Afro-Brazilian,
African-Brazilian or
Black Brazilian, is the term used to racially categorize Brazilian citizens who self-reported to be of black or brown (
PardoIn Brazil, the Pardos are a mixture of Whites, Blacks and Amerindians, varying from light to dark complexion, as used by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics in censuses since 1950. The word is Portuguese for "brown" or "grey-brown"...
) skin colors to the official
IBGEThe Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil...
census. As of 2005, 91 million Brazilians were included in the black and brown category.
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
has the largest population of
blackThe term black people usually refers to a racial group of humans with skin colors that range from light brown to nearly black. It also has been used to categorize a number of diverse populations into a common group. Some definitions of the term include only people of relatively recent Sub Saharan...
origin outside of
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
with, in 2007, 7.4% classyfing themselves as
preto (black skin color) and 42.3% as
pardo (brown color). The latter classification is broad and encompasses Brazilians of mixed ancestry, including
mulattoMulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent or a person who has both black ancestry and white ancestry. The term may be perceived as pejorative in some cultures and situations. Its current usage varies greatly.-Etymology:...
s and
cabocloA caboclo is a term used in Brazil describing a person of mixed Brazilian Amerindian and European descent...
s making the total 49.5%.
The largest concentration of Afro-Brazilians is in the state of Bahia where over 80% of the people are descendants of Africans.
A large number of Brazilians have some African ancestry and Brazilian populations are remarkably heterogeneous. Due to intensive mixing with
EuropeanWhite Brazilians make up 49.7% of Brazil's population, or around 93 million people, according to the IBGE's 2006 PNAD . Whites are present in the entire territory of Brazil, although the main concentrations are found in the South and Southeastern parts of the country...
s and
Native IndiansThe Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the arrival of Europeans around 1500...
, Brazilians with African ancestors may or may not show any trace of black features.
Who is Afro-Brazilian?
The Brazilian racial classification is based on self-classification. In the census, respondents choose their race or color in five categories:
branca (white),
parda (brown),
preta (black),
amarela (yellow) or
indígena (indigenous). The idea that human beings can be divided in races first appeared in the
18th centuryThe 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini/Common Era numbering system.However, Western historians sometimes specifically define the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work...
and it became widespread in the
19th centuryThe 19th century was a period in history marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Ottoman, Holy Roman and Mughal empires...
through
scientific racismScientific racism is the use of scientific or ostensibly scientific findings and methods to investigate differences between races, often to support or validate racist attitudes and worldviews. It is based on belief in the existence and significance of racial categories, typically with a hierarchy...
. These ideas were based on belief in the existence and significance of racial categories, typically with a hierarchy of superior and inferior races. The concept of races was supported by many scientists, intellectuals and governments around the world. In the
20th centuryThe 20th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000, according to the Gregorian calendar.The British Empire, the Russian Empire, the German Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved in the first half of the century, with all but the...
, with the development of
human biologyHuman biology is an interdisciplinary academic field of biology, biological anthropology, nutrition and medicine which focuses on humans; it is closely related to primate biology, and a number of other fields...
and genetics study, it was concluded that human races do not exist because the genetic differences between humans are nonexistent, making it impossible a subspecies division. Despite this, the concept of race is still alive in popular imagination, and it is still endorsed by several governments all around the world.
A majority of Brazilians are at least partly descended from African slaves, but they not necessarily demonstrate physical visible feature. According to a 2000 survey held in Rio de Janeiro, the entire self-reported Black population claimed to have African ancestry. Also, 86% of the self-reported Pardo (brown) and 38% of the self-reported White population reported to have African ancestors. It is notable that 14% of the Pardos (brown) from Rio de Janeiro said they have no African ancestors. This percentage may be even higher in Northern Brazil, where there was a greater ethnic contribution from Amerindian populations. However, African contribution was not absence in Northern Brazil, because there was a significant influx of African slaves to this region as well.
Racial classifications in Brazil are based on
skin colorHuman skin color can range from almost black to nearly colorless in different people. Skin color is determined primarily by the amount and type of melanin, the pigment in the skin. Variation in skin color is largely due to genetics...
and on other physical characteristics such as facial features, hair texture, etc. This is a poor indication of ancestry, because only a few
genesGênes is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Italy. It was named after the city Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Republic of Genoa. Its capital was Genoa. It was divided into the arrondissements of Genoa, Bobbio, Novi Ligure, Tortona and...
are responsible for someone's skin color. This way, a person who "looks White" may have more African ancestry than a person who "looks Black", and vice-versa.
In Brazil, the racial divisions were never very clear, due to the high degree of miscegenation among Brazilians, making the concept of race weaker. Many Brazilians find it hard to define their own race. The 1976 Census found 136 different answers to the question about race. Some of the self-reported racial classifications were:
honeyed white,
tanned,
cinnamon,
chocolate,
sarará,
copper,
sunburned,
polished,
kind black,
fire pink,
toasted, etc. These responses were interpreted by scholars and activists of the black movement as proof of Brazilian racism, where Blacks do not want to assume their identity, and hide themselves in euphemisms. From this idea, since the government of
Fernando Henrique CardosoFernando Henrique Cardoso, PC - also known by his initials FHC - was the 34
th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 2003. He is an accomplished sociologist, professor and politician...
, the Black Brazilian population is treated as the sum of the self-declared Blacks and Browns. This conception is based on the idea that Black Brazilians lie to the census and say they are Browns. Also, based on social indicators, in which Blacks and Browns appear disadvantaged when compared to Whites.
This binary division of Brazilians between Whites and Blacks (largely influenced by American
one-drop ruleThe one-drop rule is a historical colloquial term for a belief among some people in the United States that a person with any trace of African ancestry is black....
