{"id":49380,"date":"2018-12-19T12:00:41","date_gmt":"2018-12-19T15:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=49380"},"modified":"2018-12-28T14:29:38","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T17:29:38","slug":"4th-sustainable-favela-exchange-the-struggle-strength-and-resistance-of-quilombo-do-camorim-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=49380","title":{"rendered":"4th Sustainable Favela Exchange: The ‘Struggle, Strength, Resistance’ of Quilombo do Camorim [IMAGES]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Sustainable Favela Network<\/a>\u00a0(SFN) is a project of\u00a0Catalytic Communities<\/a>\u00a0(CatComm)* designed to build solidarity networks, bring visibility, and develop joint actions to support the expansion of community-based initiatives that strengthen environmental sustainability and social resilience in favelas across the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region. The project began with the 2012 film\u00a0Favela as a Sustainable Model<\/a>, followed in 2017 by the\u00a0mapping of 111 sustainability initiatives<\/a>\u00a0and the publication of a\u00a0final\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0analyzing the results.<\/em><\/p>\n

In 2018, the project organized\u00a0on-site exchanges among eight of the oldest and most established organizations<\/a>\u00a0that were mapped in the Sustainable Favela Network (one of which is the subject of this article), followed by a full-day exchange with the entire network that took place on November 10. The eight participants in the on-site exchanges featured in this series<\/a>\u00a0include six community-based organizations: the\u00a0Vale Encantado Cooperative<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Alto da Boa Vista<\/a>,\u00a0EccoVida<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Hon\u00f3rio Gurgel<\/a>,\u00a0Verdejar<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Engenho da Rainha<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Complexo do Alem\u00e3o<\/a>,\u00a0Quilombo do Camorim<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Jacarepagu\u00e1<\/a>,\u00a0ReciclA\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Morro dos Prazeres<\/a>, and\u00a0Alfazendo\u2019s Eco Network<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0City of God<\/a>. In addition, the exchanges visited two broader initiatives focusing beyond favelas with extensive experience in sustainability:\u00a0Onda Verde<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Nova Igua\u00e7u<\/a> and the\u00a0Sepetiba Ecomuseum<\/a>. The program is supported by the\u00a0Heinrich B\u00f6ll Foundation Brazil<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

Watch the video that accompanies the exchanges featured in this series<\/a>\u00a0by clicking\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

The Morning of the Fourth Exchange: Quilombo do Camorim<\/h3>\n

\"Organic<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cStruggle, strength, and resistance\u201d were the words Adilson Almeida used to introduce the Sustainable Favela Network<\/a> (SFN) to his community.<\/p>\n

Founder and president of the\u00a0Quilombo do Camorim Cultural Association<\/a> (ACUQCA), Almeida was born and raised in Quilombo do Camorim<\/a>, a community of the descendants of runaway slaves whose history dates back to the 1600s, and which borders the\u00a0Pedra Branca State Park<\/a>. Almeida and his co-directors created ACUQCA to protect and promote the historical, cultural, and environmental wealth of the quilombo<\/em>, located in Rio de Janeiro\u2019s West Zone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Almeida told SFN members during the October 20 visit that ACUQCA began when he started giving capoeira classes to local children in 2000. He explained that the young people interested in taking capoeira immediately wanted to learn martial arts. However, Almeida wanted participants to first understand capoeira’s history as a form of dance and training created by slaves. \u201cYou [have to] know your own origins. When you know your own territory and your history, you’re able to do good work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Adilson<\/a><\/p>\n

As Almeida\u2019s capoeira classes continued, they expanded to include a broader perspective of Afro-Brazilian culture. Demand for the activities grew, leading Almeida and other community members to register ACUQCA as \u201can institution that represents the\u00a0quilombo<\/em>\u201d in 2003.<\/p>\n

ACUQCA has been in the land titling process with the\u00a0National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform<\/a> (INCRA) since 2004. In 2014, the Palmares Cultural Foundation<\/a> certified the community as a quilombo<\/em>, a necessary first step in the titling process and an achievement that Almeida considers to be one of ACUQCA\u2019s greatest victories.<\/p>\n

Today, ACUQCA hosts cultural activities including regular feijoada<\/em><\/a> lunches and jongo<\/em><\/a>\u00a0dance circles, in addition to organic gardening and agroforestry projects. “My ancestors used to do all of this,\u201d Almeida explains, rooting these practices in the\u00a0quilombo<\/em>‘s history. The organization also trains youth from the community to be tour guides, welcoming students and locals to visit and learn about the quilombo.<\/em>\u00a0Additionally, the group is in the process of planning a physical space that will serve as the Quilombo do Camorim Community Center.<\/p>\n

Almeida explained that it would take days to tell the entire history of his ancestors and that, technically, all 12,500 hectares of the Pedra Branca State Park could be considered quilombola<\/em> territory: “This is where my ancestors walked, lived, wandered. Any trail that they have made, we could mark [as quilombola<\/em> territory]. Recognizing the immense difficulty of such an endeavor, ACUQCA has claimed a fraction of the land in the area\u00a0\u201cto at least maintain the [quilombo<\/em>\u2019s] history preserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breaking Down Barriers<\/h3>\n

