Ailton Krenak becomes first indigenous person in Brazilian Academy of Letters

Writer and philosopher Ailton Krenak was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters, making him the first indigenous person to receive this honor. He won 23 out of 39 possible votes in an election held on Thursday afternoon at the institution’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.

In a statement, the Brazilian Academy of Letters hailed Mr. Krenak as a “renowned writer and a central figure in the country’s indigenous literary movement.”

“His voice is fundamental to the current moment, as it is the link between the rich cultural and historical heritage of indigenous peoples and Brazilian literature,” the statement reads.

“Ailton’s works challenge the contemporary colonial mindset, which marginalizes and devalues knowledge systems that diverge from the logic of capitalist accumulation,” says Jamille Pinheiro, who collaborated on the translations of some of Mr. Krenak’s books, such as “Life is not Useful” and “Ancestral Future,” into English.

Mr. Krenak now occupies the academy’s seat number five, previously held by historian José Murilo de Carvalho who died in August. The same seat was once occupied by novelist Raquel de Queiroz, the first woman to be inducted in 1977.

Even though the academy was originally established by a black man, Machado de Assis, it has only included two other black men in nearly 130 years of existence — never any black woman or indigenous people, until Mr. Krenak’s induction.

“This election is a landmark for the academy, reaffirming its commitment to promote diversity and inclusion in the institution and Brazilian literature,” said the academy.

The institution came in for serious criticism in recent years for failing to induct Conceição Evaristo, a black woman, in 2018, and the indigenous writer Daniel Munduruku in 2021. Since then, the path seems to be changing. Brazilian music legend Gilberto Gil was awarded a seat in 2022, and now Mr. Krenak has joined their illustrious ranks.

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