Dear community,
The Yanomami genocide, which SUMAÚMA reported on January 20, needs to be referred to as what it is: genocide. Naming what happened accurately is the first step for guilty parties to be tried and held accountable. The data we reported reveals that 570 children younger than five years of age died under the Bolsonaro government due to avoidable diseases: diarrhea, malnutrition, malaria, worms, and suchlike. It is almost certain the numbers are larger, because the territory was also subject to a data blackout. These are not just fatalities. This is not a tragedy, it is not a drama; it is a genocide.
There are laws in Brazil and in the international system that condemn this crime. Jair Bolsonaro and his government ministers must be tried for genocide inside and outside of the country so that, as the lawyer Deisy Ventura writes in her article, this is the last. It is not enough, however, to leave this in the hands of the government and institutions. It is necessary that all of society, all of the groups, from all the different Brazils come together to demand the trial of the people who were responsible for this. Donating money and food is important, volunteering as a helper in the Unified Health System’s National Force is important, but it is not enough. We need – all of us – to engage in a struggle for justice. We need to do this, not only because it is the only ethical path when faced by genocide, but also we must do it for ourselves. If we let genocide go unpunished, there will be no country for us.
SUMAÚMA Journalism from the Center of the World documented the genocide and continues to document it, with reports and articles, so that our community of readers is well-informed about the complexity of what is occurring and the implications of each act and, in this way, our readers can unequivocally and effectively take a firm position. As you know, our publication of content is usually regular, and the newsletters are sent fortnightly – the next one, therefore, will arrive next week. But given the gravity of what we are living through and the necessity to act with urgency, today we are publishing an extra edition that brings together our coverage of the Yanomami genocide.
Our wish is that the community of SUMAÚMA readers organize themselves to find ways, collectively, to demand the trial of Jair Bolsonaro and his ministers.
Justice for the Yanomami people.
Eliane Brum
SUMAÚMA creator and director
Translated by Nicole Froio
