Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo
The Brazilian Scientific Journal of Rural Education
ARTIGO/ARTICLE/ARTÍCULO
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e8671
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
v. 5
e8671
10.20873/uft.rbec.e8671
2020
ISSN: 2525-4863
1
Este conteúdo utiliza a Licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Open Access. This content is licensed under a Creative Commons attribution-type BY
Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas communities
in Tocantins, Brazil
Annyelle Figueredo Teles
1
,
Luciana da Costa da Silva
2
,
Amanda Cordeiro da Silva
3
,
Ibis Alan de Souza
4
,
Carla Simone
Seibert
5
1, 2, 3, 5
Universidade Federal do Tocantins - UFT. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências do Ambiente. Quadra 109 Norte,
Av. NS 15, ALCNO-14, Bloco III, sala 201, Plano Diretor Norte. Palmas - TO. Brasil.
4
Rede Pública Municipal de Ensino de
Porto Nacional - TO.
Autor para correspondência/Author for correspondence: annyelleteles@yahoo.com.br
ABSTRACT. The present study carried out a descriptive
approach on the living conditions of families in some
quilombola communities in the state of Tocantins. Through the
application of a structured questionnaire, 414 families were
interviewed, distributed in 21 quilombola communities in the
State. From the interviews, it was observed that the communities
were formed by a higher percentage of male quilombolas, in the
adult age group. Many families had an income of up to one
minimum wage, a value also made possible by the Bolsa Família
Program, which complements the income of these families. In
addition, a significant percentage of the residents engaged in
farming and/or handicraft activities, and most of the population
had Elementary School I (5th grade) as an educational level. The
results of this study revealed that, despite having improved the
access of quilombola communities to schools, many families are
low-income and still lack basic sanitation and electricity in their
homes. Therefore, the information presented here can contribute
to the implementation of public policies aimed at quilombola
communities in Tocantins.
Keywords: Black Communities, Socioeconomic, Public
Politics.
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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2020
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Análise das condições de vida de comunidades quilombolas
do Tocantins, Brasil
RESUMO. O presente estudo realizou uma abordagem
descritiva sobre as condições de vida das famílias de algumas
comunidades quilombolas do estado do Tocantins. Mediante a
aplicação de questionário estruturado, foram entrevistadas 414
famílias, distribuídas em 21 comunidades quilombolas do
Estado. A partir das entrevistas, observou-se que as
comunidades estavam formadas por maior percentual de
quilombolas do gênero masculino, na faixa etária adulta. Muitas
famílias apresentaram renda de até um salário mínimo, valor
possibilitado também pela ação do Programa Bolsa Família, que
complementa a renda dessas famílias. Além disso, uma
porcentagem significante dos moradores exercia atividade de
lavoura e ou artesanato, e a maior parte da população possuía
como nível de escolaridade o Ensino Fundamental I (5º ano). Os
resultados deste trabalho revelaram que, apesar de ter melhorado
o acesso das comunidades quilombolas às escolas, muitas
famílias são de baixa renda e ainda não possuem saneamento
básico e energia elétrica nas suas residências. Portanto, as
informações aqui apresentadas podem contribuir para a
implementação de políticas públicas direcionadas para as
comunidades quilombolas do Tocantins.
Palavras-chave: Comunidades Negras, Socioeconômico,
Políticas Públicas.
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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2020
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Análisis de las condiciones de vida de las comunidades de
quilombolas en Tocantins, Brasil
RESUMEN. El presente estudio llevó a cabo un enfoque
descriptivo sobre las condiciones de vida de las familias en
algunas comunidades de quilombolas en el estado de Tocantins.
Mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario estructurado, se
entrevistó a 414 familias, distribuidas en 21 comunidades de
quilombolas en el Estado. A partir de las entrevistas, se observó
que las comunidades estaban formadas por un mayor porcentaje
de quilombolas masculinas, en el grupo de edad adulta. Muchas
familias tenían ingresos de hasta un salario mínimo, un valor
también posible gracias al Programa Bolsa Familia, que
complementa los ingresos de estas familias. Además, un
porcentaje significativo de los residentes se dedicaba a
actividades agrícolas y/o artesanales, y la mayoría de la
población tenía la Escuela Primaria I (5to grado) como nivel
educativo. Los resultados de este trabajo revelaron que, a pesar
de haber mejorado el acceso de las comunidades de quilombolas
a las escuelas, muchas familias tienen bajos ingresos y aún
carecen de saneamiento básico y electricidad en sus hogares. Por
lo tanto, la información presentada aquí puede contribuir a la
implementación de políticas públicas dirigidas a las
comunidades de quilombolas en Tocantins.
