| [02|08|2004] Learn more about the Indígenous presence at the World Cultural Forum
FINAL DOCUMENT
FRAMEWORK FOR THE FORMULATION OF NEW CULTURAL POLICIES REFERING TO THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.
Between June 30 and July 03 several indigenous leaders, representatives of peoples and organizations from different parts of Brazil gathered in the city of São Paulo for a session of debates called The Indígenous presence at the World Cultural Forum, a joint initiative of LACED/ National Museum, INPSO/Joaquim Nabuco Foundation ,Roots of Tradition / Engenho Artístic Production and MinC/ Secretariat for identity and cultural diversity under the coordination of the two greatest indigenous organizations in hte country: COIAB, the Coordination board of indigenous organizations of the brazilian Amazon region and APOINME, Articulating movement of indigenous peoples and organizations of the northeast region, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo.
Forgetting the damage of other motions and recomendations related to other public policies which affect indigenous comunities and are still in use, participants of this session of debates come to public now to forward a document to the Ministry of Culture, through Sérgio Mamberti, secretary for Identity and Cultural Diversity. This document contains recomendations regarding the creation of new cultural policies which contemplate the longings and singularities of indigenous cultures .
One of the basic things that should be taken into account for the creation of those cultural policies is the great diveristy, very common amongst indigenous comunities due to the fact that there are 220 peoples and around 180 languages with their distinct historic background , living in different eco systems and in different local economic and political contexts, contrasting strongly from one another in a country with continental dimensions.
Because of such historic ecological and cultural diversity, indigenous peoples have different political strategies which only recently have become more closely related to the constitution of a brazilian indigenous movement, strongly based on and supported by two institutions: COIAB and APOINME.
The 1998 federal constitution recognized “as legitimate” the cultural manifestations and forms of organization of indigenous peoples, destroying thus all legal background whcih supported the general practises of mechanisms of tutelage. It recognized the civil capacity of indigenous people The 169 convention of OIT ,recently ratified by the brazilian governemt, consolidated a new legal order with regards to indigenous people´s rights, stressing the general principles of an indigenous-based policy not grounded in perspectives of assimilation and authority but mutual dialogue and respect of differences.
The extinction of this tutelage system by no means represent the end of the brazilian state governement´s responsibility towards the indigenous comunities who live within national boundaries and are integrating part of the country´s cultural heritage.
For this matter, we present here some framework which take into account those new legal changes and attend the requirements and specificities of the brazilian indigenous comunities movements. They should serve as ground for the elaboration of new cultural policies.
• Strengthening indigenous cultural manifestations.
All over the country, indigenous comuniteis are going through a very difficult situation, the invasion of their land, serious conflicts and threats resulting in lack of assistance, hunger and fear. If one cannot maintain their existance, then by no mens can they preserve their culture. The brazilian government must change this- through multiple and articulated policies.
Regarding the protection of the indigenous heritage, we believe that the Ministry of Culture holds the responsibility to give material and political support to concrete initiatives of indigenous comnunities to express and re-affirm publicly, inside indigenous villages or in multi-etnic contexts, its faith in the values and main institutions of those peoples. We want to highlight the importance of effective support to the different types of experiences inside indigenous cultural centres thorugh initiatives which must continue to be controlled and directed by indigenous groups, but whcih can be highly enriched by the effective support of the federal government.
The sympathy towards indigenous identity and the loyalty to their central values is won throught the permanent re-affirmation of their traditions ,often difficult due to the lack of resources and information and to prejudice of non-indigenous peoples of those regions. Although one is aware of the budget´s limitations and difficulties to get this culture-encouraging- policy to work, what we expect now from MINC is a new and solidary atitude towards the indigenous peoples, having this issue as a priority and the permanent commitment to treasure such cultures, and to support them in their struggle to diffuse their culture to the new generations It´s important also to promote a respectful and rich cultural dialogue amongst indigenous and other non-indigenous parts of the brazilian population .
