Rose Meire Silva, 44, launches an appeal for the guarantee of fundamental rights to the residents of the community
The image of Rose Meire Silva on her knees marked the visit by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Salvador, Thursday 12. With emotion, Rose Meire shouted: “Our people are dying”. On social media, the video has gone viral, sometimes shared without context: some people have attributed the woman’s speech to the increase in hunger during the covid-19 pandemic. But Rose Meire’s pain goes back much further. “It’s been torture for more than 50 years. It’s not the first time we’ve asked a president for help”he said in an interview with Earth.
Rose Meire is a resident of Rio dos Macacos Quilomboa community which, according to art Map of conflicts, an initiative of Fiocruz, has been around for over 200 years and has been in contention with the Brazilian Navy since 1960. In that year, the Salvador City Council donated public land to the Navy for the construction of the Aratu Naval Base.
“Since then, he [o Quilombo] becomes the target of the recovery actions proposed by the Attorney General’s Office (PGU) of Bahia, which claims the clearance of the site to meet the need for expansion of the military residential village in Praia de Inema”, states the Mapa portal of Conflicts.
In addition to the land disputes, Rose Meire points out that basic services are not reaching the community. At 44 she remembers scenes of reproaches when she was a child and tried to get water from the river that cuts through the territory. “The Navy has always shown that black people can’t go to the riverside. I’ve been beaten to the riverside before when I was a kid by the military,” she said.
Today the situation, according to Rose Meire, is even worse. “There’s a part of the community that they [os militares] managed to lift a piece of wall. They have a plan to wall up the river so that the slaves’ grandchildren, great-grandchildren, have no access to the water.”
To the Earththe Brazilian Navy (MB) said it is not against the movement of community residents through the territory and says there are no records of recent conflicts between quilombolas and the military.
“In July 2020, the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) concluded the delimitation process and named the area quilombola. However, the main access to the community remains through the military area. In this context , the FM has always allowed, as it still allows the regular passage of residents, their guests, visitors and every component of the governing bodies”, reads a note from the Navy.
“Currently, under the responsibility of the Government of the State of Bahia, the construction of independent access roads to the community is underway, which will allow or improve the implementation of public policies. have opposed the implementation of public services of any nature” , reads another excerpt from the statement. See the full text at the end of the report.
Document signed by Lula
On the social profile of Quilombo Rio dos Macacos, images of the document that President Lula signed at the request of Rose Meire were shared. In it, several requests from the quilombolas were listed.
In addition to access to water, Rose Meire is asking for speed to build an access road to the quilombo without having to go through the Navy gates. “We need school transport to go up, the Samu (Mobile Emergency Care Service) to go up, because we have already been denied aid, the Samu did not pick up the young man, and the young man just left in the drawer, dead” , the woman emphasized.
In summary, Rose Meire made it clear that she hopes public policy reaches out to the community. The expectation, after the exciting meeting with the president, is that “someone from the Secretariat of the Presidency will contact the community to arrange a meeting”.
Read the Navy statement in full:
“The Brazilian Navy (MB), through the Command of the 2nd Naval District (Com2oDN), in the matter of Rio dos Macacos Quilombola Community, clarifies that, recently, a conciliation procedure has been set up in the Chamber of Conciliation and Arbitration of the Federal Administration (CCAF), seeking a negotiated solution between the MB and the Associação dos Remanescentes do Quilombo Rio dos Macacos.
The area assigned to the MB includes the Rio dos Macacos dam and is considered national security, as it contributes to the planning of activities relating to the national interest and the execution of the policies defined for the maritime area.
In July 2020, the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) completed the delimitation process and named the area after quilombola. However, the main access to the Community remains through the military zone. In this context, MB has always allowed, and still does, the smooth passage of residents, their guests, visitors and any member of the government bodies. Currently, under the responsibility of the Government of the State of Bahia, the construction of independent access roads to the Community is underway, which will allow or improve the implementation of public policies. It should also be noted that MB has never opposed the implementation of public services of any kind.
MB has always been ready to dialogue with the actors of the most diverse locations, formulating, since 2012, agreement proposals that also contemplate the offer of land and the construction of housing. However, it was only in 2022 that the Associação dos Remanescentes do Quilombo Rio dos Macacos formalized a proposal with six proposals, with the MB manifesting itself for the feasibility of five of them, being under negotiation, within the framework of the CCAF, only the one dealing with the shared use of the dam located in the region. At this point, it is important to note that the dam is the only source of water and essential for the functioning and existence of all Military Organizations located in the area of ​​Naval Base Aratu (BNA), constituting the Naval Complex of Aratu, where 1,800 military and civilian people work.
It should be noted that there are no records of recent conflicts involving community residents and FM military personnel. Furthermore, since 2016, the year in which the territory occupied by the Community was returned to the Superintendence of Union Assets (SPU) for the purposes of the quilombola titling, MB has ceased to manage it, having no longer any interference in that locality. Since then, the military’s role has been restricted to the Union military area.
Finally, it should be noted that the Brazilian Navy operates in strict legality, respecting judicial decisions, social responsibility and respecting the dignity of human beings.”
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
