NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR REGULARIZATION OF QUILOMBO LAND
QUILOMBOL@ www.cohre.org/quilombos
Editorial
No.4 June 2005
Widening of BR 101 damages quilombos
Housing rights for people living in Quilombos have been constantly put to the test. On the one side, real estate speculators have been trying to get legal support for the removal of black communities, both rural and urban, from lands with high market values, such as in the cases of Caçandoca (SP) and the Silva family (RS). On the other, the government has been implementing projects with high social and economical impacts that directly effect communities such as the ones in Alcantara (MA) and Morro Alto (RS).
Deforestation for the widening of BR 101, in Morro Alto (RS)
The 230 families in the Morro Alto community are in fear of becoming isolated and having their possibilities of economic survival reduced as a consequence of the construction of two tunnels in their lands, which are called for in the plans for the widening of the In Rio Grande do Sul, the southern section of interstate BR 101. controversies surrounding The project and the slowness in the titling process of Gaucho Quilombo lands Quilombo communities were reasons for the protest that question the idea of a State interrupted the traffic in the street on the nationally known and 13th of May, a date which marks the recognized as “European”. signing of the bill abolishing slavery in Brazil. Situations such as those The community occupies an area of more experienced by the Silva family, who in the beginning of than 4,000 hectares in the cities of Maquiné and Osório, on the northern June were almost evicted, coast of Rio Grande do Sul. The land is make us wonder what kind of divided by two important highways. place is reserved for African Interstate BR 101, the main route connecting the Mercosul to Sao Paulo, Americans in Gaucho culture and in what way is our society crosses the territory from north to south, and state road RS 407 divides the area dealing with matters such as from east to west. The widening of BR racial discrimination. 101 will require an investment of R$ 500 million for the section, which connects In this bulletin, we examine Osorio (RS) to Florianopolis (SC), in the situation of the Quilombo 2005. The communities complain that communities, both rural and proper attention is not being paid to their urban, in Rio Grande do Sul, needs, such as compensatory measures emphasizing the conflict like the construction of schools and experienced by the Silva family improvements in the infrastructure for all those who will be affected along the 343 and the beginning the project kilometers of street construction. for widening the southern The main problem in Morro Alto is the section of interstate BR 101, construction of the tunnels, at a cost of which will affect changes in the around R$ 84 million, which make Quilombo community in Morro communication difficult and isolate the Alto (RS). inhabitants, undermining their chances of
increasing income and making their daily commutes even more complicated. Besides that, the landscape of the hills around the Quilombo area is being drastically altered by the removal of vegetation and undergrowth, which is considered to be a remnant of the Atlantic Forest in the region. The community of Morro Alto is made up of the towns of Aguapes, Barranceira, Morro Alto, Ribeirao, Faxinal and part of Espraiado, besides maintaining very close relations with the communities of Prainha and the black communities in Terra de Areia. The group was the subject of a detailed historical-anthropological study from 2001 to 2002, and received the “Certificate of Self-Recognition as a Descendent of Quilombo Communities”, awarded by the Palmares Cultural Foundation on March 1st, 2004. The titling of the area fell under the responsibility of the INCRA, which is due to begin studies some time this June. One of the strongest traits which identifies the community is a figurative dance called the Maçambique, in which the “King of the Congo” and “Queen Jinga” dance and sing with their warriors in praise of Our Lady of the Rosary. The community of Morro Alto requires a detailed analysis of the impact the widening of BR 101 will have on their lifestyles and culture, and demands that the studies done by the INCRA result in the titling of their ancestral lands.