Sao Paulo Living Lab
Reclaiming ancestry and creating new roots:
Ancestral Knowledge Assemblage Living Lab in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Traditional urbanization appears to face significant limitations in addressing the environmental, urban, and socio-economic crises in the Global South. On the other hand, ancestral knowledge and practices in these countries have presented different alternatives to these crises, not only with solutions. These experiences, rooted in alternative value systems, have resisted colonial systems and offer promise for a more sustainable and ethical socio-environmental future. These values are rooted in a distinct ethical and aesthetic framework, providing a basis for reevaluating paradigms, including urbanization models.
The Brazil INSUAH team has investigated urban agroecology experiences that challenge or provide alternatives to landowning, patriarchal, racist, and environmentally destructive practices. We selected certain urban agriculture initiatives as heritage, led by peripheral family farmers, as well as afro-descendant and indigenous communities in the city of Sao Paulo.
In order to have a collective and shared built comprehension of what, from whom and how ancestries have influenced current urban agriculture as heritage (UAH), the Brazilian team designed an initial multiscalar, multi-actor, transdiciplinary and co-production Living Lab (LL) (fig. 1) called “Encontro de Saberes: Guarani Mbya, agricultura afrodiaspórica, quilombola e agroecológica” (Ancestral Knowledge Assemblage Guarani Mbya, afro-diasporic, kilombola, and agro-ecological agriculture) LL in September 2023. It gathered farmers from east and south Sao Paulo peripheries, ancestral indigenous and afro-descendant religion and kilombo representatives in agroecology, as well as NGO and Federal Government lecturers and external observers (academic and agroecology leaders) in the city of Sao Paulo.
The primary objective of the Ancestral Knowledge Assemblage was to facilitate an in-depth discussion on heritage, not merely as a relic of the past, but as a dynamic force that shapes the present and guides the future. Through engaging discussions, presentations, and participatory activities, the meeting sought to highlight the meaning of preserving and honoring ancestral knowledge and traditions while also fostering cross-cultural dialogue and mutual respect.
Among specific objectives, the LL aimed, first, to approach afro-descendant and indigenous worldviews according to the ancestral specificities related to the cultivation, preparation and consumption of traditional and sacred foods such as the creole corn for the Guarani MBya nation and plants for rituals according to afro-descendant orishas. Following this reasoning, agriculture goes beyond feeding the collectivity, but also involves connecting spirits on other plans from their cosmological values, as well as healing bodies and souls with plants, recovering memories, rituals and the flavors of the community’s ancestors. Second, it also sought to share experiences of territorial struggles, modes of self-management and political action for territorial preservation. Finally, the LL included a practical agroecology activity – a Seed and Seedlings Exchange, which was important in terms of the different understandings of meanings, techniques and processes related to cultivation, as well as several meanings of relevant species of interest to the communities.
Therefore, the co-production methodology in LL could prove to and reveal among themselves that it is possible to deepen and complexify the various forms of resistance to maintaining ancestral knowledge. At the same time, it contributed to the understanding that heritage can only exist if it is kept alive through the transmission by those with legitimacy and if their territories for cultivation, spirituality, work, and life are safeguarded.
Resistant wisdoms, territories and techniques:
Decolonializing Urban Agriculture Heritage
Urban agriculture seems to be strategic in a national and international context of simultaneous threats to agro and socio-biodiversity, insofar as disincentives to socio-environmental protection are combined with threats to knowledge and land tenure security of traditional communities and people. Even in Brazil, financialization processes of urban land are applicable to rural ones when soil and its products are removed from the field of rights to become financial assets, patents and commodities for monocultures exported by national and international investors on the global market. The choice of decolonial and intersectional perspectives is justified by the denial of the colonial heritage as a hierarchical system of culture, race and gender that belittles knowledge of native and/or enslaved peoples and expropriates wealth from peripheral countries (GONZALEZ, 1988; KILOMBA, 2019). In addition, they seek to identify the strategic role of women in food chain, above all by calling for the valorization of unpaid reproductive work, denouncing structural violence they suffer in their territories and criticizing the distancing from natural life cycles in the accelerated perspective of agribusiness (MIES; SHIVA, 1993).
