[Food sovereignty, mangrove defense, sanitation, nature-based solutions, black women]
Leadership of the Caranguejo Tabaiares Resiste Movement, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Caranguejo Tabaiares Resiste is located in Recife (PE), one of the largest cities in northeastern Brazil, with a population of almost one and a half million people. The community of Caranguejo Tabaiares is located in one of the largest urban mangroves in Latin America, on the banks of the waters of the Capibaribe River. Mangroves play a fundamental role in the daily life of the community, where children play and, amid the aerial roots, shrimp are farmed on a small scale and women enter the waters to collect mussels. These women are known as "marisqueiras".
The community of Caranguejo Tabaiares is 100 years old and has approximately 14 thousand inhabitants. Over the years, the community has suffered with the growth of Recife's urban area. Many residents live with open sewage in front of their homes, and others live on makeshift stilts above mangrove water - water that is polluted with dirt that comes from the richest parts of the city.
The population of Caranguejo Tabaiares has faced direct impacts from the removal of part of the mangrove forest, such as the reduction of fish and crustaceans, frequent floods caused by the reconfiguration and pollution of rivers - which were transformed into channels for dumping sanitary waste, and constant persecution and disputes over the implementation of new construction in the area. It was in this context that, in 2018, the group "Caranguejo Tabaiares Resiste!" was created.
The group has been working to strengthen the community, especially with the participation of black women who have become community leaders in defense of socio-environmental justice and good living. They actively work to preserve the local environment and its permanence through conversation circles, defense of rights and agroecological production in community gardens on an empty plot of land next to the community.
The group fights for basic sanitation and decent housing, so that children can play safely in the mangroves, maintaining their relationship with this ecosystem. Small shrimp and fish farming also continues, defending the mangroves where these animals live.
With its agroecological gardens, the community seeks to promote a healthier environment, while at the same time defending social housing consistent with their culture and their relationships with nature. The gardens are made using agroforestry methods, and the roots allow water to penetrate the soil, reducing the risk of flooding. On November 20, 2023, National Black Consciousness Day in Brazil, they planted a Baobab tree in the community garden, a tree symbol of African resistance, to mark their resilience and the construction of good living in the territory.