Ep. 6: Martyrdom

12/27/21 • 31 min

2 Listeners

After Chico’s death, he became a martyr for the rainforest, and his work continued with significant success. But where is Chico’s name today? And why is it important that we remember his work?

Sources:

Complicity in Destruction III. Amazon Watch. (n.d.). https://amazonwatch.org/news/2020/1027-complicity-in-destruction-iii.
Guardian News and Media. (2019, November 2). Brazilian 'forest guardian' killed by illegal loggers in ambush. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/02/brazilian-forest-guardian-killed-by-illegal-loggers-in-ambush.
Revkin, Andrew. The Burning Season: the Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest. Island Press, 2004.
Hecht, Susanna, and Alexander Cockburn. The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Chris Mooney, B. D. (2019, December 22). Top scientists warn of an Amazon 'tipping point'. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/top-scientists-warn-of-an-amazon-tippingpoint/2019/12/20/9c9be954-233e-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html.
Brasil, V. (n.d.). Chico Mendes House: Visit Brasil. Visit Brasil - Site oficial de turismo do Brasil. https://www.visitbrasil.com/attractions/chico-mendes-house.html.
Fabricius, K. E., Neill, C., Van Ooijen, E., Smith, J. N., & Tilbrook, B. (2020). Progressive seawater acidification on the Great Barrier Reef continental shelf. Scientific Reports, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75293-1
Maisonnave, F. (2020, October 23). The second death of Chico Mendes. Climate Home News. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/03/06/second-death-chico-mendes/.
Shoumatoff, Alex. “Murder in the Rainforest.” Vanity Fair, 1989.
Rodrigues, Gomercindo, et al. Walking the Forest with Chico Mendes: Struggle for Justice in the Amazon. University of Texas Press, 2007.
Mendes, Chico, et al. Fight for the Forest: Chico Mendes in his Own Words. Latin America Bureau (Research and Action) Ltd, 1989.
Chico Mendes: Voice of the Amazon, a documentary about rainforest martyr Chico Mendes. (n.d.). https://www.mirandaproductions.com/voice/reviews.htm.
The Amazon: A Global Treasure. Amazon Watch. (n.d.). https://amazonwatch.org/about.
Guajajara, S. (2020, October 2). Can Our Culture Survive Climate Change? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/opinion/amazon-indigenous-people-brazil.html.

After Chico’s death, he became a martyr for the rainforest, and his work continued with significant success. But where is Chico’s name today? And why is it important that we remember his work?

Sources:

Complicity in Destruction III. Amazon Watch. (n.d.). https://amazonwatch.org/news/2020/1027-complicity-in-destruction-iii.
Guardian News and Media. (2019, November 2). Brazilian 'forest guardian' killed by illegal loggers in ambush. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/02/brazilian-forest-guardian-killed-by-illegal-loggers-in-ambush.
Revkin, Andrew. The Burning Season: the Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest. Island Press, 2004.
Hecht, Susanna, and Alexander Cockburn. The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Chris Mooney, B. D. (2019, December 22). Top scientists warn of an Amazon 'tipping point'. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/top-scientists-warn-of-an-amazon-tippingpoint/2019/12/20/9c9be954-233e-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html.
Brasil, V. (n.d.). Chico Mendes House: Visit Brasil. Visit Brasil - Site oficial de turismo do Brasil. https://www.visitbrasil.com/attractions/chico-mendes-house.html.
Fabricius, K. E., Neill, C., Van Ooijen, E., Smith, J. N., & Tilbrook, B. (2020). Progressive seawater acidification on the Great Barrier Reef continental shelf. Scientific Reports, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75293-1
Maisonnave, F. (2020, October 23). The second death of Chico Mendes. Climate Home News. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/03/06/second-death-chico-mendes/.
Shoumatoff, Alex. “Murder in the Rainforest.” Vanity Fair, 1989.
Rodrigues, Gomercindo, et al. Walking the Forest with Chico Mendes: Struggle for Justice in the Amazon. University of Texas Press, 2007.
Mendes, Chico, et al. Fight for the Forest: Chico Mendes in his Own Words. Latin America Bureau (Research and Action) Ltd, 1989.
Chico Mendes: Voice of the Amazon, a documentary about rainforest martyr Chico Mendes. (n.d.). https://www.mirandaproductions.com/voice/reviews.htm.
The Amazon: A Global Treasure. Amazon Watch. (n.d.). https://amazonwatch.org/about.
Guajajara, S. (2020, October 2). Can Our Culture Survive Climate Change? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/opinion/amazon-indigenous-people-brazil.html.

Previous Episode

Ep. 5: The International Stage

Chico takes his message to the national and international stages, where he finds both support and increased threat of violence. Jim and Graham take a look at the larger drivers of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. It ends at the beginning, with Chico’s murder.

Sources:

Revkin, Andrew. The Burning Season: the Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest. Island Press, 2004.
Rodrigues, Gomercindo, et al. Walking the Forest with Chico Mendes: Struggle for Justice in the Amazon. University of Texas Press, 2007.
Mendes, Chico, et al. Fight for the Forest: Chico Mendes in his Own Words. Latin America Bu
Shoumatoff, Alex. “Murder in the Rainforest.” Vanity Fair, 1989.
Mendes, Francisco. “Antihero.” Spin, September 1989, page 76-78.
Surui, Almir Narayamoga, et al. Save the Planet: An Amazonian Tribal Leader Fights for His People, The Rainforest, and the Earth. Editions Albin Michel, 2015.
Hecht, Susanna, and Alexander Cockburn. The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers, and Defenders of the Amazon. University of Chicago Press, 2010.