Our Future is ancestral: The art of coexistence of the Quilombo Mesquita integrated into the Cerrado biome.

Abstract

Learning from quilombolas and indigenous communities is essential for human survival in the face of the rampant exploitation of land, water, air, and living beings. With six of the nine planetary boundaries already exceeded, it is urgent to replace the logic of capital accumulation with the dynamics that govern the Earth system. This article aims to present an overview of Quilombo Mesquita, in the Cerrado biome, based on surveys, on-site visits, and interviews that address the imaginary, ways of life, and knowledge related to water, energy, and food management, from the perspective of student researchers in the Education for Homeless Youth and Adults program at the Escola Meninos e Meninas do Parque (EMMP). The analysis of the community's sustainability and its production system was based on the ten principles of Agroecology, the Nexus approach (water, energy, and food), and the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Quilombo Mesquita's mechanisms of resilience and sustainability are anchored in strong community ties and a symbiotic relationship with the land. Opening up opportunities for knowledge exchange and confluence between quilombolas and homeless students fostered the development of skills such as teamwork, cooperation, self-esteem, and the construction of more supportive, resilient, peaceful, and pleasurable social relationships. Visualizing the quilombola countercolonial imaginary operating in the real world brought about shifts in perspectives on the human need for cooperation, unity, friendship, and the struggle for the right to access land.