The succession of the famous native chief Raoni seems assured. The new face to defend the lands of the Amazon is called Txai Surui. She is only 24 years old. But these words ring as loud as those of the great Kayapo chief at the time of his splendor. Invited to speak on October 31, during the opening ceremony of COP26, the young law student did not spare the air of heads of state who faced her. "Today, the climate is warming up, animals are disappearing, rivers are dying and our plants are no longer blooming as before." And to deliver more beautifully, still in English. “The Earth speaks. It tells us that we have no more time. Indigenous peoples are on the front lines of the climate emergency, and we must be at the center of the decisions that are made here. […]is not in 2030 or 2050, it is now! ”, she hammered, wearing a native feather adornment, a traditional poncho and colorful pearl necklaces. false and irresponsible; stop the pollution of empty words and fight for a liveable present and future. May our utopia be a future on Earth ", she concluded, not without recalling a certain Greta Thunberg.not without recalling a certain Greta Thunberg.not without recalling a certain Greta Thunberg.
Since this unequivocal speech on the urgency of the situation in the Amazon, the media are tearing up the young woman who continues the interviews.
Ministers from rich countries ask to meet her.
She even got calls from the Vatican.
But in the corridors of the headquarters of the COP26, the one nicknamed "Walela" retains its simplicity.
With a smile on her lips - which can be seen as soon as she takes off her mask for television interviews - and still dressed in the traditional clothes of her village, she displays a serene face.
A face that Brazilians know well.
Complaint against the Brazilian State
It must be said that the young activist has hit hard this year.
With five other young people, in April, she lodged a complaint against the Brazilian state in the court of Sao Paolo for non-compliance with its climate objectives.
More specifically, the objective of the approach is to cancel a text, which entered into force in December, which allows Brazil to emit more greenhouse gas emissions than promised for 2030. It is leading the operation head-on and involves in its movement eight former Brazilian ministers of Ecology.
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A post shared by Txai Suruí (@txaisurui)
On his Instagram account, no houndstooth mouths - or very little - but selfies taken during environmental protests, snapshots of environmental slogans and banners that curse leaders. It must be said that in Brazil, Txai Surui is one of the founders of the environmental movement Fridays for Future in Brazil. It organizes numerous mobilizations against deforestation and mining on its indigenous lands, or against the pollution of rivers. His name is regularly mentioned in the press.
Real name Walelasoetxeige Paiter Bandeira Suruí, Txai Surui did not fall into environmental activism by chance.
She comes from a family that militates for the rights of the Surui people in the Brazilian state of Rondônia, located in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.
His father, Almir Narayamoga, the tribe's cacique since the age of 17, passed the torch to him.
A leading figure in the fight against illegal loggers, he had to flee Rondônia with Txai's mother after insistent death threats.
A family fight
And just like her father, the young woman is the object of intimidation from those whose interests she threatens.
"I receive racist messages and hate messages, because they [the Brazilian authorities, editor's note] don't like me coming here to talk about what is happening in Brazil. I am not afraid because this that indigenous peoples live in Brazil is much more dangerous than messages on the Internet ".
Txai Surui is demonstrating in Glasgow alongside other "native warriors", as the activist puts it.
# cop26 © Instagram screenshot of @txaisurui account
The activist's speech is taken so seriously that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who shunned COP-26, took the floor to castigate her intervention.
“They're complaining that I didn't go to Glasgow. They took an Indian woman there - to replace [leader] Raoni - to attack Brazil. Did anyone see a German attacking the fossil fuel from Germany? Has anyone seen them attack France because their environmental legislation has nothing to do with ours? No one is criticizing their own country. criticize the fires in the state of California? "
Threat
The young Walela knows, on her return to Brazil, she will have to be protected, she explained, without giving more details. "The state in which I live is one of Jair Bolsonaro's strongholds and human rights and environmental defenders are in danger there." During her inaugural speech at COP26, she did not fail to evoke the memory of a recently deceased activist. "I lost a friend because of this fight, we have already lost a lot of indigenous leaders because of this fight", she regretted. A very recent report from the Indigenous Missionary Council in fact reports 182 killings of indigenous people in 2020, a figure that has increased by 61% compared to 2019.
“If there is no justice for indigenous peoples, then there is no peace for the government!” Activist Txai Surui says on her Instagram account © Screenshot of Instagram account @txaisurui
It is in this unvarnished context, far from the spotlight of the COP26, that she will have to continue her law studies at the Brazilian University of Porto Velho, in the state of Rondônia. She is also on the verge of obtaining a diploma. The following ? The fiery activist plans to get married and would like to return to live in her native village in Lapetanha. With her diploma in hand, she will be able to use the law as a weapon to bend the powerful. The lawsuit against the Brazilian state may be the first in a long list. As for returning to the next COP, the young Brazilian does not want it. She enjoyed her trip to Glasgow, but does not hope to return. "I hope I don't have to come back again. I hope that soon people will gather here (at the COP) to talk about the beautiful things thatthey will have accomplished, climate justice ", she assured AFP. Moreover," it is very cold ", concludes the warm activist.
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