Water, Air and Earth

Jon: just a short post today, because a.) we still have to download photos and I'm too tired to do it tonight, and b.) we have another early call tomorrow and I REALLY need to get some sleep.

The two real high points of the day today were our trip on the Xingu river to gather some sound and some images of life along this stretch of the river just by Alta Mira, and our 'field trip' to a community action meeting in any extremely remote little settlement in a part of Para state that will either be completely under water when the dam is completed or certainly cut off from much of the outside world.

First the water excursion: you'll have to wait for the video of this one, since I don't have an easy way to post it right now. Suffice it to say, there were some really strong impressions. First, we are talking about a lot of water. The stretch of the Xingu river next to the little city of Alta Mira is just one branch of the mighty Amazon waterway. Even as a relative 'back-water' (I mean that as a literal description, not to denigrate Alta Mira, which I am coming to like quite a lot), the Xingu river is close to two miles wide at this point, a little more than 200 Km from where it meets up with the Amazon proper.

There is a lot of water here, and if the dam is constructed as planned, levels could rise 6, 8 or 20 meters, depending on who you ask. A trip on the river was imperative, so we contracted with one of the local boaters, and set out with Thiago to record some amazing images and sounds, which we will share later.

Xingu River boat landing, Alta Mira, Brazil

The second big adventure was the trip to a rural settlement where about 50 people were meeting to discuss actions they were planning to take in connection with the pending construction of the dam. A lot of the discussion concerned payments offered by the federal government and how they should be handled. The overwhelming message, articulated by our new community organizing contact Marcello Salazar, was that however the government intended to treat these people, it needed to be done with due process, not rushed through in the attempt to sweep aside the interests and wishes of the people living here. The location was really quite beautiful, about 20 miles off the nearby highway, in a remote area that is slated to be entirely covered by water when the dam is constructed. The circle of residents appeared well organized, with several speakers, handouts and even a manifesto that was proposed to the group. Again, we got some great video and sound, but you will have to wait for them. What I am sharing here below, however, is this amazing picture of the sunset, as we bounced our way back to the main highway, heading back to Alta Mira. I've seen beautiful cloud formations in my life, but this was lurid, exotic, passionate color, followed just a few minutes later by great sheets of jagged lightening. It was a dramatic end to a very busy day.

Amazon Sunset, Para State, Brazil

Tomorrow, an interview with the woman who has become something of a heroine in these environmental wars, an indigenous woman who has very quickly become the voice of those who will be affected by the dam. I'm excited to finally meet Sheyla Juruna - you can see lots of stuff about her by searching for her name on You Tube. More reports tomorrow, if I can still stand up!

Bem noite.