Rio’s Carnival parade makes urgent plea to stop illegal mining in Indigenous lands

By DIANE JEANTET and FABIANO MAISONNAVE
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Rio de Janeiro’s Salgueiro samba school has paid tribute to Brazil’s largest Indigenous group, the Yanomami, crafting its giant floats, costumes and songs based on the group’s ancient culture and traditions. Carnival has long been a platform for samba schools to protest and Salgueiro’s parade before the Sambadrome’s 70,000 revelers and millions more watching on live television drew attention to malaria, malnutrition, deforestation and other devastating effects brought by illegal mining inside Yanomami territory. Sunday’s parade comes as Brazil celebrates one year since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared a public health emergency for the Yanomami people.