permaculture

["Marsha Hanzi" <hanzibra@svn.com.br>]

(Dear friends at the list-- Liliana ( I think some of you met her at the
Convergence in Australia) asked me specifically send this to  you.   We
normally would not send this kind of letter to the pc list, but this is
where we live and work..  Marsha)
----- Original Message -----
From: Liliana Pires <lilianapires@e-net.com.br>
To: <allcohorts@lead.org>
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2000 12:38 AM
Subject: Clarifying yesterday's message - Brazil is 500????


> DEAR FRIENDS,
>
> SORRY ABOUT TAKING A BIT OF YOUR TIME AGAIN. I WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU
COULD
> READ IT!
>
> My intention is to clarify a feel things about the message I sent
yesterday,
> as it is related to a global, complex and serious issue. I think I was too
> simplistic about it, what might have caused some misunderstanding.
>
> First of all, I would like to clarify that when the Portuguese arrived in
> Brazil, there was more than 5 million people living on this land for more
> than 40 thousand years. Today there are only 350.000 indigenous living
here.
>
> So, to the statement "Brazil is 500 years", I should have added many
> question marks, as I never wanted to mean that the country was born only
in
> 1500. That is the official and false version of history, the one that the
> State wants to celebrate and make people believe it is true. In this
> version, there is no space for conflict, and although this could be a good
> moment to remind our history and think about our future, we watched the
> exclusion of those who were trying to tell their version, our real one in
> this 500 years.
>
> I believe we have a long way to achieve maturity. But we have to build it
> according to our own model. I am telling it because in Brazil there is a
> tendency to take European and North American countries as models of
> development without considering the global impacts of their actions.
>
> If we analyse, not a country achieved maturity. Maybe this is not even
> possible, as we live in a very dynamic global context and it is
unrealistic
> to think about a stable situation. But when we learn to balance and give
> space to everybody's interests and potentials, we will be closer to such
> maturity.
>
> Finally, I would like to say that everyday we are having to deal with
> authoritarian actions masked by democratic speeches. The episode during
the
> official celebrations are not unique. It just adds to everyday abuses of
> force and repression of a group of people that are not interested to
change
> our history. In fact, exactly on the same region the Portuguese first
landed
> and the official celebrations were held (south of Bahia state), the Pataxo
> Han Han Han, a local indigenous group, are still struggling against
farmers
> that, with the open consensus and support of government, are invading
their
> already recognised land.
>
> Hopefully this can give you a clearer idea of what I meant yesterday. I
will
> be happy to discuss more with those who are interested. If so, please,
send
> a message straight to me, as we don't want to disturb those who might be
not
> happy to get more messages about it.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Liliana.
> Cohort 7 - Brazil
>
>