) has received much criticism. Sociologist Demétrio Magnoli considers the sum of Blacks and Browns as Blacks an assault on the racial vision of the Brazilians. A survey about race replaced the word "Pardo" by "Moreno". Much of the Pardos choose the Moreno category, half of people who previously reported to be White then reported to be
Moreno and also half of self-reported Blacks also choose the Moreno category. According to Magnoli, Brazilians choose the Portuguese word
Moreno because it has different meanings in Brazil (it can mean Black, Brown or White person with dark hair). This way, many Brazilians do not see themselves as a member of a certain racial group, since the word
Moreno is widely used by people of different skin colors. Then, the official figures count Afro-Brazilians as the union of self-reported Blacks and Browns. However, in Brazilian day life the conception of who is Afro-Brazilian is different from the officially adopted.
| Self-reported ancestry of people from Rio de Janeiro, by race or skin color (2000 survey) |
| Ancestry | White | Brown | Black |
|---|
| European only |
48% |
6% |
| African only |
- |
12% |
25% |
| Amerindian only |
- |
2% |
| African and European |
23% |
34% |
31% |
| Amerindian and European |
14% |
6% |
| African and Amerindian |
- |
4% |
9% |
| African, Amerindian and European |
15% |
36% |
35% |
| Total |
100% |
100% |
100% |
| Any African |
38% |
86% |
100% |
Affirmative action issue
In recent years, the Brazilian government has encouraged
affirmative actionThe term affirmative action refers to policies that take race, ethnicity, or gender into consideration in an attempt to promote equal opportunity or increase ethnic or other forms of diversity. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs...
programs for segments of the population considered to be "African-descendant" (Blacks and Pardos (Browns) and also for the Amerindians. This is happening through the created systems of preferred admissions (quotas) for "racial minorities". To support these attitudes, it is argued that these groups have historically been discriminated because of their race, and they often appear in the poorest segments of Brazilian society, while the White population often appears in the upper classes. The affirmative actions have been criticized because of inaccuracy in the racial classification in Brazil. A scandalous case happened in 2007, involving the twin brothers Alex and Alan Teixeira. Both have applied for a place in the
University of BrasíliaThe University of Brasília , is one of the largest and most prestigious Brazilian public universities funded by the Brazilian federal government...
through quotas reserved for "Black students". In the university, there was a team of specialists and teachers who, through photos of the candidates, chose who "was Black" and who was not. The Teixeira brothers were identical twins, however only Alan was considered to be Black, while his identical brother Alex was not. Since that case, the affirmative action has been widely criticized, supported by the idea of the high degree of miscegenation of the Brazilian people, which makes the definition of who is Black and who is not very subjective. According to many scholars, the Brazilian society is not divided between races, but between the poor and the rich, even though it is widely agreed that the people of darker skin complexions suffer an "additional discrimination".
History
Brazil obtained 37% of all African slaves traded, and close to 4 million slaves were sent to this one country. Starting around 1550, the Portuguese began to trade African slaves to work the sugar plantations once the native Tupi people deteriorated. During the
colonial epochIn the History of Brazil, Colonial Brazil comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to United Kingdom with Portugal....
, slavery was a mainstay of the
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
ian economy, especially in
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
and sugar cane production.
The
Clapham SectThe Clapham Sect was an influential group of like-minded Church of England social reformers in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century The Clapham Sect was an influential group of like-minded Church of England social reformers in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century The...
, a group of Victorian
EvangelicalEvangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s.Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion ; some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for biblical authority; and an emphasis on the...
politicians, campaigned during most of the 19th century for
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to use its influence and power to stop the traffic of slaves to Brazil. Besides moral qualms, Brazilian slavery hampered the development of markets for British products, which was a main concern of British government and civil society. This combination led to intensive pressure from the British government for Brazil to end this practice, which it did by steps over several decades. Slavery was legally ended May 13 by the
Lei ÁureaThe Lei Áurea , adopted on May 13, 1888, was the law that abolished slavery in Brazil. It was preceded by the Rio Branco Law of September 28, 1871, which freed all children born to slave parents, and by Law Saraiva-Cotegipe, of September 28, 1885....
("Golden Law") of 1888.
The travel
Slave trade was a huge business that involved hundreds of ships and thousands of people in Brazil and Africa. There were officers on the coast of Africa that sold the slaves to hundreds of small regional dealers in Brazil. In 1812, half of the thirty richest merchants of Rio de Janeiro were slave traders. The profits were huge: in 1810 a slave purchased in
LuandaLuanda is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and administrative center and has a population of at least 5 million . It is also the capital city of Luanda Province. Luanda is located at...
for 70,000 réis was sold in the District of Diamantina,
Minas GeraisMinas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation. The capital is the city of Belo Horizonte, located near the central area...
, for up to 240,000 réis. With taxes, the state collected a year the equivalent of 18 million reais with the slave trade. In Africa, people were kidnapped as prisoners of war or offered as payment of tribute to a tribal chief. The merchants, who were black Africans too, took the slaves to the coast where they would be purchased by agents of the Portuguese slave traders. Until the early 18th century such purchases were made with smuggled
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
. In 1703, Portugal banned the use of gold for this purpose. Since then, they started to use products of the colony, such as textiles,
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or...
,
sugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline substances, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose. Human taste buds interpret its flavor as sweet. Sugar as a basic food carbohydrate primarily comes from sugar cane and from sugar beet, but also appears in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple , and in many...
and
cachaçaCachaça is a liquor made from fermented sugarcane. It is the most popular distilled alcoholic beverage in Brazil. It is also known as aguardente , pinga, caninha or other names...
to buy the slaves.
| African disembarkments in Brazil, from 1500 to 1855 |
| Period |
1500-1700 |
1701-1760 |
1761-1829 |
1830-1855 |
| Numbers |
|510,000 |
958,000 |
1,720,000 |
618,000 |
In Africa, about 40% of blacks died in the route between the areas of capture and the African coast. Another 15% died in the ships crossing the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
between Africa and Brazil. From the Atlantic coast the journey could take from 33 to 43 days. From Moçambique it could take as many as 76 days. Once in Brazil from 10 to 12% of the slaves also died in the places where they were taken to be bought by their future masters. In consequence, only 45% of the Africans captured in Africa to become slaves in Brazil survived.
Darcy Ribeirothumb|right|150px|Darcy RibeiroDarcy Ribeiro was a Brazilian anthropologist, author and politician. Darcy Ribeiro's ideas of Latin American identity have influenced several later scholars of Latin American studies...
estimated that, in this process, some 12 million Africans were captured to be brought to Brazil, even though the majority of them died before becoming slaves in the country.
Origins
The Africans brought to Brazil belonged to two major groups: the West African and the Bantu people.
