Quando o território fala: narrativas quilombolas e percepções sobre mudanças climáticas na Amazônia Atlântica

Abstract

This article examines how residents of the São José do Matapi Quilombo (Macapá, Amapá State, in the Atlantic Amazon) construct meanings about climate change and their territory through educommunicative practices. Drawing on the frameworks of social representations, Freirean dialogue, and situated climate justice, we conducted a qualitative exploratory study composed of 29 short interviews (local diagnostic) and 41 evaluation forms from four audiovisual sessions followed by discussion circles. Open-ended responses were analyzed through descriptive thematic content analysis using a concise codebook, frequency counts, and the identification of relevant co-occurrences. The findings, organized into five descriptive and situated thematic axes, include: (1) socio-environmental awareness (recurrent references to “before/now” and shared responsibilities); (2) perception of climate risks (irregular rainfall, heat, wildfires/smoke, and occasional mentions of water and health); (3) symbolic relationship with the territory (sense of belonging to the river/tides and local memories); (4) communicative and educational practices (references to the school and recognition of the debates as spaces for reflection); and (5) community engagement (sporadic evidence of collective actions). The results provide qualitative insights for context-based adaptation and environmental education initiatives, highlighting the importance of dialogical mediations that acknowledge quilombola voices in interpreting climate and territory.