The role of communication in combating indigenous invisibility

Credit: Disclosure

By: Eduarda Nunes / Lupa do Bem – Favela em Pauta

There is no one better than the indigenous people to talk about their struggles and celebrations. They are diverse people who, for 521 years, have been fighting for the maintenance of their cultures and traditions. Erisvan Guajajara understood that he could not fail to narrate his own steps and, thus, gave the kick-off for the Mídia India project to be consolidated.

Based on a partnership with the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib) and Coletivo 105, the journalist managed to enable 12 young people from the Araribóia Indigenous Land to receive training in various communication formats for three months. From this immersion, many registrations emerged about the daily lives of the people in this territory, from the perspective of those who experience it and not from outsiders.

Two years passed before this material was turned into an exhibition: in 2017, at Acampamento Terra Livre, in Brasília, “Coisa de Índio, Alma Brasileira” was launched. From then on, the mobilization to form more “relatives” – as the indigenous people refer to each other – in the languages ​​that social communication offers was intensified.

“The fight that we carry out at the bases not only guarantees the life of our territory, but also the life of the planet and humanity”, defends Erivan, who also affirms that Mídia Ninja is an important point of support and reference. The first action of the project was the feasibility of new training workshops in other territories.

Currently, the network has 10 coordinators and around 200 employees from all regions of the country. The goal is to reach all 305 peoples for a growing strengthening of the indigenous narrative about the history of Brazil, based on collective and horizontal management.

In this context, the use of the term “India” is a strategy for a re-signification of the crystallized idea about indigenous people. Due to the stereotypes created about indigenous people living in villages, from a Eurocentric view, indigenous people living in urban contexts suffer prejudice and are made invisible on a daily basis.

In addition to that, investing in the training of youth and valuing the knowledge of the elderly is another strategy to enhance indigenous narratives. “Youth is today and now. These new ideas bring new versions”, says Erisvan.

Journalists, lawyers, teachers and artists: indigenous people are present throughout the whole Brazilian territory and not only in the villages. Erisvan emphasizes that the country is an indigenous land, and that they are everywhere, living in different ways that do not invalidate their stories of resistance. “Brazil is a country that carries a historical debt with indigenous peoples, as it has the blood of indigenous peoples here. There are 521 years of regression”, he declares.

In 2021, Mídia India is covering the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), from the perspective of people who have the preservation of land and nature as a base.