiful people. They shared with us their stories and their culture which they are struggling to maintain.
The children waiting patiently
The children dancing
The dance weaves the ribbons together as the children dance around the pole.
The children dancing a dance in honor of a staple food of their diet farina
...and me on the boat on our way to visit
Vila Franca. It was about a two hour boat ride eachway.
The images below are from our trip to visit an indigenous community about two hours by boat from Alter de Chao, where we have been having our meetings the past few days. It was a beautiful boat ride and we got to spend the day with some beautiful people. They shared with us their stories and their culture which they are struggling to maintain.
The children waiting patiently
The children dancing
The dance weaves the ribbons together as the children dance around the pole.
The children dancing a dance in honor of a staple food of their diet farina
...and me on the boat on our way to visit
Vila Franca. It was about a two hour boat ride eachway.Friday, January 23, 2009
More on the Rain Forest Region in the State of Para
Rain Forest Region of Para
There is so much to learn about the Rain Forest the life it supports, the communities that live here and how deforestation is impacting the world. This week has been spend with different folks from; Paraguay, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, USA, Slovakia, Spain, Mexico and Kenya. There are many of the same struggles happening in these other countries happening in other parts of the world. The struggle to uphold the rights of people and the land, water, food etc. are a collective concern here.
The folks from Paraguay spoke to their work with the indigeonous, defending their right to the land and for campasinos to be able to subsistence farm. They are also working to reforestation projects, to help those who have been displaced and there is much concern about agro-business, especailly soy production.
We also were lucky to have a voice from Africa, Kenya to be exact. Br. Lawerance´s spoke to their struggle with HIV/AIDS. In Kenya, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is pretty well under control. They have been able to get the adaquate education and medicines for the country. They now struggle with refugees and orphans because of the pandemic. Br. Lawerence all week has been insistant that I come visit him in fall, we shall see. There also is work of reforestation going on in Kenya, many of you may have heard of Wangari Matthai. She was a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her work in the reforestation in Kenya, especially with women. You can learn more about her work at http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/
I have been aware of the deforestation of the rainforest for some time. Actually back in middle school I was campaigning the student government to adopt some rainforest. To come full circle and to come to this land and meet the people has been amazing. I will post some picture of our visit the other day with an indigenous community living on protected land. For now I will close with some information on from on the impact of soy in this region. There is also a video clip that can be found on their website http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/landmark-amazon-soya-moratoriu
The Amazon campaign
Rising international demand for soya had led many farmers to drive deforestation to make way for soya cultivation. Back in 2006, we published ‘Eating up the Amazon’, a report on our investigation into the links between soya in the supply chains of leading international food companies and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. At the same time, we dressed up as chickens and heckled McDonald's, one of the companies using soya from the Amazon for Chicken McNuggets back then. The costumes were sweaty but lucky for us (and the planet), McDonalds quickly reacted and agreed to join us and lead a call for a change.
Responding to this pressure, the major soya traders operating in Brazil announced a two year moratorium which came into effect in July 2006, stopping for the time being the trade in soya grown on newly deforested land. Although recent figures show an increase in Amazon deforestation rates, after three years of decline, the first field evaluation show that the soya harvested this year in the Brazilian Amazon has not come from newly deforested areas. In other words, the moratorium is doing its job and halting soya related forest destruction, despite the pressure from rising soya prices.
Companies doing the right thing
But two years have not been long enough to establish permanent solutions to halt deforestation related to soya farming and without an extension much of the hard work done to date would have been lost. Credit for the extension goes primarily to two of our, umm, favourite allies - big business and government.
The Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove), which represents soya traders, has recently been under huge pressure from producers who wanted to weaken the moratorium by allowing soya plantations in areas not permitted under the existing agreement. Despite the pressure, in a press conference held in Brasilia, Abiove has just confirmed that it will back the moratorium for another year. “Abiove’s decision shows that it is possible for a leading agri-business company to ensure food production without destroying forests", said Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Amazon campaign coordinator.
Brazilian Environment Minister Carlos Minc told reporters: “The moratorium is a successful initiative by civil society and the soya industry. The Federal Government is entering the process now and is committed to register and license all rural properties in the Amazon biome. Inspired by the success of this initiative, the Brazilian government is negotiating similar approaches with the timber and beef industries.”“We are delighted to see the new environment minister take an active role in ensuring the continuation of the moratorium. Such high level support helps Abiove and the traders convince farmers to support the initiative. His support also serves as a warning to those who continue to destroy forests that their soya will be rejected by the market,” concluded Adario.
Not only has Minc come out in support of the extension, he has committed the government to speeding up efforts for the registration and mapping of rural properties in the Amazon. This is essential if we are to ensure compliance by all parties to the laws dictating which land may be used for farming and which is off limits for deforestation.
Much more still to be done
This announcement means we’re one step closer to achieving that. Further measures include curbing illegal occupation of public lands, harsh penalties for illegal deforestation, driving development to areas away from the rainforest and increasing support for sustainable methods of production.
