Description
In the beating heart of the Amazon, the Yanomami gather barbasco leaves: a tropical plant used to make timbó, a liquid that stuns fish and has been used for generations to fish without violence.
It is an ancient knowledge, passed down mainly by women, who understand and respect the rhythms of the forest. Nothing is wasted; nothing is taken in excess.
In this scene of quiet gathering and whispers among the plants, one can glimpse a life philosophy that rejects the superfluous.
The Yanomami are not lazy: they are free from consumerism. They hunt, fish, and gather only what they need. Then they enjoy time: they sing, talk, and listen to one another.
Decisions are made together, without leaders, through dialogue and consensus.
But this harmony now lives under threat.
Since the 1980s — and with devastating impact during the Bolsonaro era — tens of thousands of illegal gold miners (garimpeiros) have invaded Yanomami lands. Rivers have been poisoned with mercury, forests destroyed, wildlife driven away. Disease, malnutrition, and death have followed. The community is exhausted, abandoned.
I paint these stories to give presence and dignity.
Because behind every face, there is a person.
And every person matters.
Painting inspired by a photograph published on the website of Survival International, the global movement for Indigenous Peoples’ rights (www.survivalinternational.it)
