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The Kalunga Quilombo Association (AQK) inaugurated, last Saturday (29), the Kalunga Quilombo Warehouse, a space dedicated to promoting the protagonism and appreciation of the sociobiodiversity of quilombola production in the Cerrado. The opening was attended by the mayor of Cavalcante, Valmir Kalunga, the president and vice-president of AQK, Carlos Aroeira and Ester Fernandes, quilombolas from local communities and partner organizations of the association. 

During the event, several activities were held to unite, celebrate and exchange knowledge and experiences. The public was able to enjoy a street market with products from the communities, discussion groups, workshops, a cultural night with music and film debates, as well as forró and viola dancing. All to strengthen the fight for the territory and the Kalunga roots. 

“It took a lot of fighting for this day to come,” said Valmir Kalunga, who congratulated the creation of the market and put the city of Cavalcante at the disposal of AQK to think of ways to transport producers from the communities to the city. “Our goal is to be together in the fight so that we can ensure the future of our historical site and cultural heritage, Kalunga,” he projected.  

For Ester Fernandes, the construction of the Kalunga warehouse represents the strengthening of quilombola production and income generation, “because with the market, people will have an incentive to produce more in order to sell,” she explained. 

“It’s not just a warehouse. It’s resistance. It’s permanence. It’s the valorization of our culture, our knowledge, our wisdom. I believe that it will provide not only an improvement in the lives of the Kalunga people, but also visibility for the more than five thousand quilombolas spread throughout Brazil,” declared the administrative director of the National Coordination of Black Rural Quilombola Communities (CONAQ), Jhonny Martins. 

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Market structure

The Quilombo Kalunga Warehouse was built in 30 days using traditional techniques, using the bioconstruction method and adobe blocks, bricks made from a mixture of earth and water. According to the president of AQK, Carlos Aroeira, 80% of the structure was built by hand and with workers from the communities. Furthermore, all the earth used came from the territories.   

“For a construction like this, we cut the budget by at least 40% of what should have been spent on a project of this size. We eliminated sand trucks, blocks, cement and sand that would have been used for plastering, and we eliminated paint. You can throw water on it and it won’t come apart, and it stays very cool inside,” he assured. 

“Another cool thing is that several quilombolas who work in the area got involved to leave their hands on the construction process, several companions left their energy. And this is also important for belonging,” he acknowledged. 

Kalunga Production

Family farming and extractivism are the basis of the Kalunga family economy. The main raw materials are cassava and sesame, which producers use to make flour and oil, for example. There is now also a large investment in production of fruits typical of the Cerrado, such as pequi, baru, buriti and mangaba.

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Bernadina Pereira is one of the producers in the Vão de Almas community. As far as she can remember, she began learning from her mother how to transform the food around her when she was ten years old. Today, she makes a variety of products, such as coconut, pequi and sesame oils, and cassava flour. 

“You pick up the coconut in the bush. You get home and break it open. You put it in the sun to dry for two or three days. Then you take it to the pan, roast it and pound it in a mortar. You put it back in the pan and cook it. After cooking and boiling, wait for the water to dry. When it dries, the oil remains on top and it’s ready,” she explained, mentioning the recipe for making coconut oil. According to her, you need 2 to 3 kilos of the fruit to make 1 liter of oil. “It takes a day to make, but you have to start early, because we pound it in a mortar and it takes longer,” she added.  

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