Quilombo
Tonight’s film comes from Brazil.
Quilombo (1984)
Whether you’re learning Portuguese or just looking for something to watch, Quilombo is an important film.
Between 1501 and 1866, an estimated 4.9 million people were enslaved and transported from Africa to Brazil - more than any other country. This crime was committed by European imperial states, particularly Portugal and the Netherlands, who fought both each other and indigenous peoples in Brazil.
Whilst there are plenty of books covering the slave trade in broad terms, a more focused work is Marcelo d’Salete’s Angola Janga : Uma História de Palmares, bringing to life the story of ‘little Angola’, which, despite its name, had a capital, Macaco, rivalling the size of the biggest urban centres in Brazil. Formed at the end of the sixteenth century, the people resisted the colonial forces of the Netherlands and Portugal in Pernambuco, building a community that became a symbol of freedom for those enslaved - typified both by communal solidarity and the tenacity of one of its most famous leaders, Zumbi. It is his story, and the story of the Quilombo dos Palmares, that inspired the film Quilombo. The term comes from Kimbundu, a Bantu language spoken in Angola, broadly referring to a hideout in the woods.
Despite the abolition of the slave trade, racism remains entrenched in many societies across the globe. Important works on these issues are provided by Lélia Gonzalez and Silvio Almeida.
If you’re learning Portuguese, the following videos look at both the past and present of quilombos in Brazil :
Documentário - Quilombos do século XXI
Mocambos e Quilombos : uma história dos quilombos no Brasil
To keep up to date with community projects in Brazil’s favelas and the fight for the rights of all of the country’s citizens, the following website provides lots of articles and videos on both their app and YouTube channel :
For more information and useful links to follow the news in Brazil, the following post can be found on the How to Learn Languages website and YouTube channel :
For more information and useful links on the indigenous peoples of Brazil, the following post can be found on the How to Learn Languages website and YouTube channel :
The Indigenous Peoples of Brazil
If you’re unsure when and how to use subtitles, advice can be found here :
How to Use Subtitles to Learn a Language
If you’re interested in learning Portuguese, there’s a How to Learn Languages guide :
Take care, and enjoy the process!