The West African people (previously known as Sudanese, and without connection with
SudanSudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area...
) were sent in large scale to
BahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
. They mostly belong to the Ga, Adangbe,
YorubaYoruba people are one of the largest ethno-linguistic or ethnic groups in west Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
,
IgboIgbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern and south Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
,
FonFon is a major West African ethnic and linguistic group in the country of Benin, and southwest Nigeria, made up of more than 3,500,000 people. The Fon language is the main language spoken in Southern Benin, and is a member of the Gbe language group. Closely related cultures include the Ewe, Aja and...
, Ashanti,
EweThe Ewe are a people located on the southeast corner of Ghana, east of the Volta River, in an area now described as the Volta Region. They are a people of southeastern Ghana, Togo and Benin...
,
MandinkaThe Mandinka are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa with an estimated population of eleven million. They are the descendants of the Empire of Mali, which rose to power under the rule of the great Mandinka king Sundiata Keita...
, and other
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
n groups native to
GuineaGuinea, officially Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa formerly known as French Guinea . The country's current population is estimated at 10,211,437 ....
,
GhanaThe Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
,
BeninBenin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north; its short coastline to the south leads to the Bight of Benin....
,
Guinea-BissauThe Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in western Africa, and one of the smallest states in continental Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
and
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger...
. The Bantus were brought from
AngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
,
CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa...
region and
MozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
and sent in large scale to
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and...
,
Minas GeraisMinas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation. The capital is the city of Belo Horizonte, located near the central area...
, and the Northeastern Brazil.
The blacks brought to Brazil were from different ethnicities and from different African regions.
Gilberto FreyreGilberto de Mello Freyre was a Brazilian sociologist, cultural anthropologist, historian, journalist and congressman...
noted the major differences between these groups. Some Sudanese peoples, such as
HausaThe Hausa are a Sahelian people chiefly located in the West African regions of northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger. There are also significant numbers found in regions of Sudan, Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Chad and smaller communities scattered throughout West Africa and on the...
,
FulaFula or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group of people spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
and others were Islamic, spoke
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
and many of them could
readRead is an English village situated in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire. The name "Read" is a contraction of an Old English term meaning "roe[deer] headland." Read lies on the A671 which was originally built as a turnpike road from Portfield to Padiham in the 1840s.The 16th century saw the gradual...
and write in this language. Freyre noted that many slaves were better educated than their masters, because many Muslim slaves were literate in Arabic, while many Portuguese Brazilian masters could not even read or write in Portuguese. These slaves of greater
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
and
BerberBerbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are discontinuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke various Berber languages, which together form a branch of the...
influence were largely sent to
BahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
. Even today the typical dress of the women from Bahia has clear Muslim influences, as the use of the Arabic turban on the head. These Muslim slaves, known as
Malê in Brazil, produced one of the greatest slave revolts in the
AmericasThe Americas, or America, are lands in the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America...
, when in 1835 they tried to take the control of
Salvador, BahiaSalvador is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia...
. The event was known as the
Malê RevoltThe Malê Revolt is perhaps the most significant slave rebellion in Brazil. On a Sunday during Ramadan in January 1835, in the city of Salvador da Bahia, a small group of black slaves and freedmen, inspired by Muslim teachers, rose up against the government...
.
Despite the large influx of Islamic slaves, most of the slaves in Brazil were brought from the Bantu regions of the Atlantic coast of Africa where today
CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country located in Central Africa, with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country in Africa...
and
AngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. The exclave province of Cabinda has a border with the Republic of the...
are located, and also from Moçambique. In general, these people lived in
tribeA tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists hold that...
s. The people from Congo had developed
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
, raised
livestockLivestock are one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food or fiber, or labor...
, domesticated animals such as
goatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
,
pigPigs are a genus of even-toed ungulates within the family Suidae. The name hog most commonly refers to the domestic pig in everyday parlance, but technically encompasses several distinct species, including the wild boar...
,
chickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird...
and
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
and produced sculpture in
woodWood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of trees . In a living tree it transfers water and nutrients to the leaves and other growing tissues, and has a support function, enabling woody plants to reach large sizes or to stand up for themselves...
. Some groups from Angola were nomadic and did not know agriculture.
| Estimated disembarkment of Africans in Brazil from 1781 to 1855 |
| Period |
Place of arrival |
| Total in Brazil |
South of
Bahia |
BahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
|
North of
Bahia |
| Total period |
2.113.900 |
1.314.900 |
409.000 |
390.000 |
| 1781-1785 |
63.100 |
34.800 |
... |
28.300 |
| 1786-1790 |
97.800 |
44.800 |
20.300 |
32.700 |
| 1791-1795 |
125.000 |
47.600 |
34.300 |
43.100 |
| 1796-1800 |
108.700 |
45.100 |
36.200 |
27.400 |
| 1801-1805 |
117.900 |
50.100 |
36.300 |
31.500 |
| 1806-1810 |
123.500 |
58.300 |
39.100 |
26.100 |
| 1811-1815 |
139.400 |
78.700 |
36.400 |
24.300 |
| 1816-1820 |
188.300 |
95.700 |
34.300 |
58.300 |
| 1821-1825 |
181.200 |
120.100 |
23.700 |
37.400 |
| 1826-1830 |
250.200 |
176.100 |
47.900 |
26.200 |
| 1831-1835 |
93.700 |
57.800 |
16.700 |
19.200 |
| 1836-1840 |
240.600 |
202.800 |
15.800 |
22.000 |
| 1841-1845 |
120.900 |
90.800 |
21.100 |
9.000 |
| 1846-1850 |
257.500 |
208.900 |
45.000 |
3.600 |
| 1851-1855 |
6.100 |
3.300 |
1.900 |
900 |
Note: "South of Bahia" means "from Espírito SantoEspírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. Those who are born in the state are known as "Capixabas", although the precise word is "espiritossantenses". The name means literally...
to Rio Grande do SulRio Grande do Sul is the southernmost State of Brazil, and the State with the fourth highest Human Development Index in the country. In Rio Grande do Sul we can find the most southern city of the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay...
