6

Unicamp goes to the Ribeira quilombos. To teach and learn
University develops, alongside other institutions, two projects in five
rural communities on the banks of Ribeira

ALVARO KASSAB

Children at the André Lopes community church

Carefully unmolded, the couscous made with macerated rice and roasted peanuts was placed on the kitchen table of the municipal school in the rural neighborhood of André Lopes, in the São Paulo municipality of Eldorado. A few meters away, in a classroom improvised as a dormitory, a welcome message written in chalk spread asymmetrically across the entire length of the blackboard. In common, in both environments, there were more than drawings on the wall and neat handwriting on posters revealing the age range of the students – there was the joy in welcoming the “people of Unicamp” who arrived in the early hours of September 27th, a Saturday. . (At night, a forró pé-de-serra would complete the reception program).

As soon as the day dawned under a mist that covered the hills, groups of children crossed the Eldorado-Iporanga road to get to the school where the visitors were staying. The noise sometimes drowned out the birdsong and the sound of the watercourses that flow into the Ribeira River, located less than half a kilometer away, which was a little louder than usual due to the rain the night before. The excitement was the measure of what the two projects developed by Unicamp in the region represent today, for the residents of five remaining quilombo communities in Vale do Ribeira. They, the children, are one of the points that make up the arc of actions that range from agro-industrial management projects, to leadership training courses and extend to cultural rescue activities.

Welcome message in the classroom at André Lopes' school, where the Unicamp team spent the night

The quilombola communities of Ivaporunduva, Sapatu, André Lopes, São Pedro and Galvão have, in the same proportion, a history rich in centuries-old traditions and abuses perpetrated by others. Its population, made up of descendants of slaves who arrived in Ribeira in the 18th century to mine for gold, lives off family farming. In this universe, Unicamp's presence is viewed with affection by residents, normally scalded by promises that soon fall into disrepair.

Professor Celso Lopes, from the Faculty of Food Engineering (FEA), knows how fragile the line is that separates the terrain of good intentions from an intervention that puts everything to lose. A dilemma, he explains, faced by every agent who intends to work in traditional, closed or isolated communities. “To what extent is it possible to achieve this insertion without transforming centuries-old values?” he asks. Although it is premature to say, the answer may lie in the two projects coordinated by Lopes. The initiatives were so well received that the possibility of Unicamp starting to carry out permanent work in the region is gaining momentum. “The presence of the University opens up space for similar projects, it opens up other perspectives.”

Children in André Lopes: games rescued

This is not a dilettante prediction. Lopes, a specialist in integrated production systems, knows where he is going. His doctoral thesis, completed in 1999, was based on his involvement with a forest community made up of palm heart extractors in the Juréia Itatins ecological reserve. There, he coordinated the implementation of a sustainable production system that took into account ecological, social and economic criteria. For two years, native palm heart yield management indices were monitored.

This cartel was essential for Lopes to take on the coordination of one of Unicamp's projects in Ribeira, currently being implemented in Ivaporunduva. The neighborhood is home to around 80 families and was the starting point for most of the ancestors of residents of the other quilombos in the region. The project consists of the implementation of an agroindustry for banana processing, the basis of the local economy, and the involvement of the community in all stages of the production chain.

This is a partnership between Unicamp, through the Center for Studies and Research in Food (Nepa), Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) and Associação Quilombo de Ivaporunduva. The University brings in seven researchers (see table) plus a contribution of R$80 from CNPq, which in July 2001, shortly after the project began, launched a notice to make a family farming program viable that sought methods certified production quality management for small farmers.

Bruna Vasconcelos and Flávio Boni, Unicamp students, during work with children at Sapatu

The researcher makes a quick cut and goes back in time. He reveals that he was skeptical about the viability of the project when approached for the first time by ISA members, whose proposal was restricted to the implementation of the factory. Lopes did not believe in solutions coming from the top down, coming from the office. He changed his mind after the partners' commitment to involving residents in the program. The CNPq notice dispelled doubts. “I discovered the possibility of advancing the line of research”, reveals Lopes, who then involved other Unicamp colleagues in the project.

In kids - The team's objective, as stated in the document formulated by the researchers, “is to apply and evaluate, with the community, methodology for conception, formulation, design and evaluation of systems for agro-industrial production, consisting of quality management practices, methods and instruments and production appropriate to communities of small family farming producers, aiming to generate income, increase the quality of life, environmental preservation and conservation and obtain products with social and organic certification. At the same time, the necessary skills will be developed for producers and studies and executive projects will be prepared so that they can implement an agroindustry for bananas and other fruits”.

