The activism of the population of Barroso CovasMunicipality of Bototas, in tra-os-montes, now reaches the Portuguese movie theaters April 24after the world is released in Cannes filmmakers.
“The Savana and La Montaña”of the director Paulo Carneiro, is a documentary fiction, a history of resistance in the form of Western musical.
“The people of the Barroso covas were poorly represented by a documentary, because they had to put them into action, It was necessary to take the office fightemails, scientific documents that must be read and rented and analyzed by experts, and put into practice the fight, show the fight in their practice, “explains the director for Euronews.
The film gives voice to a rural community that fights for its lands, after discovering that the British company Savannah resources Plan to build the largest lithium At the head of Europe a few meters from their homes.
“We live in one of the most isolated regions in the country, but in 2018 the world agricultural heritage was considered, the way we live, how we work the earth, how we correlate with nature. And when we see Such a project at our door, in which everything we have in dangerThe way we live, we run the risk of having to leave our place … The film portrays only that, our pains, “says Aida Fernandes, who is part of the cast of the film and is also president of the local community of Covas do Barroso.
The fight is extended by registering the intervention of the songs of Carlos Libo and for the authenticity that the inhabitants of Barroso’s Covas give the film. The expectation, says Paulo Carneiro, is that he fills the cinemas in the country, not only in the big cities.
Portugal has the The largest lithium reserves in Europe. In recent years, Covas do Barroso has been news for the fight of its population against the progress of lithium mining by the British company Savannah Resources, which has a concession to the concession of Exploration of a total area of 542 hectares.
At this time, the company is doing perspectives on Barroso lands thanks to administrative servitude grantedIn December of last year, by the former Secretary of Energy State Maria João Pereira.
It is based on the administrative servitude map that Savannah Resources pays to a Compensation for the use of the Earth For a year, confirmed Euronews The company’s CEO, Emanuel Proença, in December last year.
At the end of March, the European Union made this exploitation one of the 47 strategic miners at European level. The argument of the bet on lithium, used in Battery production for electric carsIt is its importance for energy transition.
The exploration place is identified as the largest spodume reserve in Europe, with 28 million tons of lithium lithium metrics of high quality.
The population is not yet lowering their arms. Still this Monday, about 25 people joined Covas do Barroso, solidarity with a Owner that GNR would have urged to eliminate, otherwise it is stopped, a land From the same one that prevents Savannah’s resource machines from passing. Aida Fernandes was one of the people who were present in this demonstration of strength.
The owner, Benjamim Gonçalves, affirms that the portion in question is not included in the administrative servitude authorized by the work of the Gerais Minas Company in private lands and the vacancy. And it is not a unique case.