Palabras clave: Comunidades Negras, Socioeconomico,
Políticas Públicas.
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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Introduction
The remaining quilombola
communities belong to a social group with
distinct ethnic characteristics. Located
mainly in rural areas, they have a
traditional way of life, expressed in the
culture, customs, parties, dances and habits
of their population (Araújo & Foschiera,
2012). Decree no. 4,887, of November 20,
2003, distinguishes these communities as
“ethnic-racial groups, according to criteria
of self-attribution, with their own historical
trajectory, endowed with specific territorial
relations, with presumption of black
ancestry related to the resistance to the
suffered historical oppression”.
The groupings considered to be
remaining quilombola communities were
formed from a great diversity of processes.
Among these diversities, there are the
escapes with the occupation of available
and generally isolated land, which
occurred in Brazil, between the years 1530
to 1888, as a form of protest against
slavery, especially to the conditions of
mistreatment to which Africans were
subjected in the Colonial Brazil period.
Also noteworthy are the communities
formed from inheritances, donations and
land receipts as payment for services
provided to the state, the simple stay on the
lands they occupied and cultivated inside
large properties, in addition to the purchase
of land, during the slavery regime as well
as after its extinction (Carvalho et al.,
2011; Malcher & Nahum, 2010).
Quilombola communities have been
resisting time and outside influences,
trying to maintain and reproduce their way
of life. In this context, territoriality plays a
fundamental role in the construction of the
group's own identity, as the different
appropriations of spaces shape, in a
particular and unique way, each of these
locations (Nery, 2004).
With the promulgation of Article 68
of the Transitional Constitutional
Provisions Act, of the Federal Constitution
of 1988, the first legal instrument that
refers to land rights by ex-slaves and their
descendants was drafted. Another great
achievement of quilombola people was the
launch of the Programa Brasil Quilombola
(PBQ), on March 12, 2004. The program
was created to consolidate the state policy
framework for quilombola areas, and
consequently, improve living conditions
and increase access to public goods and
services for people living in these
locations. However, despite the advances
obtained with the PBQ, coordinated by the
Secretariat of Policies for the Promotion of
Racial Equality (SEPPIR)
i
, Brazilian
quilombola communities are still inserted
in the context of social vulnerability.
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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Social vulnerability refers to a
condition of material fragility, of people or
groups with few financial resources,
housing, education, health and
opportunities for their social development.
The factors that trigger “social exclusion”
involve historical, gender, sexual
orientation, geographic and race issues
(Carmo & Guizardi, 2018; Monteiro, 2011;
Pizzio, 2010), which lead to social
invisibility.
For Santos (2002) the Afro-
descendants are part of a group whose
ways of knowing, living and feeling have
been disqualified, placed in a position of
existence so "inferior" that it cannot be
considered as a credible alternative for life,
which has been ignored by society and
produced its social invisibility.
In the state of Tocantins, according
to a report made in 2005, linked to the
State Plan for the Promotion of Racial
Equality, the social invisibility of the
remaining quilombola communities was an
emergency and risk issue. In this sense,
Esteves (2012) reported that when visiting
the quilombola communities of Tocantins
(Malhadinha, Córrego Fundo, Barra de
Aroeira, Distrito do Morro de São João,
Redenção and Cocalinho), he revealed that
they presented a situation of insecurity,
about the possession of the land they
occupy, as well as the precarious access to
basic infrastructure, which are necessary to
maintain the minimum quality of life.
In 2018, Brazil already had 2,685
remaining quilombola communities
distributed in 24 Brazilian states, with the
exception of Acre, Roraima and the
Federal District. The state of Tocantins, in
turn, had 38 communities certified by the
Fundação Cultural Palmares (2018).
