{"id":80411,"date":"2025-01-31T21:57:24","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T00:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=80411"},"modified":"2025-02-23T13:47:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T16:47:48","slug":"launch-of-the-salgueiro-quilombo-social-museum-recovers-the-ancestral-history-of-one-of-rio-de-janeiros-oldest-favelas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=80411","title":{"rendered":"Launch of the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum Recovers the Ancestral History of One of Rio de Janeiro\u2019s Oldest Favelas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Salgueiro<\/a>
Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum launch participants. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

On January 18, 2025, Morro do Salgueiro<\/a>, one of Rio de Janeiro\u2019s oldest favelas<\/a> and a true urban quilombo [territories of Afro-Brazilian resistance that date back to slavery], located in the neighborhood of Tijuca<\/a>, in the city’s North Zone<\/a>, inaugurated the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum<\/a> at the Sal-Lage Institute<\/a> headquarters. The museum\u2019s mission is to shed light on the territory\u2019s history, with its strong relation to quilombola<\/em> struggle and community life, focusing on preserving the region\u2019s tangible and intangible heritage.<\/p>\n

Many groups active in the community attended the event, including the cultural group Caxambu do Salgueiro<\/a>, the Morro do Salgueiro Residents\u2019 Association<\/a>, the Salgueiro Herb Growers Collective<\/a>, and the community radio station Se Liga Salgueiro<\/a>, among other local collectives. In addition, during the founding ceremony of the Quilombo do Salgueiro Museum, the Rio de Janeiro Social Museology Network<\/a> (REMUS-RJ<\/a>) held its 2025 inaugural meeting, bringing together other network members as well as representatives from social museums and favela museums<\/a> across Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n

The day\u2019s program was extensive and began at 10am with breakfast at Caliel<\/a>, an artisanal bakery that follows agroecological<\/a> and solidarity kitchen<\/a> principles. During this initial moment, participants gathered to enjoy a quality breakfast and share a space for connection, exchange, and reunion.<\/p>\n

\"Approximately<\/a>
Approximately 70 people attended the inauguration of the Salgueiro Quilombo Museum. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After breakfast, participants were invited to head to the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum for its inauguration and the REMUS-RJ meeting. Following an initial greeting, all 70 or so attendees introduced themselves, sharing where they were from and which favela or organization they represented. This organically showcased the diversity of people present, including attendees from Greater Rio\u2019s Baixada Fluminense<\/a> region, the city’s North, South, and West Zones, and the municipalities of S\u00e3o Gon\u00e7alo<\/a> and Niter\u00f3i<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Following this initial moment, Marcelo Paz Olajinmina<\/a>, chef, quilombola<\/em>, born and raised in Morro do Salgueiro, and vice-president of the community\u2019s Caxambu<\/a> group, thanked everyone for their presence and spoke about the importance of launching the museum in Salgueiro.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am deeply grateful for everyone\u2019s presence here. We, from Morro do Salgueiro and its collectives, are very moved by everything that is happening. It’s been a dream of ours\u2014to be part of a network that strengthens what Morro do Salgueiro already does and also allows our community to empower others, because this favela is a predominantly Black favela. Well, my name is Marcelo Paz Olajinmina. I was born and raised in Morro do Salgueiro in a traditionally quilombola family. I\u2019m a chef and the current vice-president of Caxambu do Salgueiro<\/a>. I\u2019m also part of the herb growers’ collective here in Morro do Salgueiro, which is connected to the Ewe Ancestral Knowledge collective, focused on medicinal herbs, but in a liturgical sense… I\u2019m very grateful for all of you being here. Right now, I\u2019m here with you, but I\u2019m also in the kitchen, preparing chicken with Ora-pro-nobis, a leaf that was picked right here in Morro do Salgueiro. This favela has a deep ancestral connection to medicinal herbs, to the knowledge that flows through plants and centenary trees. This is a quilombo\u2014it existed as a quilombo even before the abolition of slavery, and many of the families who descend from those first inhabitants still live here today. We carry this tradition on to this day.\u201d \u2014 Marcelo Paz Olajinmina<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Marcelo<\/a>
Marcelo Paz Olajinmina welcomes participants at the inauguration of the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following Olajinmina\u2019s opening words, Emerson Menezes<\/a>, a member of the Sal-Lage Institute and Caxambu do Salgueiro, gave a presentation contextualizing the historical process of the favela\u2019s emergence and occupation. He also introduced the many collectives, movements, institutions, and organizations active in the community, all of which carry Salgueiro\u2019s living memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorro do Salgueiro\u2026 in the late 19th century, was first settled by enslaved people who had escaped from the coffee farms of [nearby] Alto da Boa Vista<\/a>. Initially, it was named Morro dos Trapicheiros [after the Trapicheiros River<\/a>], becoming one of the city\u2019s first urban quilombos. So, these origins date back to before the end of slavery, even before the arrival of Domingos Alves Salgueiro<\/a>, who would later give the favela its name. Another significant wave of settlement took place in the early 20th century with the arrival of people from the interior of Rio de Janeiro state and other regions of Brazil’s Southeast, such as Minas Gerais. This century-old favela cultivates a rich cultural diversity\u2026 beyond samba and funk. It is home to traditions such as Catholic litanies, spiritual healers, Afro-Brazilian religious sites, folia de reis<\/em> [a Catholic celebration where groups go door to door between Christmas and Epiphany, blessing homes in exchange for food or money as they reenact the journey of the Three Wise Men], maculel\u00ea<\/em> [a traditional Afro-Brazilian dance and martial art], and charme dance parties [heavily influenced by American soul and R&B]. Not to mention the rodas<\/em> [dancing and singing circles] that celebrate our Brazilian intangible cultural heritage: the Caxambu do Salgueiro. Even a brief history reveals the magnitude of this community, whose story is deeply intertwined with the country’s Afro-diasporic origins.\u201d \u2014 Emerson Menezes<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Emerson<\/a>
Emerson Menezes provided historical context on Salgueiro\u2019s occupation to participants at the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum inauguration. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the examples of collectives, cultural groups, social enterprises, and public institutions in the area, Emerson cited the Caxambu do Salgueiro Cultural Group, the Residents’ Association, Firefighter Geraldo Dias Municipal School, Roots of Salgueiro Daycare, the Salgueiro Herb Growers Collective, the Hortas Cariocas (a City-managed community gardening program), the Jurema Batista Community Library<\/a>, Se Liga Salgueiro<\/em> Community Radio, the Roots of Tijuca Carnival Parade, Caliel Bakery, St. Sebastian Chapel, various Folia de Reis reception groups, and Afro-Brazilian religious sites, as well as community-based tourism initiatives.<\/p>\n

