Filhas do porto (re)existem: direitos, conflito e mobilização comunitária na comunidade tradicional e ribeirinha do Porto do Capim

Abstract

This monograph aims to analyze how the actions of the Associação de Mulheres do Porto do Capim and the Coletivo de Jovens Garças do Sanhauá, particularly between 2019 and March 2025, have impacted the traditional territory of the Traditional and Riverside Community of Porto do Capim, located in the historic center of João Pessoa (PB), Brazil. The choice of topic is justified by its social, legal, academic, and personal relevance, considering the land conflicts faced by the community in the face of removal and redevelopment projects, and the importance of recording and reflecting on grassroots forms of territorial resistance led by women. The methodology combines bibliographic, documentary, and participatory research. The study draws on documents such as proceedings from the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF), the Public Civil Action nº 0809683-26.2019.4.05.8200, the report by the Human Rights Reference Center (CRDH/UFPB), and records produced by the community itself. It also includes the systematization of the author’s experience in the OBUNTU Extension Project (2021–2025), based on meeting notes, assemblies, institutional actions, and community mobilizations. The development is organized into three chapters. The first chapter presents a historical overview of the territory and the community’s struggle, emphasizing the threats and resistance processes, including the response to the new PAC – Periferia Viva. The second chapter addresses the territorial conflict from a decolonial perspective, highlighting human rights violations and the denial of the community’s identity and traditionality. The third chapter articulates the concepts of body-territory, female protagonism, and community mobilization, showing how the resistance in Porto do Capim is led by women and sustained by affective, political, and territorial bonds. In conclusion, the monograph argues that community mobilization and the leadership of women have been and continue to be essential for ensuring that any territorial intervention project respects the rights of the community. The Porto do Capim experience shows that without effective participation, prior consultation, local protagonism, and social oversight, urban projects tend to reproduce colonial logics and violate rights. The right to remain in the territory must be understood as a fundamental right, and grassroots actions as a legitimate form of reexistence.