However, it is estimated that the number of
quilombola communities in Tocantins is
greater, but what is more aggravating is
that the reality of these communities and
their needs is not known. In this context,
the present study carried out a descriptive
approach on the living conditions of
families in some of the quilombola
communities in the state of Tocantins.
Methodology
The present study was carried out in
21 quilombola communities in the south,
southeast and central regions of the state of
Tocantins, which are: Malhadinha,
Córrego Fundo, Curralinho do Pontal, and
Manoel João communities (municipality of
Brejinho de Nazaré); Mata Grande
community (municipality of Monte do
Carmo); Santa Maria das Mangueiras
community (municipality of Dois Irmãos);
Barra do Aroeira community (municipality
of Santa Tereza do Tocantins); Carrapato,
Formiga e Ambrósio, Mumbuca and
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
Tocantinópolis/Brasil
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surrounding communities, and
Quilombolas Rios (municipality of
Mateiros); Baião and Poço Dantas
communities (municipality of Almas);
Chapada de Natividade communities, and
São José (municipality of Chapada de
Natividade); Kalunga do Mimoso and
Lagoa da Pedra communities(municipality
of Arraias); communities of Laginha and
neighboring areas, and São Joaquim
(municipality of Porto Alegre do
Tocantins); Lajeado community
(municipality of Dianópolis); Distrito do
Morro de São João community
(municipality of Santa Rosa); and
Redenção community (municipality of
Natividade).
Initially, contact was made with
representatives of the quilombola
communities, by telephone, in order to
inform them about the objective of the
study and to verify their interest in
participating in the research. With the
agreement of the representative, the date
for the visit was scheduled.
The survey of socioeconomic data
occurred through the application of a
structured questionnaire (Marconi &
Lakatos, 2004), which was developed from
a fixed list of questions, whose order and
writing remained constant for all
respondents. It was applied to one
representative per family, preferably the
father or mother, who informed the data of
all members. Families who were not in the
community on the days of the visits did not
participate in the survey, which took place
between June 2011 and October 2012.
This was a quantitative study, with a
descriptive approach of the results
(Triviños, 1987), to assess the profile of
the quilombola population regarding the
number of families, gender (male or
female), age group, family income and
whether benefited by federal government
programs, economic activity and education
level. The data were categorized, according
to Triviños (1987), as fundamental
variables, with the discrete variables being
the number of families, the number of
people, gender and economic activity; and
continuous variables: age group, economic
income and education. The data was
organized into their analysis categories and
the results transformed into percentages
(%) for descriptive analysis.
This study was authorized by the
Research Ethics Committee of the Federal
University of Tocantins (UFT), process no.
048/2009, and all interviews were
conducted only after signing the Free and
Informed Consent Form.
Discussion and Analysis
In this study, interviews were carried
out with 414 families from the 21
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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quilombola communities studied,
presenting the economic condition of 1,755
quilombolas, about 80% of the total
population of these communities
ii
(Table
1). There was variation in the number of
families and people by community, which
may be related to historical factors
associated with their origin, distance from
communities to urban centers, presence of
schools in the community and physical
structure of homes.
The Kalunga do Mimoso
community, located in the southern region
of the state, was the one with the largest
number of sampled families (75), totaling
243 quilombolas. It is a remnant of the
Kalunga de Goiás quilombola community,
dated 1749, and their families are
distributed in small residential centers
(Curral Velho, Esperança, Deus Ajuda,
Cana Brava, Mimoso, Forte, Aparecida,
Matas, Ponta da Ilha, Belém and Albino)
(Pires & Oliveira, 2006). It was one of the
first communities from Tocantins to be
recognized as a quilombo, however, the
benefits achieved by the community were
few. Kalunga do Mimoso, is located 110
km from the city of Arraias/TO, its
dwellings are extremely simple and rustic,
most were built using palm straw, wood
and clay (Araújo & Foschiera, 2012), they
do not have electricity, treated or piped
water, and basic sanitation. Even so, the
presence of schools in the region and the
strong family bond keep the population in
their homeland.
