Práticas de cuidado em saúde em território quilombola: uma investigação a partir dos afetos

Abstract

Quilombola communities throughout Brazil face situations of rights violations, difficult access to public policies, racism and socio-economic vulnerability. Their social reality is crossed by inequalities that lead to different health inequities. The struggle of the black movements has built up resistance and put pressure on public authorities so that their demands are made visible and met by the state. The 1988 constitution is a milestone in the national recognition of the rights of all citizens without distinction and represented a breakthrough for the black and quilombola population, the result of resistance and the organization of the black movement. Despite advances and struggles, communities still experience situations of significant precariousness that cross their health and illness processes. Ceará is a state marked in its history by the denial of the existence of blacks in its territory, which, superficially, is contradictory to its characterization as a pioneering state in the abolitionist struggle. In this study, we seek to deepen the discussion about the presence of quilombola communities in the state and their health processes, specifically addressing the community of Remanescentes do Quilombo de Mearim, located in the municipality of Quixeramobim. From my initial contact with the community as a psychologist who belongs to Social Assistance Reference Center - CRAS team that serves the territory and later as a researcher, it was possible to build understandings about the health processes and problems experienced by the residents. Thus, we aimed to identify health care practices presented by quilombolas from the Mearim community, considering senses and affections present in the territory. It was an exploratory qualitative study that used three resources to capture information and narratives: Generating Instrument of Affective Maps - IGMA, observation and interviews. The information went through the Content Analysis process. Maroon men and women aged between 18 and 56 years old participated in the research. From the category Place of health care, we identified the house, green community spaces, health equipment, religious and cultural spaces as places linked to individual and community care. From the interviews, we identified traditional care practices, such as the use of medicinal plants from the production of lickers, teas and baths, passed down from generation to generation and shared among neighbors and family members in the present. The territory was a key concept in our study, in view of its importance for the construction of health care and practices and for the quilombola people who have as one of their marks the identity link with their living space/land. Affectivity was another category that we used to understand health processes, relationships and political affirmation of the community in question. We point out the need for the government to be aware of the needs of the territory, as well as its potential, in the elaboration of dialogical interventions and its duty to guarantee basic rights and quality of life, prioritizing vulnerable populations. We also point out the contradictions of the State which, while it must guarantee rights, also produces asymmetries, being permeated by multiple discourses that interact and enter into dispute. As a result of this work, a community action plan was prepared and is to be implemented during the year 2023.