For this reason, the Ancestral Knowledge Assemblage LL aimed a deeper reflection on heritage not only from a temporal rescue, but towards a commitment to build a future based on respect for other cultures and ancestries origins and their ethical foundations. The LL allowed the exchange of experiences as an opportunity to recognize UAH methods and tools of interest to the groups. During the discussions, the participants identified similarities between their knowledge, as well as their challenges. The contributions also defined the limits and risks of academic heritage methodologies, since they are conditioned to understanding and using the knowledge of subalternized peoples without due care. This alert has reoriented the actions of INSUAH Brazilian team, which has endeavored to keep voices and authorship in the spotlight.
From the afro-descendant knowledge, ancestry can not only be defined as a generic inheritance but also an important category for African spirituality. The African ancestral foundation is based on the principle that all beings are connected by a link of vital force transmitted from ancestors, including orishas, to their descendants. A principle common to many African societies lies in the need for regular interaction with ancestors who inhabit the “other world”. This is essential to guarantee the sustainability of life “in this world”. These traditions were brought to Brazil by the enslaved African population who have had enormous conflicts to freely express their beliefs and values. Afro-descendant terreiro people who are priests and priestesses of Afro-diasporic religions that participate in this LL have adopted two names: one is a civic one, and the other, the religious one.
Antonio Bispo dos Santos (1959-2023), known as Nego Bispo, an important afro-descendant knowledge reference, was a farmer, poet, writer, teacher, and activist in the kilombola culture and rights for land use movement. He articulated the concept of ancestry with the following statement: “Because even if they burn writing, they won’t burn oral traditions. Even if they burn the symbols, they won’t burn the meanings. Even if they burn our people, they won’t burn our ancestors.” (BISPO, 2022) According to him, ancestral knowledge is open to be taught to anyone interested in. The holders of this knowledge then take on the commitment to also teach everything they have learned to those who need it. Thus, as long as the people who hold the knowledge and those who have learned from them continue to spread it, even if the ancestors are already buried, they will be kept alive through their living knowledge. On the other hand, if the ancestral knowledge is no longer taught, the holder of the knowledge will be buried, even if he is alive. This forms a link of co-responsibility for knowledge. He concludes: “So this is a relationship with ancestry, my dear. I’m increasingly reassured, because more and more Norberto Mattos is alive. Ancestry is not dead, ancestry is alive, it is present. It is now. Ancestry is a trajectory, ancestry eats. We need to feed ancestry and feeding ancestry is simple. Mother Joana used to say: ‘good words, some hours; bad words, no hours.’”
Another important ancestral knowledge from the Brazilian native indigenous side and insurgent thinker, Ailton Krenak, suggests “establishing a sensitive link with the memory of our peoples”, because the idea of the future has its seeds in ancestral knowledge. Amidst catastrophic world news and scenarios, or conversely, in the face of vain hope for universal and magical solutions, Krenak invokes the ancestral future. For him, the image of this future is that of a river: “The rivers, these beings who have always inhabited the worlds in different forms, are the ones who suggest to me that, if there is a future to be considered, this future is ancestral, because it was already here.” (KRENAK, 2022)
The INSUAH transdisciplinary and co-production methodologies allowed the Ancestral Knowledge Assemblage LL guests to contribute to the heritage debate through their diverse backgrounds. The meeting, organized into five sessions of speeches and discussions, lasted two days and took place in the Kalipety tekoa (Kalipety village), an area occupied by the Guarani Mbya of the Tenondé Porã Indigenous Lands since 2013. This location was chosen for its symbolic significance, representing the native ancestry within the Brazilian territory Atlantic Rain forest. The aim was to present the struggle experiences for territory, its forms of management, territorial and heritage preservation. This experience is directly related to the recovery of traditional Guarani crops and foods. Without agricultural recovery, it would be even more difficult having land back.
Guarani Mbya inhabitants have reclaimed the Kalipety Village area as a traditional site since 2000. Until the 1970s, Guarani families inhabited the area, which had been occupied by non-indigenous squatters for eucalyptus (kalipety in Guarani language) monoculture. During this period, Guarani families remained in the area as workers for the squatters, using it as a means to maintain a connection to their traditional land.