" States; "North of Bahia" means "from SergipeSergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia in the south and west and Alagoas in the north, and in the east on the Atlantic Ocean...
to AmapáAmapá is one of the states of Brazil, located in the extreme north, bordering French Guiana and Suriname to the north. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and west is the Brazilian state of Pará. Perhaps one of the main features of the state is the River Oiapoque, as it was once...
States" |
Afro-Brazilian formation
Evolution of the Brazilian population
according skin color: 1872-1991
|
|
|
The growth of the African-Brazilian population was mainly due to the acquisition of new slaves from Africa. In Brazil, the black population had a negative growth. This was due to the low
life expectancyLife expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by e
x, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
of the slaves, which was around 7 years. It was also because of the imbalance between the number of men and women. The vast majority of slaves were men, black women being a minority. Slaves rarely had a family and the unions between the slaves was hampered due to incessant hours of work. Another very important factor was that black women were held by white and mixed-race men. The Portuguese colonization, largely composed of men with very few women resulted in a social context in which white men disputed indigenous or African women. According to
Gilberto FreyreGilberto de Mello Freyre was a Brazilian sociologist, cultural anthropologist, historian, journalist and congressman...
in colonial Brazilian society, the few African women who arrived quickly became concubines, and in some cases, officially
wivesA wife is a female spouse, or participant in a marriage.-Origin and etymology:The term originated from the Middle English wif, from Old English wīf, woman, wife, from Germanic * wībam, woman, related to Modern German Weib , from the Indo-European root ghwībh-; wīb, meaning veiled or clothed,...
of the Portuguese settlers. In large
plantationA plantation is a large farm or estate, usually in a tropical or subtropical country, where crops are grown for sale in distant markets, rather than for local consumption. The term plantation is informal and not precisely defined....
s of sugar cane and in the mining areas, the white master often choose the most
beautifulBeautiful is an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty.Beautiful may also refer to:In music:* Beautiful , a 2006 album by David Tao* beautiful., a 2001 album by Fantastic Plastic Machine...
black slaves to work inside the house. These slaves were forced to have
sexIn biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
with their master, producing a very large
MulatoThe mulato pepper is a mild to medium chile pepper, closely related to the poblano , and usually sold dried. Mexican mulato chiles are part of the famous "trilogy" used in mole as well as other Mexican sauces and stews. The mulato's color while growing is dark green, maturing to red or brown...
population. The
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
diplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organisation. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and
ethnologistEthnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific Discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
Richard Francis BurtonCaptain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS was an English explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, ethnologist, linguist, poet, hypnotist, fencer and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia and Africa as well as his extraordinary knowledge of languages and...
wrote that "
Mulatism became a necessary evil" in the captaincies in the interior of Brazil. He noticed a "
strange aversion to marriage" in the 19th century
Minas GeraisMinas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation. The capital is the city of Belo Horizonte, located near the central area...
, arguing that the colonists preferred to have quick relationships with black slaves rather than a marriage.
According to
Darcy Ribeirothumb|right|150px|Darcy RibeiroDarcy Ribeiro was a Brazilian anthropologist, author and politician. Darcy Ribeiro's ideas of Latin American identity have influenced several later scholars of Latin American studies...
the process of
miscegenationMiscegenation is the mixing of different racial groups, that is, marrying, cohabiting, having sexual relations and having children with a partner from outside one's racially or ethnically defined group....
between whites and blacks in Brazil, in contrast to an idealized
racial democracyRacial democracy is a term used by some to describe race relations in Brazil. The term denotes some scholars' belief that Brazil has escaped the racism and racial discrimination of other countries, most notably the United States. These researchers contend that Brazilians do not view each other...
and a peaceful integration, was a process of sexual domination, in which the white man imposed an unequal relationship using
violenceViolence is the expression of physical or verbal force against self or other, compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt. Variant uses of the term refer to the destruction of non-living objects . Worldwide, violence is used as a tool of manipulation and also is an area of concern...
because of his prime condition in society. As an official wife or as a concubine or subjected to a condition of
sexual slaveSexual slavery is the organized coercion of unwilling people into different sexual practices. Sexual slavery may include single-owner sexual slavery, ritual slavery sometimes associated with traditional religious practices, slavery for primarily non-sexual purposes where sex is common, or forced...
, the black woman was the responsible for the growth of the African-Brazilian population. The African-Brazilian population has grown mainly through sexual intercourse between the black female slave and the Portuguese master, what explains the high degree of European ancestry in the black Brazilian population and the high degree of African ancestry in the white population.
Historian Manolo Florentino refutes the idea that a large part of the Brazilian people is a result of the forced relationship between the rich Portuguese colonizer and the Indian or African slaves. According to him, most of the Portuguese settlers in Brazil were poor adventurers from Northern Portugal who immigrated to Brazil alone. Most of them were men (the proportion was eight or nine men for each woman) and then it was natural that they had relationship with the Indian or Black women. According to him the mixture of races in Brazil, more than a sexual domination of the rich Portuguese master over the poor slaves, was a mixture between the poor Portuguese settlers with the Indian and Black women. Then most of the Black women were not raped, but actually had a romance with the white partner.
The Brazilian population of clearer black physiognomy is more strongly present along the coast, due to the high concentration of slaves working on sugar cane plantations. Another region that had a strong presence of Africans was the mining areas in the center of Brazil.
Gilberto FreyreGilberto de Mello Freyre was a Brazilian sociologist, cultural anthropologist, historian, journalist and congressman...
wrote that the states with stronger African presence were
BahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
and
Minas GeraisMinas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation. The capital is the city of Belo Horizonte, located near the central area...
. Freyre wrote, however, that there's no region in Brazil where the black people have not penetrated. Many blacks fled to the interior of Brazil and met
AmerindianThe Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the arrival of Europeans around 1500...
and
MamelucoMameluco the word is believed to be of Arabic origin. The word in Arabic is Mamluk or Mamluka مملوك or مملوكه...
populations. Many of these acculturated blacks were accepted in these communities and taught them the Portuguese language and the European culture. In these areas the blacks were "agents for transmitting European culture" to those isolated communities in Brazil. Many blacks mixed with the Indian and
cabocloA caboclo is a term used in Brazil describing a person of mixed Brazilian Amerindian and European descent...
women, settling in remote areas where it was usually believed that only Indians and Whites settled, such as in the
Amazon RainforestThe Amazon rainforest , also known as Amazonia, or the Amazon jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
.
