A Letter from Brazil

Brazil, larger than Australia and half covered by rainforest.  Approximately
70% of its 80 million survive on $20 a week.

Brazil has been living under a supposed democratic system for the last six
years, before that the military controlled the country for twenty-two years. 
No dissent was allowed.  The last demonstration against the government was in
1988.  Hundreds of nonviolent protesters were gassed and bashed by the
military police.  During the protest police cars were rolled and set alight
and shop windows smashed.  The military police justified their brutal actions
because of the riotous behaviour of the crowd.  Yet later it was discovered
that the police cars that caught on fire were already filled with paper and
the people who smashed the shop windows were masked and did the operation
later that night.  The whole thing was obviously planned by the government. 
A peace-keeping force with cameras may have been useful in this situation. 
Yet this brutal crackdown was enough to quell dissent for five years up until
a couple of months ago.

I nervously attended the first demonstration against the corrupt president
Fernando Collor.  I convinced my friends that the military police wouldn't
dare repeat their previous actions, as Brazil relies on international trade
and anything seen as undemocratic could have an effect with international
relations and boycotts of Brazilian products.

As we all nervously proceeded down through the columns of hundreds of mounted
police and military police with batons poised and pistols on their hips, I
felt a little how my friend Kamal may have felt as he walked towards the
Santa Cruz cemetery in East Timor, last year (1991).  You have to stand up
for your own truth, what you believe is right, despite the consequences. 
Fortunately there were a lot more media present and a few thousand more
people and there was no violence from either side.

The following weeks saw major demonstrations in every state in Brazil.  It
seems the fear to act that the Brazilians had been living under since the
military crackdown had been dissolved.  Now everyone was taking to the
streets, students, businessmen and women, elderly people, everyone was on the
street in a celebration of hope and strength.  In both Rio de Janero and Sao
Paulo, the cities stopped as over a million people took to the streets to
demand the impeachment of their corrupt president.

In an interview I had with a senator involved in the impeachment process, I
asked, "Do you think the millions of people on the streets all over Brazil
are now forcing congress to act?"  He nodded, "Yes, definitely."

In a last desperate bid for support, the president asked the people to wear
green and yellow on a specific day to show support for the president.  With
two days warning, the Brazilian people organised mass demonstrations all over
the country asking people to hit the streets, but to wear black and show the
president you don't support him.  Well, on that day, there wasn't green and
yellow to be seen anywhere. Instead the streets were jammed once again, but
this time everyone was in black, or tailing a black flag off their car
aerial.  Black is now the colour of Brazil.  It's now cool to wear black. 
Black is in and people feel united.  It's only time now, and the president
knows it.  Even the diehard supporters of the government could see the
writing on the wall and withdrew support for the president.

Recently in June, in Rio de Janero, the Brazilian military had another
defiance against its reign of fear, when an internationally represented
protest formed a heart shape in front of the gates where the heads of state
were making decisions about global environment policies at the Earth Summit. 
We spoke to one security guard the day before, to tell him of the event.  He
said protests were banned, and if we protested, someone could be shot.  We
continued to organise.  We thought we'd better speak to the military person
in charge and let him know it was going to be a peaceful nonviolent protest,
and tell him exactly what was going to happen.  This seemed to quell his fear
about the demonstration getting out of control and him getting in trouble. 
Yet many people present in Rio had no experience with nonviolent action
principles, and wanted the action to be secretive and a surprise.  Who knows
what would have been the outcome if we had chosen that option?

The military was there in force, with pump action shotguns.  Yet because of
the nonviolent style of protest and the presence of about a hundred
international journalists, the military just let us have our demonstration. 
After an hour or two of singing and chanting, most left and others with
passes went inside.  Many young people inside the complex were arrested
whilst protesting about the policies of the heads of state.  While in Rio,
possibly inspired and feeling safe because of the presence of foreign
journalists, there were many street marches to show the world that all were
not happy with the decisions being made.

In Rio, I attended an international gathering of indigenous people and
interviewed, talked with and heard of their many varied and sophisticated
problems, and their attempts to fix their situation.  Present were
representatives from Sarawak, where the nonviolent blockades in the
rainforest were met by hundreds of riot police with heavy weapons and bombs. 
I heard of stories where Amazonian Indians came to remove the president with
clubs and bows and arrows, because of what the government was doing to their
land.  They were greeted by the military who shot at them.  The Amazonian
Indians I have spoken to so far in Brazil, have very little knowledge of how
to effect change in a white man's world.  Many rely on the government for
handouts and are afraid if they speak out, they'll suffer repercussions. 
It's difficult to know how much to teach them about nonviolent action - media
and press releases, education, nonviolent direct action - or whether it's
best to leave them alone to their own way of doing things.  Yet I remember
whilst at a Penan Blockade some young Penan men wanted to throw a petrol bomb
at the Police car.  I informed them of the possible ramifications and they
decided not to proceed.  I feel there is only one truth for all humanity, and
for those indigenous people who already have contact with civilization, their
culture and lifestyle could only benefit in the long term by adopting
nonviolent principles if they want change.  Or does this sound like what the
missionaries are doing and destroying indigenous cultures in the process?

Or is nonviolence a principle that can transcend all boundaries?  Should we
tell indigenous people not to put spikes in the logging roads and instead
come out in the open and erect nonviolent blockades?  Should there be an
outreach to indigenous people having problems, to teach them some nonviolent
principles if they want it?

My experience so far is that they are keen to know about it.  Then they can
make an informed decision on what action to take.  What do you think?
Dean Jefferys