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Brazil's Landless Workers Movement
Witness History
Jan 30, 2024

In 1980, poor rural workers set up camp on land owned by the rich at Encruzilhada Natalino in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Brazil's government sent in the army to evict them and violent clashes followed. It was a formative moment in the history of one of Latin America's biggest social movements, Brazil's Landless Workers Movement (MST).

Maria Salete Campigotto was a teacher living in the camp with her husband and young son. She speaks to Ben Henderson.

(Photo: Brazil's Landless Workers Movement meeting. Credit: Patrick Siccoli/Getty Images)

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10min 39sec

Brazil's Landless Workers Movement

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