The culture that we want does not impose itself, it dances. It does not thump, it speaks. It does not create hurdles, it removes them." We borrowed this definition on culture from our Zapatista brothers, because it is one in which we have shared. The culture that we, too, desire is not only the one that weeps, it is the one that sings. A Song for Peace varies the pattern of singing, it sounds like a lament, a lullaby, an accusation, an annunciation, a protest, a symphony, these forms all speak… in our own accents, which speak, in the language of diverse styles, of the peace that we want. Brothers and sisters from all corners, the peace that we want is not the peace found in cemeteries which stand hushed at the silence of our history (Cabanagem, Guerrilha of the Araguaia, Edorado dos Carajás…). It is not the peace borne out of patiently suffered omission, let alone the peace of conformists. Brought up in these lands around here, amidst the rivers and forests, amidst the ambushes, between the shack-dwellers, the posseiros, the guerrilla people, the landless people – we wake up before we are discovered by the eyes of those who dominate us – in order to plan the big attack for the next full moon. Pay attention to each note, to each melody that shoots a bullet in this work: A Song for Peace is Rebellious, Beautiful, Full of Life, just like our People! We thank the group of artists who kindly offered their compositions and their voices for this cultural project. This was a priceless contribution which made it possible to bring into being this cantoria of struggle in defence of life, of sounds echoing from the heart of the Amazon region.

Belém, 5 November 2001
State Direction of the Landless Movement - Pará

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