The community with the lowest
number of families was São José, also
located in the southern region of the state
(8 families and 39 quilombola residents)
(Table 1). This is a rural community,
located in the municipality of Chapada de
Natividade/TO. It has a scattered
settlement, residences built of adobe
iii
,
without treated or piped water, without
septic tank and electricity present only in
some residences. Its isolated location
makes it difficult for residents to access
health and education, which considerably
reduces their quality of life and contributes
to the population's migration to the city.
The presence of a septic tank for the
storage of domestic sewage was verified in
communities benefited by the PAC
Quilombola program, such as the
Malhadinha and Córrego Fundo
communities, both in the municipality of
Brejinho de Nazaré/TO. However, many of
the communities that were not benefited by
the program did not have any type of
structure to treat domestic waste,
discarding it in nature.
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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Table 1 - Number of families, people sampled and gender (female and male) of the population, in quilombola
communities in the state of Tocantins. Data collected in the years 2011 and 2012.
When assessing the number of males
and females, there was a relatively higher
percentage of male quilombolas (54.6%)
compared to females (45.4%), also shown
in Table 1. Analyzing them individually,
only Córrego Fundo, Mumbuca and
Chapada de Natividade had a higher
percentage for females (50.8%, 53.7% and
53.2%, respectively) compared to males
(49.2%, 46.3% and 46.8%, respectively).
However, the small difference diagnosed
between genders in this work reveals that
in the communities there is a balance
between the male and female population.
In some quilombola communities,
men and women have different roles. In
the communities of Mateiros/TO, for
example, men plant cassava, beans,
potatoes and harvest the buriti straw.
Women are responsible for the Capim
Dourado Association, including the
manufacturing, sales and distribution of the
money collected, also, they take care of the
harvest and preparation of flour, as well as
being engaged in the community politics
(Lopes, 2009).
Regarding the age group of the
quilombolas, it was observed that 33.2%
were adults, followed by 24.3% children,
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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15.5%, 15.9% and 11.0% were teenagers,
young adults and seniors, respectively
(Table 2). In most communities, the adult
age group prevailed, as in Manoel João
(41.9%), Kalunga do Mimoso (40.2%),
Lagoa da Pedra (42.4%), Distrito do Morro
de São João (41.8%) and Poço Dantas
(40.4%). In contrast, the children age
group stood out in five of the communities
studied: Barra do Aroeira (36.4%),
Carrapato, Formiga e Ambrósio (35.8%),
São Joaquim (32.7%), Laginha and
neighboring areas (27.8%) and Redenção
(27.5%), also where very large families
were found. The greater number of
children in these quilombola communities
signals a growing population.
Regarding family income, most of
the interviewed families stated that they
had a monthly income above one minimum
wage (42.3%), while 29.5% and 28.3% of
families declared an income of one
minimum wage and less than one
minimum wage, respectively (Table 3).
Analyzing the communities individually, in
four of them, most families had a monthly
income below the minimum: Barra do
Aroeira (42.1%), Carrapato, Formiga e
Ambrósio (40.0%), Santa Maria das
Mangueiras (40.9%) and Lagoa da Pedra
(40.0%). In eight communities, half or
more than half of the families had an
income above the minimum wage: Córrego
Fundo (50.0%), Curralinho do Pontal
(81.8%), Mata Grande (66.7%),
Quilombolas Rios (50.0%), Chapada de
Natividade (73.9%), Lajeado (55.6%), São
Joaquim (70%) and São José (75.0%).
The Curralinho do Pontal community
had the highest percentage of families with
income above the minimum wage (81.8%),
which is also related to the percentage of
elderly people in the community (27.5%;
Table 2). This amount can positively
influence the increase in family income,
due to the existence of one or more retired
people in the same residence. The
percentage of families with an income
above the minimum wage was also high
for the Chapada de Natividade (73.9%) and
Mata Grande (66.7%) communities, which
is related to their location, the first is an
entirely urban community, in the
municipality of Chapada de
Natividade/TO, and the second has part of
the families residing in the municipality of
Monte do Carmo/TO.
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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Tabela 2 - Age group of residents of quilombola communities in Tocantins. Data collected in the years 2011 and
2012. (child - from 0 to 12 years old; teenager - from 12 to 18 years old; young adult- from 18 to 29 years old;
adult - 29 to 60 years old; and senior - 60 years and higher).
