VIVA! VEGAN LATIN AMERICA
By Claudette Vaughan

It would appear to be the most natural thing in the world yet veganism in Latin America is a mystery to many vegans so we spoke recently with vegan member Marly Winckler who generously spoke about the Brazilian Rainforest fiasco, veganism and solidarity with soup kitchens, plants, herbs and veggies native to regional parts of Latin America and her own personal target of veganising the whole of South America. This year the 12th Vegan International Festival will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 22-25 2009.

How has a plant-based diet arrived in Latin America?

 A plant-based diet is actually the staple food of Latin America – and going to a vegetarian/vegan diet is to go back to what our ancestral mainly ate. The Incan Empire was erected around corn culture. Latin America has many wonderful foods that are being eaten since times immemorial. Meat never had the centrality it has now in the diet of Latin Americans or for that matter humanity as a whole.

What is needed is to go back and put our cereals, fruits and vegetables back to our plates. In the last years we are seeing the development of many vegetarian organisations all over Latin America aiming to spread the benefits of a plant-based diet.

What are some plants and foods specific to Latin America and how does vegan cuisine differ from region to region, country to country?

Quinua, kañawa, maca, tarwi, camu camu, amaranto, tuna, castaña amazonica, stevia, are some of them besides many nutritious fruits such as açai, jussara, acerola, araçá etc. Roots as mandioca (manioc), yam (inhame) etc.

Vegan sources of food is very rich in Latin America – as rich as our flora diversity. It is possible even in a same country – like Brazil – to eat completely different dishes from one region to another.

 Is vegan certification available on products in Latin America?

Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira – SVB – is conferring vegan certification for products in partnership with ECOCERT. See http://www.svb.org.br/vegetarianismo/selos/svb-e-ecocert-brasil-lancam-selos-vegetarianos.html

Does vegan food and lifestyle impact Latin Americans favourably?

Actually many people eat a lot of vegan food in Latin America – our staple food in Brazil are rice and beans. The same one can find in most of Latin America countries. Only in recent years meat acquired a central status in food habits since it is produced more and more in a cheaper way as a product in the line production. The problem is that these days are counted since to produce meat in such a cheap way – excluding all if its externalities – is charging a very high price in terms of environment destruction (natural resources exhaustion), health problems for the population and appalling suffering for the animals which were never reared and slaughtered in such a hideous way. It is not possible to generate such an extent of violence and reap peace. This kind of lifestyle is totally unsustainable, unethical and uncompassionate.

What's the latest with the Brazilian rainforests and fast food companies?

Carlos Minc - our environment Minister - recognised himself two months ago that the factor responsible for 80% of destruction of Amazon Forest is cattle rearing. It is so evident that it is not possible to hide it anymore. Even then the destruction of Amazon is going on steadily and meat consumption is growing everywhere in the world. Now that India and China are eating more meat this tendency is all the more worrying.

Which countries are the most active for politically mobalising themselves for animal rights and veganism and does the current food bank crisis help or hinder vegan activists?

I think it is Brazil – in spite that the movement is being spreading everywhere. We have organised groups in most of LA countries – as Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Bermudas etc. All of these are part of UVLA – Latin American Vegetarian Union – our regional organisation that congregate vegetarian societies aiming to spread vegetarianism in Latin America.

We organised already our 1st Latin American Vegetarian Congress and intend to go ahead with that – each time in a different country. This is a very good way of creating ties among activists of the Latin American continent, inspiring actions and empowering people to become active. We experiment this after the WVC in Florianopolis, the first ever World Vegetarian Congress organised in a LA country. After that many local organisations of every kind sprout all over the country, in the Internet, Orkut etc. In 2004 we created the organisation Latin American Vegetarian Union (UVLA) – aiming to unite different veg and animal rights organisations to better spread vegetarianism in the region. Now we are again organising an international gathering – the 12th International Vegan Festival, in 2009, in Rio de Janeiro.

Of course the current food crisis helps our message to be heard and spread. As the case with our environment Minister, other sectors of society are beginning to be aware of the tragic impacts of a meat centred diet.

Has the connection been made between poverty and eating vegan food e.g., is there solidarity with vegan soup kitchens in Latin America?

In our Congresses and events in general we always try to explore the connections between hunger and a meat-centred diet which is elitist and wasteful. We have in Brazil and some other parts of Latin America such as Colombia as far as I know distribution of free vegan food. In Brazil some groups distribute vegan "feijoada" – a typical Brazilian dish made of beans. In Colombia there is a street festival of vegetarian/vegan food. See http://micocinavegetariana.com/v-festival-de-comida-vegetariana-en-colombia

Talk about the 11th International Vegan Festival held in India last year. What did you speak about?

I made a summary of vegetarian/vegan movement in Latin America giving some numbers and ways organisations and people are promoting vegan ways of living. I spoke about veganism as a revolutionary lifestyle. Our food choices have a profound impact on our health, the environment and the animals. What would the world be like if most people were vegetarians? I explored some of the implications for society of a change in our eating habits. Most people want a better world, but such a world – healthy, ethical, sustainable, peaceful, and compassionate – will be only achieved after a big change in our consumption and production patterns in which veganism will be a key factor.

Has genetically modified foods reached Latin America yet?

Unfortunately yes. It is everywhere. This is an integral part of food industry and the pattern of consumption and production installed in Latin America and the rest of the world.

Does Latin America have factory farming as its norm?

100% of pigs and poultry are reared in factory farming in Brazil. I believe this is the norm all over LA. As to cattle most are still reared in pasture, since we have such an extension of land, but more and more they pass through a semi intensive phase before being slaughtered and more and more – as a policy of increasing productivity – are being confined.

Are there connections between the indigenous peoples of the land and a plant-based diet, herbal medicine and health?

Some people of course study and collect the knowledge of indigenous people about diet, herbal medicines and cure. But the pace which our natural resources are being destructed and the "new culture of meat" being implanted unfortunately is much faster than the transmission of this indigenous and native knowledge which is being relentless lost for ever I'm afraid. Our biodiversity – the Brazilian is one of the biggest of the world - is being lost even before being known to the world at large.

Argentina, Bermuda, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Mexico, Columbia, Peru and Brazil - Tell us something about these rich diverse cultures that the international vegan community might not know.

We live in a part of the world still in a vast extent underdeveloped and this gives us a chance to do something different, something really new and beneficent for all beings. One of these things I believe is maybe the way our Vegetarian Society (SVB) and UVLA as well - are organised.
Our structure of groups with representatives of local, regional and national level can be a contribution. We have also a very open, happy and creative way of spreading our message – this can perhaps serve as an inspiration to someone else.

Marly can be contacted: marly.winckler@gmail.com