Rainforests and climate change
Not only is the forest a natural wonder but it is home to millions of indigenous peoples. In addition, recent science has proven that tropical forest destruction is responsible for nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, second only to the energy sector. Stopping deforestation of the Amazon would bring us much closer to keeping global temperature rise at below 2°C, which most scientists believe is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change. From Greenpeace.org)
Hope to get another posting out tonight or tomorrow before I head out for my two day journey the boat to Belem for the World Social Forum.
There is so much to learn about the Rain Forest the life it supports, the communities that live here and how deforestation is impacting the world. This week has been spend with different folks from; Paraguay, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, USA, Slovakia, Spain, Mexico and Kenya. There are many of the same struggles happening in these other countries happening in other parts of the world. The struggle to uphold the rights of people and the land, water, food etc. are a collective concern here.
The folks from Paraguay spoke to their work with the indigeonous, defending their right to the land and for campasinos to be able to subsistence farm. They are also working to reforestation projects, to help those who have been displaced and there is much concern about agro-business, especailly soy production.
We also were lucky to have a voice from Africa, Kenya to be exact. Br. Lawerance´s spoke to their struggle with HIV/AIDS. In Kenya, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is pretty well under control. They have been able to get the adaquate education and medicines for the country. They now struggle with refugees and orphans because of the pandemic. Br. Lawerence all week has been insistant that I come visit him in fall, we shall see. There also is work of reforestation going on in Kenya, many of you may have heard of Wangari Matthai. She was a Nobel Peace Prize winner for her work in the reforestation in Kenya, especially with women. You can learn more about her work at http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/
I have been aware of the deforestation of the rainforest for some time. Actually back in middle school I was campaigning the student government to adopt some rainforest. To come full circle and to come to this land and meet the people has been amazing. I will post some picture of our visit the other day with an indigenous community living on protected land. For now I will close with some information on from on the impact of soy in this region. There is also a video clip that can be found on their website http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/landmark-amazon-soya-moratoriu
The Amazon campaign
Rising international demand for soya had led many farmers to drive deforestation to make way for soya cultivation. Back in 2006, we published ‘Eating up the Amazon’, a report on our investigation into the links between soya in the supply chains of leading international food companies and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. At the same time, we dressed up as chickens and heckled McDonald's, one of the companies using soya from the Amazon for Chicken McNuggets back then. The costumes were sweaty but lucky for us (and the planet), McDonalds quickly reacted and agreed to join us and lead a call for a change.
Responding to this pressure, the major soya traders operating in Brazil announced a two year moratorium which came into effect in July 2006, stopping for the time being the trade in soya grown on newly deforested land. Although recent figures show an increase in Amazon deforestation rates, after three years of decline, the first field evaluation show that the soya harvested this year in the Brazilian Amazon has not come from newly deforested areas. In other words, the moratorium is doing its job and halting soya related forest destruction, despite the pressure from rising soya prices.
Companies doing the right thing
But two years have not been long enough to establish permanent solutions to halt deforestation related to soya farming and without an extension much of the hard work done to date would have been lost. Credit for the extension goes primarily to two of our, umm, favourite allies - big business and government.
The Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove), which represents soya traders, has recently been under huge pressure from producers who wanted to weaken the moratorium by allowing soya plantations in areas not permitted under the existing agreement. Despite the pressure, in a press conference held in Brasilia, Abiove has just confirmed that it will back the moratorium for another year. “Abiove’s decision shows that it is possible for a leading agri-business company to ensure food production without destroying forests", said Paulo Adario, Greenpeace Amazon campaign coordinator.
Brazilian Environment Minister Carlos Minc told reporters: “The moratorium is a successful initiative by civil society and the soya industry. The Federal Government is entering the process now and is committed to register and license all rural properties in the Amazon biome. Inspired by the success of this initiative, the Brazilian government is negotiating similar approaches with the timber and beef industries.”“We are delighted to see the new environment minister take an active role in ensuring the continuation of the moratorium. Such high level support helps Abiove and the traders convince farmers to support the initiative. His support also serves as a warning to those who continue to destroy forests that their soya will be rejected by the market,” concluded Adario.
Not only has Minc come out in support of the extension, he has committed the government to speeding up efforts for the registration and mapping of rural properties in the Amazon. This is essential if we are to ensure compliance by all parties to the laws dictating which land may be used for farming and which is off limits for deforestation.
Much more still to be done
This announcement means we’re one step closer to achieving that. Further measures include curbing illegal occupation of public lands, harsh penalties for illegal deforestation, driving development to areas away from the rainforest and increasing support for sustainable methods of production.
