Solutions to each query we might consider about our marketing campaign for the hunter-gatherer Awá of Brazil, essentially the most threatened tribe on the planet.
April 2012
What do you imply by ‘most threatened tribe on the planet’?
Contacted Awá quantity about 360, and it’s thought that round 20-25% extra are uncontacted. They’re a small tribe, which clearly places them in danger. Uncontacted tribes – these with no peaceable contact with non-Indians – are unquestionably essentially the most weak peoples on Earth, always threatened by hostile encounters in addition to illnesses launched by outsiders to which they haven’t any immunity. The Awá are distinctive as a result of their forest is being felled at a sooner charge than that of every other uncontacted individuals, and since they’re solely surrounded by loggers and ranchers. Loggers have felled every little thing round Awá land and, now, more and more, inside it. In contrast to different uncontacted Amazonian peoples, the Awá have nowhere left to retreat. There are a number of accounts of them being killed by loggers and ranchers, however there is no such thing as a current confirmed knowledge as a result of uncontacted Awá don’t construct homes (which might be seen to monitoring plane), and encounters aren’t reported. The loggers are breaking the legislation, by even getting into the reserve, and so they can react violently to in situ investigations.
Why do you say the tribe faces genocide?
This declare has been made by a Brazilian decide. The UN definition of genocide (‘the intent to destroy, in complete or partially, a nationwide, ethnical (sic), racial or non secular group’) clearly applies to the predicament confronted by the Awá: the encompassing loggers and ranchers have made it clear that they wish to do away with the Indians. In fact, if even all of the Awá had been killed, or died on account of logging and ranching, the variety of lifeless would nonetheless ‘solely’ be just a few hundred. Some individuals wrongly suppose that genocide at all times entails hundreds of thousands being killed. Other than having no relevance in legislation, such an interpretation discriminates towards Amazon Indians who’re numerically small.
Doesn’t Survival’s imagery of the Awá help the thought of the ‘noble savage’? Why do you begin the movie with the phrase ‘paradise’?
What awaits Indians following contact and the theft of their lands is at finest penury, usually laced with alcoholism, and at worst suicide or dying. It’s common for 50% of the tribe, or extra, to not survive the primary few years of contact. Compared, the lives of those that nonetheless retain their lands and identities are incontestably higher, much more ‘paradisiacal’. The statement has been made by many Indians themselves and isn’t a falsification. The contacted Awá had been filmed going about their day by day routine (clearly, no try was made to movie the uncontacted Awá). The footage provides a simple, although clearly extraordinarily temporary, window into their lives.
The movie seems costly, isn’t this a waste of cash?
Our movie is the simplest, and by far the most affordable, solution to get the problem to a large viewers. It was shot by Survival’s personal workers on our personal gear, and edited in-house. No half was contracted out, and the whole expenditure is reckoned to be about 7% of what we’d have to pay commercially. The funds used to assemble the marketing campaign and its movies weren’t drawn from supporters, however from grants from foundations, and donations devoted in reminiscence of Laurent Fuchs by his household and pals. A lot assist was donated at no cost.
Why use celebrities within the movie?
An important subject is to get the Awá observed on the world stage. Colin Firth is a long-standing supporter of Survival and tribal peoples, and is amongst our most widely-recognized supporters internationally. Heitor Pereira, who wrote the music, is an award-winning Brazilian composer and musician.
Many on-line campaigns are accused of simplifying the problem or not understanding what they’re speaking about. Why is Survival completely different?
Survival has over 40 years’ expertise engaged on these points; it’s the solely worldwide group devoted to tribal peoples’ rights around the globe. It counts on many a whole bunch of ‘person-years’ of first-hand involvement within the subject, usually on a voluntary foundation, with the joint expertise of its workers and committee members. They’ve included people who began investigating tribal peoples’ points within the Nineteen Fifties. (Considered one of Survival’s founders, Francis Huxley, labored with a neighbouring tribe to the Awá over sixty years in the past, when he accompanied well-known Brazilian anthropologist, Darcy Ribeiro.) Survival has unrivalled experience within the discipline of tribal peoples worldwide, and has been in direct, private contact with numerous tribal communities.
