Having existed for almost 100 years, and at one time the home to more than 30,000 self-emancipated Africans, Ngola Janga—also known as Quilombo dos Palmares—is a great African diaspora victory to know and celebrate. The independent nation, established circa 1603 by Africans taken to Brazil to be enslaved, is an iconic representation of what can be accomplished when determined people unite. Refusing to be enslaved, the Africans escaped bondage and evaded the Dutch and Portuguese for decades, while forging their own land base. They fought for and maintained an expanded and highly organized freedom zone. With resistance came autonomy, self-sufficiency, dignity, and the unencumbered opportunity to breathe.
The history of Ngola Janga / Quilombo dos Palmares is an amazing example of what resistance followed by planned order and effective organization can produce. It is offered as a potent source of inspiration for overcoming present-day attempts to subjugate. Click here to learn more about this shining example of historic Black achievement and the lessons it offers.