5th Congress of Brazil’s Landless Movement
By Raúl Zibechi, Americas Program, 23 August 2007
The largest social movement on the continent, and one of the most important in the world, held its 5th Congress in mid-June 2007 in Brasilia. Despite successful mobilization of masses of people and significant media impact, under Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government the movement faces strong challenges to activate its base against new enemies, such as agribusiness.
Agrarian reform will no longer be the principal demand from the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST), Brazil’s Landless Rural Workers Movement. This was the central dilemma for the 5th MST Congress. To make agrarian reform viable, first the neoliberal model that is advancing in Brazil under the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva must be rejected. Their new focus includes fighting environmental destruction and domination by multinational agribusinesses.
Raúl Zibechi is an international analyst at Brecha, a weekly journal in Montevideo, Uruguay, professor and researcher on social movements at the Multiversidad Franciscana de América Latina, and adviser to grassroots organizations. He writes the monthly “Zibechi Report” for the CIP Americas Policy Program (www.americaspolicy.org). Translated by Maria Roof.
See new IRC article online at:
http://americas.irc-online.org/am/4494
With printer-friendly pdf version at:
http://americas.irc-online.org/pdf/reports/0708bases.pdf
Other recent articles by Raul Zibechi:
The Dark Side of Agrofuels: Horror in the “Brazilian California”