'I'm Going to Promote a Symphony' of Languages Says Indigenous Writer and New Member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters

‘I’m Going to Promote a Symphony’ of Languages Says Indigenous Writer and New Member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters His appointment is seen as ground-breaking in the institution's 127-year history.

June 15, 2024 by Global Voices



By Amazônia Real, Liam Anderson

This text, written by Elaíze Farias, was originally published on Amazônia Real’s website on April 4, 2024. It is republished here under a partnership agreement with Global Voices, with edits.

The Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) aims to cultivate the Portuguese language and national literature, and so it is historically significant that the Indigenous writer Ailton Krenak was appointed to the institution to promote what he calls the “Brazilian language.”

Krenak was elected by the members and took up seat number 5 on April 5, 2024. He is the first Indigenous person to join the ABL in its over 120-year history.

”I have started by giving this signal that I’m not going to expand the Lusophony, I am going to promote a symphony [of languages]. This symphony is estimated to represent 180 Indigenous languages,” he said.

Born in Minas Gerais state, Krenak has been an important figure in environmental and Indigenous rights activism since the 1980s, when the dictatorship ended and the country was reopening politically and debating the new federal constitution. Now, at the age of 70, he says he wants to promote native languages with the ABL and, above all, young Indigenous writers.

His books have been translated in 19 countries. One of them, “Ideas to Postpone the End of the World” was translated into Portuguese in Portugal, where it is called “Ideas to Save Humanity.”

More:
https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/im-going-to-promote-a-symphony-of-languages-says-indigenous-writer-and-new-member-of-the-brazilian-academy-of-letters/