The Brazilian government wants finish Caboclo population.
The Caboclos are the descendants of the unions of Amerindians and Europeans. They are the majority of the population of the Brazilian Amazon, more than 50% of the country's territory. They are not White nor Indian. They are not Black too, but the president Lula's government and Black movement groups wants finish the Caboclos and impose them the Black identity. Today, the General Committee convened by the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasilia, talks about the Statute of Racial Equality, the government project to finish Multiracials.
HELDA CASTRO - Good morning to all. I'd like, in the person of Mr. President, congratulate the members of the Bureau. My name is Helda. I am the representative of the Association of the Caboclos and Riverines of the Amazon and I come to this platform to make an appeal to the Parliamentary because we who are from the Amazon, which represents about 50% of the our Brazilian territory, today we live without public policies directed to the Caboclos and Riverines. They classified us today as Blacks, according to the Statute of Racial Equality. We are descendants of European and White. Don't want impose us an identity. According to the Federal Constitution, the self identification is a right of every person. The war began in the Amazon. To our misfortune, Indians, Blacks, Mestizos, and Caboclos are bordering on a war because the Federal Government has imposed us an identity. Mr. President, I want to express my repudiation to the Federal Government, because we own our identity. You who are from South and South-East visit the Amazon to know our reality. We do not want to be colony of Brasilia, we want to be part of Brasilia, the Brazilian Federation. And we are very unhappy with it. Black people in the Amazon left of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia. Thus is formed the Black movement in the Amazon. I left of my state to come to Brasilia to make this denouncement. It is necessary policies for Blacks, but it is not necessary destroy other identities. There should be repairing, of course, because the Black people was brought to this country as slaves, but it is not necessary to decimate us, the Caboclos who live in the Amazon and fight for environmental preservation. Global warming is increasing, and we, the peoples of the forest, fighting for the preservation of nature. If we don't care of our forests, our region will become a savanna, the result of global warming and attack the ozone layer. We need our identity is respected. When I do lectures, share with the Black movement, the "quilombola" movement. I agree with that we need to be ahead of movements that fight for equality, but for equality for all, without excluding anyone. One who was oppressed cannot become oppressor. We are all Brazilian citizens and deserve respect. Thank you very much.
Brasilia, Brazil, November 26, 2007.
Associação dos Caboclos e Ribeirinhos da Amazônia
E-mail caboco_amaz@yahoo.com.br
http://br.geocities.com/caboco_amaz
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Tags: OAS Multiracial Interracial Mestizo Black Human Rights Racism United Nations Amazon Race Lula Caboclo Biracial Obama USA
