This picture is shocking. Why are there so many coffins in the back of this truck? All of these coffins were filled at Eldorado dos Carajas on April 17, 1996. This tiny little city in the northern state Pará of Brazil was receiving "help" from the government. The government relocated about 3000 families to a ranch to help them get started and earn money. The only problem was that this ranch was very unproductive and the workers didnt like it. They protested and during that protest 19 members of the Landless Workers Movement (MST) were gunned down by state military police.
It's remembered as a very dark day in Brazil and I think Salgado did a very good job of capturing how dark it was in this picture. There is hardly any light at all. There is enough to see the coffins but it was a dark time. I think it is horrific that there was something like that.
Personally, after living in Brazil for two years, I can see it happening though. They have a problem with a good number of police being corrupt and "loose cannons." They are trying to resolve the issue and hopefully they will do it soon. Recently, the President of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies gave a speech of this event calling it the "Massacre of Eldorado of the Carajas."
Its always tough to see this many people dead and it reminded me of a youtube video that I saw of Haiti a couple of weeks ago. Even though it wasn't a massacre at the hands of men it is still heart wrenching to see how many people have suffered so far and how many have died.
Salgado, Sebastião. Photograph. 1996 Migrations: Humanity in Transition. 28 Jan. 2010
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