The Heart of Brazil - A Fight for the Rainforest
February 23, 2022
The Brazilian government's failure to protect the Amazon forest is forcing the Munduruku indigenous people to take action against land grabs and illegal logging - and try to save the rain forest on their own.
In an unprecedented movement led by Chief Juarez Saw Munduruku, for the last six years indigenous people have been fighting the theft and destruction of their forest home.
Since 1970, 20% of the Brazilian Amazon has been deforested. Logging and forest fires are threatening a further 20%. Scientists say that at 40% deforestation, we will reach the point of no return. The forest will be lost forever, replaced by savannahs - and the environmental consequences will be catastrophic.
The Amazon is often known as ‘the lungs of the planet,’ producing 6% of the world’s oxygen. It is no secret that the rainforest has been losing a dramatic fight against an array of threats, encouraged by capitalism, consumerism and greed - both legal and illegal.
In today‘s Brazil, some 600,000 square kilometers of land - an area about the size of France -- are farmed by farmers who don’t officially own it. The military dictatorship (1964-1985) encouraged them to settle on state-owned land, but the farmers never became legal owners. As a result, speculators now seize the areas, clear the forests, then resell the plots with forged title deeds. This land grab, known as "grilagem" in Portuguese, has led to uncontrolled forest clearing and fierce conflicts.
The documentary was shot from 2014 to 2020, under three different Brazilian governments. It provides deep insights into the drama of the illegal occupation of state land and forest areas by organized crime groups. Several indigenous peoples have united under Juarez Saw Munduruku, leader of the Munduruku people, in a last-ditch bid to save the planet’s most important forest.
Broadcasting Hours:
Part 1:
DW English
WED 09.03.2022 – 01:15 UTC
WED 09.03.2022 – 04:15 UTC
WED 09.03.2022 – 18.15 UTC
THU 10.03.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 12.03.2022 – 02:15 UTC
Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 I Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -8 | Edmonton UTC -7 | New York UTC -5
SUN 13.03.2022 – 08:15 UTC
Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 I Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4
DW Deutsch+
THU 10.03.2022 – 09:15 UTC
Vancouver UTC -8 | New York UTC -5 | Sao Paulo UTC -3
SUN 13.03.2022 – 08:15 UTC
Vancouver UTC -7| New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3
Part 2:
DW English
WED 16.03.2022 – 01:15 UTC
WED 16.03.2022 – 04:15 UTC
WED 16.03.2022 – 18.15 UTC
THU 17.03.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 19.03.2022 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 20.03.2022 – 08:15 UTC
Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 | Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 I Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +0 | Berlin UTC +1 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4
DW Deutsch+
THU 17.03.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SUN 20.03.2022 – 08:15 UTC
Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3