'It's our problem': Brazilian drama brings Amazon rainforest battle to screen
Aruanas aims to make the environment an everyday topic at a time when politics is dominated by the interests of agribusiness
Anna Jean Kaiser in Rio de Janeiro
@annajkaiser
Sat 13 Jul 2019 04.01 EDT
Deep in the Brazilian Amazon, an environmental activist meets with a journalist who warns that a mining company is responsible for a looming environmental disaster. People are already getting sick, he warns, before promising to bring her documentary proof the next day.
But in the jungle, someone is watching. Driving to their next meeting, the activist hears a phone ringing in the back of her car. She opens the trunk and finds the journalists dead body.
The gruesome discovery is the opening act of the latest blockbuster series from Brazils telenovela powerhouse TV Globo: Aruanas. The series focuses on environmental journalists and activists in the countrys vast, forested interior, where 57 environmental defenders were killed in 2017.
Brazils telenovelas have a history of shaping public opinion on current affairs and this series tackles one of the countrys most pressing issues: the high-stakes battle over the worlds largest rainforest at a time when politics is dominated by the interests of agribusiness.
The largest caucus in Brazils congress the ruralista bloc represents agribusiness interests, and in January their longtime ally, Jair Bolsonaro, became president.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jul/13/aruanas-brazil-amazon-rainforest-drama-marcos-nisti
Also posted in Editorials and other articles:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016235493