Although still abundant, eucalyptus is now being used to build the community’s houses and as fertilizer for the fields. Tekoa Kalipety is currently a reference in agro-ecological practices, combining traditional Guarani knowledge with alternative techniques from the non-indigenous world. The Tenonde Porã Indigenous Land covers a large part of the southern districts, and extends into more six municipalities with 16,000 hectares total area and a population of more than 2,000 people (fig. 2). The land was recognized by the state department in charge of native indigenous affairs – FUNAI (National Indigenous People Foundation) in 2012 and the territory was recognized by the Ministry of Justice in 2016. Despite that, the indigenous people are still waiting for the area to be juridical and territorially demarcated, consequently, their land tenure remains endangered by non-indigenous squatters.
For the Guarani Mbya, the forest serves as the cornerstone of their culture and the foundation of their survival. It guarantees the reproduction of their way of life, in accordance with their customs. Despite the abundance of Atlantic Rain Forest remnants in the region’s extreme south, the territory has suffered significant degradation due to coal exploration and wood extraction. Occupying this territory brought new challenges to the Guarani Mbya. The Guarani face continuous and challenging work in preserving the forest, despite not initially intending to be its protectors. However, efforts are being made to recover both the forest and traditional crops. This is because the Atlantic Rain Forest aligns closely with their cosmological beliefs and spiritual practices. For the Guarani, the conservation of their world is carried out through ritual practices, with which they intend to continually reproduce the foundational cosmology. Their unwavering commitment to forest recovery not only enhances the resilience of Guarani culture but also underscores the collective efforts of individuals like Jera and her peers.
In Kalipety village there was a football field, built under a rubble landfill. With alliances and support from non-indigenous people, they planted an agroforest, employing mixed planting techniques. This included using straw and organic matter, broken eucalyptus trunks, a preparation of microorganisms, and many seeds. In the first year they harvested pumpkin, and some corn (fig. 3). In the second year, the surplus harvest fed anyone who passed by the village (fig. 4). In October 2023, nearly three years after planting, banana trees towering almost three meters high adorned the football field (fig.5). The indigenous community has begun cultivating a new agroforestry area within an old clearing nestled between eucalyptus trees (fig. 6).
Besides the INSUAH Brazil Team, which includes Luciana Itikawa and Tania Knapp, the LL aim was to invite leading indigenous and Afro-descendant ancestral representatives as strategic lecturers. These included: Jera Poty Mirï, Guarani Mbya leader of the Kalipety village and her husband, Lucas Keese dos Santos, anthropologist; Aurico Dias, community leader from Kilombo São Pedro; Tata Kejessi (Elvio Motta), from Kilombo Anastácia, and a representative from the Ministry of Agrarian Development; Mãe Adriana de Nanã (Adriana Dias de Toledo), from Instituto Ile Axe Omo Nanã, and Cabaça Project coordinator. The LL also invited agri-food culture specialists Gabriella Cristina Pieroni and Ligia Meneguello from Slow Food Brazil. Many other participants also took part, whose names are listed in the fact sheet at the end of the text.
Multiscale, multiactor, transdisciplinarity and coproduction:
Brazilian Living Lab methodology
The 5-country INSUAH team has agreed upon 4 structural methodological LL concepts: first, all the cities surveyed have demonstrated that UAH dynamics have elements that go beyond the local scale of the territory. Whether through the involvement of inputs and outcomes whose impact and exchange relationships matter or act differently in different scales within the urban economy. Therefore, a multiscalar perspective that includes national, regional and local assessment frames can deal with different features that don’t appear at the garden level, such as actors, consumers, urban foodsheds, environmental or climate issues, etc. Maps 1, 2, and 3 below demonstrate the locations of participants’ residences in different scales that participated at the Ancestral Knowledge Assemblage LL. We could prove how the invited strategic guests could share common heritage comprehensions, even kilometers away.
These three maps depict how different actors (fig. 7) that live far away from each other, share common and similar understandings about heritage, ancestries and challenges. Yellow dots are the afro-descendants, east and south farmers representatives; orange ones are the INSUAH Brazil team; purple ones are the academic and agroecological external observers; blue one is an INSUAH consultant; green ones are the heritage agroecological experts; red one is the indigenous village that hosted the LL and its indigenous leaderships.
