In Amazon, indigenous Brazilians vote by boat
Issued on: 02/10/2022 - 23:06
2 min
Manaus (Brazil) (AFP) – In beaded headbands, a group of indigenous Brazilians is boating across a tributary of the Amazon river, flashing the same hand sign on their way to vote: "L" for Lula.
Like many Brazilians, the Kambeba people are voting in a school that has been turned into a polling station for Sunday's elections. Unlike most, they have to travel there by motor boat from their remote village in the rainforest.
As this sprawling South American country chooses its next president -- a polarizing battle between the two main candidates, leftist front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro -- the Kambeba say it is worth making the trip to participate.
"It's important for indigenous peoples to fight for democracy, to vote for people who value and respect us," says Raimundo Cruz da Silva, a 42-year-old deputy "Tuxaua," or chief, wearing a white outfit decorated with traditional indigenous designs.
More:
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20221002-in-amazon-indigenous-brazilians-vote-by-boat