By V’cenza Cirefice
From the 7th to 16th of May 2024 visitors from Munduruku, Kayapo and riverine traditional communities from the Brazilian Amazon visited London, Ireland (The Sperrins and Belfast) and Glasgow. I share some reflections from the powerful solidarity weekend visit to the Sperrins and Belfast.
This visit took place thanks to Brian Garvey of Strathclyde University, Glasgow, and was a great example of what community engaged activist research can achieve. Visitors from Munduruku, Kayapo and riverine communities were accompanied by activist researchers, mostly geographers, as well as Amazon Watch and Frontline Defenders. Support was also given from the Federal University of Pará, UNESP, Movimento Xingu Vivo, Pastoral Land Commission and Wakoburun Womens’ Association. We were accompanied by Musheir El Farra, activist and film maker from Gaza who reminded us of the importance of keeping Palestine to the front of our work around environmental justice, indigenous rights, decolonisation and anti-imperialism.
The communities represented in this visit are experiencing violent dispossession, land grabs, contamination and displacement by mining and logging. The men and women from the Munduruku and Kayapo territories shared their stories of how wildcat (unlicensed) and corporate gold mining have brought conflict and contamination to their territories. The riverine representatives from the Lower Trombetas region are protesting the bauxite mining taking place in the lands and forests that they have occupied for generations. Those resisting have faced assassination, disappearance and death threats. The trip to London, Ireland and Scotland was to counter the invisibilisation of their communities and voices and insist that the forest should be protected and Human Rights defended.
In the Sperrin Mountains, communities have been resisting plans for a large gold mine for almost ten years. During this time of resistance many connections have been made with frontline communities resisting extractivism in other contexts and this visit represents another way those in the Sperrins built international solidarity.
On Friday the 10th May we gathered at An Creagán, close to Greencastle in the Sperrins for a night of music and discussion. We heard from a researcher from Brazil about the overall situation there and Melina Sharp, a member of CAIM (Communities against the injustice of mining) from County Clare shared experiences of those living beside and resisting the Aughinish Alumina bauxite processing plant in the Shannon Estuary. Fidelma O’Kane from Save our Sperrins and CAIM shared experiences of resisting gold mining in the Sperrins.
Importantly, the young Munduruku women of the Wakoborun Audiovisual Collective showed their documentary about defending their territory from mining, “Awaydip Tip Mutaxipi / The Ailing Forest” (2024). I was able to share some of my creative research produced with the communities in the Sperrins, photovoice and countermapping. The film and these projects were about creating a space for those affected by extractivism to define the narrative and gaze they wanted to portray about their territories, lands and lives. The Wakoborun Womens’ Association had previously offered solidarity to Land Defenders in the Sperrins and it was a special opportunity to meet in person.
We also had some powerful music from local traditional musicians and Conor O’Kane (Teknopeasant) who has written many songs about the resistance in the Sperrins. Returning to the accommodation that evening we were greeted with spectacular views of the Northern Lights, a real treat for ourselves and the visitors!
On Saturday Morning, I met Melina, Brian and representatives from the Kayapo communities resisting bauxite mining in the Amazon. This was a powerful chance to exchange testimonies reports, experiences and tactics and it was felt the bauxite from this region could be ending up at the Aughinish Alumina bauxite processing plant.
That afternoon we travelled to Belfast. We visited the Palestinian murals at the International Peace Wall on the Falls Road in West Belfast, before heading to Gairdín an Phobail (The People’s Garden) at Whiterocks. This community garden is a collaboration between Springhill Community House, Anaka Womens Group, GROW, Bleach Green residents, Glór Na Móna and PPR. We met with Glór Na Móna who were hosting a special festival, Féile na gCloigíní Gorma (Bluebell Festival) which focuses on language reclamation, solidarity and decolonisation. Here we shared discussions on experiences and strategies of resistance and visitors planted oak tree saplings as a symbol of decolonial hope.
That evening Musheir premiered his documentary about fisher folk in the Gaza strip at Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich and we had further discussions about the importance to international solidarity for anti-imperial organising: To meet in person from different struggles, to hear each other’s voices and experiences and to build strategies of resistance that understand the interconnected roots of our struggles.
On Sunday we visited Beaghmore Stone circles, one of the most important sites of local history, culture and heritage close to the proposed gold mine at Greencastle. Local historian and councillor Sean Clarke, guided us around the stones with valuable information about their alignment and significance.
Despite the rain and thunderstorms, that afternoon we visited the Greencastle People’s Office, an occupation on the land that would be part of the gold mining plans. Local people shared stories of resisting before we headed inside at the local playschool for a community exchange. Here stories, strategies and details of each campaign were shared. We also heard from Sinéad Ní Mhearnóg, who recited a poem in Irish about the local Glenally valley, and Catherine McPhee, community activist, Isle of Skye, said a poem she had written for the occasion.
The visit is over but the struggle continues. In early June a Munduruku statement was published about the ongoing invasions to their territory and their resistance. The ongoing threat of mining and logging is now accompanied by greenwashing carbon credit schemes. Making these international solidarity connections and building relationships with those resisting extractive capital remains a vital task.
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