"Walk through the conference centre where the recent UN climate talks were held and representations of Indigenous people and culture were everywhere, from the spear-carrying, fiery-headed Cop30 mascot Curupira to huge mural-sized photos of people navigating the Amazon in dugout canoes and the many protests demanding dialogue outside. Yet a short boat ride down the river from Belem, into the forest itself, takes you to another forest-dwelling community also fighting for further recognition within the Cop process."
"Just half a kilometre from the borders of their settlement, at the intersection of dozens of quilombola communities, a private company wants to create a landfill site that the communities say will devastate 200 hectares (495 acres) of land. This is the most terrible crime that we can have here, said Edson Coelho, a community elder. We work with agriculture, we preserve the environment. And if this landfill is there, we will no longer be able to live here or sell any type of product, because who's going to buy a product that's contaminated?"
Conference venues displayed prominent Indigenous imagery and protest while a short boat ride from Belem reveals the quilombola settlement of Menino Jesus. The Menino Jesus community has existed for six generations, with quilombolas descended from enslaved people who fled into the forest and established a distinct way of life in harmony with the jungle. A private company proposes a landfill half a kilometre from the settlement at the intersection of dozens of quilombola communities, which residents say would devastate roughly 200 hectares and destroy local agriculture, markets, and environmental stewardship. Community members describe the landfill as an existential threat to their livelihood and environment. A community elder emphasized agricultural practices, environmental preservation, and fears that contamination would prevent sales of local products. Coelho guided visitors through forest resources used for food, wrapping, and traditional medicine.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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