Os canoeiros à beira-rio em Tabatinga, Amazonas: a fronteira em movimento

Abstract

This study presents a reflection on the organization of public policies and the daily life of canoeists on the riverside of the municipality of Tabatinga/AM, located on the triple border of Tabatinga/Brazil, Letícia/Colombia and Santa Rosa/Peru. This region has currently undergone several modifications along the edge. On this riverside, the integration of the most diverse forms of work that divide the space on a daily basis was constituted. The riverside of the city covers a strip of 1.7 km in length, there are several private floats/ferries and a public port, but, in general, it is made up of improvised floats at various points in conditions considered precarious. The strip, mainly between the river and the city, presents itself as a postcard that moves the economy of neighboring cities and the daily life of Tabatinguenses and riverside populations. It is an entrance and exit door, a “river road” that connects to the capital, Manaus. In this dissertation, the focus was on the work of canoemen who drive typical regional vessels, transporting people and goods in an intense shuttle between Santa Rosa-Tabatinga-Letícia. The objective was to understand the daily work on the moving frontier, trying to characterize its identity, its importance for mobility and regional economy. Considering the relevance of the border factor in its geopolitical dimension, and the institutional relationship with neighboring countries, the dissertation was supported by research already developed by several authors such as (SILVA, 2010; STEIMAN 2002; TRINDADE JR., 2005, 2004; OLIVEIRA & SHOR, 2008; SHERER, 2009; NOGUEIRA, 2007). These authors seek to understand the development of cities on Amazonian frontiers, from a geopolitical and socioeconomic perspective, and how the transformations, influences and conditions of forms of work, whether formal or informal, occurred. The relevance of this approach stands out for characterizing the economic importance that typical forms of work can influence decision-making, from the point of view correlated to the territory and regional space. The research relied on the interdisciplinarity of the areas of knowledge, field observation, formal and informal interviews in order to understand this influence on the division of labor and regional demography, in addition, urban planning and gesta, since it is related to the public policies on access structure conditions, to guarantee a healthy and safe space for all who share and enjoy the space. It is this form of work that guarantees fluvial mobility for tourists, encourages the circulation of coins, moving the border economy. For the canoeist, this is the guarantee of complementing the family income. With this, canoeists have a significant importance in the mobility of people. Through the Association of canoeists, it is possible to guarantee the stay of riverside dwellers and indigenous people from nearby communities and the sale of products from the region . Despite this, the riverside is a place of intense conflicts for workspaces that range from crossings in cross-border waters. Based on the above, it is understood that this is linked to the absence of public policies to improve the working conditions of those who make up the waterfront.