Brazilian indigenous leader Sônia Guajajara at a recent Terra Livre gathering. Image: Amazon Watch. All rights reserved.
This article is part of Right to Protest, a partnership project with human rights organisations CELS and INCLO, with support from the ACLU, examining the power of protest and its fundamental role in democratic society.
When Brazilian indigenous leader Sônia Guajajara gave a fiery speech on environmentalism and human rights at the Rock in Rio music festival in September 2017, alongside Alicia Keys, she captured the power and authority of Brazil’s National Indigenous Movement (Mobilização Nacional Indígena, MNI). “This is the mother of all struggles, the struggle for Mother Earth!” exclaimed Sônia to a massive, cheering audience. A lifelong advocate for the rights of the country’s native peoples and the integrity of the ecosystems upon which they depend, Sônia helps to lead one of South America’s most vibrant social movements, rooted firmly in resistance to an unjust government set on slashing fundamental socio-environmental protections.
