Indigenous Brazilian Yanomami have announced they will present Oscar winners with an alternative statuette on Sunday, symbolizing the fight against illegal gold mining in the Amazon.
The Yanomami Urihi Association said it will present the winners of the top film prize – made of solid bronze and plated with 24-karat gold – a figure of Omama, the god of the community, without metal.
“In your culture, gold is synonymous with success. For my people, for the jungle and for the creatures left behind in the Amazon, it means death and destruction.said the head of the Yanomami Urihi Association, Junior Hekurari Yanomami, in a video released Friday by advertising agency DM9 and sent to about 20 Oscar nominees.
Nominees include Austin Butler, Brendan Fraser, Ana de Armas and Cate Blanchett.
Illegal mining has created a humanitarian crisis in this community of 30,400, located in a 96,000 square kilometer reserve between the states of Roraima and Amazonas, in northern Brazil.
The video is part of the “Cost of Gold” campaign, which aims to use the Hollywood spotlight to raise awareness of the issue on a global scale.
“Gold is mined with mercury and more and more gallons are being dumped into our rivers, killing our animals, our forests and our people”warned Junior Hekurari.
“They have the chance to take on millions of people and call on the world to end illegal gold”he added, addressing the actors directly.
According to the Yanomami Association, in 2021, about 54% of the gold traded in Brazil showed signs of illegal origin.
Illegal logging increased especially during the mandate of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), a proponent of opening indigenous lands to this activity.
In addition, average annual deforestation has increased by 59.5% over the past four years.
At the end of January, the current government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared a state of emergency in the Yanomami countries because of the severe malnutrition and disease that affects a large part of this people.
The humanitarian crisis is partly caused by the toxic products that miners use, such as mercury.
Lula da Silva also authorized a joint operation by the armed forces and other institutions to expel the invaders from Venezuela’s neighboring area.
However, the Brazilian presidency announced on Friday that Lula da Silva will participate in the 52nd Assembly of Indigenous Peoples in Roraima on Monday, along with about 2,000 Roraima leaders, including representatives from Yanomami, Wai Wai, Yekuana, Wapichana, Macuxi, Sapará, Ingaricó , Taurepang and Patamona peoples.
This meeting aims to “deepen the discussions on land protection, natural resources management and the agenda of the indigenous movement for 2023”, according to the Brazilian presidency.
Source: DN
