News-Letter Nr. 473

Cimi General Assembly sets Working Priorities

The Indianist Missionary Council (Cimi) held its 14th General Assembly in Luziânia, state of Goiás, on August 6-10. The assembly takes place every two years, bringing together delegates representing the 11 regional offices of Cimi scattered throughout Brazil. This year, the topic "Laying the foundation for a different 500-year period" was aimed at fostering discussions on prospects for the missionary work to be carried out in the next five centuries. 105 delegates, 17 guests, and 15 representatives of indigenous peoples attended the Assembly. The event marked the beginning of the celebrations of Cimi's 30th anniversary in April 2002. The assembly was opened by the president of Cimi, d. Franco Masserdotti, who called on all participants to follow the order of "Tell my people to go" The sentence echoed in the hall and marked the tone of the Assembly.

For five days, the missionaries and guests discussed the religious, political, social, and indigenous scenario in Brazil in order to lay the foundation for Cimi's working priorities for the next two years. Among other aspects, these priorities once again corroborate Cimi's unconditional support to the struggle of indigenous people to have their lands demarcated, to the organization of the indigenous movement, and to reemerged indigenous peoples.

The Final Document of the Assembly, which evaluates the Brazilian situation, will be read aloud and approved in its closing session. The document describes Cimi's position with regard to the official actions of the Brazilian government in relation to indigenous people and to projects that violate their rights.

Exclusive Interview

At a press interview scheduled for the 10th in the afternoon, the book "Outros 500: Construindo uma Nova História" (A Different 500-Year Period: Building a New History) will be launched. Published by the Salesiana publishing house, the book is an important historical document about the resistance of indigenous peoples. It provides new data about the history of indigenous peoples and includes a list of extinct, endangered and reemerged peoples after five centuries of colonization. In this document, Cimi points out how the Brazilian government, which has been reducing the budget earmarked for indigenous populations every year, resists the idea of accepting the existence of indigenous peoples and communities that have not been included in its official list yet.

During the interview, the president of Cimi and his board will expose and reject spying activities carried out by the Army intelligence service. Documents that were disseminated this week by the newspaper Folha de São Paulo clearly show how the military have been spying on the activities of social movements such as the Landless Movement (MST) and of NGOs and churches that have been supporting indigenous peoples in their struggle to have their lands demarcated, which they refer to as "adverse forces." These reports are considered extremely serious, as they shed additional light on information provided by the newspaper Jornal do Brasil late last year in an article reporting the existence of an Air Force report called "Operação Tapete Verde-Querari" (Green Carpet Operation). As in the case of the Air Force, Cimi wants the contents of the documents to be disclosed, so that all applicable legal measures may be taken.

Luziânia (state of Goiás), 9 August 2001.
Indianist Missionary Council - Cimi




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