Dom Phillips’ widow will launch NGO in honor of him – 06/01/2023 – Cotidiano

A year ago my life changed drastically, with a phone call from a journalist friend telling me that Dom had disappeared in Vale do Javari. From the concern in his voice, I realized that it was unlikely that Dom was still alive.

Dom and I knew that his research into criminal acts against the rainforest and its defenders could put him at risk someday. But we never believed that this would actually happen. Dom followed strict security protocols and was very careful and focused on the details of his trips, he organized the itineraries and sent me all the information, as well as the contacts.

The search for Dom and Bruno was harrowing. My biggest fear was that their bodies would never be found. I prayed with all my faith that they would be found, so that we could move on and grieve.

My memory of that period is hazy. There’s a lot I just forgot. Dealing with such immense demands was intense and painful, and I couldn’t bear it.

My sister was a big help when she traveled from her city and came to my house. She filtered all calls from relatives, friends and the press, speaking on my behalf. She kept me updated on the news and helped me record videos and messages.

The simple life and plans for the future I had with Dom were over, and with each interview or conversation I absorbed the extent of his loss.

Once their bodies were found, thanks to the essential work of indigenous search teams, I tried to focus on the next step: the search for justice.

People ask me what kind of justice I’m looking for.

First, I want to see the people who did this – the killers and the masterminds – brought to justice. Given the investigations, I can imagine that they will be condemned. His conviction would send a powerful message to the criminal organizations operating in the region, convinced of his impunity.

Despite the repercussions of the case and the recent change of government in Brazil, which gives me hope, violence, threats and criminality continue to exist in the Javari Valley and in other regions of the rainforest. So for me, justice is still far from done.

If the indigenous and traditional communities that protect the forest are still fighting an unequal battle for their lives and their territories against much more powerful opponents, it is a sign that the deaths of Bruno and Dom have not yet brought about positive changes. It makes me angry.

This tragedy that made me so sad also brought good things, like my relationship with Bruno’s wife, Bia, who I now consider a sister. It gave me the opportunity to meet so many great and caring people who are committed to human rights and the environment.

I approached some journalist friends. I also became close with Dom’s family and his British friends, wonderful people I can trust without hesitation. My family and friends are closer than ever. My world has expanded, and I consider that a beautiful legacy that Dom left me. I think of him always, with love and gratitude.

Naturally, I got closer to what Dom has become passionate about in recent years: the Amazon and the people of the forest. We talked a lot about ideas for the book he was writing.

Dom told me about his experiences in the forest and the contact he had with indigenous and riverside people. He always returned from his travels feeling emotional, as if he had reached a new level of understanding of the realities he had seen and wanting to know more, meet more people and understand their points of view.

It was on one of these trips that he met Bruno, and I believe it was an intense encounter because Dom was very curious and Bruno had years of experience living and working in the field, in the forest. The natives treated Bruno like a brother, which is rare. And Dom marveled at him, his knowledge and his commitment to the Javari.

They built a mutual relationship, and Bruno told Beto Marubo, one of the local indigenous leaders, “This guy is a good partner.”

The people in the fight need loyal allies, and I think Bruno and Dom realized that they could help each other achieve the same goal: to protect these territories and their people and bring attention to the crimes that were being committed.

After Dom left us, I realized that, like many, I still knew little about the subject, and I started looking for more information. I discovered, for example, that, with the respectful handling of plants and the environment, indigenous peoples contributed to making the Amazon what it is today: a living, complex, diverse forest, with unparalleled natural and cultural riches and ways of life. that are linked to nature and its conservation.

There is so much ancestral knowledge that we do not value because it is unknown to us. There are well-intentioned people and good socio-environmental projects out there that we ignore. There is so much to learn!

That is why we are preparing to launch an NGO in Dom’s name, the Dom Phillips Institute, with the objective of sharing what the Amazon is and its complexities, through the peoples of the forest, and seeking ways to guarantee its protection. My hope is to share my findings with anyone interested in a collective learning movement.

A few months after Dom’s death, I was talking to an indigenous leader that I admire a lot and who helped me understand the depth of the struggle for conservation.

“Nature is life, and the only option we have is to protect it and fight for life,” he told me.

This is the concept that will guide my goals and my actions.

This text, produced by The Guardian newspaper, he does part of O Projeto Bruno e Dom, an international press consortium involving more than 50 journalists from 16 media organizations, coordinated by Forbbiden Stories, an entity dedicated to continuing the work of journalists murdered in the course of their work. A Sheet joins the consortium.