
Support for quilombola communities: Creating bridges for good living
By Attilio Zolin
The quilombola peoples of Brazil have a great relationship with the nature around their territories and pass on their traditional and ancestral knowledge from generation to generation, which involves a rich and diverse culture. According to data from IBGE and the National Coordination of Quilombos Articulation (CONAQ), it is estimated that there are around 6 thousand quilombola locations in Brazil. Among these communities, only 5% are in officially recognized and demarcated territories. These communities suffer from the consequences of structural racism, invisibility and threats to their territories. Recently, difficulties have multiplied following the impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the lack of access to public health services, economic difficulties and, consequently, food insecurity.