With the coronavirus infections steeply rising, Brazil now has the second highest number of cases and deaths worldwide, behind only the US. Today, Brazil is Latin America’s virus hotspot, with cases exceeding 1 million and with a death toll above 50,000 – by far the highest in all Latin America. Brazil’s out-of-control pandemic, which will peak in the next couple of weeks, raises concerns over the safety of Brazilians; and over regional and international security.
Since the beginning of the global pandemic, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro downplayed the threat posed by the virus, declaring it was “a minor cold” and stating that he was not concerned about contracting the virus because of his “athletic physique.” He accused his political foes and the press for “tricking citizens” about the threats posed by the coronavirus.
In just one month, Bolsonaro has presided over administrative chaos. He fired one health minister and caused another to resign over diverging views on social distancing measures and for failing to back Bolsonaro on his endorsement of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for coronavirus patients. The shoddy replacement and acting health minister, Eduardo Pazuello, is a former general with no medical training.
In many ways, Bolsonaro’s coronavirus response is similar to his US counterpart, Donald Trump. His ideological agenda, however, might prove to be even more devastating to Brazil’s democratic institutions and minority groups. By giving the global pandemic an ideological spin, the administration compromised Brazil’s response to the crisis, creating widespread political and institutional chaos. A point neglected in this tragedy is the issue of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples amid the pandemic.
Indigenous communities under threat
President Bolsonaro is known for his ideological platform when dealing with Brazil’s Indigenous communities. He declared from the beginning that he will “integrate” Indigenous peoples. Last year Bolsonaro stated on Twitter that Brazil’s native peoples are “exploited” by international NGOs. In his words: “More than 15% of the national territory is demarcated as Indigenous land. Less than a million people live in these isolated places in Brazil, exploited and manipulated by NGOs”. Bolsonaro also stated: “We have an area larger than the Southeast region of Brazil as Indigenous land. The Ianomami Reserve is twice the size of Rio de Janeiro with just 9,000 Indigenous people. Doesn’t that seem wrong?”
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Flavia Bellieni Zimmermann | Radio Free (2020-06-23T19:11:08+00:00) Brazil’s coronavirus Hunger Games: Indigenous communities and their struggle for survival. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2020/06/23/brazils-coronavirus-hunger-games-indigenous-communities-and-their-struggle-for-survival/
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