Government grants recognition to 27 quilombola communities in 3 states

The Palmares Cultural Foundation, connected with the Ministry of Culture, has officially recognized 27 communities as descended from quilombos—former slave communities. Twenty four of the quilombola communities are located in the state of Maranhão, two in Bahia, and two in Minas Gerais.

The regulation of communities that define themselves as quilombo-descended, is the first step in the process of regulation, which is to culminate in the full possession of the territory, after the acknowledgement from the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra). The certification already grants communities benefits like the right to housing, basic sanitation, and their members' participation  in governmental programs, like the Bolsa Família (“Family Allowance”, aimed at impoverished sections of the population). So far,  the foundation has recognized 2,394 communities in 2,007 areas.

Quilombos were territories where slaves formerly attempted to take shelter  after running away from farms or plantations, in an effort to live freely and fight slavery. After the Constitution passed in 1988, what remained of these communities—now called quilombolas—are being progressively recognized as the real owners of the land where they take residence.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira