Editorial: Dam in Brazil threatens tribe's way of life in Amazon

Friday, February 8, 2013  

"The Kayapó tribe is an indigenous community currently residing in Brazil’s tropical rainforest around the tributaries of the Xingu River. Recently Dilma Vana Rousseff, Brazil's president, authorized the construction of a dam that will not only wipe out the rainforest, but will destroy the lives of the Kayapó people.

Twenty thousand to 40,000 people including tribe members will be displaced and over 400 hectares of rainforest will be demolished. The complete lack of respect for the tribe and its land is incredibly disturbing; those affected can no longer be brushed aside.

This battle is not a new one for the tribe. Talk of building a dam in the Amazon has been going on since 1975. In the 1980s plans for the Belo Monte Dam were put forth and the fight against what would be the world's third-largest hydroelectric dam began. The Kayapó tribe has been able to hold the government off from moving forward on such a project, and has generated much support for their cause throughout the years. The protests, including a five-day-long media conference, gained worldwide attention. The World Bank denied funding to build the dam and a Brazilian federal court deemed construction illegal."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Indigenous Amazon tribe endangered by dam construction (The Lamron 2/7)