Eight days into this blockade, and our climbers are standing firm. They’re helping to expose forest crimes like illegal logging, slavery and the loss of indigenous land by sitting on the anchor chain of the Clipper Hope cargo ship here in the port of Sao Luis, Brazil.
We’ve had a bit of unexpected help in our work to clean up the pig iron industry and hold Brazil’s President Dilma to account. Actress Q’orianka Kilcher joined us on board yesterday to become one of our climbers. Q’orinaka divides her time between film sets – she’s worked with Colin Farrell and Cuba Gooding Jnr – and helping indigenous people all over the world.
She got into the swing of things immediately (and literally), heading out to the helideck to prepare for her climb before sitting down with the crew for a lunch of vegetarian lasagna and salad. Early the next morning she strapped on her kit, sped across the water and spent a total of eight hours on the chain, all in the blazing sun of the Amazon.
As I write she is back on the ship, mopping the hallways and scrubbing the railings as one of the chores that all of us do each morning. She’s been friendly and curious all the way, and says that she wants to do whatever she can to help the Awa people, one of the most threatened tribes on earth.
You can follow her on twitter at @qorianka – I am sure she’d appreciate your support. Right now she is getting ready for just another day... of peaceful direct action on the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior.