Cultural mediators and the protection of ethnic minority cultural rights: reflecting on successes and challenges around quilombo heritage in Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article discusses the protection of quilombo land and cultural rights in Brazil, through an examination of pottery production in a quilombo community in Maranhão state. Quilombos are village communities with a legally protected status that is similar to that of indigenous peoples in Brazil. In this article, the focus is placed on the production and management of ‘quilombo heritage’ by the potters and the different cultural mediators involved in various stages of this process. In doing so, the article examines what the different parties regard as the major advances achieved and the challenges currently faced in the protection of their cultural rights. The discussion critically explores cultural mediators’ role in promoting, enriching or restricting quilombo cultural production and their different views on heritage. Finally, the article reflects on the need for community participation in the drafting and implementation of cultural heritage policies.