Quilombo Santa Rita do Bracuí Angra dos Reis, Costa Verde Region
In the Quilombo of Santa Rita do Bracuí, municipality of Angra dos Reis, south coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Costa Verde region, it has approximately 200 families living. The residents of this community are descendants of former slaves from the farm of the same name, which belonged to the Commander José Joaquim de Souza Breves.
Historical evidences consider that this old property functioned as a port receiving newly arrived Africans, between the years 1830 and 1850, a period when the slave trade was illegal. Moreover, Sugar cane brandy was produced there, which served as a bargaining chip in the slave trade. In 1879, year of death of Joseph Short, the slaves were freed on the condition to continue to work for the farm.
Therefore, tell the stories of slaves ancestors for their children, nephews and grandchildren it was for a long time, a strategy from the oldest to keep alive a past of donation. Meaning that, the centrality of orality, associated with a peculiar intonation, is one of the unique aspects of the culture group.
Consequently, nothing is cozier than hearing the "stories" around the wood stove! In the Quilombo Santa Rita do Bracuí, this experience was provided through fun conversation with the sisters Marilda and Maria Lúcia. As weavers, interwoven tales, jongos and quirky sense of humor to sew stories that were part of their culinary experiences. Thus, theyconjugate the verbs sew and bake with great perfection.
Mrs Marilda, when asked about the painting in the chapel in honor of St. Rita, begins the narration: "It came a graffiti boy from Bahia. As the name of the church of Santa Rita is our thing. So, they put St. Rita black. Santa Rita is white, but then they made it black" So, concluding Mrs Maria Rita says." St. Rita turned Black "Everything around raises a different story, and, like a ball of wool, the sisters keep pulling it!
From the memories of her childhood, meat hunt is the first thread to be woven, as Mrs Marilda explains: "Previously, people lived hunting too, right? So it was a way to feed too. [...] So my sister made a jongo song reminding, so that people hunted so much that's already endangered. It has a jongo to illustrate [...] ": Oh, my people come help this creature. Armadillo digs a lot, because its hard nail. The last nail, the nail hard. Armadillo digs a lot, because its hard nail”“
