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. Estamos na Luta it means we are in the fight, for their rights, for the injustices they are living and a way to remember the fight for freedom of their slave ancestors.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

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

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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 - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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Santa Rosa dos Pretos, Maranhão, Brasil. Bia, a girl from the Quilombo of Santa Rosa dos Pretos is collecting mangos from the yard tree.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

© Tommaso Rada - Image from the Estamos na Luta photography project
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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.

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