The Indigenous Council of Roraima (CIR) in partnership with AVAAZ and the Program for the Valorization of Indigenous Languages and Cultures of Roraima (PVLCIR) produced a series of podcasts (audios) on the importance of taking the vaccine against Covid-19. The episodes were recorded in the Wapichana, Macuxi. Taurepang, Yanomami, Ye'kuana and Wai Wai languages and aims to bring safe information to the communities.
The six podcasts were recorded by the indigenous people Enio Mayanawa of the Yanomami people, Isabel Alves Taurepang, Joice Wapichana, Rosilda Macuxi, Edimilson Magalhães, of the Ye'Kuana people and Elesvaldo Wai Wai.
The recordings are available on the CIR's YouTube channel and are being shared directly with indigenous communities.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, the CIR has sought to bring information to relatives, explaining according to the experts what the disease is, what precautions we should follow, and now the need to take the vaccine. We know that there are relatives who do not speak the Portuguese language, and we are also concerned about informing them", explained Márcia Fernandes, communication coordinator of the CIR.
Professor Ananda Machado, who since 2009 has coordinated the PVLCRR at the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR), highlighted the importance of the podcast series to collaborate with the appreciation of the indigenous languages of the peoples of the region, as well as the need to maintain care against Covid-19.
"We continue to talk in indigenous languages about the importance of getting vaccinated to create this extra layer of protection, but even vaccinated with all doses, we still cannot crowd together, we need to wear masks, wash our hands, and thus prevent more deaths from happening," he said.