After the hosts spoke, professor Mario Chagas<\/a>, director of the Museum of the Republic<\/a> and the Brazilian Institute of Museums (IBRAM<\/a>), spoke about the importance of founding the Salgueiro Quilombo Museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here today, on January 18, 2025, for the first meeting of the Rio de Janeiro Social Museology Network this year, and to our great joy, we are also taking part in the launch of the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum. It\u2019s extraordinary news and a great achievement, really, to start our network\u2019s meetings with this launch and this Social Museum. The museum is a recognition of a tradition, a heritage, a preexisting memory here in Morro do Salgueiro. It serves to consolidate, strengthen, and systematize all of this. Emerson\u2019s presentation today was remarkable, extraordinary, showcasing the full power and cultural depth of Morro do Salgueiro, and this is very important. I am convinced that the launch of this museum in Morro do Salgueiro will make an important contribution to the area and the community, but it also plays a key role in strengthening the Social Museology Network itself. In fact, this is a movement that is growing stronger. I like to think of this museum as a seed museum\u2014rooted in ancestrality, yet now bursting forth toward the future. And with that, it is also a museum that will bear new fruit, new seeds.\u201d \u2014 Mario Chagas<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Professor<\/a>
Dr. Mario Chagas highlighted the importance of founding the Salgueiro museum during his speech at the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum launch. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The inaugural REMUS-RJ meeting took place after the museum\u2019s launch, marking the beginning of the group\u2019s activities in 2025. The meeting brought together professionals and representatives from various museums and social projects across the city. Among the highlights of this first annual gathering were: the announcement of Rio\u2019s 2nd Social Museology Festival<\/a>, set to begin on February 8 at the Rio Art Museum, the presentation of certificates to museums newly joining the network, and the reading of REMUS-RJ\u2019s Letter of Principles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the middle of the day, the Caliel Bakery prepared and served a meal rooted in ancestral cuisine, featuring dishes such as free-range chicken with Ora-pro-nobis, one of many Unconventional Food Plants (UFPs<\/a>) that are abundant in Salgueiro. The meal provided an immersive experience of the traditional flavors of Morro do Salgueiro\u2019s quilombola<\/em> culture. Born and raised in Morro do Salgueiro, Denise Santos\u2014a member and second treasurer of Caxambu do Salgueiro, as well as an active participant in the Jurema Batista Library and the Salgueiro Herb Growers Collective\u2014spoke about the importance of founding this social museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fundamental for us, as residents and as people working in the social field\u2014whether in tourism or in preserving our local heritage. The Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum will also play a key role in reclaiming our history. Many young people born and raised in Salgueiro don\u2019t know the history of our community. There are many places in the community that are no longer as they were when we were kids. Today, they\u2019ve changed, but we can still talk about what used to happen in those spaces. So being part of this network, which was created for open-air community museums, is very important to us. The memory is already there\u2014the museum simply helps structure what already exists in the favela.\u201d \u2014 Denise Santos<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Denise<\/a>
Denise Santos, a Salgueiro resident, spoke about the importance of founding the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum and the community\u2019s Caxambu. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Denise Santos also touched on the importance of Caxambu as Brazilian intangible heritage<\/a>, recognized by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN<\/a>):<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to talk about our Caxambu because we\u2019ve worked to revive it. In the past, children weren\u2019t allowed to participate\u2014it was said that only adults could take part. With this revival, this reencounter, this new interpretation of Caxambu, we were able to include children and teenagers. Our Caxambu also didn\u2019t have a fixed location. Today, it\u2019s based at the Sal-Lage Cultural Space, but before, it took place in many different parts of the community. Many important figures shaped our Caxambu\u2014people like Seu Geraldo and Aunt Guida. Our repertoire included many things that were happening in the community at the time\u2026 This is important to share with visitors, so that when they talk about Caxambu, they can understand its context within our community. That it wasn\u2019t tied to just one place\u2014it was diverse, happening throughout the community, whether during the [traditional] June Festivals<\/a> or after Afro-Brazilian religious ceremonies. And after that, the joy of dancing with the Caxambu would begin.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The afternoon continued with an enriching lesson on ancestrality, featuring two of Morro do Salgueiro\u2019s cultural heritage treasures: a workshop with the Salgueiro Herb Growers Collective and a session with Caxambu do Salgueiro.<\/p>\n

