In the 1980s, in the interior of Amazonas, in the Médio Juruá region, residents did not have the freedom to plant or fish. They were forced to buy food from the warehouses run by their “bosses”, with whom they had endless debts.
A work that was fundamental in denouncing these and other social problems in the region to promote change was the book “Extractive Reserve — More life on this land”, released in 1992. The authors are priests João Derickx and José Antonia Transferetti.
Years later, the Middle Juruá History and Culture Fund, which has the financial management of Sitawi, promoted the re-edition of the book made at the request of local leaders to rescue stories and support the awareness and organization of the population.
Now you can find it on our website in digital format! . The idea is that this material can be used by young leaders of the territory, which is located in Carauari, Amazonas, as a central point. According to the project's creators, the book is a way to ensure social mobilization in the Médio Juruá in the future. This is what Pedro Penido, the Fund's manager, confirms:
“Talking to local leaders, I realized that reviving the transformation process of the Médio Juruá is a way of celebrating the social and environmental advances that have occurred in the territory. But it is also more than that. The expectation is that the reissue of this book will not only bring the history of this place to light again, but will also allow new generations – who were not involved in this process – to understand the importance of community mobilization and continue this movement,” emphasizes Pedro.
Territory under the hands of the people
Among the many achievements of this book's publication in the last century are social organization, leadership training, and the denunciation of the semi-slavery system that existed in the region. All of these factors culminated in the Médio Juruá that exists today: an empowered territory that, through governance, promotes its sustainable development.
Lucinete Viana, Philanthropy Management Analyst at Sitawi and resident of Médio Juruá, tells a little about the process of socio-environmental transformation that occurred after the community organization and how the new manuscript could contribute to the sustainability of this collective mobilization:
“The region was marked by a history of many difficulties and lack of socioeconomic development. The local population faced challenges such as lack of access to basic services, such as health and education, in addition to the lack of adequate infrastructure and a great lack of freedom. The book made it possible for them to have more autonomy in the search for their rights and quality of life,” comments Lucinete.
This reissue of the book includes all the information from the 1992 and 2007 editions, and information about this expanded reissue, as well as maps of the region. The 2023 edition brings even more detail to a work that promoted profound socioeconomic changes for the Médio Juruá.
