Santa Tereza além dos signos comuns: a realidade ainda não contada sobre a diversidade das matizes socioterritoriais presentes no bairro

Abstract

The Santa Tereza neighborhood in Belo Horizonte is widely recognized for its uniqueness and stands out for having peculiar characteristics related mainly to its ways of life, customs and history. It also has an extensive history of claims and social movements aimed at preserving and maintaining this uniqueness, as well as the neighborhood's Special Guidelines Area - ADE. However, in addition to the familiar face, the neighborhood also has other territories and realities. In this sense, the present work sought to identify and analyze the socioeconomic and cultural diversity present in the neighborhood, aiming to analyze the different socioeconomic and cultural realities and contrasts present in Santa Tereza and how these relate to a greater or lesser visibility in front of the public power and to society in general, mainly related to the presence of Vilas Dias and São Vicente and Quilombo Souza. The study methodology was based on fieldwork and interviews with key actors, directly related to the theme, in addition to covering research and document review, including academic works, news, relevant legislation and official documents. Data analysis was conducted in a strictly qualitative way and carried out through the analysis of the interviewees' speeches. It was verified, therefore, that the neighborhood also has other realities and territorialities, in addition to those already mentioned and usually known and recognized, as well as experiencing a different daily life from most residents of the neighborhood. In this sense, Vilas Dias and São Vicente, in addition to living with problems of basic infrastructure and various vulnerabilities, still suffer from prejudice and neglect by the government. Quilombo Souza, which was being threatened with eviction and was recognized by the Palmares Foundation in 2019, faced several challenges in the fight for its territory and, like the villages in the neighborhood, also suffers from prejudice, in addition to finding obstacles and bureaucratizations to the recognition of their territory in the public spheres of power. Finally, it was observed that, despite having a certain dialogue and contact, between the three analyzed realities, the presence of some internal conflicts make it difficult or prevent a greater approximation and mutual collaboration, especially with regard to the performance of social movements and of the neighborhood association itself, mainly in the villages.