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On 25 January, a dam in Córrego do Feijão in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil, collapsed. At least 300 people were killed, buried alive in the mud. To date, 179 bodies have been identified. It is expected that this number will continue to grow, which represents a horrendous disaster in terms of human rights and the environment. The collapse is, according to many people, no accident. The owner of the dam is the Vale-based multinational, based in Brazil, which holds the status of the largest iron ore producer in the world. On February 21, Vale announced that it would pay each adult living in Brumadinho $ 3,227.02 US (this is a minimum wage of one year in Brazil).
The mining industry in Brazil has played a central role in "post-colonial" capitalist development, with catastrophic violations of human rights and the environment. Vale has been operational since 1942. It was privatized in 1997, during a wave of neoliberal economic reforms that swept the globe, seeking to privatize resources previously managed by the state or by communities. With this move, the only motivation for Vale was to make a profit, there was very little left of this wealth in the country to serve the common good.
This is not the first time a dam has collapsed in Brazil – and Vale has already been involved in human rights abuses. In fact, in 2015, a similar event occurred when two dams burst in an open pit mine, also located in the state of Minas Gerais. This mine is operated by Samarco, a project between Vale and the Australian company PHP Billiton.
Although current events have attracted the attention of the international community, it is important for the world to pay attention to the fact that this incident is not a mere accident; In Brazil, with 130 other dams built in the image of the one that collapsed, the likelihood of this happening again is great. In the shorter term, families are displaced and need immediate housing and assistance. Organizations and movements in Brazil, as well as international partners in the United States, are trying to support this effort.
This catastrophe is unfolding and continues, and the effects of January 25 will be felt for a long time. This is why the payment offered to residents of Brumadinho is limited. This could contribute to short-term assistance (although it may still be insufficient to take into account that lives have been lost and houses destroyed, for which a monetary amount can not be valued), but does nothing to remedy the problem in the long run. effects for residents of Brumadinho, nor the larger structural problem of prioritizing the benefit of business above all else. Toxic sludge from the collapse polluted the water and caused the death of fish; the impacts will spread very far, affecting 521 cities, with devastating consequences for rural and indigenous communities. Vale's payment does not solve the fact that the company did not listen to the concerns expressed by the community surrounding the expansion of the dam complex in December 2018. The payment also does not take into account the fact that No justice has been rendered for the disaster of the Samarco Dam in 2015.
Brazil has announced that it will ban the specific type of dam structure that collapsed in the Brumadinho incident by 2021. This is an important announcement. However, this initiative is part of a political context in which Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is also pushing for the elimination of environmental protection and human rights and the development of mining, particularly in reserves of indigenous peoples.
The story that must also be told – and the social movements push to be heard – is that Vale must be held responsible. The use of words like "accident" eliminates the responsibility and guilt of the event; this creates the illusion that disasters such as Brumadinho could not be avoided. On February 15, Brazilian police arrested eight employees of multinational Vale, accusing them of first-degree murder. This is an important step in empowering Vale, but it can not stop there. What happened in Brumadinho is not just the fault of eight people.
Brazil is a resource-rich country with the largest freshwater supply in the world and rich in iron and other minerals. The resources extracted – and Vale's actions – are part of a global economic system in which we all participate, and resources that those of us in the global North use to the detriment of communities like Brumadinho. This is a part of the global financial capital; Vale has international shareholders and is listed on the Wall Street Stock Exchange.
This point is at the heart of an article published in the Brazilian news source. Brasil de Fato who described the collapse of the dam as a crime and not an accident, saying: "Vale's privatization and denationalization process is emblematic of the neoliberal project in Brazil. There was no trace of tragedies such as Brumadinho while the company belonged to the state. "In other words, Vale is the symbol of what privatization means in Brazil.
The Brumadinho disaster is not only a tragedy for Brazil, nor for Vale. The legacy of colonialism persists through corporate control and global economic structures. Social movements resist and fight for human rights – and for Vale to be specifically held accountable. Their actions represent a radical stand against the far-right governments who practice "law and order" and seek to further reduce the public safety net and impose heavy sanctions on social movements fighting for respect. fundamental rights of man.
The movement of people affected by dams (MAB, or Movimento dos Atingidos by Barragens in Portuguese) is a Brazilian social movement made up of communities directly affected by dam projects. MAB fights the displacement of families from their homes and opposes the privatization of water, rivers and natural resources on which communities depend for their livelihoods.
Rob Robinson, a member of the US Solidarity Committee at MAB, told Truthout that his organization is committed to doing everything in its power to continue to raise awareness and keep the problem on the world stage. "When so many lives are lost and in the collapse of the dam … it is time for the Brazilian government to rise up and hold Vale to account," said Robinson. "When the human rights of our brothers and sisters in Brazil are violated, we are all affected."
As MAB and others fight for justice in the face of this tragedy, activists call for:
1) Vale will be held responsible for their actions and will have to pay for repairs.
2) The inclusion and participation of affected communities in any decision or repair agreement.
3) A guarantee of inclusion of the civil society in all the follow-up and follow-up of the decisions.
February 25 marked a month of resistance to Brumadinho's crime. MAB said that "Vale's crime in Brumadinho will not go unpunished" and demanded "life before profit".
To date, no penalty has been imposed on Vale. Brazil, under the administration of Bolsonaro, faces a constant barrage of setbacks on existing social and environmental protections. This makes the importance of international solidarity even more urgent at this moment.
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