Brazil – Rondônia: Event in Porto Velho Commemorates the 31st Anniversary of the Heroic Resistance of Corumbiara
We hereby share an unofficial translation of a call published by A Nova Democracia (AND) on the 12th of August.
A panel discussion in Porto Velho will commemorate, this Friday (the 14th), the 31st anniversary of the Heroic Resistance of Corumbiara, also known as the Battle of Santa Elina. The event’s theme will be “August 9th, 31 Years of the Heroic Resistance of Corumbiara: From Santa Elina to Today,” and it will take place in the auditorium of the Federal University of Rondônia (UNIR) Library at 6:30 PM
The discussion aims to commemorate the resistance of the peasants who, in 1995, occupied the Santa Elina Farm in the municipality of Corumbiara (Rondônia), and to discuss its repercussions up to the present day. The reception is scheduled for 6:30 PM, and the panel discussion will begin at 7:00 PM.
Thirty-one years ago, on July 14th, 1995, around 600 peasant families occupied the Santa Elina Farm, setting up a large encampment. The occupation quickly made an impact throughout the region, mobilizing poor peasants struggling for land, while also provoking a reaction from the big landlords and the forces of the old State.
In the early morning hours of August 9th, 1995, the encampment was attacked by police and goons. The peasants, who were on guard, resisted with the means they had. The military superiority of the repressive forces, however, allowed them to storm the encampment.
After the area was seized, the peasants were subjected to torture, beatings, and other forms of violence. Among the murdered was Vanessa dos Santos Silva, just 7 years old, who became the ultimate symbol of that struggle. Sérgio Rodrigues Gomes, a supporter of the struggle, was captured, tortured, and murdered. The incident became known nationally and internationally as the Corumbiara Massacre, but it is remembered by the peasants as the Battle of Santa Elina.
The resistance at Santa Elina, however, did not end with the destruction of the encampment. The surviving families remained organized and continued the struggle for land. In the years that followed, there were further mobilizations, land seizures, and confrontations, until part of the land of the former Santa Elina Farm was conquered by the peasants.
Thirty-one years later, the issue at the heart of the Battle of Santa Elina remains relevant today. The struggle for land continues to shape the lives of poor peasants, indigenous peoples, and Quilombola communities, who face violence from latifundium and the old State in different regions of the country.
The panel discussion will bring together popular organizations, groups, and movements to discuss the Battle of Santa Elina and its repercussions to today.
