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Mãe Bernadete

1951 – 2023

Brazilian ialorixá, community activist, politician and quilombo leader

Activist Mãe-de-santoCoordinator
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About Mãe Bernadete

Lived 1951 – 2023 (aged 71–72). Mãe Bernadete was a Brazilian activist, mãe-de-santo and coordinator.

Maria Bernadete Pacífico (1951 – 17 August 2023), also known as Mãe Bernadete, was a Brazilian ialorixá, community activist, politician and quilombo leader. She was the leader of the Pitanga dos Palmares quilombo, an Afro-Brazilian autonomous settlement founded by enslaved Africans in Simões Filho, Bahia in the Northeast Region of Brazil. On August 17, 2023, Bernadete was murdered by two men who entered her home, shooting her more than 12 times in her face in front of her grandchildren. She was the coordinator of Brazil's national council of quilombos (CONAQ), the former Minister for Racial Equality of Simões Filho. She had been placed on Brazil's Human Rights Defenders Protection Program (HRDPP) in 2017 because of threats to her life following the murder of her son, Flavio Gabriel Pacífico dos Santos, better known as Binho do Quilombo.

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Important facts

Born
1951
Birth century
Nationality
Employers
Coordenação Nacional de Articulação de Quilombos
Also known as
Maria Bernadete Pacífico

People in Mãe Bernadete's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Mãe Bernadete's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Mãe Bernadete?

Brazilian ialorixá, community activist, politician and quilombo leader

When was Mãe Bernadete born?

Mãe Bernadete was born in 1951.

When did Mãe Bernadete die?

Mãe Bernadete died on 17 August 2023 in Quilombo Pitanga dos Palmares.

What was Mãe Bernadete's occupation?

Mãe Bernadete was an activist, mãe-de-santo and coordinator.

What nationality was Mãe Bernadete?

Mãe Bernadete was Brazilian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Mãe Bernadete

· Wikidata: Q121624295

· DBpedia: Mãe Bernadete

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mãe Bernadete. https://biography.guide/mae-bernadete/

MLA: "Mãe Bernadete." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mae-bernadete/.

Chicago: "Mãe Bernadete." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mae-bernadete/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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