Transcript:
Welcome to Episode 10 of Field Notes. I’m Orin Langelle and I’m a documentary photographer.
I shot this photograph on May 30th, 2023 in Brasilia, Brazil. That day, Indigenous peoples held major demonstrations here in the capital and across the entire country to oppose a law passed by Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies that would effectively erase Indigenous land titles. If this law were to stand, Indigenous territory could be handed over to extractive industries mining, ranching, logging, industrial agriculture, and massive monoculture eucalyptus plantations.
Indigenous rights and the health of Brazil’s ecosystems are closely tied in this struggle. Industrial eucalyptus plantations for pulp and paper are spreading fast, clearing out Cerrado and Mata Atlântica forests and threaten the Amazon. These “green deserts” don’t support wildlife and they drain water sources, making it harder for nearby communities to grow food or access clean drinking water.
And now the back story: In May and June of 2023, I joined a global delegation organized by the campaign to Stop Genetically Engineered Trees. For several weeks we traveled through Espírito Santo, Bahia Mato Grosso do Sul, and finally Brasilia. Our purpose was simple: to listen to and document the experiences of rural communities, Indigenous peoples, Quilombola, and the Landless Workers Movement (MST.) We found these communities living next to vast eucalyptus plantations owned by the timber giant Suzano. But the people are fighting back, fighting back to reclaim their land from these “green deserts.”
This wasn’t my first time in Brazil. I’ve been there many times over the years. My first trip was in 2005 when I took part in an international strategy meeting opposing industrial timber plantations and genetically engineered trees. During that trip we traveled far into the countryside to meet with the MST and Indigenous communities who are actively removing eucalyptus plantations and building villages and settlements in their place.
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This photo is one of a series of historical photographs contained in Portraits of Struggle, the latest photography book by Orin Langelle. Portraits Of Struggle highlights captivating images documenting interconnected global struggles for environmental, social, and economic justice across six continents and five decades.
Music for the Field Notes series is courtesy of Xica Sonica.