Gates. Brazil

8/3/2019 Gates. Brazil

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BrazilA Racial Paradise?Gates, part II


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Capoeira


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From www.cia.cov

white 53.7%,mulatto (mixed white andblack) 38.5%,black 6.2%,other (includes Japanese, Arab,Amerindian) 0.9%,unspecified 0.7%(2000 census)
http://www.cia.cov/http://www.cia.cov/


4/12

http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata55.htm

Brazil has the largest nonwhite population of any country outside the Africancontinent. The 2000 Brazilian census found that 45 percent of Brazilians, out ofa population of some 185 million, identified themselves as people of color.

Mulatto is widely used in Brazil because

it is among the most raciallyheterogeneous nations on earth. This is aresult of the long tradition of race mixtureand a consequence of violent sexualrelations, as well as formal and informalunions between Portuguese men and

African and indigenous women.61 percent of Brazilians who considerthemselves white also have African orIndian ancestry, a result of the nationshistory of miscegenation
http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata55.htmhttp://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata55.htm


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Candombl

Candombl is a religionbased on African beliefswhich is particularly popular

in Brazil. It is also practicedin other countries, and has asmany as two millionfollowers.

Practitioners of Candombl believe in oneall powerful GodOludumarwho isserved by lesser deitiesorixas.

Every person has his ownindividual orixa, whichcontrals his destiny and actsas a protector.

There is no concept of goodor bad. Each person isrequired to fulfill her destinyto the fullest, regardless of

what it may be.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries

/candomble/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries/candomble/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries/candomble/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries/candomble/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/galleries/candomble/


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Favelas


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Rio de Janeiro, like most third world cities,is experiencing a dramatic increase inpopulation. This increase has come mostlyin the form of the rural poor migrating to

the cities. Because of the high land valuesand the enormous demand for space, thesepoor are forced into squatter settlementsknown as favelas. Named after the locationof the first such settlement, the hill Morroda Favela, these settlements usually occur

in two areas of Rio: one, along the steephillsides or, two, along the outer fringes ofurban expansion.

Today, there are over 500 favelacommunities existing within thecity of Rio and comprise about athird of the total population.

Many consider thefavelas the source ofRio's urban problems,

citing them for crime,violence, promiscuity,family breakdown andthe creation of a cultureof poverty.

The shortage of utilities is constant. Water is usually accessed by tappinginto a water main that runs near the favela. This is always at the bottom ofthe hill and creates an incredibly difficult journey for those who live nearthe top. Electricity is scarce and very hard to access. The electric companyconnect s outlets through only a few houses with meters, in the favela,and extension chords are run from these trunks to supply electricity to

others.


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Each favela has its own community complete with grocery markets, clothing stores,pharmacies, repair shops and other types of small businesses.

Most favelas have some drug lord thatruns a boca de fumo where they openlysell drugs. When they battle for territorystray bullets always make victims. The

police is also sometimes part of theproblem, and reports of brutality are notuncommon.


9/12

Serra Pelada gold mine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVTcPI_UlPU&feature=related

The closest we can get to trulyunderstanding colonial slavery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVTcPI_UlPU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVTcPI_UlPU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVTcPI_UlPU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVTcPI_UlPU&feature=related


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What to watch for:

How do Brazilian attitudes towards race differ from those weve seen sofar this semester?

In what do they base their claim of being a racial democracy?

Life in Salvador vs. the rest of Brazil

The attitudes of the various people interviewed [Zez Motta, AbdiasNascimento, MV Bill }


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DiscussionWhich is the healthier attitude

*many racial categories, or fewer.*based on appearance or socialstatus?is none realistically possible?

Brazil as a racial democracy: Is this true, as close to the truthas possible, as deluded as the claimthat with Obamas election the USis now a post-racial society?

In Brazil, it is actually possible forpeople to consider themselves justBrazilian, whereas in the UnitedStates, there can be no plainAmericans (Walker, 20). Do you

agre?

Cul actitud les parece ms realista osaludable--tener muchas categoras raciales, o pocas--basarse en el aspecto fsico o en elestatus socia;--es posible el NO clasificar a la gente

Brasil como democracia racial:Es la verdad?Es lo ms cerca a la verdad que vamos allegar?Son los brasileos que piensan as tanengaados como los que declararon a los

EEUU una sociedad pos-racial con laeleccin de Obama?

En Brasil, es posible ser brasileiro y ya,mientras en EEUU no existe unamericano a secas [Walker, 20]/

Explica.


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For next week:

Afro-Latin@ Reader:(starting pages of articles)

p. 157p. 177p. 187p. 199p. 235

The usual 5 line summary orreaction to each article.

Review of Brazil: A Racial Paradise? Tweet it! 144 characters mximum.

Reports [were on round 2]:1. Lolita Lebrn2. Tito Puente3. The South Bronx in the 1970s

Documents

Gates. Brazil