Guarani boy during opening ceremony of World Cup in Brazil. Photo by Luiz Pires of Comissão Guarani Yvyrupa – CGY

A 13-year-old boy from the Guarani Tribe of Brazil staged a brief protest during the opening ceremony of the World Cup last week.

Wera Jeguaka Mirim was one of three children who released doves during the ceremony on the field. As he was walking away, he unfurled a small banner in Portuguese that translates to "Demarcation Now!" -- referring to demands by tribes for an official demarcation of their lands.

"I wasn't allowed to go in with the banner but I wanted to, my people wanted me to and needed me to," the boy told Agence France-Press.

Jeguaka is the son of Guarani author Olívio Jekupe. He told Survival International that the protest “showed the world that we are not standing still. My son showed the world what we need the most: the demarcation of our lands.”

The protest was not captured by TV cameras, so audiences worldwide did not get to see it, Survival International said.

Guarani boy during opening ceremony of World Cup in Brazil. Photo by Luiz Pires of Comissão Guarani Yvyrupa – CGY


Guarani boy during opening ceremony of World Cup in Brazil. Photo by Luiz Pires of Comissão Guarani Yvyrupa – CGY

Get the Story:
Teenager 'Smuggles' Protest Banner in Underpants During World Cup Opening Ceremony (Agence France-Press 6/17)
Indigenous boy protests on pitch during World Cup opening ceremony (Survival International 6/16)

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Hadley Freeman: How Brazil’s World Cup has sold its people short in the Amazon (The Guardian 6/17)

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