On the morning of Tuesday 10th, victims from Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, coming from communities located in the Rio Doce Basin and the northern coast of Espírito Santo, marched through the streets of downtown Vitória to demand justice for the almost eight years of neglect of the damage caused by the Fundão dam collapse in Minas Gerais.   

Organized by the Movement of People Affected by Dams (Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragem – MAB), the event gathered at the Centro Sindical dos Bancários and brought together around 600 people who marched to the Anchieta Palace, the seat of the ES government. The act follows an agenda of struggles that began in Governador Valadares, passed through Belo Horizonte, both in Minas Gerais, now arrives in the capital of Espírito Santo and will continue to Brasilia, where the people affected intend to deliver their agenda directly to President Lula.  

For Apoena (Marilda Lira de Oliveira), an indigenous woman from the village of Boa Esperança, in Coqueiral de Aracruz, in the municipality of Aracruz, marching in the streets means claiming her people’s right to the land. “After the mud, nothing we planted is born and what is born doesn’t grow, we can’t plant the land with our seeds. We are affected by the mud and we are claiming our rights and access to land and water to continue keeping our culture alive. We want justice!” 

Among the demands, the affected population is calling for participation in the renegotiation process, because until today, since 2015, decisions have been made behind closed doors and without the possibility of listening to the victims of this socio-technological disaster, which is the biggest in Brazil’s history.  
 
Mariana Costa, MAB’s state leader in ES, believes we are witnessing a unique moment. “This is a historic moment for the affected people to organize and denounce the countless rights violations that we, the affected, have been suffering for almost eight years, since the collapse of the Fundão dam. The people affected are fighting for justice and fair reparations. Acts have already taken place in Governador Valadares, Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais and now in Vitória in Espírito Santo. In November, the stage for the struggle will be the country’s capital – Brasília, where we will march to reinforce to government bodies and criminal companies that there is only Repactuação with the participation of the people.” 

If there’s no popular participation, it’s not a renegotiation! 

The people cry out: “From the River to the Sea, they won’t shut us up!”

Photo and texts by the communications team, Adai in Espírito Santo.