More Shamans, less intolerance! An Indigenous Manifesto at Berlin Film Festival

by Felipe Milanez

The premier of the movie Ex-Shaman by Luiz Bolognesi at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival becomes the occasion for spreading a manifesto by Indigenous People of Brazil denouncing racism, violence and the loss of traditional knowledge: Shamans must exist and be respected, before it is too late, the world is devoid of spirituality and the Skies fall upon our heads

The magic of the forest came to the winter of Berlin, bringing stories of violence and genocide, of evangelical proselytism, intolerance and ethnocide. The documentary film Ex-Shaman, directed by Luiz Bolognesi, got the Special Mention Documentary Award Jury at the Berlinale. It tells the story of a shaman who lost his powers when his people Paiter-Suruí, Amerindian of the Amazon, are converted by missionaries. Following every screening at the Festival, a manifesto against intolerance signed by 27 indigenous leaders and shamans and 15 indigenous…