The 8th March 2006, on International Women’s Day, about 2000 women from La Via Campesina occupied the plantation of Aracruz Celulose, in Barra do Ribeiro, Rio Grande do Sul (South of Brazil). They were denouncing the social and environmental impacts of the growing green desert created by eucalyptus monocutures. The farm they occupied is the main production unit of seedlings of eucalyptus and pines of the mega company Aracruz. It also has a laboratory for seedlings cloning.
Background information on www.viacampesina.org
La Via Campesina Women occupy a farm in South Brazil:
click here
Statement of La Via Campesina in support to the women of Rio Grande do Sul:
click here
Since this action, police repression against peasants women and peasants movements in Rio Grande do Sul has been growing.
La Via Campesina is asking all its members, friends and allies to massively support those peasants women in their struggle to defend biodiversity, land reform and food sovereignty.
We are encouraging all of you to send the manifest below: “THE SEEDLINGS BROKE THE SILENCE” launched by MST (Landless Workers Movement) on April 17, International Peasant’s Day. Please see the attachment/ annex or at www.viacampesina.org
Please send to Governor Germano Rigoto: agenda@gg.rs.gov.br mentioning on the top of the document your name and/or your organisation name and address.
With copies to:
* Claudia Avila (attorney in charge of the case of the women from Via) : claudiamavila@via-rs.net
* Daniel Cassol (Journalist from the Solidarity Committee in Rio Grande do Sul) : dbcassol@yahoo.com.br
* Women’s World March which is Coordinating the National Campaign : sof@sof.org.br
In solidarity
Henry Saragih
General Coordinator of La Via Campesina
Please put your name (organization) and address when you send this manifest below.
THE SEEDLINGS BROKE THE SILENCE
There was a sepulchral silence
over the eighteen thousand hectares stolen
from the tupi-guarani peoples
over ten thousand quilombola families
evicted from their territories
over millions of litters of herbicides
poured in the plantations
There was a promiscuous silence
over the chlorine used
for whitening paper
producing carcinogenic toxins which affect
plants, animals and people.
over the disapearence
of more than four hundred bird species
and forty mammals
in the north of Espírito Santo
There was an insurmountable silence
about the nature of a plant
that consumes thirty liters of water/day
and does not give flowers or seeds
about a plantation that produced billions
and more billions of dollars
for just a half a dozen gentlemen
There was a thick silence
over thousands of hectares accumulated
in Espirito Santo, Minas, Bahia
and Rio Grande do Sul
There was an accomplice silence
over the destruction of the Atlantic Forest and the pampas
due to the homogenous cultivation of a single tree:
eucalyptus
There was a bought silence
over the voluptuousness for profit
Yes, there was a global silence
over Sweedish capital
over Norwegian companies
over large national stalls
Finally,
there was an immense green desert
in concert with silence
II
Suddenly,
thousands of women got together
and destroyed seedlings
the oppression and lie
The seedlings shouted
all of a sudden
and no less than suddenly
the smile of bourgeoisies became amazement
became a grimace, disorientation
III
The order raised incredulous
crying out progress and science
imprecating in vulgar terms
obscenity and bad language
Newspapers, radios, magazines,
the Internet and TV,
and advertisers
well spoken businessmen
crawling advisers
clever technicians
reluctant governments
the yelling right
and all the centre extremists
in chorus, echo,
assemblies and declarations
to defend capital:
“They cannot break the silence!”
And cried for beheading!
IV
Suddenly
no less than suddenly
thousands of women
destroyed the silence
On that day
the so called Aracruz’ land
the women from Via Campesina
were our gesture
were our voice.
Manifest of men and women in solidarity to the peasant women from Via Campesina
April 17th, 2006
International Day of Peasant Struggle
