Sônia Guajajara
OMC
Guajajara in 2023
Minister of Indigenous Peoples
Assumed office
1 January 2023
PresidentLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Preceded byOffice established
Personal details
Born
Sônia Bone de Souza Silva Santos

(1974-03-06) 6 March 1974
Araribóia Indigenous Land, Maranhão, Brazil
Political partyPSOL (2011–present)
Other political
affiliations		PT (2000–2011)
Alma materState University of Maranhão (BLitt, BSN)

Sônia Bone de Souza Silva Santos (born 6 March 1974), usually known as Sônia Guajajara, is a Brazilian indigenous activist, environmentalist, and politician. A member of the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), she was initially a candidate for President of Brazil in the 2018 Brazilian general election, before being chosen as the vice presidential running mate of nominee Guilherme Boulos. This made her the first indigenous person to run for a federal executive position in Brazil.[1][2] In 2022, Guajajara was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time.[3]

Early life

Sônia Guajajara was born to a Guajajara family on Araribóia Indigenous Land (Portuguese: Terra Indígena Araribóia), located in the Amazonian rainforest in the northeastern state of Maranhão. At the age of 15, she left home at the invitation of FUNAI and moved to Minas Gerais, where she completed her initial education at an agricultural boarding school.[4]

Guajajara became interested in politics at a very young age, and stated, "I was born an activist. I’ve spent my whole life fighting against anonymity, against indigenous peoples’ invisibility. I always wanted to find a path, a way to bring the history and way of life of the indigenous people to light for society as a whole."

Guajajara would later attend the Federal University of Maranhão, located in the state capital of São Luís.[5] Guajajara additionally holds a master’s degree in culture and society from the Institute of Humanities, Arts, and Culture at the Federal University of Bahia. Following graduation, Guajajara worked in a variety of professions, including as a teacher and as a nurse.[6]

Activism and honors

Guajajara with President Dilma Rousseff in 2015.

Guajajara is the leader of the Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, or "APIB"), an organization that represents around 300 indigenous ethnic groups in Brazil.[2]

As an activist, she has been at odds with the ruralistas in the National Congress, a group of conservative legislators allied with agribusiness interests who favor further development on public lands.[7]

Guajajara strongly opposes efforts to contact uncontacted peoples in the Amazon Rainforest.[8] Guajajara has described President Jair Bolsonaro as "a threat to the planet" due to his deforestation policies.[9] In 2020, she called for urgent environmental action amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

During her time as an activist, she has organized a number of demonstrations in support of indigenous rights in Brazil, and facilitated a meeting of indigenous leaders with then-President Dilma Rousseff in 2013.[11] In 2015, she was named to the Brazilian Ordem do Mérito Cultural.[2] She was also awarded a medal by Maranhão state.

In March 2022 she was amongst 151 international feminists signing Feminist Resistance Against War: A Manifesto, in solidarity with the Feminist Anti-War Resistance initiated by Russian feminists after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[12]

Political career

Guajajara at a public hearing for a proposed reorganization of Rio Novo National Park.

Party politics

Guajajara became a member of the Workers' Party (PT), the left-wing party that ruled Brazil from 2003 to 2016, in 2000. In 2011, Guajajara left the party due to its alliance with Roseana Sarney, a conservative politician who served as Governor of her home state of Maranhão.[13] She later joined the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), a socialist party initially founded by PT dissidents.

In the run-up to the 2014 presidential election, Guajajara criticized the presidency of Dilma Rousseff in an interview, stating that the "Dilma government was very bad for us".[14] In the same interview, she also cautioned against the election of a right-wing Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) to the presidency. Despite her misgivings, Guajajara denounced the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff that led to the installation of Michel Temer as President, describing it as a "coup".[13]

2018 presidential election

In 2018, Guajajara announced her intention to run for President of Brazil as a member of PSOL. Her candidacy was backed by the support of the ecosocialist wing of the party.[15] In the end, she was chosen by labor leader Guilherme Boulos to serve as his vice presidential running mate on the PSOL ticket.[16] Guajajara was the first indigenous person to run for a federal executive office in Brazil.[1][2]

2022 Chamber of Deputies election

Guajajara was confirmed as a pre-candidate for federal deputy in the 2022 Brazilian general election.[17] She was elected with 156,966 votes.[18] In January 2023, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appointed Guajajara to lead the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples.[19][20] She was sworn in on 11 January 2023.[21]

Awards

In November 2023, Guajajara was named to the BBC's 100 Women list.[22]

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 "Conheça Sônia Guajajara, primeira indígena em uma pré-candidatura presidencial" (in Portuguese). Partido Socialismo e Liberdade. 2018-03-14.
    2. 1 2 3 4 "Sônia Guajajara". Green Cross International. Archived from the original on 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
    3. ↑ "Time elege Guajajara e cientista Tulio de Oliveira entre 100 mais influentes" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Folha de S.Paulo. 2022-05-23.
    4. ↑ Borders, No (2020-06-16). "Sônia Guajajara: Indigenous women in Brazil leading in the fight for justice (part 1)". No Borders. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
    5. ↑ "Coordenadora da APIB, indígena Sonia Guajajara é cotada como vice de Boulos". Combate Racismo Ambiental (in Portuguese).
    6. ↑ "Sonia Guajajara". Global Shakers. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
    7. ↑ "Profiles: Sônia Guajajara, A Powerful Voice for Brazil's Indigenous Peoples". Amazon Watch. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
    8. ↑ International, Survival. "Renowned indigenous leaders call for end to uncontacted 'genocide'". www.survivalinternational.org. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
    9. ↑ "Sônia Guajajara: "Bolsonaro é uma ameaça para o planeta"". www.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-02-26.
    10. ↑ "For Brazil's indigenous people, COVID-19 is only the latest battle". Huck Magazine. 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
    11. ↑ "Sônia Guajajara" (in French). Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale. December 2016.
    12. ↑ "Feminist Resistance Against War: A Manifesto". Specter Journal. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
    13. 1 2 "Líder indígena é candidata à vice-presidência brasileira". www.dn.pt (in Portuguese). 6 March 2018. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
    14. ↑ "'Dilma acha que precisamos consumir e ter chuveiro quente', diz líder indígena". BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
    15. ↑ Andrew Costa (2017-12-01). "Setorial Ecossocialista do PSOL apresenta pré-candidatura de Sônia Guajajara à presidência do Brasil". Subverta (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-02-26.
    16. ↑ "'Nova Marina', indígena Sonia Guajajara é cotada como vice de Boulos". 24 February 2018.
    17. ↑ "Sônia Guajajara será candidata a deputada federal por São Paulo". Brasil de Fato (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
    18. ↑ "Apuração da Eleição 2022 para Governador em São Paulo". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-01-13.
    19. ↑ "Brazil will have first Indigenous woman chief for key post". AP News. 2022-12-30. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
    20. ↑ "Sônia Guajajara hails Brazil's Indigenous ministry after Bolsonaro 'turmoil'". The Guardian. 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
    21. ↑ Tom Phillips (2023-01-11). "After the rampage: Brazil's new leaders to fight hard in wake of 'insane' coup attempt". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
    22. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2023: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. November 23, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
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