#156 | Not Him: The Farce Of Liberal Democracy & Indigenous Rights In Brazil w/ Mirna Wabi-Sabi
In this episode, I speak with Mirna Wabi-Sabi — writer and Co-Editor of Gods & Radicals Press. We discuss the recent presidential election in her home country of Brazil and her recent piece on the subject; voting and the farce of liberal democracy; the destruction of indigenous and quilombist peoples’ lands, culture, and heritage and the ecocide currently underway in the rainforests of Brazil; the ongoing efforts by leftist and indigenous groups to generate dialogue and united action in the face of rising far right populist organizing and violence.
Mirna and I address her recent piece in Gods & Radicals ‘‘A Luta Continua’: The Struggle Continues,’ in which she addresses the recent presidential election in Brazil, resulting in the election of far right neofascist candidate Jair Bolsonaro (referred to as “J.B.” or “the dude” in this episode). As an anti-capitalist and an anarchist, Mirna elaborates on her views about voting as expressed in her piece: “People are so stressed that even anarchists are talking about voting and doing the ‘lesser-evil’ thing. But what will voting actually do?”⚑ We get into what participating in the voting process would actually accomplish, as well as the social/economic/political realities of the situation in Brazil in spite of which candidate is elected. Mirna also elaborates on the struggle of the indigenous and quilombist peoples to maintain and gain real autonomy and protect the wholeness and health of the rainforests of Brazil, especially in the face of J.B. promises that “there won’t be a square centimeter demarcated as an indigenous reserve” and “where there is indigenous land, there is wealth underneath it.”☍ Even in the face of this threat, which is to be taken very seriously, the health of the Amazon is already under massive threat and vast destruction due to both legal and illegal mining, logging, fossil fuel extraction, and agricultural projects.
This conversation covers a wide variety of subjects, and addresses the sense of anxiety present in Brazilian society as a result of this election, particularly within minority groups most affected by this election. Mirna was very open about her worries and fears about the state of affairs in her home country, and what these trends mean for the future of not only the people and ecology of Brazil, but also the global implications of these developments as well. I thank her for her willingness to have this discussion with me.
Mirna Wabi-Sabi is an anti-capitalist writer and organizer in Brazil, and is the Co-Editor of Gods & Radicals Press — “a site of beautiful resistance” — where writes about decoloniality, feminism, and anti-capitalism.
⚑ Source: https://bit.ly/3erNSCj
☍ Source: https://nyti.ms/2K6cnHz
Episode Notes:
- Read Mirna’s writing at Gods & Radicals Press: https://bit.ly/GRwabisabi
- Follow Mirna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MirnaWabiSabi
- Read more excellent pieces from Gods & Radicals Press: https://abeautifulresistance.org
- The documentary Mirna mentions is ‘Master Moa of Katendê - The First Victim’ by Carlos Pronzato. The documentary now has English subtitles: https://youtu.be/-iV7RQ_oc5U
- The songs featured in this episode are “I’m Overflow” and “Feels Like A Wheel” by Death Grips from the album Government Plates.