João Victor Pankararu by Lou/ise

This quote from João Victor Pankararu comes from an interview held in Montréal, during the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15, in December 2022.

English translation:

"I am João Victor Pankararu, I come from the Caatinga biome in the northeast region of Brazil, I am from the Pankararu people, a people located on the banks of the São Francisco river.

I think that we live longing for this peace, to be able to live quietly, in our forests, our jungles, our bush, to practice our rituals quietly and fully, without anyone threatening us or prejudicing us. I think that this vision of plenitude, peace, dignity, of us living well in our place is very important.

We have crafted this language of solidarity, of love, of sensitivity, so that people begin to act before seeing things destroyed. This is not what we want. We want a safe place, a good place, a place of good living, for all of us. Not just Indigenous people. We want people to embrace this cause and take this cause upon themselves as well, to understand that this cause belongs to all of us. The construction of the good life is the responsibility of all of us.”

Image credits: Kamikia Kisedje/APIB