After discussing the multiscale perspective, which allows for a comprehensive assessment of urban agricultural dynamics across various levels of scale, we also turn to another crucial aspect of our methodology: multiactor/multistakeholder engagement.LL strategy. This strategy complements the multiscale approach by involving diverse actors/stakeholders in the participatory knowledge-building process, thereby enriching our understanding of urban agriculture from different perspectives. Although farmers and local communities, traditional or not, are the protagonists of the bottom-up participatory knowledge building LLs, other important players in research, public policy bargaining channels, advocacy and agroecology activism have contributed to a more complex and in-depth understanding. From the farmers’ perspective, networking strategies to defend, resist and raise awareness about the importance of urban agriculture are fundamental to maintaining and preserving the territory and ancestors’ ways of life.
Regarding the complexity of UAH as a confluence of different knowledge fields, such as landscape engineering and architecture, history, natural and human sciences, etc., INSUAH team has chosen a broad understanding of transdisciplinary research. Brazil team, in particular, has worked, invited, learned and shared with different professionals, experts, practitioners and public officials that have enlightened different research framework potentials.
Finally, co-production is not only a participatory research tool, but also a more democratic and inclusive means of heritage comprehension. Once the INSUAH project pretends to provide a critical perspective on power imbalances, recover, valorize marginalized knowledge, and actively dismantle inherited colonial power structures, it is not only a matter of embracing diversity. It means LLs should approach a decolonial and intersectional framework that lead us to choose carefully which representatives and groups were, in the social hierarchies, socially subordinated and historically silenced ones in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, nationality, age, class, etc. It means creating an atmosphere of trust, listening to, respecting and welcoming opposite points of view, and not imposing one’s own agendas; as well as always asking first if someone would like to appear in any record, and respect if the answer is negative.
Findings on indigenous and Afro-diasporic religion and kilombo ancestries in agroecology:
Living labs to approach heritage in everyday life in Sao Paulo City East and South zones
Some of the Sao Paulo urban gardens with heritage features, which are involved in INSUAH project, play multiple crucial roles: (1) They contribute to agro-biodiversity by preserving native creole seeds and species from Brazil and other regions as a living library; (2) They ensure food security for the community by channeling production and facilitating non-capitalist exchanges of seedlings and seeds mostly for vulnerable peripheral communities; (3) They uphold traditional practices associated with food, medicine, religion, and adornment, drawing on indigenous and Afro-descendant knowledge; (4) They empower women by promoting their protagonism and economic autonomy, particularly within popular race and gender movements; (5) They resist against racism and knowledge erasure of afro-descendant and indigenous plants; (6) They reclaim land for its use value rather than for exchange, often repurposing public vacant land for environmental conservation, such as urban environmental corridors.
The host of the event, Jera Poty Mirï, leader of the Kalipety village, opened the event with the Guarani choir (audio available). Jera (fig. 8) then began her speech with an explanation about the use of the petyngua, while she was using it: similar to a cigar, the petyngua is not smoked; instead, the smoke is held in the mouth and then exhaled (fig. 9). It is a traditional Guarani artifact, used to help concentrate. Petyngua is related to the god of mist and fog, Jakaira (POPYGUA, 2022:33).
The herb used is tobacco (rope smoke), petyn in the Guarani language.The first session lecture took place in the House of Prayer, the Opy. Jera explained that it is forbidden to ask for material things there, it is a place where you give thanks for being alive for another day. It is also where, in the yerba mate ceremony, after one year of birth, children receive their Guarani name, which is not the translation of the non-indigenous name registered. It is a sacred name received by the divinities through the xeramoi, the shaman.
Father Marcelinho de Logum Edé (Marcelo Raimundo dos Santos), from the afro-descendant group, was aware of the similarities between Guarani spirituality and that of Afro-diasporic religions. He highlighted the fact that terreiro people also receive their own baptismal name, which is not the same as the one registered in official documents. He also mentioned that one of their afro-diasporic religion deities is an indigenous representative.
