EP Documentary Screening: Terras Brasileiras / Brazilian Lands

On 20 November 2017 at 18:30 the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) – with the generous support of the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation and in collaboration with Marisa Matias MEP (GUE/NGL) and Francisco Assis MEP (S&D) – will organise a screening of the documentary “Terras Brasileiras” at the European Parliament. The event aims to raise awareness for the cause of the indigenous Guarani-Kaiowá communities in Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil), who continue to wait for the demarcation of their ancestral lands and for the respect of their human and minority rights. The documentary depicts the grave conflict between farmers and indigenous peoples. According to Dulce Queiroz, who directed the film, the present situation of the Guarani-Kaiowá in Brazil is a conflict that dates back centuries caused by errors of the Brazilian State itself. The screening follows a  fact-finding mission organized by UNPO in December 2016 and the conference at the European Parliament entitled “The Guarani-Kaiowá and the Assault on Indigenous Rights in Brazil” which took place on 30 May 2017.  
In the south of Mato Grosso do Sul, almost on the border with Paraguay in areas of the Amazon rainforest, is where the Guarani- Kaiowa indigenous people live. They have lived there for over 1,200 years and have a strong spiritual connection with their land. Mato Grosso do Sul is currently the state with the highest incidence of serious and violent attacks on indigenous communities, with intense conflict between the indigenous communities and influential land-owners who have a powerful political lobby at their side. As indigenous ancestral lands are taken to make way for industrial farming of soy, corn or sugarcane, the Guarani-Kaiowá find themselves in a tense environment with food-shortages, clashes, evictions and attacks. They live precariously with increasing reports of murder, torture, malnutrition, and forced disappearances of indigenous leaders. 

Terras Brasileiras is one of the many films directed by Dulce Queiroz, who has also won several awards for her work. Released on September 20, 2017, the documentary gathers archival and historical footage, new footage of Guarani-Kaiowá representatives, as well as the perspective of landowners. The film documents the fight of these communities against the violations of their human rights, at the same time offering a brilliant image of their culture and history. Terras Brasileiras leads us to reflect on a cruel process that has led to a near war in southern Mato Grosso do Sul, and which has its roots in the choices that a young nation makes to ensure its economic development at any cost. By ignoring the historical presence of traditional peoples and delivering legitimate titles to producers who have bet everything on the land, the Brazilian state has caused an inevitable clash between these communities.

Director: Dulce Queiroz

Producers: João Gollo e Lia Tavares

To attend the event, please register here before 13 November 2017