Published on: 5 December 2016
Approximately 200 quilombola, indigenous, city periphery and rural young people filled the SINDAE auditorium in Salvador on Saturday 3 December for the Youth in Focus Debate – No Fewer Rights, jointly run by the Ecumenical Coordination of Service (Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviço: CESE), in partnership with CIPÓ Interactive Communication, Youth Uprising (Levante da Juventude), the Network of Protagonists in Action from Itapagipe (Rede de Protagonistas em Ação de Itapagipe: REPROTAI), the Popular Cultural Movement from Suburbio (Movimento de Cultura Popular do Subúrbio: MCPS) and World Vision. Representations from a variety of different locations and social groups from Bahia also took advantage of this opportunity, including significant numbers from the quilombolas of Pernambuco.
Non-governmental organizations working in the defence of human rights, with a particular interest in youth, outlined the current political context and the worsening of the Brazilian social crisis, allied to the criminalization of the social movements and the weakening of guarantees for Brazilian society. In the presentation and talks there was a clear and urgent need for the creation of a working agenda and strategies to promote activities to confront the fracturing of historically achieved rights, particularly the grave issue of the genocide of black youth.
For Sônia Mota, CESE’s Executive Coordinator “the event fulfils our aim of a gathering for a variety of young people, bringing them together and running debates. The meeting encouraged them, helping them realise that they are not alone in their anxieties and struggles. Activities such as this play a significant role in strengthening discussions, helping young people get to know one another, to look at and think about joint solutions”. She believes that the challenge is to provide continuity to the dialogue that has been created, strengthening these youth collectives and granting visibility to their practises.
In the morning, young men and women attended work platforms, discussing themes such as putting the Youth Statute into practice, the right to participation and equality with others; these were divided into 11 platforms and debated under the guidance of specialists and leaders. There was space for poetry and artistic and musical expression. For more than 40 years, CESE has worked in the promotion, defence and guarantee of rights in Brazil and understands that it is impossible to construct our national project without supporting and granting visibility to young leaders; and this event was promoted in partnership with movements and organizations in order to contribute to this process of coordinating young people in their struggle for rights.
Reorganizing the Struggle – the event included a talk by State Ombudswoman and Commander Vilma Reis, who gave a powerful speech inviting young people and organizations to reorganize their strategies and proposals at this dramatic moment of crisis and with the weakening of human rights. Vilma outlined the serious scenario of the militarization of indigenous territories, the frequent deaths of their leaders, violence and police oppression in peripheral communities, with an alarming number of young black men killed and mass incarceration.
“To struggle is our way of life. We are in an open process for the reorganization of struggles, in regrouping to confront the Brazilian state” she said, as she emphasized the importance of young people reading and seeking out information, of strengthening black communication and of productions by authors whose activities have been founded on actions contrary to racism, sexism and oppression. At the event, there was a clear need to seek out alternatives that reduce the lethal levels effecting black youth. “It is as if eight planes full of young black men fall from the sky every month; they die without any uproar from society” Hamilton Oliveira, DJ Branco, reminded the group.
You can see photos of the event on CESE’s Facebook fan page
https://goo.gl/rmZMHV