Drawing by Elísia Kaiowá. The rivers, shown schematically, flow around the Kaiowá’s land. On the right is the village with its ritual practices; on the left, the division of the territory into plots for white settlers.
PRESENTATION
Land rights and (spiritual) resistance – The Kaiowá’s struggle for the Panambi territory in Brazil
With Ana Amélia Concianza, Ademilson Concianza Verga, Gilearde Barbosa Pedro, Fernanda Concianza da Silva, Hidalgo Romero and Luiza Serber
The Panambi region in south-western Brazil has long been the territory of the Kaiowá. However, in the mid-20th century, with the support of the Brazilian government, the land was occupied by white settlers and is now part of the global industrial agricultural system. The Kaiowá’s resistance to this dispossession continues to this day – both politically and spiritually.
This is also evidenced by a collection of drawings held at the Weltkulturen Museum. The drawings were produced in 1949–50 for the Brazilian ethnologist Egon Schaden and depict the Brazilian state’s encroachment on Kaiowá territory as well as the Kaiowá’s ritual resistance. As part of the “WAYS – Fair and Sustainable International Partnerships” funding programme run by the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the drawings are to be reconnected with the people of their community of origin, thereby serving as a starting point for new forms of artistic collaboration.
To mark this occasion, a delegation from the Kaiowá is visiting the Weltkulturen Museum to view the drawings and engage with their history. As part of the event, the guests from Brazil will share their knowledge of their country’s history, as well as the struggles and acts of resistance of their community, with the Frankfurt public.
Languages: Kaiowá and Brazilian Portuguese, translated into English and (if required) into German
Free admission
Venue: Getäfelter Raum, Weltkulturen Museum, Schaumainkai 37
