EXCLUSIVE: Sonia Guajara speaks to the Forum about indigenous peoples' ministry, life story, and struggles

Elected Federal Representative Sonia Guajajara (PSOL-SP) grant a Exclusive interview The forum Last Friday (16th) in Brasilia. Guajara spoke about his childhood, adolescence, studies and political struggle.

In addition to her personal life, the parliamentarian spoke about the chaos that the indigenous peoples have gone through in recent years under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, her views on the new government of President Lula and the role that the indigenous people will play at the head of an important government. Portfolios, such as Sesai (Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health), Funai (National Indian Foundation) and Ministry of Indigenous Peoples🇧🇷

Deputy and National Coordinator of the Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (Apib), including, Quotes to be the Minister of Indigenous Peoples🇧🇷 And she said EXCLUSIVELY that she was just waiting for the invitation of President Lula who, if he agreed, would accept the challenge. When asked if he would be a minister, Sonia said:

“Look, I’m waiting for this call [risos]🇧🇷 Apib wisely submitted a tripartite list to President Lula, as a way of practicing this indigenous democracy, because there is a person from the Northeast who is nominated by his region, one from the Amazon region who is also nominated, there is a person who is nominated by parties and groups. And we understand that it is important to include these names and hand them over to President Lula, even to make sure that anyone who assumes that he is a person associated with the movement, is not in danger of coming to a person only through partisan expression and without being associated with it. Indigenous movement,” he declared.

Asked about the three names that make up the list, Sonia said that, along with her, would be that of Federal Representative Gwenya Wapichana (Rede-RR), who is the first Indigenous woman elected to the Federal Chamber, but who ended up not being re-elected in the 2022 election. and Weibe Tapeba, Councilor of the Caucaia (CE) Workers’ Party. It is inferred from Sonia’s letter that the three names will be in leadership positions in the ministry to be established.

The indigenous leader said the idea to create the ministry, which Lula announced on April 12, 2022, in the Terra Livre camp, in Brasilia, was raised before the occasion, when she met the Labor Party member and told him that indigenous people need representation in portfolios such as culture, justice, health, education and the environment. . He said, “We didn’t even mention the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, and he pulled that card from his sleeve and said ‘I’m going to create a Ministry of Indigenous Peoples,’” he said. “This ministry is the minister of this ministry?” And I immediately said, “Mr. President, this ministry is already ours, so any indigenous person who is ready To bear it, I really want the environment, can you give it to us?” He said in a calm tone.

When asked about foreign investments in Brazil to conserve forests, the environment and indigenous peoples, Sonia said that in the transitional reports, a proposal called the FBI (Fund for Indigenous Biomes) was introduced, an environment that would capture and manage the resources. National and international, in addition to public resources that will not appear in the general budget. The purpose is to protect forests and biomes. Sonia also reported talks with the German, UK and Norwegian embassies. With the United States, he said he was actually set to see how the United States could help the indigenous people, as there were already relationships with the government and the resources had to come out publicly. Sonia also talked about her interest in establishing a relationship with the Chinese government to preserve the Brazilian forests.

“I think we indigenous people are going through a historic moment, of the resumption of democracy. Everyone is very optimistic. It will not be easy, there will be many challenges. But it is a moment when civil society needs to organize and mobilize. The polsonaria in the streets are still trying to prevent Lula’s takeover. They are Exist with all the noise, but we’ve already won, let’s make it worth it. But we need protection. This moment is a literal transition, a government, an Aboriginal movement, to village politics. We’ve elected two Aboriginal women to the National Congress. We don’t just want to We join the village congress, but we want to pass on the executive power and politics in the village, and we now expect Lula to draw the boundaries. I leave here the call for urgency in the struggle to defend Mother Earth. To reforest the minds.”