Academy Award-winning actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio, praised Indigenous Amazonian Leader Nemonte Nenquimo after she was named TIME 100 Most Influential People In The World.
The actor announced through his verified Instagram account that he had penned a tribute for Nenquimo by releasing the following message alongside a photo of her:
“I was honored to contribute a piece about @nemonte.nenquimo for @TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.”
In the official website for TIME magazine, regarding Nenquimo, who is fighting to protect her ancestral territory and culture in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the founder of Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation that is “a non-profit organization devoted to promoting environmental awareness” wrote:
“Nemonte lives her fight, and to have a conversation with her is to witness a rare clarity of purpose. I remember she once told me that she wasn’t going to give up. That she was going to keep fighting. That she would continue to defend the forest that she loves from the industries and the oil companies that would devour it.”
Martin Litton Environment Award winner continued:
“She has kept her word, and continues to be a voice and advocate for her community. Nemonte’s cause is all our cause. She inspires those she speaks with to shoulder the nearest boulder and walk alongside her as her movement continues to grow. I am lucky to have met her, and I am luckier still to have learned from her.”
Nenquimo, protecting Indigenous lands from resource extraction, is the only Indigenous woman listed on the 2020 TIME list.
Click here to read the said tribute, see below to find DiCaprio’s mentioned Instagram post.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on