Eunice Paiva: struggle, legacy and contemporary challenges - Brazil - OPINION March 11, 2025
- Ana Cunha-Busch
- Mar 10
- 2 min read
Eunice Paiva: struggle, legacy and contemporary challenges - Brazil - OPINION
The eyes of the world turned to Brazil earlier this month in a moment of celebration, with the unprecedented award at the Oscars for the film Ainda Estou Aqui. Throughout the Oscar campaign, those involved - actors, directors, producers - reinforced the figure of Eunice Paiva as central to this nomination, and, in his award speech, Walter Salles once again made a point of praising her. Winning an Oscar in the middle of Carnival is cause for double celebration, but winning an Oscar for portraying the story of a woman like Eunice Paiva just a few days before International Women's Day is chilling!
Although the film portrays her role as a wife, mother, and activist against violence during Brazil's military dictatorship, one aspect of her life that was ignored in the film, is extremely important in Brazil's environmental and social context: her fight for indigenous rights.
Eunice Paiva was an activist for the rights of indigenous peoples and became Brazil's first specialist in indigenous law. Her work, together with her partners, was essential for the inclusion of Indigenous people's rights in the 1988 Federal Constitution and for the demarcation and regularization of Indigenous lands in the country.
In the social sphere, Eunice's contribution is evident, as it is directly related to the results obtained. Environmentally, however, this relationship is indirect: by fighting for Indigenous peoples' right to land, as well as for the valorization of Indigenous knowledge and practices, Eunice was indirectly fighting for environmental preservation and recovery, for the sustainable use of natural resources and everyone's right to a balanced environment.
We owe a lot to Eunice Paiva - and to other Eunices, known or anonymous, in our history. But what are we doing with this “duty”? I constantly wonder what Eunice Paiva would say when she saw Brazilian citizens protesting against the return of the dictatorship, the threat of a coup that hung over Brazil in the recent past, the socio-environmental setback represented by the Temporary Framework for Indigenous Lands, the right to face-to-face teaching for Indigenous peoples threatened in the state of Pará, among so many other situations that threaten our society.
Honoring her story, told on the silver screen, is necessary because it recovers our memory, prevents the erasure of what the dictatorship was, and inspires us to see a woman portrayed as a spokesperson for struggle and resistance. However, paying tribute to her story goes far beyond watching a movie or hoping for an award. To everyone who was moved by the film, I extend an invitation: let's pay tribute to Eunice Paiva's struggle?
Brazil Public Petition: No to the Temporary Framework - target of 500,000 signatures
Greenpeace: The rights of Indigenous peoples cannot be negotiated - target 150,000 signatures
By Ana Letícia R. Ferro
SDGs 1; 2; 4; 5; 10; 16 and 17
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