Some individuals consider there are not any uncontacted tribes left, and that every one such claims are false. How do you reply?
There are a lot of tribes with no peaceable contact with outsiders, and we all know of many now we have not reported on. We have now an unrivalled popularity for correct reporting stretching over forty years. Each time our info is accused of something much less, now we have countered with incontrovertible info. Normally, these accusing us then apologize. The place smart, we lodge formal complaints towards any that don’t.
How a lot of the cash you elevate goes to the Awá, and the way a lot to different tribes in Brazil?
The issues confronted by the Awá aren’t solved by giving them cash, and now we have not funded discipline initiatives with them; clearly, the uncontacted Awá don’t use cash. Little or no cash goes to tribes, although we do often fund some discipline initiatives, serving to Indians put their very own circumstances in court docket, or in conferences with officers. Such challenge funding is a small a part of Survival’s work as a result of there are numerous different companies specializing in the sort of funding which may help initiatives we advocate. Our work focuses on tribal peoples’ rights, particularly land rights.
The place does your cash go then?
On growing the profile for tribal peoples’ rights and educating the general public about them. This consists of: contacting governments and companies straight; making certain how nationwide and worldwide legal guidelines can be utilized; exposing the (typically unintentional) racist disparagement of tribes; and placing circumstances to the UN and comparable our bodies. A lot of our work these days is in elevating the media profile of such circumstances. On this sense, our work is just like Amnesty Worldwide or Human Rights Watch, however with a extra specialised focus.
Why do you set a lot into the media profile?
As a result of, in over 40 years work with tribal peoples, now we have seen that it’s by far and away the simplest and environment friendly solution to carry the modifications we search. We all know it really works.
How will you make certain?
As a result of we’ve achieved it again and again. We’ve seen intense public strain repeatedly push governments into observing their very own, and worldwide, legal guidelines by recognizing tribal peoples’ rights over their land.
Aren’t you interfering in Brazil’s inside affairs?
Survival is a world group, with supporters in over 100 international locations, together with Brazil. Brazilians have requested us to boost many points with their authorities, usually efficiently, on many events. The survival of the Awá is a priority of many Brazilians, together with some in authorities.
What’s the authorized state of affairs?
Awá land has been legally demarcated, however its boundaries aren’t revered by the loggers, ranchers and settlers. The federal police have the authority to evict them and maintain them out. Brazil has ratified the worldwide legislation on tribal peoples which acknowledges tribal land possession rights, and its home legal guidelines are usually supportive of Indians. Brazil has additionally ratified the genocide conference, which imposes an obligation on the state to research and prosecute if genocide is suspected.
If the legal guidelines are good, why is there an issue?
The loggers and ranchers are breaking the legislation however are linked to very highly effective native pursuits. To oppose them requires political will on the highest, nationwide stage. Thus far, this has not been seen as an pressing precedence.
Gained’t poor individuals profit from the assets on Awá land?
No, the timber is extracted for the good thing about wealthy and highly effective households. Brazil is not a poor nation (although, after all, lots of its residents dwell in abject poverty), and will simply afford to guard Awá land if it needed to. The Awá are, in spite of everything, one in every of Brazil’s first individuals.
Some on-line campaigns have been seen to have an ulterior motive, or be pushed by cash or forces which aren’t clear. How do you react?
Survival has by no means had any political, non secular or tutorial affiliation. Our cash comes from tens of hundreds of supporters, principally in comparatively small donations and legacies. A couple of trusts and foundations, along with gross sales of our merchandise, make up the remaining. We refuse cash from all nationwide governments, and have by no means acquired any sizeable company donations. In contrast to some bigger charities, now we have nobody on any board, committee, or workers who represents any company or authorities curiosity. Our accounts are absolutely audited in accordance with the legislation, and are publicly out there. Nevertheless, we do reserve the fitting to make grants ourselves with out publicizing the recipients, in circumstances the place which may hurt them.
Awá – the marketing campaign (PDF)
A chronology of marketing campaign work achieved by Survival and different organizations for the Awá and different peoples affected by the Larger Carajas Venture
