Indigenous writer criticizes government action on Yanomami land: 'Cirandeiro Ministry'

Writer Daniel Munduruku criticized this Friday, 12th, the work of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples in the Yanomami reserve, which has been experiencing a serious health crisis for more than a year. In his post on social media, the activist called the ministry a “cirandeira” and stated that there is “a lot of partying” and “a lot of speech”, but “nothing necessary” to resolve the challenging situation of the population living in the locality. “A shame!” he concluded.

“The data on the health of the Yanomami leaves no doubt: creating a cirandeiro ministry just to put out fires is replicating the old bread and circuses policy. Lots of parties, lots of international travel, lots of speeches, lots of the same and nothing necessary. What a shame!” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Munduruku's post comes a year after the federal government declared a state of public health emergency in the region.

Last Tuesday, the 9th, the federal government announced a strategy for the region, which consists of building a health unit and also permanent security posts in the region, with the aim of containing the illegal activity of miners in the region. region.

At the beginning of last year, the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, visited the region together with a delegation from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. During the visit, the Health department found serious cases of food insecurity, child malnutrition and the population's lack of access to healthcare.

According to SUS experts, the main cause of population malnutrition is the use of mercury, a substance used by grimpeiros that pollutes the rivers and, consequently, the fish that feed the inhabitants. One of the problems plaguing the region is the constant armed conflicts with miners, whose activities on indigenous lands grew 495% between 2010 and 2020.