Tommaso Rada Photographer | Estamos Na Luta

The Portuguese colonisation and the Atlantic Slave Trade are the historical reasons at the bases of the presence of black African people in Brazil. Despite the law that abolished slavery is dated 1888, today, Brazil suffer an Institutional and Societal racism.

The Quilombos are Brazilian settlement founded by people of African origin; most of the founders of these communities were escaped slaves. After years of fight and struggle the Quilombolas around Brazil was able to have their land and their status of Communities with an own cultural identity recognised, but it was only one step to get their rights in fact they have been threaten by farmers, owner of industries and some time by the same persons that represent the State. In the latest year the right-wings government started political actions aimed to expropriate the Quilombola from their lands.

There is an expression said by the Quilombolas all around Brazil: Estamos na luta, we are in the fight. This said is not only a declaration of fight for their rights and for the injustices their communities are currently living, it is a way to remember they are carrying on the fight for freedom started by their slave ancestors.

Santa Rosa do Pretos, Maranhão, Brazil. Josiclea “Zica” Pires throws a rock agains the mining company train that cross the lands of the Quilombo. The construction of the rail dried a water channel used for fishing and irrigation by the people of the Quilombo. Today the community doesn’t fish and farm any more.

Santa Rosa do Pretos, Maranhão, Brazil. Josiclea “Zica” Pires throws a rock agains the mining company train that cross the lands of the Quilombo. The construction of the rail dried a water channel used for fishing and irrigation by the people of the Quilombo. Today the community doesn’t fish and farm any more.

Belo Vale. Brazil. An object used to torture slaves is seen in the Slavery Museum of Belo Vale. The Slavery Museum is one of the few institution in Brazil that shows the slavery past of the Country.

Belo Vale. Brazil. An object used to torture slaves is seen in the Slavery Museum of Belo Vale. The Slavery Museum is one of the few institution in Brazil that shows the slavery past of the Country.

Santa Rosa dos Pretos, Maranhão, Brasil. Bia, a girl from the Quilombo of Santa Rosa dos Pretos is collecting mangos from the yard tree.

Santa Rosa dos Pretos, Maranhão, Brasil. Bia, a girl from the Quilombo of Santa Rosa dos Pretos is collecting mangos from the yard tree.

Januaria, Minas Gerais. A fisherman of the Quilombo of Croatá. Since the collapse of the mine in Brumadinho, the fishermem of the Quilombo are claiming that there aren’t fishes in the River.

Januaria, Minas Gerais. A fisherman of the Quilombo of Croatá. Since the collapse of the mine in Brumadinho, the fishermem of the Quilombo are claiming that there aren’t fishes in the River.

Ilha da Maré, Bahia. Daily life in the Quilombo of Ilha da Maré. The community lives of fishing mainly provided by fisherwomen. The Quilombo's communities of Ilha da Maré are deeply affect by the pollution caused by petrochemical factories located in the area.

Ilha da Maré, Bahia. Daily life in the Quilombo of Ilha da Maré. The community lives of fishing mainly provided by fisherwomen. The Quilombo's communities of Ilha da Maré are deeply affect by the pollution caused by petrochemical factories located in the area.

Ilha da Maré, Bahia. Children from Ilha da Maré spend time in front of the seaside. The Ilha da Mare is the home of several Quilombola’s communities that live of fishing. The waters where they fish are polluted with petrochemical residues and other chemical components. On the land of the island is possible to spot places where the oil come out from the ground. Most of the activists of the Island are women and they carry on the unity of the community and the fight for their basic rights.

Belo Vale. Brazil. An object used to torture slaves is seen in the Slavery Museum of Belo Vale. The Slavery Museum is one of the few institution in Brazil that shows the slavery past of the Country.

Ilha da Maré, Bahia. A group of fisherwomen during a meeting of the Community. The leaders of the Quilombo of Ilha de Maré are mainly women and are the ones that fish and catch seafood. Because of the high petrochemical pollution their still of life has been deeply affected. The Quilombolas claim they are discriminated by environmental racism.

Januaria, Minas Gerais. A local boy of the Quilombo of Croatá rides on his horse. The Quilombo’s Community ask several time to the city hall to take care of the roads but they didn’t carried on the works of mainteinance.

Cananeia, Brasil. Quilombo do Mandira. Young boys belonging to the families of the Quilombo take care of the spring waters channels that arrive to the community.

Ilha da Maré, Bahia. Diego, the son of the activist Eliete Paraguassu, shows 2 fished crabs, the main product sold by the Quilombolas. The Ilha da Mare is the home of several Quilombola’s communities that live of fishing. The waters where they fish are polluted with petrochemical residues and other chemical components. On the land of the island is possible to spot places where the oil come out from the ground. Most of the activists of the Island are women and they carry on the unity of the community and the fight for their basic rights.

