Their project is to create a street and a square.
Gee, to remove us who have lived here for over a hundred years
to create a square and a street.
Quilombo Kédi, in Porto Alegre, is being threatened by
the real estate interests of CFL Inc. and the Zaffari Group.
The comunity is located in one of the most valued areas
in Rio Grande do Sul's capital.
Next to the Country Club.
What they really want is to displace the community from here
for access to their millionaire, billionaire
real estate development, right?
Because we heard that each apartment unit
will cost around 3 million USD.
I saw that the market niche I wanted
to develop with my sons involved
well-located plots and high end stuff.
Alameda Jardins is located into the most valued city region
that receives the greatest real estate development in the city.
It's close to the main educational institutions
and also to the main shopping center
in the southern region of Brazil.
All vectors of development and real estate appreciation
will be around Alameda Jardins.
They say "luxury next to the Country Club."
And they don't even mention the violence they're causing here
with henchmen and such
to remove this quilombola community.
On the 13th, without any court order,
without any legal basis,
they brought in a bulldozer and started demolitions.
They came here without a court order,
knocking down a house, when we quilombos prevented
others from being demolished.
Not to mention that they put up a wall right there...
in my daughter's window, you can't open it anymore
because there's just this little gap.
You can't even breathe.
They covered everything up.
The demolition was being led
by a person who appeared here several times
with CFL
and with the State Public Defender.
We don't know 'cause he never identified himself,
whether he's a current or former military policeman,
but he is associated with these quasi-militia security companies
that are indeed commanded by a military policeman
who provides security here for the rich in this whole region.
The municipality is also building another absurdity,
a land transfer agreement between the municipality and CFL/Zaffari.
On November 13th,
they tried to enforce some clauses of this land transfer agreement,
which lay out the terms as an individual contract
in which a resident receives money from CFL/Zaffari
and the municipality takes care of the demolition.
They're lying in the process,
who will be taking over the land after that
it's not the city.
It is city property.
It's a municipal area,
and the quilombolas live there.
But who would take over instead
would be CFL/Zaffari.
The Public Defender comes here,
holds meetings, calls the residents,
whoever wants to leave is promised some money.
And then they come here to pay people,
to demolish the house and to occupy the area that is ours.
We won't allow this 'cause it's our land.
Unfortunately, we see that institutions like
the State Public Defender's Office and the
City Hall are at the service of this violence.
They are hiding the role of CFL/Zaffari,
both in the proceedings and for the population of Porto Alegre.
City Hall is screwing us.
Because they shouldn't be selling land
that is rightfully ours.
Trading with corporations.
Because whoever wants to leave can leave,
but they have to understand that this land is ours
and they can't take it.
I've lived here for over 50 years,
my aunt lived for over 100 years, died at 105.
I raised all my children here, I raised my grandchildren.
In our quilombo, there were pigs, cows, traders,
a soccer field.
Where the development is going on back there
was also the quilombola land.
They have already lost two-thirds of their original land.
This place here...
you can walk all over this city and won't find anything like it.
Here, for example, children play outside until the evening.
And we were close-knit here.
If there was a problem, people helped.
These businessmen divided us.
Because people want to leave, and we want to stay,
people ended up getting mad at us
because they say we're making it hard
for them to leave.
The project of Alameda Jardins and Country Tower
expresses CFL's reason to exist.
It's very much in line with our DNA:
to develop real estate projects with greater added value
and always try to bring something
positive to its direct surroundings and
to the nearby community.
Having a positive impact.
They want to take away a land that is rightfully ours.
The community is facing here
one of the main economic sectors
in the state of Rio Grande do Sul
and with connections, including international ones.
As architects, we analyze the context
of where we're designing, what's the environment.
And this project had some interesting
urban and environmental features.
It's a big consortium, right?
White supremacist.
Attacking black people.
It's not a housing issue;
we're talking about collective, quilombola land,
who have has been in this region for over 100 years.
And they are simply disregarding
the land rights of the quilombola community.
This land cannot be negotiated with any company.
Because it's something that is rightfully ours,
from our parents and grandparents...
How are we going to bargain with that?
That's priceless.
People get very upset when I draw a parallel
between what's happening here with our people
and what's happening in Palestine occupied by the Zionists, right?
It's extreme colonial violence
simply aiming to erase the quilombola presence,
who have been here for 120 years.
There in Gaza, it's hot, right?
They destroy schools, hospitals,
kill children and such...
Hot, right?
Bombing.
Here they use pens, which has the same effect,
and when the pen doesn't work, they use bullets.
My dream is one day to see all of this paved,
with plumbing, all neat.
Fix the houses that need fixing, make everything nice,
our association... everything...
That's my dream.
And stay here.
On December 28, 2023, workers from INCRA went to Quilombo Kédi
to register the quilombola families
and follow up with the demarcation proceedings.
But the real estate interests of CFL Inc. and the Zaffari Group
still threaten the quilombo.
All support is needed.
Why can't we stay there
but we can clean the house of so-and-so there,
work as maid for so-and-so?
The Country Club, I worked there...
I used to come home at 3 or 4 a.m.
And why is it ok for us to work for them
if it's not ok for us to live in our land?
I'll fight to the end.
If I have to die for my land, I'll die
because I'm not leaving here.
KEDI RESISTS