Second LL session began with Aurico, a kilombola leader (fig. 10). His speech aimed to contribute to an understanding of heritage as a tool for defending traditional territories. The kilombola agricultural system of the Ribeira Valley, where Aurico’s Kilombo is located, is a national intangible cultural heritage. According to the farmer and community leader, 80% of the remains of the Atlantic Forest in the state of São Paulo is in the Ribeira Valley, and most of it is concentrated in the Kilombos.
Before the coivara system was recognized heritage in 2006 by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN), the kilombo residents were forbidden to cultivate because part of their territories are in preservation areas, such as national parks. The authorities attributed the coivara system to environmental damage. Not being able to plant in the traditional way, kilombo farmers lost criollo seeds and it affected the communities health and food security.
For this reason, nine years before their agricultural system had been recognized as a national heritage value, the community organized itself to ensure the preservation of their traditional foods and creole seeds. Since 2009, kilombola communities have organized an annual fair for seedlings and seeds exchange, featuring cultural activities and debates on key issues for managing their territories. This fair has been recognized as a powerful safeguarding instrument, as well as a moment of celebration and cultural dissemination.
The second day started with the third LL session with lecturers Gabriella, director; and Ligia, coordinator of the Slow Food Brazil Association (fig. 11). They presented not only the history of the institution, but also two experiences of a participatory heritage inventory of agro-food culture in two indigenous communities in northeastern Brazil. Starting with an initial dynamic, in which each person had to choose the food they like best and the memories it brings back, Gabriella explained that the Inventory has this challenge: to survey, select and define the importance of cultural and collective heritages. The Participatory Inventory of Food Culture is based on and dialogues with IPHAN’s Participatory Inventories tool, but has an approach and methodology adapted by the association. Any inventory serves as a management tool, as a fight for rights and preservation. For Gabriella, culture and knowledge are dynamic, which is why the inventories are not intended to fix knowledge without the possibility of change and adaptation.
During the discussion, participants shared numerous examples of how afro-descendant and indigenous food culture contributes to the strengthening of spirit and character. This includes its role in healing and protection of the body and soul through plants, utilizing their medicinal properties and in religious rituals dedicated to gods or orishas. Additionally, they highlighted the significance of traditional flavors passed down through generations, often preserved and replicated by women in the community. Moreover, there was emphasis on the community spirit, which values shared wealth as a collective achievement.
However, amidst the challenges of seeds losses, dwindling agrobiodiversity, and efforts for recovery and conservation, there emerges a space for innovation. During the event, a small fair was organized for participants to exchange seeds, seedlings, handicrafts, and food products (fig. 12 and 13). Among the attendees, Sidnei and Odete, a couple from the Porto Velho Kilombo, showcased their homemade sweets derived from sugar cane cultivation. Sidnei offered a sample of their latest creation, ‘duradoim,’ a sweet that ingeniously combines traditional flavors of paçoca, (made from peanuts), and rapadura (sugar cane product). This inventive culinary creation exemplifies the dynamic nature of food culture within traditional communities.
The fourth speech was given by Mother Adriana de Nanã (Adriana de Toledo), coordinator of the Cabaça Project and an Afro-diasporic religion priestess (fig. 14). Cabaça Project is an academic action-research initiative that develops etnobothanic contents on afro-descendant agroecology as well as pilots an academic community garden with the principles of solidarity economy of the terreiro people at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, at Sao Paulo eastern zone since 2019. The terreiro economy is guided by the Afro-diasporic perspective, in which community resistance strategies keep afro-descendant religion alive through the recognition of diverse black technologies, spiritualities and knowledge. The aim of the project is having an afro-diasporic way of living, i.e. to generate income and maintain the community’s food culture, livelihood sovereignty and circular economy through sustainable waste management, and plant-derived processed products. It means that all its actions are guided towards ethical values through fighting against religious racism, community solidarity, women’s protagonism, leadership, and economic autonomy.
The fifth session’s ultimate lecturer was Tata Kejessi (Elvio Motta), the Ministry of Agrarian Development representative (fig. 15), and also the Kilombo Anastacia leader. He gave an institutional speech on power, recalling his position as the current chief manager of the Ministry of Agrarian Development in the Sao Paulo office. He highlighted his responsibility: “History has not reserved for us the possibility of making mistakes, our ancestors never made mistakes, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”
According to his speech, people’s power has been stolen. The history of Western civilization shows genocide, burning women. This civilization would be different if it hadn’t stolen people’s power. Black people in Brazil have a great power of transformation, of reinvention, because they reinvented their rites and their culture with other plants, animals and rituals, with what they found in Brazil.
