THE SEEDLINGS BROKE THE SILENCE

There was a sepulchral silence

over the eighteen thousand hectares stolen
from the tupi-guarani peoples
over ten thousand quilombola families
evicted from their territories
over millions of litters of herbicides
poured in the plantations

There was a promiscuous silence

over the chlorine used
for whitening paper
producing carcinogenic toxins that harm
plants, animals and people.
over the disappearance
of more than four hundred bird species
and forty mammals
in the north of Espírito Santo

There was an insurmountable silence

about the nature of a plant
that consumes thirty liters of water/day
and does not give flowers or seeds
about a plantation that produced billions
and more billions of dollars
for just a half a dozen gentlemen

There was a thick silence

over thousands of hectares accumulated
in Espírito Santo, Minas, Bahia
and Rio Grande do Sul

There was an accomplice silence

over the destruction of the Atlantic Forest and the pampas
due to the homogenous cultivation of a single tree:
eucalyptus

There was a bought silence

over the voluptuousness of profits
Yes, there was a global silence
over Swedish capital
over Norwegian companies
over large national stalls

Finally,
there was an immense green desert
in concert with silence

II

Suddenly,
thousands of women got together
and destroyed seedlings
the oppression and the lie

The seedlings shouted
all of a sudden
and no less than suddenly
the smile of bourgeoisies became amazement
became a grimace, disorientation

III

The order raised incredulous
crying out progress and science
imprecating in vulgar terms
obscenity and bad language

Newspapers, radios, magazines,
the internet and TV,
and advertisers
well spoken businessmen
crawling advisers
clever technicians
reluctant governments
the yelling right
and all the centre extremists
in chorus, echo,
assemblies and declarations
to defend capital:
“They cannot break the silence!”
And cried for beheading!

IV

Suddenly
no less than suddenly
thousands of women
destroyed the silence

On that day
on the so called Aracruz land
the women of Via Campesina
were our gesture
were our voice.

Manifesto of Men and Women in Solidarity with the Peasant Women of La Via Campesina