Conception of Black and prejudice
According to anthropologist
Darcy Ribeirothumb|right|150px|Darcy RibeiroDarcy Ribeiro was a Brazilian anthropologist, author and politician. Darcy Ribeiro's ideas of Latin American identity have influenced several later scholars of Latin American studies...
:
In Brazil the "race" of an individual is based primarily on physical appearance, while in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the ancestry is more important. In Brazil the children born to a black mother and a European father who had more pronounced physical African features would be classified as black, while the children with more European features would be classified as white. In Brazil it is possible for two siblings of different colors to be classified as people of different races. With no strict criteria for racial classifications, lighter-skinned mulattoes were easily integrated into the white population, introducing a large proportion of African blood in the white Brazilian population, as well as a large proportion of European blood in the black population. In the United States, on the other hand, which had defined concepts of race, due to the one drop rule any person with any known African ancestry was automatically classified as black, regardless of skin color. Thus, many black Americans have some degree of European ancestry, while few white Americans have African ancestry. The Brazilian society is an example for
geneticistA geneticist is a scientist who studies genetics, the science of heredity and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer...
s argue that
human raceThe Human Race could be:* The Human species; see also World population* The Human Race , a comic book published by DC Comics* Human Race , a video game*The Human Race, 79th episode of YuYu Hakusho...
s do not exist and that they are mere "social constructs". According to geneticist Sérgio Pena:
According to the sociologist Simon Schwartzman the official figures about the size of the black population in Brazil are criticized because "(the official figures) would hide the true size of the black population in Brazil, which if defined in a similar way to what happens in the United States would reach at least 50% of the population; and they would also not measure the true size of the Amerindian population." According to Schwartzman in Brazilian society people can easily
pass from a race to anotherIn the racial politics of the United States, racial passing refers to a person classified by society as a member of one racial group choosing to identify with a different group , usually by appearance...
. This would be the result of a prejudice of class, in which people move from one race to another as they enrich. According to this thinking, also followed by Darcy Ribeiro, in Brazil social prejudice is stronger than racial discrimination. Many black Brazilians live in
poor conditionsPoverty is the condition of lacking basic human needs such as nutrition, clean water, health care, clothing, and shelter because of the inability to afford them. This is also referred to as absolute poverty or destitution...
which in the popular imagination created an association of being black as a synonym for being poor. Moreover, for many
decadeA decade is a period of ten years. The word is derived from the late Latin decas, from Greek decas, from deca. The other words for spans of years also come from Latin: lustrum , century , millennium . The term usually refers to a period of ten years starting at a multiple of ten...
s, the Brazilian ruling classes blamed the blacks for the underdevelopment of Brazil, even encouraging the arrival of masses of European immigrants to melhorar a raça ("improve the race"). The Brazilian assimilationist society was peculiar because it expected that the black population should disappear within the white population. In this context, the black population was poor because of the "inferiority of the black race", and not because of slavery and its consequences. The poverty of many black Brazilians is due to the problem that when the slaves were freed the Brazilian government did not give them any social assistance, leaving former slaves in a condition of
underemploymentIn economics, the term underemployment has three different distinct meanings and applications. All meanings involve a situation in which a person is working, unlike unemployment, where a person who is searching for work cannot find a job...
and vulnerable to the arbitrariness of land owners. With no lands, which in Brazil were monopolized by a small rural
aristocracyAristocracy is a form of government, in which a few of the most prominent citizens rule. This may be a hereditary elite, or it may be by a system of cooption where a council of prominent citizens add leading soldiers, merchants, land owners, priests, and lawyers to their number...
, many blacks migrated to urban centers that were not prepared to receive so many people because there were few
jobJob may refer to:* a job served by a person or thing:* a job opening, a desire by an organization to fill a position* an odd lot or job-lot is a non-standard quantity purchase performed by jobbers* a task to be performed:...
s available. Then a large underemployed and unemployed population was formed and many
favelaA favela is the generally used term for a shanty town in Brazil. In the late 19th century, the first settlements were called bairros africanos , and they were the place where former slaves with no land ownership and no options for work lived. Over the years, many freed black slaves moved in...
s appeared, today centers of
crimeCrime is the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some governing authority, via mechanisms such as police power, may ultimately prescribe a conviction...
and drug dealing.
Gilberto Freyre wrote that few wealthy Brazilians admit to have
African ancestryThe African Diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world - predominantly to the Americas, then later to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe....
. The same analysis was performed by Ribeiro, who wrote that the people of darker
complexionHuman skin color can range from almost black to nearly colorless in different people. Skin color is determined primarily by the amount and type of melanin, the pigment in the skin. Variation in skin color is largely due to genetics...
from the dominant classes usually associate their skin color with an
Indian ancestryThe Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the arrival of Europeans around 1500...
rather than African. For the large part of Brazilian society to be associated with the condition of black is "totally undesirable
" and Ribeiro wrote that "This happens in a sick society, with a distorted consciousness, where the blacks are regarded as guilty of their misery". Ribeiro believed, however, that the prejudice in Brazil, due to be primarily social, can be finished. This will happen when many black Brazilians be out of the condition of misery and take part in the consumer market. A 2007 resource found that the white workers had an average monthly income almost twice that of blacks and pardos (brown). The blacks and brown earned on average 1.8 minimum wages, while the whites had a yield of 3.4 minimum wages. Ribeiro considered that through the example of many
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
s who became wealthier, many black and mulatto Brazilians began to be
pridePride is, depending on the context, either a high sense of the worth of one's self or one's own or a pleasure taken in the contemplation of these things...
of themselves and started to assume their blackness. According to Ribeiro, then, when black Brazilians start to be part of the wealthier classes, through
social democracySocial democracy is a political ideology of the political left and centre-left on the classic political spectrum. Social democracy emerged in the late 19th century from the socialist movement and continues to exert influence worldwide....
