Frechal

Christine Leidgens photographic essay based on the experience of six years lived in the community of Frechal, Maranhão, to present to the reader the story of the descendants of enslaved people who live there in photos, testimonials, texts and maps. Frechal was the first of the approximately 4,000 remaining quilombo communities in Brazil to gain official recognition and ensure full use of their land by registering it as an extractive reserve. Complementary articles by Kabengele Munanga, François Houtart, Henry Panhuys, Sergio Ferretti, Ilka Boaventura Leite and Petrônio Domingues explain why Frechal became a paradigm for the struggle for citizenship and respect for ethnic diversity.