Lays
Uchoa
LAYS UCHOA BELONGS TO THE BORARI PEOPLE, SHE IS AN INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST, GRADUATED IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT. LAYS CURRENTLY WORKS WITH COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM AND SHE IS A VOLUNTEER IN THE WORK OF MAPPING AND DEVELOPING THE PRODUCTION CHAIN OF HANDICRAFTS OF INDIGENOUS ARTISANS IN HER REGION.
THIS WORK ALLOWS HER TO GET TO KNOW THE AMAZON UP CLOSE, SOMETHING THE MEDIA AND UNIVERSITIES GIVE LITTLE ATTENTION TO. BEING IN CONTACT WITH DIFFERENT INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, LANGUAGES AND CULTURES, LAYS FEELS HOW IMPORTANT THE TERRITORY IS TO EVERYBODY. THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LAND IS ONE OF MUTUAL RESPECT, IT’S WHERE THEY MAKE A LIVING, WHERE THEY HAVE THE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE AND WORLDVIEW OF THE UNIVERSE.
“THE LAND HAS ITS SACRED SITES AND MUST BE PRESERVED.” SAYS LALÁ, HOW SHE ‘S KNOWN.
THE TERRITORY IS THE BANNER OF STRUGGLE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN BRAZIL TODAY,AND FOR THE PAST 500 YEARS. IT IS VISIBLE THAT THE ADVANCEMENT OF “DEVELOPMENT” HAS PUT AT RISK THE SOVEREIGNTY AND EXISTENCE OF FOREST COMMUNITIES WITHIN. AGRIBUSINESS, ILLEGAL LOGGING AND MINING ARE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF FRONTS THAT ARE INCREASINGLY LETTING THE AMAZON REACH THE “POINT OF NO RETURN”, IN WHICH IS THE DEFORESTATION LIMIT FROM THAT IF SURPASSED, THERE IS NO WAY TO RECOVER THE FOREST.
IT WAS THINKING ABOUT ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ECONOMIC AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THAT KEEP THE FOREST UPRIGHT AND IN THE MANAGEMENT LIMITS, THAT SHE SEES ART AS AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO MAINTAIN THIS CONNECTION OF EXTRACTING MATERIALS FROM THE FOREST THAT CAN BE USED FOR HANDICRAFTS IN A RESPECTFUL WAY AND THAT THESE KNOWLEDGES CONTINUE THROUGH THE GENERATIONS.
BRAZILIAN HANDICRAFTS ARE VERY RICH AND INDIGENOUS ART IS STILL LITTLE KNOWN, EACH CHILD HAS A STORY AND THAT IS WHAT MOTIVATES LAYS TO CONTINUE IN THIS LINE OF TELLING PEOPLE’S STORIES THROUGH THEIR ARTS.
“IT IS A FORM OF RESPECT FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO USE THEIR BODIES IN AN ATTEMPT TO CONTAIN THE PROGRESS OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT KILLS AND STILL SUPPORTS THE MAINTENANCE OF THESE CULTURES.” LAYS STATES.