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by Harley Jones
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![]() April 25, 2020 Paddle reciting poems on the notes of an accordion bigger than him. It is a declaration of love for forests, to protect the indigenous peoples who inhabit it. An accordion, a canoe, and the notes of an ancient song deposited on the tops of the trees with paddle strokes. It is the personal battle of Eder Rodrigues do Nascimento in defense of the Brazilian Amazon. "Nature depends on you, let it live. It will thank you and the whole world, with great pleasure", recite his verses as he walks along the bends of the Jurua river, one of the tributaries of the Amazon River. "In my songs I talk about the protection of nature. I give free advice to everyone to do what I do: do not light fires, do not pollute the water and do not cut down trees. We must keep them, they are the ones who will save the world," he tells Afp . Eder is 60 years old, lives in Boa Vista, a village that is part of the Uacari nature reserve, Brazil, whose inhabitants live mainly on fishing and crops. Since the start of the pandemic in its region, 200 people have already died. "The land is drying up due to deforestation. We are very worried because we live in the jungle. - he says - Here come diseases that nobody knows. Sometimes people die without knowing what". And sing, with the accordion occupying all the space of his small canoe: "Whoever visits the Amazon arrives in paradise. Who lives in the Amazon is already in paradise. If you want to know biodiversity, come with me". Note: Deforestation and forest fires continue in the region that many NGO's call the "lung of the planet" and lobby to stop the reduction of these natural forests. |
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