The indigenous leaders present at the WCF want to bring to light the real “cultural theft” several indigenous comunities have been enduring: the invaiosn of their lands by ambitious neighbours have happened in different ways: the open prohibition or the display of hostility towards cultural practises and even some more deceitful means such as the agressive and etnocentric atitude of churches from different religious orders, which come to areas near the villages, atracting children and women, starting then, to put pressure on them, asking them to stop with their traditional cultural manifestations claiming that such things are an offense to their new religious beliefs. Authorities must be aware of those things because this is a dangerous threat to the perpetuation of the indigenous cultures. They give no contributions to the protection of the brazilian cultural diversity.
• Struggling against prejudice and promoting diffusion campaigns to treasure indigenous cultures
We propose the creation of campaigns adaptable to different sectors of the public opinion to diffuse sistematic information ,greater in quality and diversity, instead of the ones published by the mass media with regards to the indigenous people and their culture. It is fundamental to teach the brazilian people about the cultural riches of the indigenous people, planning and supporting exhibitions which inform them about the value and complexity of this intellectual heritage. One has to recapture the importance of indigenous participation in the process which develops the national identity of institutions and the country .The leaders gathered here also protest against the old- fashioned and archaic view indigenous peoples are showed by the mas media, always taking them away from the historic context, stimulating the permanet mistrust and rejection towards the contemporary indigenous people. It is important to start seeing indigenous people not only as colonial objects but as historical subjects struggling for better conditions of life for their people and trying to have their own political space, adapted to the exercise of a distinguisehd citizenship.
It is essential to associate such diffusion activities to school practises (especially in primary and secondary school), where the most important values are learned, according to most people. We feel that there´s lack of reliable information on indigenous people and their culture. We suggest specific investiment to produce several communication tools (books, videos, cds, etc.), which should be produced with the active participation of the indigenous organizations and distributed strategically all over Brazil.
We also suggest the use of the articulation forum between MINC and the several state culture secretariats as an effective channel to diffuse information and projects related to indigenous people. By doing so, we will be establishing important partnerships which will amplify the circulation and repercussion of the measures here presented.
• Breaking away from exclusion in the sense that indigenous people have no access to the country´s cultural assets.
The social exclusion factor, to which indigenous comunities are subjected to, gives them no access to the production and circulation of cultural assets. The government must be commited to guarantee that indigenous people have Access not only to their own culture, but also to other peoples cultures as well (cultural exchanges), and all types of artistic and cultural productions which need support and sponsorship of the government, in every cultural sector (literature, cinema, plastic arts , music, dance, theatre and photography).
• Elaborating new indigenous cultural policies in partnership with the indigenous comunities.
Cultural policies cannot be imposed on people. One has to live them. They have to be updated and put into practise. MINC needs to propose a methodology which effectively contemplates the communication with indigenous representatives.
We would suggest the creation of a work team (WT) inside the Ministry for Culture to guarantee the discussions of indigenous issues with the participation of indigenous people.. We suggest the participation of: 3 people representing APOINME (Articulalion Movement of the Indigenous People from the northeast region, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo), 3 people representing COIAB (Coordination board of the indigenous organizations of the Brazilian Amazon), 1 person representing the south region, 1 person representing the southeast region and another representing the mid west.
• Respecting the intellectual property of the indigenous people and guaranteeing the protection of their cultural assets and traditional knowledge.
Promote the discussion amongst indigenous peoples regarding authorial rights of indigenous cultural assets and also establish mechanisms to protect their traditional knowledge through appropriate legal tools. It is important to highlight that this is a complex discussion and that it must be carried out with the full participation of the indigenous represenatives ,so that the collective rights and not only private and individual interests are recognized, as done previoulsy by other legislations on the subject
São Paulo, July 02 2004.
This document was signed by:
. Agnelo Xavante, Vice-President of COIAB.
. Sandro Tuxá, representing APOINME.
. Dourado Tapeba, representing APOINME.
. Bonifácio Baniwa (COIAB and FEPI).
. Nino Fernandes (Director of the Maguta museum and President of CGTT).
. Fausto Mandulão (Coordinator board of OPIR/RR).
. Francisco Pianco, Ashaninka (AC).
. Ademir Cruz Suiré, Kariri-Xocó (AL).
. Cícero Kandará, Kariri-Xocó (AL).
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