Government allocates 56,000 hectares for land reform and quilombola areas

President Dilma Rousseff signed Friday (Apr. 1) 25 decrees to expropriate rural lands for land reform and to regularize areas of quilombolas (descendants of slaves in Brazil), totaling 56,500 hectares. According to her, 21 decrees will allocate 35,500 hectares of land for land reform in 14 states.

In the ceremony at Palácio do Planalto, the presidential office, four other decrees were signed to regularize quilombola areas, meeting the needs of 799 families in Maranhão, Pará, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe, totaling 21,000 hectares.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of social movements and trade unions linked to the land and members of quilombola communities and of the black movement that took the opportunity to express their support for the president shouting "There will not be coup, there will be fight" and "Long live democracy" .

Racial equality

The government also announced that the National Racial Equality Promotion System will earmark $1,257,000 for affirmative action projects and for policies on traditional communities.

According to Women, Racial Equality, and Human Rights Minister Nilma Limo Gomes, without promoting racial equality, democracy is not established. Results of affirmative and social inclusion policies adopted in the past 13 years show not only achievements "in the struggle to stamp out racism", but also enormous challenges. "We know there are many obstacles in our path to stamp out racism as a structural inequality. But we cannot deny: we are moving forward."

* With additional reporting by Yara Aquino

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta