"They will not silence his voice' Grief and defiance as journalist's widow visits the site of his death
The Guardian|June 03, 2024
Alessandra Sampaio fell to her knees and wept as she clambered on to the boat's deck and came face to face with the remote riverside clearing where her husband's life was extinguished and hers was turned upside down.
Tom Phillips
"They will not silence his voice' Grief and defiance as journalist's widow visits the site of his death

The sound of Sampaio's lament mixed with birdsong and the voice of an Indigenous shaman echoed through the jungle where the British journalist Dom Phillips and his Brazilian comrade Bruno Pereira were shot dead in June 2022.

"Dom and Bruno are here! Save them! Their spirits are lost here! We can't see them but they are here!" the 85-year-old medicine man, César Marubo, cried out, imploring his people's god and creator, Kana Voȧ, to guide their souls towards paradise.

"Take them by the hand and lift them up into heaven!" Marubo pleaded, his eyes also filling with tears.

On the riverbank before them, framed by Amazonian money trees laden with bright red fruit, two wooden crosses marked the spot where Phillips and Pereira were ambushed and murdered, allegedly by a trio of men accused of illegal fishing who are now in prison awaiting trial for the killing.

"What I most want is to leave this pain behind," Sampaio had said the previous evening, as she prepared to make her first journey to the place where Phillips's final reporting mission came to a sudden and brutal end.

Sampaio's visit, marking the second anniversary of a crime that shocked the world, was part of a deeply personal quest to come to terms with the loss of her husband, a longtime Guardian reporter who was writing a book about the Amazon when he was killed.

"I'm not angry. I've never felt anger... I just miss him so much," said Sampaio, wearing the wedding ring recovered from her husband's body around her neck.

But the pilgrimage was also designed to announce the creation of the Dom Phillips Institute, which will honour his legacy through educational initiatives raising awareness of the complexities and magnificence of the Amazon and its original inhabitants.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView all
'Show your teeth' Arteta's message to players as Arsenal lose more ground
The Guardian

'Show your teeth' Arteta's message to players as Arsenal lose more ground

A disappointed Mikel Arteta told his players to \"show their teeth\" and said he was praying they remain injury-free during the international break after a 1-1 draw with Chelsea that meant Arsenal lost further ground in the title race.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 11, 2024
Amorim hit by visa delay as he jets in to lead United
The Guardian

Amorim hit by visa delay as he jets in to lead United

Rúben Amorim is yet to be granted a visa despite starting his first official day as Manchester United's head coach today and will not be able to take an opening training session.

time-read
1 min  |
November 11, 2024
Ødegaard brings clarity in the chaos but a few regrets too
The Guardian

Ødegaard brings clarity in the chaos but a few regrets too

On the plus side he notably improved the team. On the minus, well, there's only one of him

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
Neto makes point as Arsenal falter again
The Guardian

Neto makes point as Arsenal falter again

There were people on the pitch, Chelsea substitutes to be precise, the joy of everyone connected to the club overflowing. Pedro Neto had produced the equaliser with a vicious low drive from distance and if it did not turn out to be the statement victory that Enzo Maresca and his players wanted – a first against a so-called Big Six rival – they could see the merit in a battling draw.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
Beaming McKenna savours Ipswich's winning moment
The Guardian

Beaming McKenna savours Ipswich's winning moment

The away end's explosion of noise and limbs at full time left no question about what this meant to Ipswich.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
United hit cruise control as Van Nistelrooy signs off
The Guardian

United hit cruise control as Van Nistelrooy signs off

Eleven days after Manchester United routed Leicester under Ruud van Nistelrooy in the Carabao Cup here, the interim manager signed off with another easy-street win over the Foxes and so ends his four-game term unbeaten.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
Campbell earns United the Sheffield bragging rights
The Guardian

Campbell earns United the Sheffield bragging rights

The Steel City derby may not be played quite as regularly as some others or quite have the same pull on a national scale but there is no doubting that what you do in this fixture can make you a legend in this particular part of the world.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
Bompastor keeps cool despite more perfection
The Guardian

Bompastor keeps cool despite more perfection

Sonia Bompastor insisted her Chelsea team have won nothing yet and said she will keep their feet on the ground after the defending champions continued their strongest ever start to a Women's Super League season with a routine victory at Liverpool.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
Barnes has last chop to cut down Forest
The Guardian

Barnes has last chop to cut down Forest

Nottingham Forest have been fishing in the waters Newcastle aspire to swim in. This season, Nuno Espírito Santo's team are the provincial outfit punching above their weight but in taking them down at the City Ground, Newcastle, now just a point behind Forest, showed they too possess the capability to join the throng.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 11, 2024
WSL roundup Hayashi saves Everton but trouble looms
The Guardian

WSL roundup Hayashi saves Everton but trouble looms

When the Crystal Palace midfielder My Cato found herself with the ball on the left, inside a minute at the VBS Community Stadium, the Everton defence followed, three of the back four shifting across and then looking back in horror as an unmarked Indiah-Paige Riley collected the pass from Cato in the middle before slotting home.

time-read
1 min  |
November 11, 2024