, the
racial democracyRacial democracy is a term used by some to describe race relations in Brazil. The term denotes some scholars' belief that Brazil has escaped the racism and racial discrimination of other countries, most notably the United States. These researchers contend that Brazilians do not view each other...
will be possible in Brazil.
| Self-reported race in Brazil in 1835, 1940, 2000 and 2008 |
| Year | White | Brown | Black |
|---|
| 1835 |
24.4% |
18.2% |
51.4% |
| 1940 |
64% |
21% |
14% |
| 2000 |
53.7% |
38.5% |
6.2% |
| 2008 |
48.8% |
43.8% |
6.5% |
The stigma of being Black because of the unfavorable social situation of this population prevents the creation of a Black identity in Brazil: "It is not a surprise that Blacks self-report to be Pardos (brown), because the prejudice in Brazil is based on the representation, on what people think about themselves or on what others think about them. And while Blacks are disadvantaged in access to education or earning lower wages, for example, it is understandable that many people do not want to assume a Black identity" says author and historian Joel Rufino dos Santos. In the last years, however, the consequences of the "whiten ideology" on racial classifications in Brazil seem to be gradually reversed. According to a
IBGEThe Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil...
resource, from 2007 to 2008 the self-reported Pardo (brown) population increased by 3.2 million people, while 450,000 Whites and 1 million Blacks "disappeared". This phenomenon should not be attributed solely to the variation in the birth and death rates. The conception of race is a social construction and these changes may be related to the feeling of belonging to a particular ethnicity, prejudice or even a reaction to the
affirmative actionThe term affirmative action refers to policies that take race, ethnicity, or gender into consideration in an attempt to promote equal opportunity or increase ethnic or other forms of diversity. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs...
policies recently taken by the Brazilian Government. In fact, many of the people who used to classify themselves as Whites in previous Censuses are now reporting to be Browns. Even though the proportion of Brazilians who self-report to be Brown is growing in each Census, the self-reported Black population is not and, in fact, their proportion decreased between 2007 and 2008, from 7.2% to 6.5%. According to scholars, this is because the Black Brazilian population, because of the prejudice, is reporting to be "Brown" in the Censuses.
The revaluation of Black identity
In the last years, Brazil has been undergoing a process of redemption of its Black identity. This process was also reflected in national censuses. Each year the percentage of Brazilians who self-report to be non-Whites (Blacks or Brown) is growing, while there is a decrease of the population that self-reports to be White. According to
IBGEThe Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil...
this is because of the "revaluation of the identity of historically discriminated ethnic groups". In the social context of Brazil, where Blacks are seen as being in an undesirable situation of pauperism, disease, crime and violence, to be assumed as Black was an unusual attitude. This trend is being changed for many reasons. First of all, it was because of the direct influence of African Americans, who are seen by Brazilians as the "race victory". It was also because of the social mobility of many Black Brazilians, through
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
and expansion of employment opportunities. If before only the very dark Blacks would be considered "Blacks" by Brazilian standards of race, this ethnic revaluation is now also affecting many
MulattoMulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent or a person who has both black ancestry and white ancestry. The term may be perceived as pejorative in some cultures and situations. Its current usage varies greatly.-Etymology:...
s. Brazilians in general may be willing to affirm their European ancestry, and any person with a significant amount of European ancestry was systematically classified as White. Thus, it was extremely difficult for the Mulattos jump to the Black side of their dual nature, because they rarely wanted to be confused with the mass of poor Blacks that makes up the racial imaginary of Brazilians. The Brazilian racism is peculiar, because the widespread miscegenation has not formed a racial democracy, due to the strong anti-Black oppression, prejudice and discrimination that it has. According to Darcy Ribeiro, the Brazilian racist assimilationism is perverse because it gives the impression that there is a greater sociability, when it actually divides the "Black" population in vast ranges of skin colors, which breaks the solidarity and reduces toughness. It largely contrasts with the Apartheid found in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which united all the population of African descent, regardless of skin color, providing a deep internal solidarity of the discriminated group, which enables it to fight for its rights (even though Ribeiro considered the Apartheid model to be worse than the Brazilian assimilationism model when other aspects are considered).
The notion of a Black identity is growing in Brazil, be it because of
North AmericanNorth American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
influence (through the
Black Movement of BrazilMovimento Negro is a generic name given to the diverse Afro-Brazilian social movements that occurred in 20th century Brazil, particularly those movements that appeared in post-World War II Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.-History:...
, with strong American influence), be it because of the enrichment of some Black Brazilians (which contributes to a decrease in the association of blackness with the ills of the society) or be it because of the
affirmative actionThe term affirmative action refers to policies that take race, ethnicity, or gender into consideration in an attempt to promote equal opportunity or increase ethnic or other forms of diversity. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs...
s taken by the Brazilian Government. The Government of President
Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, is the thirty-fifth and current President of Brazil.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in 2002, and was inaugurated as President on 1...
created the "Ministry for racial equality" seeking the inclusion of racial issues in their policies. Among the measures taken, there are quotas in universities to Black and Brown students. These measures have been advocated by a part of Brazilian society, which believes that Blacks and Browns are socially disadvantaged and that this portion of the population needs government incentives, and the creation of a Black identity is a way to promote the necessary union of this population against poverty and discrimination. Another portion is against them. According to sociologist Demétrio Magnoli, to encourage the division of the Brazilian population in races and to privilege a certain segment of the society is very dangerous because they would encourage the creation of racial identities, which would promote
violenceViolence is the expression of physical or verbal force against self or other, compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt. Variant uses of the term refer to the destruction of non-living objects . Worldwide, violence is used as a tool of manipulation and also is an area of concern...
and
segregationSegregation or segregate may refer to:*De facto segregation*Geographical segregation*Mendel's law of segregation*Particle segregation*Racial segregation*Religious segregation*Residential segregation*Security segregation...
.
