JWT Aim To Reverse Indigenous Prejudice

When people stereotypically think of indigenous communities located in faraway lands, they become somewhat whimsical in their representation of their culture and can often paint an unrealistic image of their lifestyle.

JWT Brazil has created its debut campaign to reverse indigenous prejudice for the Social and Environmental Institute (ISA), in partnership with Prodigo Films.

Inspired by the fact that we have evolved since our great great grandparents were alive, the campaign centres on the Baniwa people from the Amazon’s Rio Negro river, and reveals that their integration into modern society has been met with criticism.

Although today’s Baniwa people do not necessarily lead the same lifestyles as their ancestors, as they have adopted technology into their daily lives and adjusted their dress sense, Brazlians have not been so welcoming of these changes.

The campaign aims to educate Brazilians that the Baniwa are still very much relate to the indigenous identity, despite the way they look, as they maintain their native language and continue to co-exist with nature.

"[The Baniwa] identified with the proposal, because they frequently have their identity questioned," says the ISA’s communications coordinator, Bruno Weis. "They feel and recognize themselves as native [Indians], but part of the [Brazilian] population insists they are not."

It’s hoped that this initiative will help to bridge the gap and reduce the interracial discrimination within Brazil. The team spent six days alongside the Baniwa in the Amazon forest and treated the project as they would a documentary, which perhaps reveals why the severity of the campaign comes across so clearly.

To follow the campaign's success, use the #LessPrejudiceMoreIndian hashtag.