Voices from the Forest: A Yanomami Perspective

Wednesday, April 10 at 6 PM

Segal Theatre
The Graduate Center (City University of New York)
365 Fifth Avenue (@34th St.)
New York City

Please join newly appointed RF-US Executive Director Ana Valéria Araújo, Jô Oliviera of the Comissão Pró Yanomami, and Mauricio Font of the Bildner Center as they host a reception to honor respected Indigenous leaders, Davi Kopenawa and Totó of the Yanomami people. The evening will include an introduction to the work of the RFUS, and Indigenous Rights in general, with particular focus on Brazil, followed by a presentation by Davi and Totó. Their talk will cover several topics, including the controversial blood sampling done without Yanomami permission by anthropologists and scientists studying the group in the 60’s and 70’s, a prime example of the way Indigenous human rights have historically been violated.

After the presentation, attendees will be given the opportunity to ask questions and exchange ideas. We envision this event as a wonderful opportunity for members of the legal, non-profit, and academic communities to come together for an evening of serious discussion and interaction. It is also meant to provide a forum for the Yanomami to express their thoughts in their own words. Please feel free to pass on this invite to colleagues and friends. Light refreshments will be served.

Davi Kopenawa & Totó Yanomami: Davi Kopenawa and Totó are traditional leaders of the Yanomami people who live along the border between northern Brazil and Venezuela. The Yanomami have faced threats to their culture and land since they were first contacted. It was their lengthy struggle for land rights, and against gold mining and other activities in their territory that first gained international media and public attention for the plight of Indigenous peoples in Brazil in the early 80’s. The Yanomami were recently granted legal title to their land, but their struggle continues. Davi has been representing his people at the national and international level for many years, although he continues to live in his traditional village. He is one of the most respected and well-known Indigenous leaders in Brazil and was awarded the United Nation’s prestigious 500 Years Global Award in 1989 for his efforts.

Ana Valéria Araújo: Ana is a human rights lawyer from Brazil, and a founding member of the Nucleus for Indigenous Rights, one of the first organizations in the country to use legal instruments in the defense of Indigenous peoples. Ana also directed the legal department of the Instituto Socioambiental in Brazil for over 7 years and has been involved in some of the most important land rights cases in the country. In 1999 Time Magazine named her one of Latin America’s Leaders for a New Millennium in the environmental arena. Having sat on the RF-US board for the past 3 years, Ana assumed leadership of the organization in February 2002.

Rainforest Foundation US: Founded in 1989, the mission of the Rainforest Foundation is to support Indigenous and traditional populations of the rainforest in their efforts to protect their environment and attain basic human rights. RF-US provides support primarily through legal and public policy initiatives designed in direct partnership with local organizations in Latin America. The RF US is part of an international network with projects in 18 countries with rainforest around the world.

Comissão Pró Yanomami: The CCPY was founded in 1978 to support the Yanomami peoples of Brazil in their efforts to secure legal title to their traditional land. The Brasilia-based organization has been instrumental in bringing the situation of the Yanomami to the attention of the Brazilian government and public, and supported their claim for demarcation of their traditional territory, which took place in 1992. CCPY continues to work with the Yanomami on a variety of projects aimed at securing their land and ensuring that their rights are respected. The organization’s major focus in the coming years will be to work with the group on education, re-forestry, monitoring their newly demarcated territory and exploring sustainable economic activities.

Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies: The Bildner Center is a forum for the gathering of academics, students, policy makers, civil society leaders and other specialists working on contemporary issues in the Americas. This nonpartisan center’s broad mission is to create an international community of people, ideas and enterprises to forward the understanding of the complexities of social, economic, political, cultural and ecological life in the Western hemisphere. The Bildner Center was founded in 1982 and operates as part of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Contact:
Bildner Center: Rosa Conceicao 212.817.2096
RFUS: Christine Zemina 212.431.9098 x 13
Media: Myra Scheer 212.472.6441
RSVP: By April 9 to 212.2096 (Bildner Center) OR 212 431.9098 (Rainforest Foundation)