Yanomami leaders visit the Planalto Palace during Week of Dialogue and Consultation

On Thursday morning, March 14, the Planalto Palace (Palácio do Planalto) received a visit from a group of nine Yanomami from Boa Vista, Roraima. They are taking part in the Week of Dialogue and Consultation, promoted by the Federal Government to introduce Indigenous People to federal public policies that deal with their rights.

Our Yanomami committee was well received and that is what we want. Brasilia is opening its doors to us, because today, in Brazil, in the ministries, in Congress, there is a lot of talk about the Yanomami people, about the crisis, about mining, and there is a lot of talk about how the Yanomami people are suffering as a result. Now we're seeing that we're going to have a good result, we ourselves, the community leaders, arriving here in Brasilia and talking about the challenges, the realities, each community and the ministries, each one, listening to us"

Carlinha Lins Santos Yanomami, indigenous artisan

Accompanied by officials from the Civil House, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and FUNAI, the Yanomami guests took part in a guided tour of the Palace's halls and learned about the history of the artworks and heritage that make up the collection of the Presidency of the Republic. The visit included the first floor, the second floor, the third floor and the basement, which is now a new exhibition space.

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 High resolution photos (Flickr)

After the 40-minute tour of the Palace, the indigenous leaders met with the team from the Civil House's Secretariat for Articulation and Monitoring (SAM) to understand more about how the work is structured and to expand the dialogue.

SAM's deputy special secretary, Júlia Rodrigues, welcomed the group and manager Janini Ginani conducted the meeting. "We work exclusively with the Yanomami cause, from delivering food parcels to combating mining. All the challenges and all the articulations go through the Civil House, under the coordination of Minister Rui Costa", explained Janini.

Indigenous artisan Carlinha Lins Santos Yanomami, from the community of Maturacá, in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas, expressed her optimism about the visit. "Our Yanomami committee was well received and that's what we want. Brasilia is opening its doors to us, because today, in Brazil, in the ministries, in Congress, there is a lot of talk about the Yanomami people, about the crisis, about mining, and there is a lot of talk about how the Yanomami people are suffering as a result. Now we're seeing that we're going to have a good result, we ourselves, community leaders, arriving here in Brasilia and talking about the challenges, the realities, each community and the ministries, each one, listening to us,” reported.

She also celebrated the change in life that the Federal Government's cash transfer programs have brought about in her village. "Now we're integrated. It's through it that we buy clothes, school supplies. Bolsa Família is allowing us to get along with the globalized, white world. We live from the land, from nature. The program helps to guarantee more food and the clothes that children need to study," affirmed.

Also joining the committee was Julião Yanomami, one of the indigenous leaders of the middle Rio Negro region, in the Amazonian municipality of Barcelos. With an extensive travel itinerary that included leaving Aracá, on the affluent of the Demeni, arriving in Barcelos and going to Roraima, where he finally embarked to Brasilia, he defined the trip as long but fruitful.

"I came here happy to get to know Brasilia, to get to know our activity here and to get to know things I didn't know. We got to know everything, the presidencies [Three Powers] here in Brazil. We've been here for three days so we can get to know the places well and get to know the Planalto Palace," told.

GOVERNMENT HOUSE: In a meeting with representatives of the Civil House, the leaders asked about the functioning of the Government House in Boa Vista, which was inaugurated by the Federal Government three weeks ago. The space centralizes the actions of the more than 30 federal agencies that already work in the Yanomami Indigenous Land and in Roraima. The leaders informed us that they want to be closer to Brasília [the Federal Government], to the Government House and to participate in the social actions that are being implemented and built. "Our intention is to multiply the information in the communities for our relatives," said the leader of the Yek'kwana people, Maurício.

The nine Yanomami leaders will go to the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC) and the Ministry of Health (MS) between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning (15). They have been in Brasilia since the beginning of the week, when they visited the ministerial portfolios of Indigenous Peoples; Environment and Climate Change; Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger; and Education.

DIALOG AND CONSULTATION - Before the visit to the Planalto, the group went to ministries to take part in discussions on proposals developed by these institutions. On Tuesday (12), the indigenous people were received at the building of the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI), where they were introduced to the Socio-Environmental Protection Plan, the result of joint work by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), ICMBio, IBAMA, FUNAI and MPI. The Yanomami were also consulted about the Environmental Monitoring Network Project of the Yanomami Indigenous Land and the Upper Amazon.

In the afternoon, they took part in a meeting to get to know the Territorial Protection Plan, with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, MMA, ICMBio, Ministry of Social Development, Family and Fight against Hunger and MPI.

The following day, they took part in meetings about the Food and Nutrition Security Plan and were consulted about the new composition of the basic food staples.

They also completed the agenda at the Ministry of Education (MEC) on Wednesday (13) to discuss the Education Plan, which involves Funai, MPI, MEC and the National Education Development Fund (FNDE). At FUNAI's Training Center in Sobradinho, in the Federal District, they also took part in the Ethnoeducational Territories Consultants Workshop.

After the visit to the Planalto Palace, the indigenous people were introduced to the Health Plan of the Ministry of Health and the Indigenous Health Secretariat. They will then go to the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship to learn about the policies implemented by the department. On Friday, the 15th, they will embark to return to Boa Vista, in Roraima.

Indígenas observam o painel de Roberto Burle Marx no Salão Oeste do Palácio do Planalto

VISITING THE PLANALTO: The Planalto Palace returned to receive public visitors in January this year. In order for it to resume, the Planalto underwent maintenance and some renovations, as well as an intense process of recovering the venue's artistic collection, created in partnership with the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN) and the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel). This work was especially necessary after the invasion and depredation caused by the anti-democratic acts of January 8, 2023.

The aim of the visitation program to the seat of the Federal Executive Power is to bring the external public closer and allow "a greater understanding of the institutional mission of the Presidency of the Republic". According to the Civil House, "the visit also emphasizes aspects of heritage education in building and expanding the population's knowledge of the history, culture and artistic assets of the seat of government."

To book a free visit to the Planalto, interested parties should go to visitapr.presidencia.gov.br and choose a day and time. Classes enter every hour from 9am to 1pm (the last one closes at 2pm). The tours are guided, in Portuguese and with the possibility of English-speaking guides. The site is open for bookings throughout the year.

The itinerary includes the ground, second and third floors as well as the basement, which is now a new exhibition space. Visits last an hour on average and are given to groups of up to 30 people, with places allocated to priority groups. It is not necessary to make an appointment for children up to 10 years old.

ARQUITECTURE —  The design of the Planalto Palace impresses with the purity of its lines, with great dynamic power in which horizontal lines dominate. The building enchants with the beauty of its columns, defined as such in the words of Oscar Niemeyer: "light as feathers landing on the ground". In the definition of President Juscelino Kubitschek, "the Planalto Palace resembles a glass box, waiting for the orchids to be placed inside". The gardens were designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. In 1991, a water mirror was built in front of and on the right side of the building, with an area of approximately 1,635 m², holding 1,900 m³ of water, with a width of between 5 and 20 meters.