'I will keep fighting': How the Amazon's indigenous people are being dispossessed by illegal logging and mining

‘I will keep fighting’: How the Amazon’s indigenous people are being dispossessed by illegal logging and mining

Nov 03, 2021

On the face of it, Laura and Aldenice have little to sing about.

They belong to the Kokama people, who can be traced back centuries to the Amazon rainforest.

But they’ve been displaced by illegal mining and logging, and their language and culture is under threat.

Laura is a teacher, and along with friend Aldenice, they try to pass on their traditional tongue to the youngest members of the community.

“We hope to create a legacy of preserving the language through our community’s children with songs,” she tells us.

To help preserve indigenous languages, there is currently a nationwide singing competition under way across Brazil.

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The aim for each community – to show they speak their languages and follow traditions the way their ancestors did hundreds of years ago.

For they are scared that after dispossession from their homes, a death of their culture will follow.

“We consider the land to be ours,” Laura says. “It’s very important to preserve our lives and culture, and the traditions we have learned with our elders.

“I will keep fighting – I will get the land back and protect it for future generations.”

They may want to go home, but the truth is, things may have already gone too far.

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