Marina Silva, the Brazilian former Minister for the Environment for Lula’s government, environmental activist and Goldman Prize winner, is raising her voice to challenge the policies of the current Brazilian government that have led to an 83% increase in forest fires in the Amazon since last year.
Silva, who was elected as a senator in 1994 for the state of Acre, already had a long history of environmental activism when she entered into the political sphere. She was born into a humble family who were descendants of African slaves and Portuguese immigrants near the city of Rio Branco on the border between Brazil and Bolivia.
Her family faced many difficulties, such as the death of Silva’s mother when she was only 14 years old, and the subsequent deaths of her two younger brothers. When Silva was 16 years old, she became seriously ill with hepatitis and she left her home for the city of Rio Branco where she would be treated and where she would later also learn to read and write, in preparation for becoming a nun.
