I det brasilianske Amazonas har Kayapó folket afvist et millionbeløb i udviklingsmidler fra det statsejede elektricitetsfirma. De mener, at pengene blot er et forsøg på at mindske deres modstand mod et stort dæmningsprojekt på Xingu floden. ALTAMIRA, Brazil, March 13, 2013: Leaders of 26 Kayapó indigenous (oprindelige) communities met in the Amazonian town of Tucuma last week to discuss a recent offer of nine million US dollar from Brazil’s state-owned electricity agency Eletrobras, intended to fund development projects in their region over four years. The Kayapó leadership unanimously (enstemmigt) rejected the government funding, deeming it “dirty money” intended to placate (formilde) indigenous resistance to Brazil’s plans to dam the Xingu River while sowing disunity among their communities, ultimately undermining the Kayapó’s historic struggle in defense of their lands and cultural integrity. This decision will likely impede (forhindre) ElectroBras plans to build future dams on the Xingu River, flooding huge swaths (områder) of indigenous territory in order to supply water to the powerhouse of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. En dæmning med konsekvenser Belo Monte is currently under construction 500 kilometers downstream of Kayapó communities and would be the world’s third largest dam if completed. The 15,5 billion dollar project is Brazil’s most expensive infrastructure project underway with the capacity to generate 11.300 megawatts of electricity. However, major fluctuations (udsving) in the Xingu River’s flow would make it among Brazil’s most inefficient dams, generating only 39 percent of this capacity on average. In order to guarantee a steady supply of water for its turbines the Brazilian government could build upstream storage dams with catastrophic consequences to the region’s indigenous people and conserved forests. During the assembly, Kayapó leaders questioned the 2009 resolution of Brazil’s National Energy Board prohibiting additional dams upstream of Belo Monte, affirming that the resolution could be easily modified to suit the government’s needs. “Vores flod har ingen pris” In their letter to ElectroBras the Kayapó state: “We have decided that your word is worth nothing. The conversation is over. We, the Mebengôre Kayapó people have decided that we do not want a single penny of your dirty money”. “We do not accept Belo Monte or any other dam on the Xingu. Our river does not have a price, our fish that we eat does not have a price, and the happiness of our grandchildren does not have a price. We will never stop fighting: In Altamira, in Brasilia, or in the Supreme Court. The Xingu is our home and you are not welcome here.” In addition to their letter to ElectroBras, Kayapó leadership sent a letter to Joaquim Barbosa, the President of Brazil’s Supreme Court, requesting “the urgent ruling upon the lawsuit…referring to the lack of prior consultation of indigenous peoples affected by Belo Monte” stating that this ruling is necessary to guarantee their constitutional right. Should such a judgment follow Brazil’s Constitution and national legislation, the mega-dam would be immediately suspended until such consultations are carried out. Læs videre på http://amazonwatch.org/news/2013/0313-brazils-kayapo-reject-amazon-dams-refuse-millions Begynd ved: “Historically the Kayapó have presented…”
