E/CN.4/2006/16/Add.3 page 14 groups which focus on revitalizing the Afro-Brazilian identity and creativity, and demystifying the racist prejudice against Blacks. In Rio de Janeiro, in Favela da Maré, the Ação Comunitária do Brasil NGO runs a very innovative socio-educational project of assistance and training of children, adolescents and adults to develop their self-esteem based on their Afro-descendant origins and their artistic and professional capacities, in order to promote their insertion in the labour market. It opens otherwise inaccessible and unexplored avenues for the future of the inhabitants. In addition, the linkage of artistic creativity and social and economic development is used in solutions to today’s societal problems, such as recycling. For instance, industrial waste is used to create furniture, art and other objects. The Special Rapporteur wishes to pay tribute to the creative ideas generated in Favela da Maré. Terreiros 46. Terreiros are religious communities that practise Condomblé, which are religions of African origin, brought to Brazil by the enslaved Africans. They are allegedly suffering from recent campaigns by Christian neo-evangelical groups, which are spreading the message that they are linked to evil. The significant financial means of these groups facilitate their campaigns and put pressure on members of the terreiros to convert, as opposed to the very limited means of the terreiros, which cannot effectively react to these campaigns. As a result, children are discriminated against in school if they state their religion, and the same happens to adults. The Pentecostal movement threatened the leaders of some terreiros and assaulted Condomblé worshippers. The police do not protect them and are, on the contrary, aggressive with them. Terreiros feel they are victims of clear manifestations of religious intolerance and institutional racism. Quilombos 47. The Special Rapporteur received testimonies of a number of inhabitants of quilombos who are facing considerable difficulties in securing ownership and recognition of their land, and are also living in insecurity and extremely precarious social and economic conditions. Many cases of such violence and precarious conditions were presented to him. For example, the community of the Piraña Quilombo was expelled and almost exterminated by settlers who invaded their village. The survivors were left with only two hectares of land, and had to rely mostly on fishing to survive. Finally, the municipality also obstructed the access of the community to the lagoon and the village. At the same time, the settlers contaminated the lagoon with sewerage, which caused cholera and other severe health problems for the quilombo community. The Ministry of Health confirmed that the inhabitants can no longer eat the fish from the lagoon. 48. The Piraña community asked the Palmares Foundation to provide recognition of their land. After they received the Foundation’s certificate of identification, the Piraña Quilombo was attacked by the settlers. Their leader escaped. Despite continuous attacks, the Mayor is not willing to take any protective measures since he also feels threatened. The leader of the Piraña Quilombo whom the Special Rapporteur was able to meet, is now protected by the Palmares Foundation but cannot freely circulate or go back to his community. While waiting to get its property title, his community, which is 80 per cent illiterate, lives in fear, with almost no access to their land, and little food or health services.