| [02|08|2004] Learn more about the Indígenous presence at the World Cultural Forum
Between June 30 and July 03 several indigenous leaders representing peoples and organizations from different parts of Brazil, gathered in the city of São Paulo under the project The Indígenous presence at the World Cultural Forum, a joint initiative of LACED/ National Museum, MinC/ Secretariat for identity and Cultural Diversity of INPSO/ Joaquim Nabuco Foundation , Roots of Tradition/ Engenho Artístic Production and the World Cultural Forum.
The project´s goal was to guarantee the discussion of urgent issues related to the responsibility to value, diffuse and preserve the indigenous cultural heritage supported by the federal government
The participants of this debate were : Sandro Tuxá and Dourado Tapeba, representing APOINME – Articulation movement of the indigenous people from the northeast of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo; Agnelo Wadzatsé Xavante, representing COIAB – Coordination board of the indigenous organization from the Brazilian Amazon region; Bonifácio Baniwa, representing the indigenous cultural organization of Amazonas; Nino Fernandes Ticuna, director of the indigenous museum Maguta; Fausto Mandulão Makuxi, representing the organizatioon of the indigenous teachers of Roraima (OPIR); Francisco Pianko, a Ashaninka leader and extraordinary secretary of the indigenous comunities from the state of Acre; Gersem Luciano, a Baniwa leader who´s doing his masters degree at UnB; Adolfo Timóteo Guarani, representing the state council of the indigenous peoples of São Paulo; Maria and Dimas Pankararu ( representing the urban indigenous comunity of São Paulo who have lived in the slums (Real Parque) since the 70s) and another group of twelve indigenous people from the Kariri-Xocó village (AL) who not only particiapted in the dabates, but also presented thier Toré performance at the artistic exhibition.
Apart from the indigenous representation, important civil and governmental representatives were also present –as an example, the State Secretary for Culture of São Paulo Cláudia Costin, the Secretary for Identity and Cultural Diversity of the Ministry for Culture Sérgio Mamberti, Unesco representative Jurema Machado, the anthropologist, professor at UFRJ and director of LACED National Museum João Pacheco de Oliveira and the administrator of the International Network for Cultural Diversity Jennifer Heale. Those participants took part in one of the 4 round-table debates of the project. They served as plataform interlocutors who listened to the indigenous people´s demands, defended with so much sharpness and precision by the indigenous people themselves
The main issues discussed and agreed on by the indigenous leaders and considered priorities for the formulation of new public policies (which deal with cultural issues), were gathered and officially put into a final document, which was written down by the indigenous participants on the morning of July 02. The document was handed to Mr.Sérgio Mamberti during the closing cerecomy of the WCF. The secretary commited himself puiblically to incorporating it immediately to the demands of the Ministry for Culture.
“Amongst one of our goasl at the secretariat for identity and cultural diversity, the issue related to indigenous people´s culture is of high importance. One of the most important issues is the project to put together a team who will formulate subsidies aimed at the creation of framework for the basis of new cultural policies for the indigenous people. This is a very important moment of changes for them as regards their interaction with the national public life, because they are leaving this mine field of justice and struggle for their land , having more strength to struggle for the preservation of their cultures. I´m very happy ,as a secretary, tp be the tool to show all the cultural indigenous riches which are still invisible and are, to a certain extent, extremely accessible. After all, we have around 180 languages and 220 comunities co-existing with us currently in Brazil. All this ancestrality, their cosmogony, their points of view with regards to the environment integrate with contemporary Brazil”, said Mamberti.
All those initiatives aim at strenghtening the project Indigenous people: The first brazilians ,which also includes research as well as scientific and cultural diffusion – seminaries, exhibitions, production of sound and vídeo documents and others – through articulated initiative gathering research teams, NGOs, indigenous representatives and different departments of the public sector.
According to the general director of the project Roots of Tradition, Ana Paula Jones, this project represents the organised indigenous movement and establishes a dialogue channel with MINC.
“Minc is commited to supporting affirmative actions and the project Índigenous people: The first Brazilians ,which was put together through this model project to take place in 2005,in the northeast region. Only then, we´ll be aboe to formulate the basis cultural policies for indigenous people with the active contribution and participation of its most interested agents, changing the exclusion reality in which those identities and diversities live in”, explained Ana Paula.
Read the full edition of the letter writen by the indigenous leaders and handed in at the WCF.
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