NEWS FROM BRAZIL supplied by SEJUP (Servico Brasileiro de Justica e Paz).
Number 390, March 3, 2000.
Visit our home page: http://www.oneworld.org/sejup/
In this week's issue:
>NEWS BRIEFS
- Rural workers continue to be imprisoned for land occupation
- Indigenous to march to Porto Seguro, Bahia
- MST donates organic seeds to Venezuela
- Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae to receive National Human Rights Award
-Campaign against AIDS accused of racism
- President Cardoso blames U.S. and Europe for poverty problems
>LABOR ISSUES
- Life in Black and White
>URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- Repression continues in Parana
NEWS BRIEFS
- Rural workers continue to be imprisoned for land occupation
In spite of the Superior Court of Brazil decision in 1996 that occupying
unproductive land is not a crime, rural workers are continue to be
imprisoned for such actions. There were various imprisonments in January,
and eight so far in February. It is clear that public opinion sees that
such arrests are a form of political repression with the objective to
satisfy the interests of large land owners and the powerful. In three
separate occasions, the Superior Court has ordered that the workers be
released from prison. In the last decision, Minister Vicente Leal said
that "justice cannot be an instrument of political action against movements
that act to counter economic and social inequalities." But, as the law
says that every judge is free to interpret the law in conformity to his/her
conscience, judicial decisions often are made in conformity to the judge's
political persuasion.
Source: Jornal Sem Terra
February, 2000
- Indigenous to march to Porto Seguro, Bahia
Indigenous representatives from various regions of the country will be
journeying to Porto Seguro, Bahia, during the month of April. The "March
of the Indigenous, 2000" is a symbolic act to reclaim Brazilian land for
the original inhabitants of the country. It is also meant to counter the
various official celebrations of the so-called 500th anniversary of the
discovery of Brazil (by Europeans). In the grand urban centers through
which they will pass, the indigenous leaders will participate in public
acts of protest, demonstrating the violence and the massacres that these
500 years have produced. The March, scheduled for the 18-22 of April, will
involve various other social movements and plans to open space for
reflections on the past. It will be a time to form alliances, plan for the
next steps into the future, and to celebrate resistance to the status quo.
It will be a moment to say that there is another story that is not told
about these 500 years.
Source: Poratim
January/February, 2000
- MST donates organic seeds to Venezuela
The MST (Movement of rural workers Without Land) recently sent a shipment
of organic seeds to Venezuela as an act of solidarity with Venezuelans who
suffered from recent flooding. The MST said that, "these seeds represent
also a symbol of equality of people of the Americas, especially in our
historical struggles and people involved in those struggles, such as
Bolivar and Che Guevara." The production of the organic seeds is part of
an MST project in Rio Grande do Sul. A settlement there began to
investigate ways to farm without using artificial chemicals. The project
began in 1996 with 12 families and has now grown to 48 families involved in
the production of organic seeds. There are also plans to ship seeds to Cuba.
Source: Jornal Sem Terra
February, 2000
- Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae to receive National Human Rights Award
The indigenous Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae will be honored on March 16 with the 10th
National Human Rights award. The award will be given to Chief Gerson Melo.
The indigeous are demanding that the 300 military police be removed from
their reserve located in the southern part of Bahia. The police began to
occupy the area after the Pataxo Ha-Ha-Haes retook land which was
originally theirs but had been invaded by large farm owners. Since 1936,
the 54,100 hectares of land has been officially recognized as belonging to
the Pataxo Ha-Ha-Hae. However, nearly 400 farmers have invaded the land,
and have been granted land titles, illegally given to them by the state of
Bahia since the 1960's. The indigenous will be honored for their struggle
against this injustice.
Source: Linha Aberta
March 1, 2000
-Campaign against AIDS accused of racism
The ABPN (Brazilian Association of Progressive Blacks) has requested the
Brazilian Supreme court to bring charges against Minister of Public Health,
Jose Serra, for the crime of racism. (In Brazil, one can be arrested for
racist speech or action.) Serra and the Ministry of Health launched a
anti-AIDS campaign recently, in time for Carnaval when many engage in
unsafe sex. A television commercial for the campaign shows a black woman
explaining that she got AIDS as a result of her careless actions during
Carnaval. The ABPN argues that the commercial presents blacks as being
careless and irresponsible. They charge that whenever the government makes
commercials, they never choose blacks for positive role models. They only
use blacks in commercials that have negative messages. Serra responded
that he is not racist. He asserted that the black actress was chosen among
30 interviewees, including blondes, brunettes, and blacks. He added that
it would have been racist if a candidate was not chosen because she was
black.