Pinheiro et al. (2013) identify the
reasons that led part of the quilombola
families of the Mata Grande community to
migrate to the city, their relationship with
their new home and the influence caused
by the urban environment. As a result, he
found that the displacement of these
families occurred in the search of better
living conditions, related to income,
housing infrastructure, education for
children and access to health. However,
despite the improvements, there was a
feeling of cultural identity loss. Family
customs changed considerably with the
move to Monte do Carmo/TO, because life
in the city brings other habits and the
distance from activities linked to the land.
The Bolsa Família Program stood out
in all communities, being present in 46.1%
of the interviewed families (Table 3). Two
communities stood out for having more
than 60% of their families benefited by the
program: Barra do Aroeira (68.4%) and
Lagoa da Pedra (66.7%), both mentioned
in the previous paragraph because of their
low income. It should be noted that the
amount transferred by the Bolsa Família
Program, instituted by Law no. 10.836, of
January 9, 2004, and regulated by Decree
no. 5.209, of September 17, 2004, depends
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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on the number of people in the family, the
age of its members and their income. In
addition, there are specific benefits for
families with children and young people up
to the age of 17, pregnant women and
nursing mothers.
Table 3. Income declared by the families of the quilombola communities in the state of Tocantins and the
benefits that contribute to family income. Data collected in the years 2011 and 2012.
On the other hand, a reduced
percentage of quilombola families (2.9%)
registered a Social Energy Tariff benefit,
that is, a benefit that gives discounts on the
electricity bill, for families enrolled in the
Single Registry for Social Programs of the
federal government. The low number of
families contemplated with the benefit may
be related to the lack of electricity in many
of the communities studied. According to
Oliveira e Silva et al. (2008), the lack of
access to electricity is considered a factor
of difficulty in employment and income in
quilombola communities, preventing the
development of production cooperatives,
for example.
In the Kalunga do Mimoso
community, there was a family that
confirmed the receipt of basic monthly
food baskets, while in Lagoa da Pedra,
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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another one claimed to be covered by the
Tocantins state program Sem Fome
iv
. It is
important to note that these programs
complement the income of quilombola
families, especially those with low income,
and/or with individuals in more vulnerable
age groups (children and teenagers).
In addition to benefits, such as the
Bolsa Família Program (PBF), mentioned
above, Brazilian quilombola communities
can benefit from other government
programs and actions, such as the Food
Acquisition Program (PAA), food baskets,
community gardens, Continuous Provision
Program (PPC) and Child Labor
Eradication Program (PETI). All of them
have the objective of improving the quality
of life of people who live in quilombola
communities. However, the lack of
information regarding the programs and
the form of registration of the community
and/or families becomes an obstacle to the
fulfillment of this purpose (Fundação
Euclides da Cunha, 2009). Furthermore,
Esteves (2012) stated that in the state of
Tocantins, the discontinuity of actions in
favor of communities is evident, mainly
due to the lack of preparation and constant
changes in management in the responsible
bodies.
The income of families in different
communities is related to the various
economic activities carried out by
residents. These activities vary depending
on the community and its geographic
location. Thus, in these locations, there are
people who work in the most diverse
professions and attributions, such as, for
example, community agents,
administrative assistants, teachers, drivers,
cooks and nursing technicians. The main
economic activities of the residents of the
communities are those focused on
agriculture and handicrafts. In this study,
42.2% of quilombolas declared themselves
to be farmers and/or artisans. INSS
benefits also contribute to family income,
with 22.8% of the people interviewed
being retired or pensioners, while only
13.6% declared themselves employed
(Table 4).
The data presented in Table 4 further
demonstrate that, in seven communities,
more than 50% of their population lives of
farming and/or handicrafts: Santa Maria
das Mangueiras (64.3%); Barra do Aroeira
(53.1%); Carrapato, Formiga e Ambrósio
(55.9%); Mumbuca and surroundings
(51.6%); Kalunga do Mimoso (57.4%);
Laginha and neighboring areas (61.9%);
and São Joaquim (69.6%). Many of these
communities combine some activities with
subsistence farming, plant extractivism,
fishing, livestock, processing of flour and
oil, and handicrafts.
