Newsletter February 2008

In northeastern region of Argentina, near the border with Brazil, a community of Guarani Indians has found a way to bring peace back to the community and history and culture back to the people as they have been confronted with loss of valuable land for farming, alcoholism, inadequate nutrition and unemployment.

Silvino Moreyra, the village chief, implemented a 60-day quarantine to restore order as delinquency and alcoholism were reaching a peak. The quarantine prohibits alcohol from entering the village and only allows youth to leave the village when granted permission.

The traditional way of life for the Guarani, self-sufficiency by cultivating their own food and hunting, has been replaced by government handouts but Silvino is seeking to change that. The community now is getting back in touch with its spiritual roots, as Silvino calls it, and beginning to rediscover traditional music and dance while finding their place in the modern world.

Under the quarantine, the youth are learning more about their culture and what it means to be Guarani. They are beginning to think more about their future and their families and have been more engaged in not only traditional music and dance but also in playing sports such as football. The benefits of the quarantine are so apparent that other indigenous communities in Argentina are showing interest in using the same model to find their place in the modern world.

The region where the Guarani community lives is a land of fertile soil and lush forest, a paradise when they arrived 700 years ago and called it “The Land Without Evil”. Nowadays this region draws visitors who come to marvel at the Iguazu Falls where 2 million liters of water a second fall over the edge. If you’re interested in seeing the world’s second largest cataracts, have a look at our Buenos Aires and Iguazu 7 days/6 nights package or our other packages that take you to the spectacular falls.

Source: bbcnews.co.uk

PAST NEWSLETTERS:

• Newsletter January 2008