\"Silvania<\/a>
Silvania da Silva, from the Salgueiro Herb Growers Collective, speaks about the importance of preserving the ancestral knowledge of herbs. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Salgueiro Herb Growers Collective<\/a> led a workshop where participants shared knowledge about the use of herbs in traditional and folk medicine. Silvania da Silva, who was raised in Morro do Salgueiro and is the granddaughter of herb growers, spoke about the collective\u2019s importance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was raised here in Morro do Salgueiro. As we\u2019ve been discussing for some time now, the Salgueiro Herb Growers Collective is 100% ancestral. Here, we are heirs, grandchildren, children\u2026 I\u2019m very proud to have been raised here, with my grandfather who sang Catholic litanies. Today, I am here to remind everyone: emotional memory is very important to me. Being raised by my grandmother, with the values she passed down to me, and now reclaiming that memory, working to keep our tradition alive. So, I congratulate all of us, because our group is carrying on and growing stronger. It\u2019s an honor to be a part of this. It\u2019s an honor to be here with all of you. It\u2019s an honor to carry our banner forward, helping it evolve and flourish.\u201d \u2014 Silvania da Silva<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Caxambu<\/a>
Caxambu do Salgueiro performing at the inauguration of the Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Caxambu do Salgueiro brought a Jongo<\/a> performance, showcasing a major Afro-diasporic cultural heritage of Brazil and the Salgueiro community. The presentation included an explanation of how the drums “talk” to each other, the umbigada<\/em><\/a> dance steps, and the salutations to the drums that mark the beginning and end of a Caxambu circle. At the end, everyone was invited to join the circle and experience the ancestrality of Salgueiro\u2019s cultural resistance.<\/p>\n

\"Marcelo<\/a>
Marcelo Paz Olajinmina speaks to attendees during a walk through Salgueiro. Photo: B\u00e1rbara Dias<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The day\u2019s activities concluded with a walk through Salgueiro, allowing participants to experience the area\u2019s cultural, social, and historical spaces up close. Some of these were mentioned in Emerson Menezes\u2019 presentation, such as the St. Sebastian Chapel<\/a>, from which the traditional procession honoring the patron saint of both Rio de Janeiro and Morro do Salgueiro departs.<\/p>\n

The walk also highlighted historical structures, such as the plantation containment walls built by enslaved people and several century-old buildings, including the Firefighter Geraldo Dias Municipal School, founded in 1919, and the Goulart stone mansion, one of Salgueiro\u2019s oldest constructions. The Salgueiro Quilombo Social Museum aims to have it recognized as historic heritage and hopes that, in the future, it can be revitalized and transformed into a space for all the favela\u2019s groups and collectives.<\/p>\n

Check out the photo album by B\u00e1rbara Dias on Flickr<\/a>:<\/h3>\n

\"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o<\/a>