Avá-Guarani Community Still Seeks Justice 50 Years After Itaipu Dam Displacement
Fifty years after the construction of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam on the Brazil-Paraguay border, the Avá-Guarani Indigenous community continues to fight for justice and recognition. The dam, built in the 1970s under military governments, submerged ancestral lands along the Paraná River, displacing hundreds of families and destroying sacred sites like the Sete Quedas waterfalls. Indigenous leader Teodoro Alves describes the project as the death of their river and way of life. While a 2025 Brazilian court agreement secured partial reparations, including land and an apology, leaders argue these measures are insufficient for true territorial recognition. In Paraguay, affected communities have received little to no compensation, with authorities often denying ancestral claims. The displacement disrupted the *tekoha*, the Guarani concept of life territories encompassing housing, farming, and spirituality. Despite the dam being hailed as a clean-energy model by both nations, the Avá-Guarani remain marginalized, highlighting the long-term human and cultural costs of large-scale infrastructure projects on Indigenous populations.
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Avá-Guarani Community Still Seeks Justice 50 Years After Itaipu Dam Displacement
Fifty years after the construction of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam on the Brazil-Paraguay border, the Avá-Guarani Indigenous community continues to fight for justice and recognition. The dam, built in the 1970s under military governments, submerged ancestral lands along the Paraná River, displacing hundreds of families and destroying sacred sites like the Sete Quedas waterfalls. Indigenous leader Teodoro Alves describes the project as the death of their river and way of life. While a 2025 Brazilian court agreement secured partial reparations, including land and an apology, leaders argue these measures are insufficient for true territorial recognition. In Paraguay, affected communities have received little to no compensation, with authorities often denying ancestral claims. The displacement disrupted the *tekoha*, the Guarani concept of life territories encompassing housing, farming, and spirituality. Despite the dam being hailed as a clean-energy model by both nations, the Avá-Guarani remain marginalized, highlighting the long-term human and cultural costs of large-scale infrastructure projects on Indigenous populations.
The Guardian