A group of indigenous Brazilians, wearing beaded headbands, cruise a tributary of the Amazon River by boat, waving the same hand sign: “L” for Lula, on their way to vote.
Like many Brazilians, the Kambeba are voting at a school that has been turned into a polling station for Sunday’s elections. Unlike most, they have to travel there by motorboat from their remote rainforest village.
As this sprawling South American country elects its next president — a polarizing battle between the two main candidates, left-wing frontrunner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro — the Kambeba say it’s worth making the trip to attend .
“It’s important that tribal peoples fight for democracy, vote for people who value and respect us,” says Raimundo Cruz da Silva, a 42-year-old deputy “tuxaua,” or chief, who wears a white outfit adorned with traditional tribal people Drafts.
Like many in his village, he is voting for Lula after many in Brazil’s 900,000-strong indigenous population saw four disastrous years under Bolsonaro as ominous.
The far-right incumbent, who took office with a promise not to allow “another inch” of land to be converted into protected indigenous reserves, has spearheaded a wave of environmental destruction, particularly in the Amazon rainforest, and pushed for indigenous land create to be opened for mining.
Da Silva’s village, Tres Unidos, is home to just over 100 people and is located on an indigenous reserve about 60 kilometers outside of Manaus, capital of the northern state of Amazonas.
The village where their polling station is located, Sao Sebastiao, is outside the reserve, a five-minute boat ride across the river.
The four shuttle boats on election duty each carry around 40 people across the dark waters of the Rio Negro, through lush, emerald green rainforest that stretches as far as the eye can see.
– ‘How to resist’ –
Taynara da Costa Cruz, an 18-year-old college student and artisan, votes for the first time.
“It is very important to vote – even more so for us young people. We have to keep an eye on the Amazon and the indigenous peoples,” she tells AFP, wearing a necklace and headband made from Amazon seeds.
Leurilene Cruz da Silva, 38, Raimundo’s sister, proudly shows her voter ID as she arrives at the polling station.
“We have to show that we can resist,” she says.
Lula, who ruled Brazil from 2003 to 2010, drastically reduced deforestation during his two presidential terms — though he also at times clashed with indigenous communities, particularly over his decision to advance the massive Belo Monte dam in the Amazon.
This time, the leftist veteran has pledged to set up a ministry for indigenous affairs and work towards net-zero deforestation.
