On February 10, 2023 Brazilian President Luis Inácio da Silva and U.S. President Joseph Biden met at the White House to usher in a new era of environmental protection for the Amazon in order to mitigate the climate crisis affecting the globe. Locate in the nine countries of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, sixty-percent of the Amazon basin is concentrated in Brazil. Lula is faced with undoing the tremendous damage done under his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro to the Indigenous peoples and ecology of the Amazon. Bolsonaro dismantled all governmental Indigenous rights and environmental protections and his actions led to a surge of violent illegal land grabs. This and his criminal handling of the Covid-19 destroyed Indigenous lives, communities and their territories. As a result, irreparable harm was done to Indigenous communities and their territories. Lula came into power in January promising to revert this environmental catastrophe and upholding Indigenous communities’ rights and protection of their territories.
The Kuikuros from the Xingu Indigenous Reserve of Mao Grosso state are on the frontlines of the movement to defend Indigenous territories of the Amazon. During Bolsonaro administration, they led millions of Indigenous persons to Brasilia to defend life and the natural environment. Ficamazonía Fundación is an organization dedicated to training the peoples of the Amazon on audiovisual production so they can create their own content from their perspective.
We will hear from the Kuikuro’s Paramount Chief Afukaka Kuikuro about the challenges his peoples are facing in the Amazon. Kalutata Kuikuro, President of AIKAX will screen clips of films he’s created and talk about the activism his peoples are leading to preserve their lives and territories. The panel will be moderated by Jen Deerinwater, a bisexual, Two Spirit, multiply-disabled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and an award-winning journalist and organizer. Colombian filmmaker and producer, Linithd Apararicio Blackburn the director of the Ficamazonía Fundación (FICAMAZONÍA) will discuss her Fundación’s work. Ceo and Founder of Shinning Red Films and Emmy-Nominated Director Graham Townsley will provide commentary.
The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Ficamazonía, and Crushing Colonialism invite you to join us for:
Indigenous Cinematic Resistance in the Amazon
With:
Afukaka Kuikuro, Paramount Chief of the Kuikuro Nation in the Alto Xingu Indigenous Reserve in Mato Grosso state, central Brazil.
Kalutata Kuikuro, President, the Kuikuro Indigenous Association of the Upper Xingu Associacao Xndigena Kuikuro do alto Xingu (AIKAX)
Event will be moderated by Jen Deerinwater, Founding executive director of Crushing Colonialism.
Commentary by Linithd Aparicio Blackburn, director of the Ficamazonía and Graham Townsley, Ceo and Founder of Shining Red Films. Emmy-nominated director of documentaries for NOVA-PBS, BBC, National Geographic and the Discovery channel.
Introductory remarks by Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli, Director for the Andes, WOLA
Saturday, February 25, 2023
5pm -7pm
Busboys and Poets
2021 14th Street, Washington, DC
Please RSVP to this event by Kelsey Kotts, kkotts@wola.org
This event is supported by the Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Washington Brazil Office (WBO) and Colombia Acuerdo de Paz NGO.