INCLUSION IN WHAT? THROUGH WHAT CHANNELS?
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BOX 3.2
Self-Exclusion or Self-Defense? Quilombos, the “Runaway” Slave Communities in Brazil Africans who came to Latin America as slaves and their descendants were integrated into the local social and economic structures under unmentionable conditions. Not surprisingly, many slaves escaped (“marooned”) and settled in remote areas. Although the majority of settlements disbanded after the abolition of slavery, some have persisted until today. Current residents of these semi-autonomous communities are known by various names, including quilombola, mocambo, palenquero, and the more general cimarrón. For more than a century, these enclaves were ignored by the state and largely isolated from the rest of society. Isolation enabled these people to preserve their unique cultures, but it prevented them from benefiting from advances in living standards. In Brazil, the First National Meeting of Quilombola Communities took place in 1995. It produced an official document that called for land registration and social policies for these communities. In 2003, only 724 quilombola communities were recognized as such. With the incorporation of the Brazil Quilombola Program into the national plan, the government granted rights, including land ownership rights, to 3,524 self-identified quilombola communities and promoted their social and economic inclusion. Piggybacking on an immunization campaign, a government-sponsored study on quilombolas conducted in 2006 quantifies the conditions of these communities. Their settlements are relatively small; about half have fewer than 300 people, and three-quarters have fewer than 200 houses, though quilombola families tend to be multigenerational. A majority of quilombola enclaves have electricity, but only a quarter have trash collection or are connected to a public sewerage system. Only half of household heads have more than four years of schooling. The heightened attention to quilombolas has translated into concerted efforts by the Brazilian government and civil society for social inclusion on quilombola terms. Policies, particularly in education and health, are tailored to quilombola heritage and way of life. A World Bank and Japanese Trust Fund project targeting more than 15,000 quilombola families in three Brazilian states used a consultative process to identify (box continues next page)
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