Rainforests and climate change
Not only is the forest a natural wonder but it is home to millions of indigenous peoples. In addition, recent science has proven that tropical forest destruction is responsible for nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, second only to the energy sector. Stopping deforestation of the Amazon would bring us much closer to keeping global temperature rise at below 2°C, which most scientists believe is necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change. From Greenpeace.org)
Hope to get another posting out tonight or tomorrow before I head out for my two day journey the boat to Belem for the World Social Forum.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Just Getting Started- Miami to Santarem
January 16th 23:48
Miami to Santarem
Today I was in a holding pattern, waiting and standing still while much was going on around me. It has been a long day of being by myself while being amongst masses of people. Spending long periods of time in an airport is not exactly a fun time. It was a lonely day where I have been alone stuck in a place where I know no one and cannot communicate with anyone (very well anyway). This is not necessarily a unique experience to the airport world. This can also happen in Chicago or else where whether the barrier is language or politics or education
I left Chicago around 1:30pm Thursday and was glad that I actually got out considering all the cold weather and snow we had been. I flew out of Miami to Manaus at 5:00am. The flight was scheduled to take off at 5:45am with this late departure I began to see I was going to need a lot of patience. I got into Manaus and through security and Brazilian customs around 1:30pm. I took my time being last off the flight and to get my luggage. I had plenty of time because my next flight to Santarem was at 4:00am the next morning.
With all the time that I had the opportunity to spend in the airport over the past few days, I did find some good things in the experience. It very well have been my saving grace from going mad. Airports are a wonderful place to people watch. One can see extreme happiness when one reunites with loved ones and sadness with departure. Airports are also symbol of globalization and the movement of people. Much of my time in Brazil will be looking at how globalization if affecting peoples around the world and for that an airport may have been the perfect place for me to start my journey.
I thought I would start out the blog with some information about the Brazilian Rainforest. This is the area that I will be spending my first week in. Santarém is a city in the state of Para in Brazil. The Tapajos joins the Amazon River there, and it is a popular location for tourism. It was once home to the Tapajos Indians, a tribe of Native Americans after which the river was named, and the leaders of a large, agricultural chiefdom that flourished before the arrival of Europeans. Santarem is also the name of the original city in Portugal that gave the name Santarem to this Brazilian city. The city is the home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santarem.
Santarem is an important regional market center in Lower Amazonia located midway between the larger cities of Belem and Manaus. The economy is based on agriculture, cattle and mining. The city has seen many 'cycles' of development dominated by one or a few economic activities, including (in the last century) rubber tapping, coffee production and gold mining. Most recently, there has been a huge growth in the area of soy plantations.
Santarem is bordered by the Amazon and the Tapajos rivers. Both run along many kilometers in the front of the city, side by side, without mixing. The Amazon's milky colored water carries sediment from the Andes in the East, while the Tapajos’s water is somewhat warmer and has a deep-blue tone. This phenomenon is called "The meeting of the waters" by the locals.
Another popular place for tourism is the village of Alter do Chaos, which is located by the Tapajos River, about 30 km from Santarem. It can be reached by car (about half an hour) or by boat (one or more hours, depending on the boat).
Miami to Santarem
Today I was in a holding pattern, waiting and standing still while much was going on around me. It has been a long day of being by myself while being amongst masses of people. Spending long periods of time in an airport is not exactly a fun time. It was a lonely day where I have been alone stuck in a place where I know no one and cannot communicate with anyone (very well anyway). This is not necessarily a unique experience to the airport world. This can also happen in Chicago or else where whether the barrier is language or politics or education
I left Chicago around 1:30pm Thursday and was glad that I actually got out considering all the cold weather and snow we had been. I flew out of Miami to Manaus at 5:00am. The flight was scheduled to take off at 5:45am with this late departure I began to see I was going to need a lot of patience. I got into Manaus and through security and Brazilian customs around 1:30pm. I took my time being last off the flight and to get my luggage. I had plenty of time because my next flight to Santarem was at 4:00am the next morning.
With all the time that I had the opportunity to spend in the airport over the past few days, I did find some good things in the experience. It very well have been my saving grace from going mad. Airports are a wonderful place to people watch. One can see extreme happiness when one reunites with loved ones and sadness with departure. Airports are also symbol of globalization and the movement of people. Much of my time in Brazil will be looking at how globalization if affecting peoples around the world and for that an airport may have been the perfect place for me to start my journey.
I thought I would start out the blog with some information about the Brazilian Rainforest. This is the area that I will be spending my first week in. Santarém is a city in the state of Para in Brazil. The Tapajos joins the Amazon River there, and it is a popular location for tourism. It was once home to the Tapajos Indians, a tribe of Native Americans after which the river was named, and the leaders of a large, agricultural chiefdom that flourished before the arrival of Europeans. Santarem is also the name of the original city in Portugal that gave the name Santarem to this Brazilian city. The city is the home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santarem.
Santarem is an important regional market center in Lower Amazonia located midway between the larger cities of Belem and Manaus. The economy is based on agriculture, cattle and mining. The city has seen many 'cycles' of development dominated by one or a few economic activities, including (in the last century) rubber tapping, coffee production and gold mining. Most recently, there has been a huge growth in the area of soy plantations.
Santarem is bordered by the Amazon and the Tapajos rivers. Both run along many kilometers in the front of the city, side by side, without mixing. The Amazon's milky colored water carries sediment from the Andes in the East, while the Tapajos’s water is somewhat warmer and has a deep-blue tone. This phenomenon is called "The meeting of the waters" by the locals.
Another popular place for tourism is the village of Alter do Chaos, which is located by the Tapajos River, about 30 km from Santarem. It can be reached by car (about half an hour) or by boat (one or more hours, depending on the boat).
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