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With its premiere scheduled for June 4th in São Paulo, 12th Ecofalante Film Festival, the documentary Listen, the Earth has been torn apart, carried out by the Alliance in Defense of Territories and partners, proposes a dive into the struggle and thinking of the Kayapó, Yanomami and Munduruku peoples against illegal mining in their territories. 

Directed by Cassandra Mello and Fred Rahal, it features recordings made between 2021 and 2022 and testimonies from leaders of the three peoples, the most impacted by the advance of illegal gold mining in the Amazon.

Indigenous leaders from the Alliance in Defense of Territories Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, Beka Munduruku and Maial Paiakan Kayapó have confirmed their presence at the opening session.

According to the dossier "Torn Land: How Mining Advances in the Brazilian Amazon", launched by the Alliance in March, mining in these Indigenous Lands soared 495% between 2010 and 2020.

The invasion of mining in these regions causes devastating socio-environmental damage, such as deforestation, river pollution, mercury contamination, the spread of diseases – including malaria – as well as violent attacks by miners.

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Furthermore, unable to maintain their livelihoods, which are based on hunting, fishing, and slash-and-burn agriculture, the Indigenous people suffer from food insecurity and child malnutrition. Earlier this year, images of Yanomami Indigenous people suffering from the humanitarian crisis in the territory circulated around the world and spurred federal government action to combat mining in the region.

The Alliance's dossier also explains the mechanisms that promote the advancement of illegal mining, which is highly mechanized and capitalized, and highlights the institutional weaknesses in the gold supply chain that favor the activity, listing a series of measures to combat it.

Learn more: Unpublished dossier explains the advance of mining in the Amazon

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In statements to the film, historical leaders such as Davi Kopenawa, Megaron Txucarramãe, Tuíre Kayapó Mẽbêngôkre, Alessandra Korap Munduruku e O-é Paiakan Kayapó They talk about the impacts of the unbridled exploitation of the forest, such as the contamination of rivers and soil, the increase in violence and crime in the region, as well as threats to the way of life, culture and spirituality of its people.

"You, journalist, listen to this. You have to spread the word to everyone. You have to spread what I say. My words must appear every day, every month in the newspaper. You have to show my words to these white people who want timber, who want mining, who don't know me yet. You will spread my words everywhere, spread them around, so that people know, respect the forest, respect the land, and respect our bodies," says Tuíre Mẽbêngôkre, a historic leader of the Kayapó people in the fight against the environmental impacts of the construction of the then-called Kararaô Hydroelectric Power Plant.

The Alliance in Defense of Territories emerged after the publication of a manifesto by nine Indigenous organizations from these territories during the Fight for Life encampment in August 2021 (learn more below). The documentary includes records of the organization's meetings, which developed over the following year in the Munduruku and Kayapó territories, and of the celebration of 30 years since the demarcation of the Yanomami Indigenous Land, held in May 2022.

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"If the forest-land is dry, if it's rotten, if it's burned, we don't exist. If the forest is suffering, I suffer too. If the forest rots, I also get wounds, scars. If the forest burns, my skin also becomes wrinkled," explains Yanomami shaman Davi Kopenawa.

The production brings together elements of the culture and daily lives of the Kayapó, Yanomami, and Munduruku peoples, revealing their strength, beauty, and potential, and highlights the impacts that illegal mining has on the three territories.

"Among us, no individualism should prevail. We must remember that we share the same blood, the same river, the same forest. And this is our Munduruku region, which we defend. That's what I wanted to emphasize, to tell everyone. This is how it has to be, in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Tapajós. Everyone must speak with one voice and make one collective decision. This will be our strength," says Chief Juarez Saw Munduruku, in the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Territory.

Directors Cassandra Mello and Fred Rahal recall that, from the first meeting, the leaders established what should be part of the narrative, and emphasize the importance of the narration, done personally and predominantly in native languages, so that the film plays an important political role in raising awareness and mobilizing for the defense of the rights of indigenous peoples and territories.

About the Alliance in Defense of Territories

In August 2021, during the Fight for Life camp in Brasília, leaders from the Indigenous Lands most affected by the advance of illegal mining came together to write a document publicly expressing their rejection of mining activity — considered “a disease that white people are bringing into our territories.” 

The manifesto letter was signed by nine indigenous organizations: Hutukara Yanomami Association, Raoni Institute, Kabu Institute, Bebô Xikrin do Bacajá Association, Protected Forest Association, Munduruku Wakoborũn Women's Association, Pariri Indigenous Association of the Middle Tapajós, Hwenama Association of Yanomami Peoples of Roraima and Wanasseduume Ye'kwana Association.

This meeting led to the proposal to form an alliance between the Kayapó, Yanomami, and Munduruku peoples to strengthen the struggles each of these peoples wages in defense of their lands. This partnership developed throughout 2022, with actions jointly promoted by leaders of these peoples in their territories, large-scale mobilizations in capital cities, and internationally. The publication of the dossier and the documentary Listen: the earth was torn apart are part of the efforts promoted by the initiative.

Credits

Title: Listen: The Earth Was Torn

Directed by: Cassandra Mello and Fred Rahal

Production: Teia Documenta and Alliance in Defense of Territories

Year: 2023

Duration: 1h 28m

Support

Political Council of the Alliance in Defense of Territories: Dario Kopenawa Yanomami, Alessandra Korap Munduruku, Maial Paiakan Kayapó, Júlio Ye'kwana, Ademir Kaba Munduruku, Doto Takak-Ire Kayapó

Associations: Hutukara Yanomami Association, Da'uk Indigenous Association, Kabu Institute, Kumirãyõma Yanomami Women's Association, Pariri Indigenous Association, Protected Forest Association, Wanasseduume Ye'kwana Association, Raoni Institute

Partner Institutions: Socioenvironmental Institute, Greenpeace Brazil

Support: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)