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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In the Carrapato, Formiga e
Ambrósio, and Mumbuca and surrounding
communities, located in the municipality
of Mateiros/TO, handicraft is a practice
strengthened by residents. Using capim
dourado, quilombolas in this region
produce goods, such as jewelry, bags, and
hats. Handicrafts are sold mainly to tourists
who frequent the Jalapão region.
Table 4 - Economic activity exercised by quilombolas in the state of Tocantins. Data collected in the years 2011
and 2012.
Other studies carried out in rural
quilombola communities in Brazil
demonstrate the importance of agriculture
and receiving aid from the federal
government for their population. Júnior et
al. (2008), in the work carried out in
quilombola communities in Vale do
Ribeira, state of São Paulo found that the
main source of family income for this
population was the receipt of pensions and
the Bolsa Família program. On the other
hand, in the rural quilombola
communities of Pinheiros and Macuco,
state of Minas Gerais, Lima & Tubaldini
(2009) report that family farming was
predominant, with peasant traits, in the
organization of work, with the economy
being guided by the subsistence of the
family group as first priority.
Table 5 shows the level of education
of the inhabitants of quilombola
communities in Tocantins. Most people
who reported their level of education had
elementary school level (28.1%), complete
or incomplete, followed by those who had
middle school level (24.2%) and high
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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school level (16.8%). As for illiteracy,
13.2% of quilombolas declared themselves
to be illiterate, especially in Kalunga do
Mimoso (28.8%) and Baião (27.5%)
communities.
The majority of the illiterate were
elderly people who, in their childhood, had
difficulties attending school. Because
many communities are located in rural
areas, far from urban centers. Currently,
rural schools guarantee access to education
for the greatest number of residents. In
addition, when the community does not
have a school or does not have all grades,
many municipalities provide free
transportation for students to travel to
schools located in the city.
Even so, many quilombolas abandon
their place of origin when they realize the
difficulties involved with school education,
as in the Mata Grande community, in
Monte do Carmo/TO, as previously
mentioned (Pinheiro et al., 2013). Souza et
al. (2013) also reported that the low
concentration of young people and
teenagers in the Malhadinha, Córrego
Fundo, Curralinho do Pontal and Manoel
João communities, located in the
municipality of Brejinho de Nazaré/TO,
was due to the need for them to go to
neighboring cities to study and work.
Júnior et al. (2008) observed that schools
present in communities located in Vale do
Ribeira/SP offered only the first four
grades of elementary school and that the
students needed to travel to the nearest
cities to attend the following grades.
Knowing the economic and social
conditions of quilombola communities
makes it possible to analyze their health
and well-being aspects. Fry (2004) refers
to two factors that aggravate health rates,
related to the social and economic
conditions of quilombola families. First,
there are genetic diseases, linked to a
specific ancestry or ethnicity, and, second,
diseases linked to their socio-economic and
educational conditions, resulting from
unfavorable social, cultural and economic
positions.
The black population in Brazil shows
poor health conditions due to poverty,
housing, sanitation, education and work
problems, among others. This situation is
further compounded by its “ethnic
composition”, which results in diseases
that predominate in this group, such as
high blood pressure and sickle cell disease
(Souza, 2013, Teles et al., 2017). These
difficulties, especially the distance from
large urban centers, hamper access to
health in quilombola communities and the
continuous and indispensable monitoring
of people who need specialized medical
care (Andrade et al., 2015, Freitas et al.,
2011, Silva, 2007).
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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This condition was also confirmed in
a survey conducted by the Euclides da
Cunha Foundation (2009), with 60
quilombola communities, in 22 states in
the five major regions of Brazil. The
survey revealed that one of the most
prominent problems in all regions was
related to poor health care. The lack of
health facilities in many communities,
coupled with the limited coverage of the
Saúde da Família program, restricts
quilombola access to medical services,
even at the most basic levels of care. This
absence leads them to seek assistance in
distant and difficult to access places,
subjecting them to poor road conditions
and the high price of available means of
transport.
Table 5 - Education level of quilombolas in the state of Tocantins. Data collected in the years 2011 and 2012.