Ancestries as futures:
Democratic, decolonial, intersectional and inclusive UAH
Ancestries as futures: Democratic, decolonial, intersectional and inclusive UAH
The Ancestral Knowledge LL revealed many common understandings about the relationship between agroecology and ancestral ways of life. The first evidence of a shared understanding between native indigenous ancestries and diasporic Afro-descendants is the recognition of the inseparable relationship between culture and nature. They reject the view of nature as a mere external resource to be exploited by humankind. Cultivation and preservation are intertwined activities, often combined with the cycles and species of native forests. For example, both indigenous people and kilombolas maintain territories with the largest remnants of the Atlantic Rain Forest, because most of their deities live there. We argue that this convergence arises from the harmonious interplay between their way of life and their deep-rooted relationship with nature. Moreover, both indigenous peoples and kilombolas sought refuge in the forest to escape colonial violence, such as capture, homicide and enslavement.
The second piece of convergence evidence between afro-descendant and indigenous ancestries is the choice of species not for mass monoculture agribusiness productivity, but for the preservation of creole species associated with the identity of the race/ethnicity, or with rituals that connect ancestors, gods and orishas. Central to the meeting was a spotlight on the vital importance of revitalizing traditional crops and agricultural practices. Speakers shared their experiences and efforts in reclaiming ancestral lands and cultivating native crops, highlighting the intrinsic connection between food sovereignty and cultural resilience.
The third piece of evidence brought to light in this LL is the transmission of cultural wisdom and knowledge, particularly through elders and women. In the ancestral culture of these peoples, women and elders hold hierarchical roles as sources and transmitters of knowledge, commanding respect and attentive listening. Additionally, there is space for newcomers, as demonstrated during the event. Further exploration of this dynamic through specific examples will shed light on its significance. This peculiar characteristic is radically opposed to Western culture, which despises, inferiorizes and silences women and elders.
The fourth piece of evidence that both ways of living have convergences closely related to agroecology and environmental preservation is the fact that any prosperity can only be understood if it is shared by everyone in the community. Therefore, in scarcity and abundance, actions are directed towards the common good, based on balance and coexistence with nature.
Finally, the final piece of evidence of a common pathway between both ancestries is their resistance and defense to remain in the territory. Insecurity of tenure, continuous threats of expulsion, land disposession, forced eviction and hate attacks due to racial/ ethnic/ religion prejudice are the daily violence they suffer. The struggle and territorial disputes are still one of the most difficult factors in strengthening and reproducing ancestral traditions and values.
The meeting delved into the rich tapestry of food culture inherent within indigenous, Afro-descendant, and kilombola communities. Presentations by kilombolas, “terreiro” people, indigenous and experts from the Slow Food Brazil Association illuminated the diverse culinary traditions and gastronomic heritage, emphasizing the role of food as a vehicle for cultural expression and preservation. Discussions on territorial sovereignty underscored the inherent link between land rights, cultural identity, and community resilience. Leaders and activists shared their experiences in defending traditional territories and advocating for indigenous land rights, emphasizing the imperative of safeguarding ancestral lands for future generations.
At the heart of the meeting was a recognition of ancestral knowledge as a precious heritage to be cherished and preserved through its transmission. Through storytelling, presentations, and dialogues, participants explored the multifaceted dimensions of ancestral wisdom, acknowledging its enduring relevance and significance in contemporary society. In essence, the Ancestral Knowledge Assemblage (fig. 16, 17, 18) served as a beacon of inspiration and solidarity, uniting individuals and communities in their shared commitment to honoring and safeguarding ancestral wisdom and heritage. As we look towards the future, may we continue to embrace diversity, foster intercultural understanding, and uphold the legacy of our ancestors with reverence and respect. Preserving ancestral knowledge requires its continual transmission and learning. In this sense, ancestry underpins the living heritage of urban agriculture and food culture (fig. 19, 20, 21). All individuals, regardless of their traditional affiliations with Afrodiasporic, Kilombola, or Guarani communities play a fundamental role in preserving the living heritage guided by ancestry. Because anyone who learns this knowledge is connected to the vital force of ancestry and is part of the web of knowledge transmission. Thus, farming families, urban farmers, peripheral populations, and all others who connect to this knowledge contribute to the creation of new ancestral roots, linked to those that have come before.