Violence and resistance
Slavery can only be maintained through constant vigilance, frequent violence and the fear that brings the physical violence, which prevent the riots and rebellion of the slaves. Although there is a myth that the slavery in Brazil was more lenient, the reports of colonial chroniclers claim the opposite. The African slaves in Brazil have suffered various types of physical violence. Lashes on the back was the most common punishment. About 40 lashes per day was a commom punishment and they prevented the mutilation of slaves. After the violence, the wounds were washed with salt, pepper or vinegar to prevent infection. This washing was also painful. Preventive punishments
were also common, as they served to frighten the slaves even if they did not "deserve" a punishment. The foreman monitored the slaves during all day, forcing them to comply with their tasks and punishing the slaves when he thought to be necessary. In 1741 the Portuguese Crown decreed that all blacks who fled to quilombos should have their back burned and marked with letter F (from fugido, escaped in Portuguese). If the slaves scaped again they should have one
earThe ear is the organ that detects sound. The vertebrate ear shows a common biology from fish to humans, with variations in structure according to order and species. It not only acts as a receiver for sound, but plays a major role in the sense of balance and body position...
cut off and should be sentenced to death. The colonial chroniclers recorded the extreme violence and
sadismSadism is the derivation of pleasure as a result of inflicting pain or watching pain inflicted on others. Aspects of it include:* Sadomasochism* Sadism and masochism as medical terms, sadism and masochism as paraphilia...
of the White Brazilian women on black female slaves, usually by
jealousyJealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, such as a relationship, friendship, or love. Jealousy often consists of a combination of emotions such as anger, sadness,...
or to prevent a relationship between the
husbandA husband is a male spouse, or participant in a marriage.-Origin and etymology:The term husband refers to Middle English huseband, from Old English hūsbōnda, from Old Norse hūsbōndi .-Related terms:A male attains the role of husband once he has participated as the...
and the slaves, which was very common.
The African-Brazilians resisted against slavery during all the centuries it lasted. The most frequent form of resistance was the leak, which often led to
deathDeath is the termination of the biological functions that define a living organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby. The true nature of the latter has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical...
. These escaped slaves found other slaves, forming quilombos. Quilombos were communities composed of escaped slaves. The biggest Quilombo,
PalmaresPalmares, or Quilombo dos Palmares, was a collaboration of around ten quilombos that grew from 1605 onwards in colonial Brazil, during the Portuguese rule. It was located in what is today the Brazilian state of Alagoas.-Quilombos:...
had a population of about 30,000 people and resisted for 100 years, when finally succumbed to attacks by the colonists. Another form of resistance was to work slowly or to hurt animals in order to hinder the production of the master. The most notorious slave rebellion occurred in 1835, when slaves of
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
aspirations wanted to kill many of the whites and the mulattos of Salvador, Bahia and free all slaves, founding a
RepublicA republic is a form of government in which the head of state is not a monarch and the people have an impact on its government. The word 'republic' is derived from the Latin phrase res publica which can be translated as "a public affair".Both modern and ancient republics vary widely in their...
in Bahia . As with all other rebellions, the insurgents have been repressed, killed or sold as slaves to the
CaribbeanThe Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts...
.
Main Afro-Brazilian communities
As of 2007, the Brazilian Metropolitan Area with the largest percentage of people reported as of African descent was
Salvador, BahiaSalvador is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia...
, with 1,869,550
PardoIn Brazil, the Pardos are a mixture of Whites, Blacks and Amerindians, varying from light to dark complexion, as used by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics in censuses since 1950. The word is Portuguese for "brown" or "grey-brown"...
(brown) people (53.8%) and 990,375 Black people (28.5%). The state of
BahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
has also the largest percentage of Afro-Brazilians, with 62.9% of Brown and 15.7% of Blacks.
As of 2000, the towns with the highest percentage of blacks were: Riacho Frio (
PIPiauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
) with 61.71%, Pugmil (
TOTocantins can refer to:* Tocantins , a State in Brazil.* Tocantins River, a river in Brazil.* Survivor: Tocantins, a reality show set in the region....
) with 41.33% and Pedrão (
BABahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
) with 39.32%. The towns with the highest percentage of Pardos (Brown) were: Nossa Senhora das Dores (
SESergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia in the south and west and Alagoas in the north, and in the east on the Atlantic Ocean...
) with 98.16%, Santo Inácio do Piauí (PI) with 96.90% and Boa Vista do Ramos (
MAMaranhão is one of the states of Brazil in the north-eastern region. To the north is the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Neighboring states are Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
) with 92.40%.
Genetic studies
| Genetic origin of Brazilian population (Perc.% rounded values) |
| Line |
Origin |
Negros
(Black) |
Brancos
(Caucasian) |
Maternal
(mtDNAMitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use...
) |
Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
|
85% |
28% |
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
|
2.5% |
39% |
Native BrazilianThe Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the arrival of Europeans around 1500...
|
12.5% |
33% |
Paternal
(Y chromosomeThe Y chromosome is the sex-determining chromosome in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development, thus determining sex. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs.- Overview :...
) |
Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
|
48% |
2% |
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
|
50% |
98% |
Native BrazilianThe Indigenous peoples in Brazil comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country prior to the arrival of Europeans around 1500...
|
1.6% |
0% |
A recent
geneticGenetics, , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding...
study of Afro-Brazilians made for
BBC BrasilBBC Brasil is the subsidiary of BBC in Brazil and Latin America. Acting as world news provider in Portuguese and news agency BBC Brasil competes with Reuters but with much more resources like physical installed branches in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and team especially assigned in...
analysed the
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
of self-reported Blacks from
São PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and the world's 7th largest metropolitan area. The city is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state. It is also the richest city in Brazil. The name of the city honors Saint Paul. São Paulo exerts strong regional influence in...
.
The research analyzed the
mitochondrial DNAMitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use...
(mtDNA), that is present in all human beings and passed down with only minor mutations through the maternal line. The other is the
Y chromosomeThe Y chromosome is the sex-determining chromosome in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development, thus determining sex. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs.- Overview :...
, that is present only in
maleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
s and passed down with only minor mutations through the paternal line. Both can show from what part of the world a matrilineal or patrilineal ancestor of a person came from, but one can have in mind that they are only a fraction of the human genome, and reading ancestry from
Y chromosomeThe Y chromosome is the sex-determining chromosome in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development, thus determining sex. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs.- Overview :...
and
mtDNAMitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use...
only tells 1/23rd the story, since humans have 23 chromosome pairs in the cellular
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
.
Analyzing the Afro-Brazilians'
Y chromosomeThe Y chromosome is the sex-determining chromosome in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development, thus determining sex. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs.- Overview :...
, which comes from
maleMale refers to the sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
ancestors through paternal line, it was concluded that half (50%) of African-Brazilian population have at least one male ancestor who came from
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, 48% from
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
and 1.6% who was a
Native AmericanThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples...
