Quilombo Pedra do Sal Rio de Janeiro, Metropolitan Region
Zungu, Candomblé, samba: cultural practices contemporaneously performed by Remnant Community Quilombo Pedra do Sal These practices, as arts of living, were built through the relation of black people to the port area of Rio de Janeiro City, along over four centuries. In the winding streets and alleys of that location, next to the port area, stevedores attended the zungus; Bahian aunts Candomble promoted candomblé parties and choro; capoeiristas fled from police harassment.
In 2006, Pedra do Sal community located in Morro da Conceição, was officially recognized as a remnant of a Maroon. Since then, the group claims symbolic territories that tell about the black presence in the region, namely the territory of the African slaves, known as Valongo market; Cemetery of New Blacks; the movement of the harbor and its old warehouses; and the Pedra do Sal and its surroundings, punctuated by memories of samba and orichas.
In Pedra do Sal, Marilúcia Luzia da Conceição, 55, one of the leaders of the community, told the group about the history and origin of the main dish of the community: the zungu.
In contemporary terms, Candomblé continues to be relevant to the residents of Pedra do Sal About religious festivities cultural practice, Marilúcia narrates: "It has the party for Yabás, which is on the second Saturday in December, the month of December is Yabás which are the women orixás, right?
As religiosity, the zungu, traditional dish in Pedra do Sal, was created in the nineteenth century. About the origin of the dish, Marilúcia explains: "Look, zungu is manioc porridge, which is the term that slaves used in the nineteenth century. They did not say manioc porridge, it was call zungu. I do not know if you know, but it was a different dialect. The samba that today we say it is samba, they called Semba.”
A dish that spans generations: "This story of manioc porridge, in our family, it is, le's say, 150 years, because it came from my great grandmother to my grandmother, my mother, who is 84 years, to me and my daughter who is 24 now. From generation to generation. We always eat manioc porridge "Finally, Marilúcia adds:" And then we're intending to do a restaurant Zungu house here in the port area. With african-Brazilian recipes. We are already a Quilombo. Now, we need to open our restaurant. We already are maroon tradition. We need to
actually be with our food here in the port area 24 hours. "To sum up, a practice of the past that can still provide means of survival for the group.