Cananeia, Brasil. Quilombo do Mandira. During a rainy day the youngest son of Chico Mandira, the chief of the Quilombo, prepares the boat to retrieve some oyster from the oyster farm.

Ilha da Maré, Bahia. A member of the Quilombo bring back home the fishes he catches. The Ilha da Mare is the home of several Quilombola’s communities that live of fishing. The waters where they fish are polluted with petrochemical residues and other chemical components. On the land of the island is possible to spot places where the oil come out from the ground. Most of the activists of the Island are women and they carry on the unity of the community and the fight for their basic rights.

Belo Vale. Brazil. An object used to torture slaves is seen in the Slavery Museum of Belo Vale. The Slavery Museum is one of the few institution in Brazil that shows the slavery past of the Country.

Santa Rosa dos Pretos, Maranhão, Brazil. A man of the Quilombo Community prepares wicker object to be sold on the BR 135 Road. The road cut in the middle the Quilombo, in the past several people and animals got killed crossing the high traffic street. Now the company that run the road is planning to increase the size of it, this would cause the eviction from their houses of 300 families belonging to the Quilombo.

Barcarena, Brazil. Maria do Socorro Silva an activist of one of Barcarena’s Quilombos. Since she reveal the pollution caused by an Aluminium Extraction Company she received several death threats as a warning voice on the telephone, a home in- trusion, a punch in the face, a pistol barrel prodded against the ear.

Januaria, Minas Gerais. A local boy of the Quilombo of Croatá play a home made triangle during an improvised music session. The Quilombo’s Community ask several time to the city hall to take care of the roads but they didn’t carried on the works of mainteinance.

Januaria, Minas Gerais. Quilombo’s farmers rest after a morning of field work. The community of the Quilombo of Croatá is trying to establish some low impact bio culture using the seasonal floods of the Sant Francisco River.

Cananeia, Brasil. Quilombo do Mandira. Men of the Quilombo do Mandira prepare the bags of Oyster that will be sold to the restaurant of the state of São Paulo.

Belo Vale. Brazil. An object used to torture slaves is seen in the Slavery Museum of Belo Vale. The Slavery Museum is one of the few institution in Brazil that shows the slavery past of the Country.

Ilha da Maré, Bahia. Children from Ilha da Maré play while searching for seafood. The Ilha da Mare is the home of several Quilombola’s communities that live of fishing. The waters where they fish are polluted with petrochemical residues and other chemical components. On the land of the island is possible to spot places where the oil come out from the ground. Most of the activists of the Island are women and they carry on the unity of the community and the fight for their basic rights.

Januaria, Minas Gerais. A Quilombola stand with his donkey in front of some water reserve used from agricultural purpose. Some years ago part of the land of the Quilombo was sold by a landowner to an other despite according to the Quilombo’s Community the land is own by the state.

Santa Rosa do Pretos, Maranhão, Brazil. People from the Quilombo Santa Rosa dos Pretos during a religious festivity.

Santa Rosa dos Pretos, Maranhão, Brazil. A drummer od the Quilombo of Santa Rosa dos Pretos. Drums are an essential part of the Afro-Brazilian culture. In Santa Rosa dos Pretos the drumming tradition was lost until the wo- men of the Quilombo started to play again. Today around 30 people play the drums during the festivity, most of them are women.

Barcarena, Brazil. A Quilombo’s Community member sat in front of his house. In the last years an Aluminium Extraction Factory polluted the territory where several Quilombos communities are located. The Quilombo’s communities members exposed the pollution and now are receiving death threats.

Santa Rosa do Pretos, Maranhão, Brazil. A Quilombola stands on the rail track that cross the Quilombo's land. The construction of the rail dried a water channel used for fishing and irrigation by the people of the Quilombo. Today the community doesn’t fish and farm any more.

Belo Vale. Brazil. An object used to torture slaves is seen in the Slavery Museum of Belo Vale. The Slavery Museum is one of the few institution in Brazil that shows the slavery past of the Country.

Januaria, Minas Gerais. Caio is trying to fix the water pump in the Saint Francisco River. The Quilombo of Croatá doesn’t have tap water. Despite they requested the installation of the pipes to the City Hall, the construction work are not carried out and also no water truck is sent to the community which have to use the River waters. After the collapse of the mine in Brumadinho the waters of the Saint Francisco River are considered highly polluted.

Tommaso Rada Photographer

Tommaso Rada is a documentary photographer sao paulo brazil assignment

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