THE HUMAN AMAZON

 

The Quilombola: At the nexus of the relationship between humanity and the environment

The Amazon rainforest, often referred to as home to the lungs of the earth, is known for its biodiversity. Less is known about the community of people who live there. Most of the rainforest covers northwestern Brazil, that is also home to indigenous people and descendants of Africans.

The Brazilian Amazon is home to almost 30 million people who depend on the region. Nearly 1 million are the Quilombola

– proud descendants of enslaved Africans who wrested their freedom from their captors and formed their own independent settlements in the forests and savannas of the Brazilian interior. The dense forests filled with rushing waters and thick brush provide a natural bounty of sustenance, while a bounty placed on that land now threatens the lives of the people who had found safeguard in its terrain.

In recent years, deforestation, roads, mining and other infrastructure and extractive projects in Brazil are killing the Amazon and other ecosystems and threatening the survival of the planet and the humans who have fought for, cared for, and earned first rights to the land.

For centuries, the Quilombola have been preserving their culture and fighting for their land and their rights. The pride of Quilombo remains a way of life, culture, religious belief, and relationship with the environment and a social construct that opposes a racist and oppressive model that imposes itself to the present day. Their unique relationship with their territory and historic path of resistance are key components of their identity and fundamental to their existence. It is the very foundation of their physical, social, economic, cultural, political and organizational reproduction.

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From resistance to resilience to a regenerative economy, the Quilombola are conserving history, culture and our planet’s eco-system.

Quilombola are key allies in saving the Amazon and other critical ecosystems. For centuries, they have been the caretakers of the environment with regenerative organic agriculture as a sacred and responsible relationship with nature and her garden of paradise. Their carbon-free care of the trees, the soil, the vegetation contribute to the healthy and holistic oxygenation of the planet and the air we all breathe.

Quilombos have always worked in harmony with nature and each other, holding a knowledge of sustainable science that has been passed down from generation to generation. Organic production that has sustained their families for centuries is used for everything: from their food, to their festivals, to their healing and ancestral rituals. They are also using their sustainable science to produce sustainably-grown food for ‘food deserts” in Brazilian urban centers, an increasingly important solution for agrarian reform and the elimination of food insecurity prevalent throughout the world. Their fight for their rights to protect and conserve their land and their environment is a global issue.

Quilombola are also conservators of Afro-Brazilian culture, known and celebrated around the world. If you have ever danced a samba or been captivated by the nimble moves of breakdancers on an urban street corner, you have had a lived experience in Afro-Brazilian culture. Richly endowed with creativity, ingenuity and the spirit of ubuntu, Quilombola are one of the most overlooked and under invested Black communities in the world.

The Spirit of Ubuntu

As much as theirs is a history of resistance, the Quilombola are writing a new story of resilience and restoration. Within a truly egalitarian society, communities are strengthened with shared values, shared ownership, and shared responsibility, resources, and technology – poised to turn peril into promise.

Ubuntu
“I am because  we are”

Organized in a network of collectives led by decision-making bodies, many of them led by women, the Quilombola are armed with global environmental and economic impact solutions and a strategy for their own future of prosperity that also will have significant impact on ours.

A Rich Legacy and a Promising Future

Quilombola historical figures and their storied conquests are the stuff of screenplays. Zumbi of Palmares; Aqualtune, an African princess, daughter of the King of Congo; and Dandara, a great warrior from Quilombo dos Palmares conjure images of the heroes of “Wakanda”, the mythical land in Marvel Studio’s “Black Panther” blockbuster hit. However, these very real people are the very essence of who the Quilombola are today. Every year, in November, the Quilombola celebrate Black Awareness Day to teach, learn, live and love a proud history, to take full measure of current blessings, and to look forward to purpose and prosperity for all Quilombos and Quilombola. Here are stories of the people, the events, and the promise:

Zumbi_of_Palmares

Zumbi of Palmares – Zumbi (1655 – November 20, 1695), also known as Zumbi dos Palmares  was a Brazilian of Kongo/Angola origin and a quilombola leader. He is one of the pioneers of resistance to slavery of Africans in Brazil. He was also the last of the kings of the Quilombo dos Palmares, a settlement of Afro-Brazilian people who had liberated themselves from enslavement in that same settlement, in the present-day state of Alagoas, Brazil.  Read more

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Black Awareness Day  – November 20 is known as Dia da Consciência Negra (Day of Black Consciousness or Black Awareness Day) in Brazil. On this day, Brazilians recognize the efforts towards equality of the Movimento Negro (Black Movement) and celebrate black resistance and liberation by honoring Zumbi dos Palmares, a national hero. Read more

If_not_us_then_who

If not us, then who – Brazil’s African slave descendants, the Quilombola, have fought a long and hard struggle for recognition. After the abolition of the slave trade they were left abandoned and ostracised, devoid of rights and outside of Brazilian mainstream society. But things are slowly changing amongst rural communities. Read more

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In pursuit of land titles, the work of ARQMO (Association of Remaining Quilombo Communities of the Municipality of Oriximiná) – Interview with Claudinete Colé, ARQMO’s First Woman Executive Coordinator. #

UTU_logo

An important global solution for the Quilombola is the UTU Social Impact Investment Fund. The first priority of a multi-tiered strategy for a secure future of independence and economic development is to use that investment for the return of their land rights and sovereignty to pursue peace, purpose and prosperity for Quilombola communities across the nation. With secured land and civil rights to gain access to public resources, the Quilombola will be able to resume sustainable growth and protect the future of their agriculture, culture and participation in global economic development.

Global Connection

“If the people are well, then the environment follows.”

– Vasco van Roosmalen, Ecam

ECAM

THE Brazilian Team for Conservation of the Amazon

GOOGLE EARTH

 

“We are inspired by the work being done by the Quilombola in using technology to map their lands”

– Google Earth Outreach

USAID/Brazil supports CONAQ international land titling workshop with Afro-Colombian communities’ delegation

–  Read more

USAID | BRAZIL
WILSON CENTER

 

“A unique relationship with their territory and their historic path of resistance are key parts of their identity.”

As recognized by the Brazil Institute and presented by The Wilson Center

The State Department 2018 Human Right briefings on Brazil

Read more 

US STATE DEPARTMENT

“If the people are well, then the environment follows.”

– Vasco van Roosmalen, Ecam

ECAM

THE AMAZON CONSERVATION TEAM

“We are inspired by the work being done by the Quilombola in using technology to map their lands”

– Google Earth Outreach

GOOGLE EARTH

 

USAID/Brazil supports CONAQ international land titling workshop with Afro-Colombian communities’ delegation

Read more

USAID | BRAZIL

 

“A unique relationship with their territory and their historic path of resistance are key parts of their identity.”

As recognized by the Brazil Institute and presented by The Wilson Center

WILSON CENTER

 

The State Department 2018 Human Right briefings on Brazil

Read more

US STATE DEPARTMENT

 

How can you help ?

The battle continues to be waged on several fronts as the Quilombola are facing the global pandemic of colonialism, erasure, systemic racism, and now COVID-19. ReutersA COVID Relief Fund has been established to secure much needed support for vaccinations, health care, and emergency supplies. All donations will be routed through our US fiscal sponsor the Perspectives of Freedom Foundation and will be directed to CONAQ and its affiliate Quilombola organizations.

If you are interested in investing in helping the Quilombola gain legal recognition of their rights, work with federal and state legislature to secure the rights of their communities, learn more about CONAQ – the National Quilombola Organization in Brazil, and the UTU Social Impact Investment Fund.