The teacher changes kids. “It’s the population defining how things should be. I would say that we work as if we were an in situ incubator”. Lopes is not given to outbursts, but he does not hesitate to state that he is unaware of a project of this magnitude in the country that is supported by such an approach and in which interaction between the proponent and the community functions as a prerequisite. This relationship, Lopes emphasizes, takes into account the peculiarities, subjective values ​​and oral tradition of the community, which does not mean that scientific rigor is left aside.
After some time on hold due to lack of resources, the project was resumed thanks to financial support obtained from the Dean of Extension and Community Affairs (Preac) and ISA. The structural part of the building has already been completed, and the equipment, valued at R$45, is being purchased. The factory is expected to be fully installed between the end of November and the beginning of December.

Bridge in Ivaporunduva: exuberant nature and subsistence agriculture

The processing plant will allow the production of any product derived from bananas, including raisin bananas, fried bananas (like chips), banana candy (with and without sugar) and soft banana candy, the most traditional product. from the remaining quilombo communities and still made in a pot, packed in corn straw and preserved in jiraus – bamboo shelves placed on top of the wood stove.

“The form of conservation is directly linked to the daily lives of communities. Sometimes the candy is preserved for six or seven months. This product, if placed on a supermarket shelf, does not last more than five days; the logic of the production and consumption chain is different. That’s what we’re working on”, diagnoses Lopes. Unicamp researchers will monitor all stages of the project, until residents take over their own businesses once and for all.

Lopes observes that Unicamp's programs have been characterized by respect for diversity, a more critical approach and the systematic practice of breaking once and for all with the paternalistic character that still predominates in social actions involving communities. “Our relationship is one of partnership. What is given and not earned is not valued.”

Wilon Mazalla Neto speaks to young quilombolas in André Lopes

The maxim applies to the project “Strengthening Associations of Quilombo Remnants of Vale do Ribeira”, the result of a partnership signed between Unicamp, through the Dean of Extension and Community Affairs (Preac), and the Solidarity University (Unisol) , with support from CNPq.

Celso Lopes, who also coordinates this project that began in June, understands that it is necessary to make the necessary cut to show the independence of the two actions – the one developed in Ivaporunduva and the Quilombos Program, which includes this neighborhood and four others, all bathed by the Ribeira. “Unisol is an NGO, whose objective is to put university students in contact with a different reality, broaden their horizon and socially commit them as a future professional”, he explains. However, the professor continues, the project has its own characteristics, being entirely formulated at and by Unicamp, with the participation of local community leaders.

“The coordinators proposed that we bring together the five communities with the aim of integrating and training them so that they can manage projects in the future. We then decided to build this project in the field.” The program, which runs until the end of November, involves 11 students from Unicamp and professor Miriam Dupas Hubinger, from the Faculty of Food Engineering (FEA), who shares coordination with Lopes. “Community leaders forwarded two strands of work. One that provides a project development workshop. The other is a workshop to find ways to increase young people’s participation in cultural recovery”, says the researcher.

Retired Aristides Furquim: living off crafts

In the project development workshop, telephony was the chosen topic. On the 27th, the configuration of the list of needs for the area was finalized. The cultural recovery workshop triggered the proposal to hold meetings between the five communities, in which a series of activities would be carried out that would spark reflection and lead to a deeper understanding of the topic. “We moved away from common sense and started with the intentionality of identifying data analysis to make a more accurate diagnosis,” says Lopes.

In this context, activities were organized to rescue local traditions in the areas of folklore, cuisine, typical dances, toys, legends and healing practices, with the cataloging, for example, of herbs found in the forest. All this material is being documented in photos and videos that will be shown in an exhibition scheduled for the project's final event.

In the quilombo – Farmer José Rodrigues, community leader from Ivaporunduva, considers Unicamp’s actions in the remaining quilombo communities to be fundamental, especially “in teaching what the people don’t know”. In the case of the industrial banana processing plant, the farmer understands that the initiative adds value to the product, creating the largest source of income for the local population. “Everyone here has their own little banana plantation.” It's not an exaggeration. It is estimated that around 2,7 thousand trees are planted in the quilombo's 400 thousand hectares.

