Brazilian government grants land titles to ten quilombola communities

The Brazilian federal government will deliver land regularization titles to ten quilombola communities across eight states on November 26 in Brasília.

Quilombolas are descendants of enslaved Africans who escaped to form autonomous communities in Brazil. This action takes place during Novembro Negro, a month dedicated to fighting racism and social inequality. Fernanda Machiaveli, the minister of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, announced the initiative during a press conference.

The land titles will benefit approximately 1,120 families living in territories such as Nova Batalhinha in Bahia and Alto Trombetas 2 in Pará. The minister also stated that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva plans to send a decree to the National Congress later in November to simplify the land regulation process for public areas.

This change aims to provide collective titles to quilombola communities and other traditional groups, including Roma people and terreiro peoples, who currently occupy federal public land. The land titles are part of a larger program including the Quilombola Package and the second National Plan for the Promotion of Racial Equality.

Rachel Barros, the minister of Racial Equality, emphasized that addressing racism requires coordination between federal, state, and municipal governments to ensure democracy for the 55 percent of the population that identifies as Black or mixed-race. The government will also release the fourth edition of the Map of Brazil for Racial Equality on its website to share the full schedule of events.