In the northeastern region of Alcantara, Maranhao on the Brazilian coast, traditional Black communities known as quilombos have existed for generations. These communities, founded by ancestors who were either freed or escaped from Brazilian plantations, rely on farming and fishing for their livelihood. Across Brazil, there are thousands of such quilombos, but only a few possess legal titles to their lands.
These communities face constant threats from various development projects, resource extraction, large-scale agriculture, and real estate ventures. The Alcantara Space Center, established by Brazil’s military dictatorship in the early 1980s, posed a significant threat to these communities. To build the center, which was ideally located near the equator for launching rockets, the quilombo communities were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands.
Despite these challenges, the quilombos have resisted. They have organized, lobbied, and defended their territory in the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights, which ruled in their favor. In 2024, the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva officially recognized the Alcantara Quilombo Territory, committing to give the quilombo communities the titles to their land.
This story is the focus of episode 59 of the Stories of Resistance podcast, co-produced by The Real News and Global Exchange. The podcast, supported by Global Exchange’s Human Rights in Action program, brings stories of resistance and hope each week. The host, Michael Fox, invites listeners to support his investigative journalism through his Patreon account, where exclusive content is available. Despite the ongoing struggle, the quilombo communities remain hopeful, embodying resistance, unity, and success.