Brazil's historical 'Quilombola' populations confront land threats as they wait for legal property recognition
In Brazil, the process of recognising and certifying Quilombola communities is a significant step towards ensuring their access to constitutional rights and preserving their unique cultural heritage.
The process takes into account various factors, including the community's location, relationship with the land, cultural customs, documents, and oral accounts. This comprehensive approach ensures that the community's history and identity are accurately represented.
Technical visits by anthropologists, historians, and other experts play a crucial role in this process. These visits help to verify the community's Quilombola origins and confirm their eligibility for land titles.
Quilombola communities, a term used to describe descendants of escaped enslaved Africans, have a rich history in Brazil. According to the 2022 Census, approximately 1.3 million Brazilians identify as Quilombola. However, of the 1,971 Quilombola lands in the country, only 171 have been granted land titles.
One such community is the Araujo family in Minas Gerais, the state with the third-highest number of Quilombolas in the country. The Araujo family recently received certification from the Palmares Cultural Foundation in 2022. The family is now hopeful that they will take the final step in guaranteeing their land rights: the registration of the land with the National Institute of Settlement and Agrarian Reform (Incra).
Nova Viçosa, a city in Bahia, is home to three officially recognised quilombo communities: Helvécia, Rio do Sul, and Engenheiro Cândido Mariano. The official certification of the latter took place in 2005.
Self-declaration is an important identity marker for Quilombolas. Alexandre Araújo, a member of the Araújo family, expressed hope for the future, wanting his children to have access and rights to education and to reclaim what has been taken away from them.
The registration of the Araujo family's land with the National Foundation for Settlement and Agrarian Reform is managed by the Agrarian Reform Office or the corresponding local agrarian authority. As the process continues, it is hoped that more Quilombola communities will receive the recognition and certification they deserve, ensuring their continued presence and cultural importance in Brazil.
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