O Dendê, a Bahia, as políticas de desenvolvimento, o racismo e seus paradoxos

Abstract

This article aims to analyze, mainly, the phenomenon of scarcity in the production of Dura palm oil (originally African) in Bahia and deals with the agrarian and agricultural problems of the Costa do Dendê in Bahia's Southern Lowlands and its neglect in agricultural financing processes and technological development. Since 2021, the scarcity of oil, so precious in so many cultural and commercial spheres in Bahia, has been causing a lot of discussion among the people of Santo, the Bahian women of acarajé, restaurants, rural producers, intellectuals and the Bahian press. The possibility of a permanent reduction in the available quantities of palm oil has left those who need it in their rituals and cooking very worried. This article represents a reflection on who palm oil finally is and what it represents for Bahia? Perhaps we can start from the assumption that palm oil represents very little or almost nothing, at least in terms of public consciousness, and once the paradox is established, state that palm oil represents Bahia in its entirety! The fact that it is reaching the limits of the sustainability of its production, due to the way it has been considered by public authorities, demonstrates the negligence and forgetfulness in its development processes and the way in which, historically, it has been treated.