Quilombos
are rural Afro-Brazilian communities that originated
in the 17th century with the rebellion of African slaves in Brazil.
Today there are still more than 1,000 of these groups throughout
the country. The government is starting to demarcate and
secure ownership of the land to the people who live there now.
by: Adital
The National Campaign to Demarcate Quilombo lands in Brazil was officially
kicked off on August 18, 2004 by the National Coordination of the Quilombo
Communities (CONAQ).
The campaign is being
sponsored by diverse entities who are committed to pressure for the land regulation
of almost 1,100 remnant quilombo territories identified in Brazil (only
29 areas are currently demarcated).
The objective of the campaign
is to enlarge and secure the land ownership of these communities so as to
avoid illegal evictions and forced relocations, as well as to give access
to programs and public projects for basic sanitation, family agriculture,
education, culture, heath and housing. Leadership courses and activities for
the communities are also part of the campaign.
In 2003, CONAQ initiated
a process in the quilombos to promote human rights and to offer courses
to increase knowledge regarding national and international laws that can be
helpful in guaranteeing rights to the quilombo lands as well as to
provide for adequate housing.
The course will also provide
a forum for quilombos and urban housing movements to share experiences
and information thus enlarging the social networks
Quilombos, in the
Banto language, means a settlement. Quilombos are rural Afro-Brazilian
communities that distinguish themselves from other sectors of the population
because of their customs, traditions, culture, social and economic conditions.
These communities are
ethnic territories that originated principally in the seventeenth century
with the rebellion of African slaves in Brazil. They emerged in colonial Brazil
as a form of organization and resistance against the institution of slavery.
Palmares, the most famous
quilombo in the state of Alagoas, had a population of more than 30,000
people by 1700 and functioned like an autonomous state, resisting attacks
from colonists from Holland, Luso-Brazilians, and slave hunters.
Palmares was led by Zumbi,
in whose memory the Day of Negro Consciousness is celebrated on November 20th
each year. Unfortunately, Palmares was completely destroyed in 1716.
The 1988 Brazilian Constitution
gives the descendants of quilombo communities the right to their land
and guarantees the right to the maintenance of their culture.
Since 1988, many judicial
and political errors have been committed in the process of demarcation. The
goal of the current campaign is to correct these errors and implement the
law.
The Palmares Cultural
Foundation is promoting an official registration of communities that are remnants
of quilombos in Brazil. The National Institute of Colonization and
Agrarian Reform (INCRA) is responsible for the demarcation of the land, which
has become more and more difficult because of invasions and land conflicts
by squatters and land grabbers.
The delimitation of the
quilombo includes the geographic area used by the communities for social,
economic, and cultural activities as well as the areas of habitation, planting,
fishing, and forestry.
Once an area is demarcated
and identified as a historic remnant of a quilombo, the Palmares Foundation
will designate the land as Afro-Brazilian Cultural Territory, and will begin
the process of registry as a national historic and artistic patrimony of Brazil.
Judicial assistance will
be guaranteed to all quilombos to guard them from usurpation and land
conflicts, thus protecting the territorial integrity of the land.
The identification, delimitation,
demarcation and titling of quilombo lands is now the responsibility
of INCRA, the Minister of Agricultural Development, the Palmares Foundation,
the Minister of Culture, and the Special Secretary for the Promotion of Racial
Equality, the movement of communities of Quilombos, and the President of the
Republic.
Adital is the Agência de Informação Frei Tito para a
América Latina (Friar Tito Information Agency for Latin America).
Comments may be sent to adital@adital.org.br.