April 2005

by David Lavender

I traveled recently to Brazil. Much of the time I spent there I was involved with Via Campesina and the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST). My travels included the inauguration of the MST's Escola Nacional Florestan Fernandes near the city of Guararema, hanging out in the city of Sao Paulo (one of the world's largest cities which recently celebrated its 450th anniversary), in Porto Alegre for the World Social Forum, and near Candiotta in the south of Brazil at a MST settlement. The following is a brief overview of these groups and my experiences in Brazil.