José Rodrigues, from the Quilombo Association of Ivaporunduva: resistance

Residents sell an average of 600 boxes of 20 kilos per week. The profit is shared among the 80 families, in a system that has a cooperative basis. A truck with the capacity to carry 8 tons purchased by the community distributes the product at Ceasa, in São Paulo. “We sell two 'carradinhas' a week, around R$3.” After doing the math, you can see that the money is enough to cover the expenses.

Production is controlled. Twenty-seven farmers have just obtained the certificate from the Biodynamic Institute of Botucatu (IB), which attests to the organic origin of the banana. According to the institute, “the producers fully met the norms and standards of agricultural production required for certification”. “No poison comes in here”, warns José Rodrigues, whose plans include making sweets made from organic bananas.

Respect for nature is atavistic in Ivaporunduva. The village can only be reached by ferry or in a canoe that crosses incessant back and forth the approximately 100 meters that separate the two banks of the Ribeira. “Our 'ancients' taught us how to preserve”, reports Rodrigues. The native forest remains practically intact, agriculture is subsistence and fishing, carried out in canoes “dug” in “fallen” wood, follows centuries-old rituals. Rodrigues knows that organization is the only way to resist predatory incursions. It's in the story.

According to ISA data, Ivaporunduva is part of a region “which concentrates the largest number of remaining communities in the State of São Paulo”. This situation, according to the ISA, is mainly due to the gold mining that predominated in the region in the mid-18th century. According to surveys by the institute, with the abolition of slavery, slaves remained in the area as farmers.

Marcelo Mazolla speaks to community leaders: telephony in question

Rodrigues relies on oral tradition to narrate the history of the place. It says that a farmer known as Maria Joana became ill and returned to Portugal, leaving her slaves behind. Part of them remained in Ivaporunduva and the other went “into the depths”, later spreading to other communities. The quilombo houses two architectural relics of the time. A church built in the 18th century, Nossa Senhora do Rosário, and a cemetery surrounded by a mud wall and nestled in the middle of the forest.

The area referred to in the ISA study is part of a very rich ecosystem, a Natural Heritage Site of Humanity since 1999. According to a document prepared by Unicamp researchers, Vale do Ribeira contains the largest continuous area of ​​Atlantic Forest in the country. It is home to 2,1 million hectares of forests, 150 of restingas and 17 of mangroves, the most preserved genetic bank in the Northeast, Southeast and South regions and the most important freshwater reserve in the states of São Paulo and Paraná. On the other hand, social indicators place the region as the poorest in the State.

The Ribeira, the only “living” river in São Paulo, has been frequently threatened in recent years. On the 25th, Ibama rejected the request for environmental licensing made by Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio (CBA), of the Votorantim Group, for the operation of the Tijuco Alto Hydroelectric Plant.

View of Ivaporunduva, a community on the banks of Ribeira, where Unicamp is developing an agro-industrial management project

According to Rodrigues, who is part of the MOAB (Movement of Those Threatened by Dams), the construction of a dam on Ribeira would cause irreparable damage to the environment and the riverside population. “In a swamp like ours, the water would cover from hill to hill and devastate our agriculture, all of which developed on the banks of tributaries of the Ribeira”. ISA data corroborates the thesis. Preliminary studies indicate that “the Tijuco Alto Hydroelectric Power Plant would flood an area of ​​11 thousand hectares made up of massive native forests and caves, in addition to significantly altering the water regime, which would affect the entire Lagamar estuarine complex”.

The dams are just one chapter in the land saga led by the quilombolas. In just a few minutes of conversation, José Rodrigues lists other examples. The problem was partly minimized with the granting of definitive land titles in some communities, including Ivaporunduva. Not everyone, however, was as lucky.

Retired Aristides Furquim, for example, a resident of the André Lopes neighborhood, doesn't know if he will live long enough to have the right to the land that once belonged to his great-great-grandparents. Furquim lives in a wattle and daub house no more than a kilometer from Caverna do Diabo. He survives on crafts made from banana straw, another source of income in the region. “For a change”, he also makes fruit baskets and bodoques, a rudimentary weapon of his ancestors. He is another quilombola who sees Unicamp as a partner. Not by chance, his wife, Dona Santina, was seen rehearsing some fandango steps at a cultural recovery workshop in the Sapatu neighborhood.

 

Top