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Lula remains the top candidate in the October 2 presidential election, against far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. For the first time, those who do not speak Portuguese or speak very little Portuguese, more than 150,000 people, can vote as well.
With our special correspondent in ManausAnd the Achim Leibold
Thousands of indigenous people will also go to the polls for the presidential elections in Brazil, Sunday 2 October. But within this society that does not always speak Portuguese well, it is often difficult for some to understand the stakes of elections and which candidates they claim to defend.
At the headquarters of the Amarn Association, which fights for the rights of indigenous women, about thirty people from the villages of the Río Negro came to listen to the presentation of an educational brochure explaining their electoral rights and Election issues.
During the show, the Assembly Lady challenges: “ Who can help us indigenous peoples? She struggles to understand what the candidates propose to save communities in the Amazon.
► To read also: Indigenous peoples in Brazil: “We hope for political change”
If candidates regularly campaign in this area, it is often based on sensational propaganda, but explanations and political discussions are lacking. Claudina, of the Tariana ethnic group, remembers campaigning in her village. ” Candidates came and handed out gifts, T-shirts, hats, etc., and we were very happy. I remember my mother received a blouse from a candidate and suddenly voted for him ‘, she says. And to add: At the time, we had no political education, and no one explained the candidate programs to us and helped us make our decision. »
For this election, the choice is clear to Clarisse Tucano, president of the Amarn Association. ” If Lula wins, perhaps in the first round, which we hope, he will get a clear mandate from the Brazilian people ‘, he argued. But voting for the ex-president does not mean giving him a blank check. Social movements, like our original movement, will put enormous pressure on him. »
One thing is certain for them, regardless of the new Brazilian president, the people of the Amazon have learned that to defend their interests, they can count only on themselves.
