The city government delivers the land title to Quilombo Camorim, the first quilombo to receive such a title in the city of Rio.

As part of the Black November celebrations, Rio's Deputy Mayor, Eduardo Cavaliere, announced this Saturday (November 22nd) the granting of land title to Quilombo Camorim, during the Dandara de Palmares Festival. It is the first quilombo to receive a land title from the City Hall. The achievement was presented at a ceremony in the Quilombo by Cavaliere, alongside the Municipal Secretary of Human Rights and Racial Equality, Edson Santos, and the Secretary of Government Coordination, Edson Menezes.

– This land regularization is so that you have more security. We know what it means to be able to pass the title of ownership to your children because this is where you live. Nothing is more symbolic than officially recognizing a place with so much history in our city – said Cavaliere.

The initiative comes from the Municipal Secretariat for Human Rights and Racial Equality and advances the recognition of the city's traditional communities. Considered one of the oldest quilombos (settlements of escaped slaves) in Rio, this achievement paves the way for the recognition of these strongholds of struggle and resistance of Black people in the city.

– Delivering the land title document for Quilombo Camorim is, in addition to being a form of reparation, one of the most important milestones of our administration. This is the first quilombo to be titled by the City Hall, thus protecting it and guaranteeing land ownership for those who maintain the traditions of the enslaved Black people who fought for freedom. Having peace of mind over their piece of land means having dignity and security to continue cherishing knowledge and ways of life that need to be preserved – stated Secretary Edson Santos.

The territorial recognition of quilombola communities, such as Camorim, aligns with the mission and objectives of the Secretariat of Human Rights and Racial Equality (SEDHIR). The central motivation for this action lies in guaranteeing constitutional rights, historical reparations, and promoting racial equality.

Although the Quilombo do Camorim was recognized by the Palmares Cultural Foundation in 2014, the land titling action reinforces the commitment of the municipal public administration to Article 68 of the 88 Federal Constitution, of the Act of Transitory Constitutional Provisions, which guarantees the right to definitive ownership of their lands to quilombola communities.

– This action represents the defense of human rights against structural racism and historical marginalization, combating the erasure of Afro-Brazilian history. By securing the territory, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall protects not only the right to land, but also the vast cultural (such as Jongo and Maculelê) and environmental heritage of the quilombo, which acts as a guardian of memory and biodiversity within the Buffer Zone of the Pedra Branca State Park. The territorial recognition action is the realization of a state policy that aims at the dignity, autonomy, and positive affirmation of quilombola identity in the city of Rio de Janeiro – commented Marcelo Santana, coordinator of racial equality at SEDHIR.

Quilombo Camorim is located between the Jacarepaguá and Barra da Tijuca neighborhoods in the western part of the city, and is part of the Pedra Branca State Park. Founded in 1614 in Rio de Janeiro by enslaved people who escaped from Gonçalo de Sá's farm after the indigenous occupation of the area, the quilombo became a stronghold of resistance and refuge for enslaved Black people on plantations in the region.

The Quilombo do Camorim Cultural Association (ACUCA) works to protect the historical, cultural, and environmental heritage of the Camorim neighborhood. The area boasts important archaeological sites recognized by the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) and is a symbol of rural-urban agroecology. Today, the association preserves the memory of the Black presence and the quilombola people who, as a form of resistance during the colonial period, took refuge in the forests of the Pedra Branca massif. Camorim is a Tupi word for the sea bass that was fished in the Jacarepaguá lagoon.

Category:

• Human Rights and Racial Equality
• News

November 22th, 2025

Appointments: City of Rio de Janeiro Quilombola Culture Racial equality