Article:

This article discusses innovations in the knowledge-building process on designs utilizing braided banana tree fibers. It is part of a broader study on emergency design, with a case study in the municipality of Eldorado, in the Ribeira Valley of Brazil, an area recurrently affected by floods. It focuses on the project development of partitions for temporary shelters with a collaborative design process that unites researchers, local authorities, non-governmental organizations and quilombola communities (Brazilian maroon communities). This text is structured into four parts: Quilombola Traditions and Natural Disasters; Fiber Technologies and the Myths of Creation; Translations and Possible Dialogues between Stakeholders; and Transformations in Three Integrated Actions. The first part presents the quilombola community and questions traditional techniques that have not yet solved their recurrent problems. The second part describes local know-how, and reflects on the craft of the artisans who work with the fiber. The third part discusses how to empower the population to innovate with quality and efficiency, while being sustainable over time. The fourth part proposes the implementation of transformations in three actions as a way to make the dissemination of concepts applicable to other areas. The benefits of the proposed interaction are based on the eco-development concept coined by Ignacy Sachs in 1980, where strengthening local development occurs through the inclusion of everyone in the decision-making process.