The situation at the Palmares Foundation exposes institutional racism under the Bolsonaro administration.

Denise Assis, 247 - The collection, stored in inappropriate locations scattered across the floors and in alarming conditions, was the scene encountered by members of the Culture and Racial Equality Working Groups during a technical visit to the headquarters of the Palmares Cultural Foundation. These members were responsible for diagnosing the situation of the main institution for the promotion and preservation of Black culture in the country. According to the coordination team, the situation is one of administrative unviability.  

According to the group that received the visit, Palmares only avoided halting its activities because it managed to reduce expenses by transferring its headquarters to the current building, ceded by the Brazilian Communication Company following a lawsuit filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office. Furthermore, those responsible for the assessment found unsanitary conditions in the facilities the organization has occupied since the beginning of 2021. There are sanitary issues, with leaks and bathrooms and break rooms lacking tiling; accessibility problems, as the elevator is not working; and infrastructure issues, with gaps in electrical wiring, internet, ventilation, and furniture.

To prevent the Palmares Foundation from collapsing operationally and to enable it to fulfill its mission of supporting, promoting, and preserving Afro-Brazilian culture, the group suggests urgent measures such as holding an immediate public recruitment process, reviewing the budget allocation, and renovating the headquarters to ensure safe working conditions and proper storage of the collection.

The drastic cuts in funding over the last six years have left the Foundation with one of the smallest budgets in the entire government structure. The amount allocated to its core activities, which effectively reach the grassroots level, was approximately R$ 2,5 million in 2022, encompassing actions carried out by the headquarters and the five regional units. In the 2023 Budget Bill, the budget foreseen for this item is only R$ 1,4 million, which corresponds to only one-third of what the institution executes in mandatory parliamentary amendments.  

The situation of the staff is also alarming. The Foundation currently has only 61 employees throughout Brazil, of which only 23 are permanent staff and six have completed their retirement. For comparison, its first statute, from 1992, established a minimum of 162 permanent staff to ensure the basic functioning of the institution. Contracts with outsourced workers have also been revised, resulting in a reduction in services provided and a significant cut in salaries. In the delegation's assessment, this is a context of acute job insecurity, with consequent illness among workers and a reduction in the quality of services provided.

In addition to technical advisors who support the Working Groups and one of the coordinators of the Racial Equality Working Group, Givania Maria da Silva, the visit was accompanied by the acting president of the organization, Marco Antônio Evangelista, by Marina Elvas, representative of the Civil House, by the technical coordinators of Palmares and by a delegation from the National Coordination of Quilombola Communities – CONAQ.