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Remote areas are semi-self-sufficient
After an hour's flight on an 18-seater propeller plane that only flies three times a week, the city of Manicole suddenly appeared in the middle of the sea of trees. It is nearly 333 kilometers south of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, and takes two nights to get there by boat. Of course, there are no roads.
Although it is a city, its area is almost the same as the Netherlands, and about the size of Kyushu in Japan. 21,000 people live in the city center called Centro, and a total of 25,000 people live in about 280 communities along the Madeira River. The total population is 46,000, but it is actually one of the larger municipalities, ranking sixth out of 62 municipalities in the state.
Even though it is the center of town (Centro), there are no traffic lights, no elevators, no escalators, and there are almost no two-story buildings other than the city hall. Most people on the streets walk or cycle, and they are all wearing sandals, as if by agreement. There are small motorbikes of about 150cc, but there are very few private cars.
Many of the communities along the river have only 10 to 60 families living there, and we call them "riverinos" (river people). Of course, there are no roads, no telephones, no doctors, and they are far from civilization.
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Maria de Jesus, 20 years old, who was born and raised in a community called Jenipapo 2, six hours away by boat from Centro, said, "The community is full of delicious fish, has a beach, and allows us to live a relaxed life." There are still many people living a semi-self-sufficient life.
Electricity is available from 5:00 pm to around 11:00 pm. About 100 people live there, and "most of the houses have televisions," but they can only be watched during the hours when electricity is being generated. "Some houses have refrigerators, but we try not to open them during the day." There are telephones, but no mobile phone service.
The only means of transportation is by boat, which goes up and down two to three times a week. Young people tend to want to move to the city, but "more babies are being born, so the number of people in the community is growing," she says.
When asked if she would like to live a life like a TV novella, she quietly denies it, saying, "I prefer a quiet life."
According to Gilson Carvalho Rodrigues (34), a relative from the same community who was invited by Sadamori to become a HANDS employee three years ago, "Twice a month, a regaton (boat) comes round and we buy food there. The prices are much higher than in town, but considering the cost of transportation to get here, I feel exploited, but there's nothing we can do." Most of the river people only come to ManiColle once a year, during the festival in September.
In September, the area's largest festival is held at the Catholic church named after the town's patron saint, Nossa Senhora dos Dores, where many clothing stalls are set up and people come to buy clothes.
Even though fish are caught in abundance, they are far away from being shipped to the town. The main commercial crops are bananas and mandioca. When I asked the community of Igarapezinho, I was told that "farinha, which took a week to produce, is sold for 60 reals a bag."
With a per capita GDP of just $752 here, compared with $3,326 for the whole of Brazil, cash income is scarce.
*This article was originally published in the Nikkei Shimbun on November 25, 2008 and is reprinted with permission.
*The Nikkei Shimbun ( www.nikkeyshimbun.com.br ) is a Japanese language newspaper published in Sao Paulo City, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, for immigrants, Japanese descendants, and expatriates.
© 2008 Nikkey Shimbun
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