Seminar promoted by Seirdh discusses slavery and quilombos in the Amazon
Dialogue between academia and public power can support the construction of new public policies aimed at promoting racial equality
The State Secretariat for Racial Equality and Human Rights (Seirdh) held, this Friday (22), the last day of the Seminar "Enslaved Blacks and Quilombos in the Amazon." In the morning, the topic addressed was "Amazon, Slavery and the Historiographical Debate," with researcher and professor from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Flávio Gomes, and professor from the Federal Institute of Pará (IFPA), Marley Silva. The event continued in the afternoon with the presentation of the "Cartography Project of Quilombos in the Amazon," also presented by Flávio Gomes.
According to the professor, the event was a success and generated expectations in terms of integrating what is produced in academia with the construction of new public policies related to the subject. "The seminar has this expectation of suggesting axes that can be transformed into materialized products, in the sense of being made available on the internet, with links or in booklets, all directed towards an application dimension, of how the knowledge produced at the university can connect to a public policy in a government management. And then, accessed at the end by the black population, Afro-descendants, and generally in the Amazon and Brazil," he explained.
Professor Marley Silva expressed the need for new meetings. "The theme is important for the valorization of black memories, of black history. And these memories, these stories, also enable the guarantee of rights. So, I think that formative moments like this, promoted by the Secretariat, provide a service to society in general and to those interested in racial equality, in promoting racial equality specifically," she emphasized.
Centrality - Prosecutor Lilian Braga, coordinator of the Ethnic-Racial Equality Promotion Center of the Public Ministry of the State of Pará, noted the importance of seeking historical references for understanding the present. "One of our great struggles that I follow, not only the struggle for the Public Ministry, but also to observe the struggle of black, indigenous, and riverside movements, is to be able to find their existential centrality. And this, to some extent, history brings us. It carries a very important reference for us to understand our own history, perspectives as a Pará population. This is gigantic," she emphasized.
The administrative assistant and History student, Josué Medeiros, left the event inspired to address a theme for his final course project. He was particularly interested in the impacts of the relationship with the African continent, through enslaved blacks, regarding culture and religion in the Amazon, and the consequences of the trafficking of these people in the region. "The debate, I believe, was important for these reasons, including because they impact the present," he stated.
The head of Seirdh, Edilza Fontes, emphasized that it is essential to understand the historical contexts and everything that involves the present. For her, discussions like those provided by the seminar are crucial for the construction of effective public policies in promoting racial equality in the State. "I believe that these moments are of extreme importance, which is why they should be repeated so that we have effectiveness in the construction of public policies," said the secretary.
The Seminar "Enslaved Blacks and Quilombos in the Amazon" took place on August 19 and 22, at the Seirdh auditorium, with free registration for the general public.
Conference - Seirdh also held, on August 20 and 21, the 5th State Conference on Racial Equality Promotion (Coepir), at Cesupa (University Center of Pará) - Alcindo Cacela II Campus, in Belém.
At the event, 63 delegates were elected to represent Pará at the National Conference, which will take place in September in Brasília (DF).
Text: Fernanda Graim - Ascom/Seirdh