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
March 2, 2000
- President Cardoso blames U.S. and Europe for poverty problems
In response to a U.S. government report critiquing poverty in Brazil,
President Fernando Henrique Cardoso said in an interview yesterday, "What
responsibility do U.S. and European markets have when they do not open
their markets and thus maintain the hunger situation here?" The statement
was made with a reference to U.S. restriction on the importation of
Brazilian goods, especially steel and oranges. According to the president,
such restrictions are related to the causes of unemployment and misery here
in Brazil. The U.S. report said that there are 2.9 million in exploitative
childhood labor, and the 21 million people live in poverty here. In
response to these statistics, Cardoso said, "They can't blame me alone for
500 years of exploitation." He went on to say sarcastically that he is
"very honored" by the fact that Brazil should deserve the time the U.S.
spent in making this 52 page report, "but why don't countries in South
America make a report on what happens in the United States?"
Source: Folha de Sao Paulo
March 2, 2000
LABOR ISSUES
- Life in Black and White
There are no official statistics, but it estimated that 60,000 Brazilians
live by engaging in the unhealthy task of charcoal-making. There is a
legion of workers who submit themselves to subhuman working conditions,
principally in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. The
majority are illiterate and work 12 hours per day. The rate of alcoholism
among them is high. This sad reality is the subject of a book called, "The
Carvoeiros," (The Charcoal-Makers), by photographer Marcos Prado. The work
also inspired a film with the same name directed by Nigel Noble and
produced by Jose Padilha. These men traveled more the 5,000 kilometers
from Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Bahia, Para, and Goias. More than
500 roles of films were used. The result is a 190 page book and a 70
minute film documentary.
Produced between 1997 and 1999, the film deals with the ecological and
social problems involved in the production of charcoal (made from trees).
The physical risks for the charcoal workers are: excessive fatigue due to
lifting and transporting heavy materials, which can bring on physical
stress and cause damage to various muscles and skeletal structures (one
study showed that a typical charcoal worker will carry 7,000 kilos of
Eucalyptus wood to fill a 5 cubic meter oven in one hour!); long hours of
work, including shifts during nights and the weekends, which brings about
alterations in biological rhythms, increasing the risk of accidents on the
job, difficulty in sleeping, chronic fatigue and loss of emotional control;
and dust and smoke inhalation, causing skin irritations, conjunctivitis,
and respiratory problems.
Even worse is that there are children involved in charcoal production.
And most all of them are without the basic necessities of health, education
and transportation, let alone time for play. They are submitted to the
harsh environmental factors associated with this kind of labor: sun, rain,
heat, fire, smoke, dust, etc.
Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International, and Gustavo
A.B. da Fonseca, professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais
comment in the film and book, "There is only one possible solution for
these workers: eliminating this work altogether and looking for alternative
energy sources for industry and alternative ways of producing income for
the thousands of undervalued workers involved in charcoal production."
But this proposal is far from being realized. Today, the country is
highly invested economically in the production of charcoal. Brazil is the
only country in the world that produces "ferro-gusa" (a pure metal used in
the production of steel), which has as its base this charcoal produced from
trees. Counting only last year, the 52 industries involved in the
production of "ferro-gusa" made 700 million dollars in profit.
"Ferro-gusa" is a primary substance in modern ironworks industry. Mineral
charcoal, the closest alternative, is not acceptable for use in this
industry. The choice leaves behind a disastrous consequence: the
deforestation of the Atlantic Rainforest as well as the forests in Minas
Gerais, Mato Grossa and Goias. Today, the greatest danger is in Para where
there is a project for charcoal production three times the area of the
state of Sao Paulo.
Although charcoal undeniably has economic importance, the way in which it
is produced is pre-historic. In a study called "The Production of Charcoal
in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul," environmentalist Claudio Guerra
asserts something surprising: the thermic yield in the conversion of wood
to charcoal is only maximally 40%. This means that for every cubic meter
of wood put into the fire (to make the charcoal), 60% results in smoke.
Source: Jornal da Cidadania
February, 2000
N.B. Those interested in book or film can contact Zazen Producoes
Audiovisuais Ltda, email: zazen@uol.com.br
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- Repression continues in Parana
In the early morning of February 25, 2000, heavily-armed police carried
out evictions in three different land occupation sites in the state of
Parana. Over 250 families were kicked off land they had been occupying.
In these evictions, 41 people were jailed, and 30 were injured, including
children between the ages of 2 and 7, women and elderly persons. In
addition, a human rights lawyer for the Catholic Church's Land Commission,
Darci Frigo, received a death threat call in her house that same morning.
A male voice told her that if she didn't leave her home, she would never
return.
The MST is therefore asking individuals, entities and communities to write
letters of concern about this situation. Letters can be sent to:
Governor Jaime Lerner:
scgg@pr.gov.br
FAX: 55 - 41 - 253-0826
Minister of Justice, Sr. José Carlos Dias
acs@mj.gov.br
FAX: 55 - 61 - 3211565
President Fernando Henrique Cardoso
pr@planalto.gov.br
FA": 55 - 61 - 3222314
You can also send messages of solidarity to the rural workers and to Darci
Frigo:
CPT - Paraná: cptpr@softone.com.br
MST: sdh@mst.org.br
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