Brazil: Church leads call for justice on anniversary of Brumadinho disaster

'They Profit, They Kill, They Flee' by Flávio Duarte

Source: London Mining Network

25 January 2021 marks the second anniversary of a deadly dam collapse in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil. When the Córrego do Feijão dam collapsed, millions of cubic meters of mine waste spilled out as a toxic mudflow. 272 people were left dead or disappeared, buried in mud.

What happened at Brumadinho is often referred to as a disaster or one of Brazil's worst ever industrial accidents. Many of those who survived it and who now campaign for justice, however, insist that it should be seen instead as a crime. Early last year, Brazillian courts accepted charges of homicide which allowed a case to move forward against employees of Vale and German auditor TÜV SÜD for their role in the deadly dam collapse. While TÜV SÜD certified the dam as safe, there are suggestions that it was known within the company that this was not the case, and that the auditors were involved in covering up the dangers posed.

RENSER (Região Episcopal Nossa Senhora do Rosário) has been the main Church-based group at the forefront of working with those affected. Their work has been refocusing the narrative away from corporate "management and processes" and instead towards the structural, material and psychological impacts on Brumadinho's communities and families. To mark the second anniversary of this tragic destruction and loss of life, RENSER have organised a series of activities as a form of online 'pilgrimage'. At the centre of this work is the launch of the 'Pact of Those Affected by Vale's Crime in Brumadinho', which brings together voices from the community in memory of those lost and dedicated to resist "economic development based on exploitation and contempt for life, in all its forms."

The Movement of People Affected by Dams in Brazil (MAB) have also organised a series of events they are calling the "Journey of Struggles" to mark "Two years of Vale's crime in Brumadinho". Their agenda presents what they call the "permanent struggle" of those affected by Vale and what the company represents - a struggle for the right to water, emergency financial assistance and participation in agreements between Vale and the state government of Minas Gerais. For MAB, collective action is essential in holding to account those responsible for the death and destruction in Brumadinho. As they clearly state, "there's only justice with struggle and organisation".

In November 2015, the Fundão dam at the Samarco iron ore dam collapsed, releasing 50 million cubic metres of mine waste. Twenty people lost their lives. The villages of Bento Rodrigues, Paracatu de Baixo and Gesteira were destroyed. Over 600km of the river basin was polluted. In the five years since, entire communities living in the surrounding Rio Doce basin have had to live with polluted water, lack of access to their land, and broken promises from the mining giants behind the catastrophe. The Samarco mine is owned 50/50 by Vale and the Anglo-Australian mining company BHP. Despite facing ongoing legal action over the case, the owners stated their plans to resume operation of the Samarco mine in late 2020.

To mark the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of the dam collapse in Brumadinho, London Mining Network commissioned Brazilian artist Flávio Duarte to create an image depicting Vale's actions titled 'They Profit, They Kill, They Flee'.

Photo courtesy of Marcela Soares & RENSER: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kK-DQv1xNtcbkTFh_GffGI0WzsCFPj__