\"Condominium<\/a><\/p>\n

To share Quilombo do Camorim\u2019s history with participants in the SFN exchange, Almeida led the group on a hike through some of the community’s most important sites. \u201cIn our history, there is a great deal of environmental wealth\u2014a biodiversity that can\u2019t be found in any other place,\u201d he explained. At the base of the trail, Almeida stopped to discuss the unmissable condominium looming before the quilombo. <\/em>Built in 2015 to house international media for the 2016 Olympics and presently functioning as a residential complex, the condominium\u2019s construction razed an area with deep cultural and historical significance to the community<\/a>, including, by Almeida\u2019s estimates, approximately 1,000 native trees<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Heartbroken by the loss of the land, Almeida is still dealing with the consequences. Residents of the condominium have complained about cultural events held at Quilombo do Camorim and the community\u2019s water supply has been severely limited since being rerouted to the complex. Almeida directed SFN members to an open space that serves as a community space for residents of the quilombo.<\/em>\u00a0He pointed out that nearby, where the condominium was built, the soccer field, barbecue area, and meeting space that ACUQCA had created were destroyed. \u201cIf they hadn\u2019t done that, we would practically already have a cultural center,\u201d Almeida noted.<\/p>\n

Despite these challenges, ACUQCA has worked to make the best of the situation. ACUQCA has held meetings, lunches, and mutir\u00f5es\u00a0<\/em>(collective action projects) to clean up and maintain an open-air community space, and community members are in the process of planning a community center. Almeida has also attempted to improve the quilombo<\/em>\u2019s relationship with residents of the neighboring condominium, inviting them to attend events and explaining the community’s significance. Discussing an ACUQCA event in 2017 attended by thirty people from the condominium, Almeida said: \u201cThat day, I managed to talk a little bit with them and to really share the history and importance of this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Adilson<\/a><\/p>\n

Walking down the trail, the SFN group came across a brick wall in the middle of the forest. Members asked Almeida where it came from, to which he replied: \u201cThe condominium\u2019s construction didn\u2019t just uproot trees\u2014it destroyed our archaeological work, our ancestry. But when they finished, what did they do? They built a wall so that animals don\u2019t invade the condominium.\u201d Pointing to the environmental disturbance caused by the construction, SFN members responded by asking: “Who is invading whom?\u201d Almeida ensured the group that the community is actively resisting: \u201cThe Berlin Wall fell and so will the quilombo<\/em>\u00a0wall,\u201d Almeida said. To symbolically deconstruct the wall, Almeida hopes to \u201ccreate a historical-environmental work across the wall with graffiti\u2014practically a museum, depicting photos of enslaved Africans brought to Brazil through graffiti art.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflection and Refuge<\/h3>\n

\"SFN<\/a><\/p>\n

Continuing through the forest, the SFN group arrived at a refuge for the runaway slaves who historically inhabited the\u00a0quilombo<\/em>: a grotto with two open spaces where they would rest, prepare food, and bring other rescued slaves. Presently, Almeida explained that ACUQCA works to maintain the area clean by limiting or cleaning up religious offerings that may not be biodegradeable that are left on the trails or in the river by Afro-Brazilian religious practitioners. This challenge sparked a conversation with SFN members who have faced similar challenges. For example, Aline Barcellos of the Sepetiba Ecomuseum<\/a>\u00a0shared her group’s struggles with limiting the types of materials that can be brought to open spaces like local waterfalls and with ensuring that groups clean up after themselves. Barcellos explained that they have had to prohibit public access to some areas because of these issues. Almeida agreed, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that such non-biodegradable items and flammable materials are not left behind at natural landmarks. Most importantly, he identified the need for interfaith dialogue in order to preserve nature while respecting different groups’ spiritual practices.<\/p>\n

In an enclosed space located a short climb from the grotto\u2019s open area, Almeida asked the group to pause for a moment of meditation. “Close your eyes and feel the energy of this space,\u201d he instructed. Almeida explained that \u201cin various other quilombos<\/em>, I have felt a very heavy energy of suffering\u2026 Here, I don\u2019t feel any negative sensations or bad energy. There is always good energy here.\u201d Reflecting on the challenges that ACUQCA has faced in recent years, Almeida explained: “There\u2019s so much going on\u2026 [but I won’t] give up\u2026 my ancestry speaks louder.\u201d Reflecting on the importance of nature in centering himself, Almeida said that he regularly visits the waterfalls in the forest and meditates. In his words: \u201cNature gives me strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Adilson<\/a><\/p>\n

Returning from the elevated grottoes and winding rivers deeper in the forest, the final stop on the hike was an excavation site where archaeology doctoral student S\u00edlvia Peixoto has helped ACUQCA find fragments of ceramics, tools, and plates used by enslaved Africans and indigenous peoples in the 16th and 17th centuries. The National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage<\/a> (IPHAN) has certified the site as a place of cultural and historical significance, a development that Almeida is confident will help tell his community\u2019s story\u2014\u201ca rich, untold story\u201d\u2014to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n

Jongo<\/em> and Feijoada<\/em>\u00a0Conclude Sustainable Favela Network Visit<\/h3>\n

\"Jongueiras<\/a><\/p>\n

The SFN group returned from the tour of the quilombo<\/em>‘s\u00a0territory ready to feast on the\u00a0feijoada<\/em> lunch awaiting them. The Afro-Brazilian black bean and pork stew served with rice, collard greens, and fresh orange slices is Camorim’s specialty, regularly prepared by ACUQCA for public events. Before lunch, however, one more activity remained. Upon the group’s arrival, ACUQCA members gathered for a jongo<\/em> circle, a traditional Afro-Brazilian dance that African slaves once used in order to communicate escape plans and even mock slave-owners through lyrics with multiple meanings. While SFN members learned the significance of jongo<\/em> lyrics and the steps to the dance, ACUQCA members maintained the beat on a set of African drums.<\/p>\n

As SFN and ACUQCA members shared stories over lunch and prepared for the afternoon visit to Alfazendo’s Eco Network<\/a> in City of God<\/a>, Almeida\u2019s parting thoughts remained: \u201cFight always, resist, and never give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos from the visit to Quilombo do Camorim (or click here<\/a>):<\/h3>\n