Oliveira e Silva et al. (2008)
highlights that rural quilombola
communities have a relative degree of
geographical isolation, social inequality
and health. Souza (2013) reported that the
lack of medical care, linked to the distance
from the community to the urban center of
Brejinho de Nazaré/TO, represents the
greatest difficulty for families located in
the Curralinho do Pontal community. In
Kalunga do Mimoso (TO), according to
Lopes (2009), the trip to the hospital
happens when the medicinal remedies are
no longer having an effect, as the trip to
the cities generates expenses.
Installation of basic sanitation,
transportation and education are also
impaired, especially in rural quilombola
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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communities, as they depend solely on the
government, which is unable to meet all
the needs of the population. In Caiana dos
Crioulos, a community located in the state
of Paraíba, Silva (2007) observed the lack
of appropriate sanitary conditions, such as
clean running water for human
consumption, treated sanitary sewage and
garbage collection. In the quilombola
community of Cedro, state of Goiás, the
situation experienced by its inhabitants is
no different, they live daily with the lack of
garbage collection, sewage and school,
along with the lack of public actions aimed
at generating income and employment
(Silva, 2012).
In relation to education, according to
Araújo e Foschiera (2012), in addition to
the absence of a curriculum and tailored
content, which incorporates a local culture
in classes, the infrastructure of most
quilombola schools is still very heated,
even with the allocation of funds specific
to that need. Many communities from
Tocantins, as reported at the II Meeting of
Quilombola Communities in Tocantins,
held in 2010, highlighted the need for
programs that help keep quilombola
teachers and students at their community
school, such as, for example, using primary
and secondary education and the training
of quilombola teachers to work in schools
in the communities.
According to the final report of the
Socio-Economic-Cultural Diagnosis of the
Remaining Quilombola Communities
(Fundação Cultural Palmares & Fundação
Universidade de Brasília, 2004), these
locations deserve special attention from the
public authorities, due to their social
invisibility, in the development process
that the country has been experiencing in
recent decades. This reality is found in
most quilombola communities in the state
of Tocantins, where the lack of electricity,
basic sanitation, investments in the areas of
health and education negatively influences
the socio-economic development and
quality of life of quilombolas.
Conclusion
The characterization of the
communities in question showed that they
deserve special attention from the public
services, as they are formed mainly by
people who perform rural activities, crafts
and/or farming, and most families live with
an income that does not meet their basic
needs. In addition, the lack of schools,
health centers and sanitary conditions in
the communities reveal their social
vulnerability and the exclusion of full
conditions of citizenship to which they are
submitted. In this context, the results
presented in this research may contribute
to the implementation of public policies
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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aimed at quilombola communities in the
state of Tocantins.
Acknowledgments
To the financial support of the
Secretariat of Economic Development,
Science, Technology and Innovation of the
State of Tocantins/SEDECTI in
partnership with CNPq, call for
applications PPSUS/2008, n. 700,612/08.
To the Federal University of Tocantins, for
logistical and financial support, with the
providing of scholarships. To the
quilombola communities for their
reception, which made the present study
possible.
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Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., & Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of quilombolas
communities in Tocantins, Brazil...
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Article Information
Received on March 19th, 2020
Accepted on May 11th, 2020
Published on June, 27th, 2020
Author Contributions: The author were responsible for
the designing, delineating, analyzing and interpreting the
data, production of the manuscript, critical revision of the
content and approval of the final version published.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Orcid
Annyelle Figueredo Teles
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0546-8687
Luciana da Costa da Silva
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3107-6166
Amanda Cordeiro da Silva
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4854-9951
Ibis Alan de Souza
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4743-9024
Carla Simone Seibert
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3988-7767
How to cite this article
APA
Teles, A. F., Silva, L. C., Silva, A. C., Souza, I. A., &
Seibert, C. S. (2020). Analysis of the life conditions of
quilombolas communities in Tocantins, Brazil. Rev. Bras.
Educ. Camp., 5, e8671.
http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e8671
ABNT
TELES, A. F.; SILVA, L. C.; SILVA, A. C.; SOUZA, I. A.;
SEIBERT, C. S. Analysis of the life conditions of
quilombolas communities in Tocantins, Brazil. Rev. Bras.
Educ. Camp., Tocantinópolis, v. 5, e8671, 2020.
http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e8671