Quilombo do Cumbe

The Associação Quilombola do Cumbe represents the Quilombo do Cumbe, a traditional Afro-Brazilian community located in Aracati, Ceará, on the northeastern coast of Brazil. Quilombos are communities founded by descendants of enslaved Africans who resisted slavery and preserved their cultural traditions, collective ways of life, and deep connections to their territories. Officially certified as a quilombola community in 2014, the people of Cumbe have organized collectively since 2003 to defend their territory, protect the mangrove ecosystem, and strengthen local livelihoods based on artisanal fishing, shellfish gathering, traditional crafts, and community-based tourism. Today, the community faces significant challenges caused by environmental racism, including the expansion of industrial shrimp farms and wind energy developments that have degraded mangroves, polluted waters, restricted access to traditional areas, and threatened local biodiversity. In response, the Association works to