Event Organization:
INSUAH Brazil
Institutional Coordination: Prof. Dr. Renato Cymbalista (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism – University of Sao Paulo)
Principal Investigator and Executive Coordination: Dra. Luciana Fukimoto Itikawa (Institute of Advanced Studies – University of Sao Paulo)
PhD student and INSUAH junior investigator: Ms.Tania Knapp da Silva (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism – University of Sao Paulo)
Consultancy and local stakeholders: Anita Costa Valente and Izadora Alves Borba, members of
Agro ecological (FUA), and Juliana Mangaba da Silva, member of East Zone Farmers Association (AAZL)
Speakers:
Jera Poty Mirï (Jera Guarani), meeting host, farmer and Kalipety Village leader;
Elvio Motta (Tata Kejessi), Kilombo Anástacia farmer and superintendent of the Ministry of
Agrarian Development and Family Farming in São Paulo
Adriana Dias de Toledo (Mother Adriana of Nanã), afro-diasporic religion priestess, Institute Ilê axé Omó Nanã Institute and Cabaça Project coordinator
Aurico Dias, farmer and Kilombo São Pedro Association leader
Gabriella Cristina Pieroni, Association Slow Food Brazil director
Ligia Meneguello, Association Slow Food Brazil programs coordinator
Photographers:
Beatrice Perracini, architect and heritage researcher at Chão Coletivo
Kerexu Gilmara, young Guarani Mbya Kalipety Village
Laura Pappalardo, architect and PhD student (FAU USP)
Reception and meals:
Kelly, Aline, Rose, Xondaro Cristiano and others Guarani Kalipety Village residents
Participations:
Jaxuka Clarice, Jaxuka Clara, Wera Tete, Alcides Wera, Lucas Keese dos Santos e Kerexu Martim, Kalipety Village residents
Eliane e Lucas, Southern botanical garden owners
Odete dos Santos, farmer and Kilombo Porto Velho Association representative
Sidnei Aparecido dos Santos, farmer, candy maker and Kilombo Porto Velho Association representative
Guaraciaba Elena Aparecido de Araújo, urban farmer and AAZL member
Marcelo Raimundo dos Santos (Father Marcelinho de Logum Edé), Shirley Fernandes dos Santos (Mother Shirley de Osayn), Naiara Carol Neves e Eliana Ferreira Costa Paixão (Mother Nãna of Yemanjá), Projeto Cabaça UNIFESP members
Kimberly Marques, farmer and grassroots movement representative
Karina dos Santos Rodrigues, farmer and grassroots movement representative
Arpad Spalding Reiter, farmer and NGO Kairos Institute manager
Regiane Nigro, AAZL coordinator, and NGO Kairos Institute technical assistant
Laura Carvalho, CEUCI UNICAMP Post-doc researcher
Glenn Massakazu Makuta, Association Slow Food Brazil network and communications coordinator
Children: Yva Cecília, Chico, Sebastião and Joaquim
REFERENCES
BISPO, A. (2022) Conference. In: AYA Laboratório UDESC. Roda de Conversa: Educação Decolonial. Florianópolis: UDESC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ozqQ1retI8
GONZALEZ, L. (1988) Categoria Política-cultural de amefricanidade. In: Tempo Brasileiro. Rio de Janeiro. N.º 92/93 (jan./jun).
KILOMBA, G. (2019) Memórias da Plantação. Episódios de Racismo Cotidiano. Rio de Janeiro: Cobogó.
KRENAK, A. (2022). Futuro ancestral. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras.
MIES, M.; SHIVA, V. (1993) Ecofeminismo. Lisboa: Instituto Piaget.
POPYGUA, T. da S. V. (2022). A terra uma só. São Paulo: Hedra.