Indigenous Brazilian writer Ailton Krenak, postponing the end of the world

The Brazilian Academy of Letters described Krenak as a key figure in the indigenous literary movement and 'a link between the rich cultural and historical heritage of indigenous peoples and national literature.' Photo: AFP

The year was 1987, Brazil was just exiting a long military dictatorship, and indigenous writer Ailton Krenak stood before the country's constitutional assembly in a pristine white suit, smearing black paint across his face.

"Indigenous peoples have watered every scrap of Brazil's eight million square kilometers with their blood," the handsome young activist defiantly told the assembly, using a traditional mourning ritual to protest centuries of violence against native peoples.