Landless families rebuild their homes in a camp

On Saturday, June 8, the Canudos camp, part of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (known in Brazil as MST), in the town of Riacho de Santo Antônio, in the state of Paraíba, was attacked by four masked and armed men. The criminals entered the community, where 56 families live, set fire to shacks and left residents in despair.

The attack occurred a week after the landless families were registered by the Brazilian Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) on December 28, 2015, initiating the settlement process almost nine years after the occupation of the territory began.

The campers put out the fire with buckets and water from the cistern that supplies the campsite, thus preventing an even more devastating tragedy. Of the seven houses that caught fire, three were destroyed.

Two weeks after the incident, the families began rebuilding their huts together. Brazil by Fato This new beginning followed. “Rebuild the houses and carry on, right? Whoever thought they were going to destroy me did me good,” says Gerlane Alves de Moura, a camp resident who lost everything in the fire.

The idea is to build houses for families who did not live on the central street of the camp. The aim is for all families to stay nearby so that they feel even more protected as a collective.

“The land itself and the MST give us the strength to stay and resist. We will rebuild (the houses) as many times as necessary. Once, twice, ten times. We will not give up,” says Nagibe Jânio Pereira Silva, who has lived there since the first day of the occupation.

The 56 families housed in Riacho de Santo Antônio have begun to get their lives back on track after the criminal attack / Pedro Stropasolas

Unproductive farm

The Canudos farm, owned by Demosthenes Bezerra Barbosa, covers around 3,000 hectares of land and was “unproductive” and “abandoned” before the occupation, according to MST.

Brazil by Fato inspected the property with farmers and noticed how neglected it was.

“The movement is very powerful. Now we need to unite even more to regulate this land and make it a site for agrarian reform. We need to give this area a productive meaning because it is not a small area. 13,000 hectares is a lot of land and there are many people who need land to work,” said Cíntia Milena Santos from the MST national headquarters in Paraíba.

The headquarters of Canudos Farm is abandoned and overgrown by vegetation / Pedro Stropasolas

The attack on the families is currently being investigated by the Queimadas Civil Police and monitored by the State Commission for the Prevention of Rural Violence and Public Defense. The main suspect is a rural worker named Erivandro Alves, who settled in the area at least two years ago and began making “harsh threats” against the rural workers camped there.

In the police report, Brazil by Fato The statement mentions this employee, who also works as a livestock herder on the property. According to MST, he leases land to local farmers so that they can keep their livestock in the area, which is inhabited by landless families.

The families most affected by the attack, like that of Ivoneide Ferreira da Silva, still live in a school in the city. “What hurts me most is the loss of the photo of my son, who died when he was 17. That was the only one I had,” adds Dona Neide.

“The attack shocked us, but also gave us strength to rebuild the houses,” says Ivoneide, who lost everything in the fire / Pedro Stropasolas

“Everything we had here we bought through work. I had just paid off the last installment on the refrigerator,” said the farmer.

The Superintendent of the Ministry of Agrarian Development in Paraíba, Cícero Legal, visited the municipality on the same day as the Brazil by Fato and promised to speed up the resolution of the conflict and the settlement of the families.

“We will meet in Brasilia to see what we can do for you. This situation cannot continue. A man comes here, burns houses and arrests people. We are already in the 21st century,” he told residents.

Families who lost everything in the fire receive donations / Pedro Stropasolas

Solidarity and harvest

While the investigation is ongoing, the settlers are concentrating on rebuilding Canudos. The solidarity campaign that the MST launched a few days after the crime has paid off.

Non-perishable food, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, mattresses and clothing arrive daily. The movement emphasizes the urgent need for household items and appliances. “We want to thank everyone who helps us,” says Gerlane.

Paulo Romário, also a member of the MST national leadership, explains that solidarity comes not only from other MST settlements and camps in the region, but also from civil society.

Beans harvested by families of the Canudos landless camp after the attack / Pedro Stropasolas

“I have no doubt that this has been the basis for the existence of the MST over the past 40 years. Solidarity with landless workers and also between landless workers,” he said.

The families have also started growing corn, palm trees, beans and pumpkins again, and have started keeping cattle and goats. After a moment of fear, the animals are now free and roaming around the community.

“We will remain silent until we can say: ‘The land is yours’. Because we earn our living here, with this land,” concluded farmer Nagibe Jânio Pereira Silva.

The other side

Brazil by Fato tried to contact Demosthenes Bezerra Barbosa and Erivandro Alves but received no response. If they comment on the issue, this message will be updated.

Edited by: Thalita Pires