Dear viewers.
Thank you for making the conscious decision to tune into my blog and join me this week on the conversation of gendered oppression and nature. It is truly an engaging topic and thus highlights the intersectionalities of oppression that we have been following all semester. I also hope by the end of this blog, you will remain vigilant and aspire to inspire. Activism works.
We will be examining a few articles and videos in the order that I received and digested them. Afterwards, I encourage you to interact with my concluding analysis.
I will begin with an article found on VICE.com, dated more than 5 years ago. The article focuses on Recife, Brazil, or what could be referred to as “the slums.” Recife has suffered from garbage-filled canals and filthy water.
Photo by Diego Nigro/JC Imagem
This abuse of land has directly impacted generations of locals, ranging from elderly persons to young children. 10-year-old Larissa Silva, who is now older than 15 years old, suffered from chronic ringworm, according to the article.
“When I met her at the cardboard house she shares with her family she asked me, “Do you think I like living here?” I said no, and she responded, “But I do. It’s the only life I know.” (Corrêa, Talita. VICE)
Within that quote alone, there is much to unpack. First of all, the child lived in a cardboard house with her family, which included her mom and two young siblings. That is no way to live. This family desperately needed the help of their government, yet it continued to fail them. Their community failed them. This failure has endured for so long that slum-like conditions have become normalized into the lives of Recifes residents, including Larissa. This story then compels me to draw connections between environmental degradation and the marginalized. The poor class, above all, gets hit the hardest because of greed and our man-made problems.
Next, I will consider the YouTube series entitled; “2015 Gendered Impacts series(4):Land is Identity.” The video summarizes the impacts of industrialization on Indigenous land for Indigenous women. The video reveals this noteworthy point, spoken by Indigenous woman Anne Marie Sam:
“They just tell you that there’s going to be lots of jobs and lots of money coming into the area and so we need to let this mine go through.”
Industrial companies and workers are therefore exposed for their inability to respect and comply with Indigenous culture and customs. Workers in this 2015 case completely neglect indigenous peoples’ connection and commitment to their land. It is important to understand how Indigenous people nurture a mutually beneficial bond with nature. To destroy something that has been preserved for decades is not just disrespectful. It is disgusting. Money is not the priority. The natural world is the priority.
The video continues in the next series with a testimony from indigenous woman Gloria Chicaiza:
“These two things are linked for us: the exploitation of land and the exploitation of women’s bodies.”
The video then includes the message:
“Resource extraction often leads to violence against Indigenous women.”
There is a evident correlation between industrialization, the increased use of drugs/alcohol and domestic abuse. Therefore, it was not uncommon that industrial workers physically abused Indigenous women who were recorded as vulnerable, defenseless, and traumatized.
In an article published by The Guardian, I learned more about the resistance at Standing Rock, where Native American women led the movement against the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016. These women were stripped naked, arrested, and spent considerable amounts of time in cells/cages because they were protecting their home. They were dehumanized and killed in cold blood. Sadly, this is the 21st century we are living in.
Imagine planting roots on a land claimed by no one. Imagine watering these roots and nurturing everything that sprout forth. Imagine sharing the fruits of your labor with a community that has also planted roots all around you. The people, alongside the sprouted roots, have become your family.This was the indigenous community, in a nutshell. Now imagine someone coming out of nowhere and demanding you uproot everything you have worked so hard to protect. Not only that, but to vacate the land so that they can build something “better.” Imagine this person proclaiming that they know what is best for you and the community. Industrialization has dislocated many indigenous communities and I know one blog post will not end that but it has to start somewhere. Tearing apart the natural world will- without a doubt- hurt the people, the women, who have centered their whole culture around it. What makes your home a home? How might you feel if your home were to be invaded, molded into something you could barely recognize? This is something I hope we all continue to consider in the weeks to come.
Stay safe.
Everything in love,
Cece X.
Sources included:
Hey Cece! I feel that the topic of activism in particular was one that was particular striking to me. I found that a lot of the stories that we were supposed to read on were hard to hear, but very important to acknowledge and remember. The article from VICE was saddening to say the very least, but it’s important to discuss these ugly truths regarding ecofeminism. The fact that children have to live in filth for the majority of their loves is something unfathomable for people who are fortunate enough to have a roof over their heads. These are only the documented cases of these occurrences. I’d imagine that there are many many more families living in the slums of Brazil that just were not accounted for and are living in equally bad or even worse circumstances.The Standing Rock article and video were the hardest to witness for me, and looking into it further I’ve found even more examples of the continued oppression of Native Americans that stills goes on to this very day. It really is heartbreaking and hard to come to terms with. But this is the reality these people face and it’s important that we all hear about these injustices that are continuously committed against indigenous women. I enjoyed reading your post, and I hope you stay safe during this rough time as well.