Language, Literature, and Culture
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Baobáxia is an initiative developed by the Afro-Brazilian network Rede Mocambos that serves as a model of community digital organizing so they can propose data justice, digital sovereignty and autonomy. Baobáxia is a technology that interconnects diverse communities in Brazil (i.e, Quilombos, Indigenous communities and Favelas, among others), and also creates a structure to store, curate and disseminate local knowledge, traditions, histories and representations. This infrastructure demonstrates how non-expert communities can use digital strategies to defend their territory, preserve their cultural production, and affirm their human condition. Throughout this article I discuss how Baobáxia and Rede Mocambos work, as well as a collaborative project to connect with other quilombos, Black and Indigenous communities in the Americas. The collaborations described herein are part of community digital humanities initiatives that go beyond the boundaries of the university and the academia expanding their scope and contributing to a humanization of technology.
Publication Title
Digital Humanities Quarterly
Publication Date
2026
Volume
20
Issue
2
ISSN
1938-4122
Keywords
Baobáxia, Rede Mocambos, data justice, data sovereignty, Brazil, cultural heritage
Repository Citation
Arriaga-Arango, Eduard, "Baobabs, Networks and Digital Sovereignty: Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous Community Digital Territories as Communitarian DH" (2026). Language, Literature, and Culture. 25.
https://commons.clarku.edu/llc/25
Copyright Conditions
Arriaga-Arango, E. (2026). Baobabs, Networks and Digital Sovereignty: Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous Community Digital Territories as Communitarian DH. DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly, 20(2), N-PAG.
