Slavery, silence, and recognition through female voices in the quilombo communities in Brazil

Quilombos in Brazil are associated with the history of slavery, colonialism, geographic isolation, and proximity to nature. These negative attributions ascribe inferiority of Black people who were enslaved and had restricted territorial rights and social dignity. However, the quilombola minority have a strong sense of cultural practice and collective memory. Since the late 20th century, quilombola have performatively expressed their resistance to their past of slavery and suppression and have themselves become symbolic of the anti-racist struggle. The community gained legal recognition and began participating in Brazilian social life. This chapter discusses how quilombola narratives are reconfigured to invert the silencing caused by racism, engaging with their traumatic pasts and embodying their inequalities, resulting in self-affirmation and active resistance of pejorative stereotypes. Focusing on the Pinhões community in the state of Minas Gerais, the chapter presents how legal recognition of quilombos operates as a platform for people to move from hitherto-silenced repression and historical annulment to becoming fully fledged Brazilian subjects.