. Analyzing their
mitochondrial DNAMitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use...
, that comes from
femaleFemale is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces mobile ova .- Defining Characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
ancestors though maternal line, 85% of them have at least a female ancestor who came from
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
, 12.5% who was Native American and 2.5% from
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
The high level of European ancestry in Black Brazilians through paternal line exists because, for much of Brazil's History, there were more Caucasian males than Caucasian females. So inter-racial relationships between Caucasian males and
Sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
n or Native American females were widespread.
Caucasian Brazilians and
Caucasian Americans
with 10% or more of
Sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
n genes |
| Region | Perc.(%) |
|---|
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
- Northern, Northeastern
and Southeastern regions |
75% |
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
- Southern region |
49% |
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
11% |
Over 75% of Caucasians from North, Northeast and Southeast Brazil would have over 10%
Sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
n genes, according to this particular study. Even Southern Brazil that received a large group of
EuropeanThe European peoples are the various nations and ethnic groups of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
immigrationImmigration is the arrival of new individuals into a habitat or population. It is a biological concept and is important in population ecology, differentiated from emigration and migration.-As a political term:...
, 49% of the Caucasian population would have over 10%
Sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
n genes, according to that study. A research showed that the average
European AmericanA European American is a person who resides in the United States and is either from Europe or is the descendant of European immigrants or founding colonists. Spanish Americans are the earliest European American group, with a continuous presence since 1565...
has approximately 10% to 12% non-White genetic material.
Thus, according to those studies, 86% of Brazilians would have at least 10% of genes that came from Africa.
As an example, one thousand individuals from
Porto AlegrePorto Alegre is the eleventh most populous municipality in Brazil and the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian state. Porto Alegre is one of the most important cultural, political and economic centers of...
city, Southern Brazil, and 760 from
NatalNatal is the capital city of Rio Grande do Norte, a northeastern state in Brazil. As of the IBGE July 2009, the city had a total population of 806,203...
city, Northeastern Brazil, were studied in relation to 12 and 8 genetic systems, respectively. The gathered data were used to estimate quantitatively the ethnic composition of individuals from these communities. More than half of the genes present in individuals classified as Black in
Porto AlegrePorto Alegre is the eleventh most populous municipality in Brazil and the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian state. Porto Alegre is one of the most important cultural, political and economic centers of...
city are of European origin, while the Whites from this city have 8% of
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
n alleles genes.
The estimated degree of admixture in persons identified as White or Mixed in
NatalNatal is the capital city of Rio Grande do Norte, a northeastern state in Brazil. As of the IBGE July 2009, the city had a total population of 806,203...
city is not much different. The ancestry of the total sample can be characterized as 58% White, 25% Black, and 17% Indian
According to another study (covering all regions of Brazil), the 'average Brazilian' is predominantly European, 'regardless of census classification, at about '80%' European (and the rest made of a minor, roughly split, Amerindian and African contribution). In some regions, like in the Southern part of Brazil the average would be '90%'. SOURCE:
http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/ciencia/ult306u633465.shtml.
Famous African Brazilians
In 2007
BBC BrasilBBC Brasil is the subsidiary of BBC in Brazil and Latin America. Acting as world news provider in Portuguese and news agency BBC Brasil competes with Reuters but with much more resources like physical installed branches in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and team especially assigned in...
launched the project
Raízes Afro-Brasileiras (African Brazilian Roots), in which they analyzed the genetic ancestry of nine famous Afro-Brazilians. Three tests were based on analysis of different parts of their
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
: an examination of paternal ancestry, maternal ancestry and the genomic ancestry, allowing to estimate the percentage of African, European and Amerindian genes in the composition of an individual.
Of the 9 famous Afro-Brazilians analyzed, 3 of them had more European ancestry than African one, while the other 6 people had more African ancestry, with varying degrees of European and Amerindian admixture. The African admixture varied from 19.5% in actress Ildi Silva to 99.3% in singer
Milton NascimentoMilton Nascimento is a prominent Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist.-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria do Carmo Nascimento...
. The European admixture varied from 0.4% in Nascimento to 70% in Silva. The Amerindian admixture from 0.3% in Nascimento to 25.4% in soccer player Obina.
Media
Afro-Brazilians have a low representation in the Brazilian media. Blacks are under-represented in
telenovelaA telenovela is a limited-run television serial melodrama popular in the Americas, comprising a great part of its production budget. The word combines tele, short for television, and novela, a word that Latin literary studies associate with medium-span romances. Telenovelas are essentially soap...
s, which have the largest audience of Brazilian television. The Brazilian soap operas, as well as throughout Latin America, are accused of hiding the black and Indian population and to make almost entirely white casts, usually as upper middle-class people. Brazil produces soap operas since the 1960s, but it was only in 1996 that a black actress,
Taís AraújoTaís Bianca Gama de Araújo is a Brazilian actress. Taís Araújo was the first black Brazilian actress to be a protagonist of a Brazilian telenovela, Xica da Silva , in Rede Manchete...
, was the protagonist of a telenovela, the role of the famous slave
Chica da SilvaChica da Silva, also incorrectly written as Xica da Silva was a famous Brazilian slave. Her life has been a source of inspiration for many works in television, films, theater and literature...
. In 2002, Araujo was protagonist of another soap, being the only African-Brazilian actress to have a more prominent role in a TV production of Brazil. The black actors in Brazil are required to follow stereotypes usually as subordinate and submissive roles, as
maidA maidservant or in current usage maid is a female employed in domestic service. Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was always the case for many households...
s,
driver-Surnames of people:* Alexander Gooch and Alice Driver , English Protestant martyrs* Andrew Driver , English professional footballer* Andrew Driver , English translator from Japanese...
s, servants, bodyguards, and poor
favelaA favela is the generally used term for a shanty town in Brazil. In the late 19th century, the first settlements were called bairros africanos , and they were the place where former slaves with no land ownership and no options for work lived. Over the years, many freed black slaves moved in...
dos. Joel Zito Araújo wrote the book
A Negação do Brasil (in English: The Denial of Brazil) which talks about how Brazilian TV tries to hide its black population. Araújo analyzed Brazilian soap operas from 1964 to 1997 and only 4 black families were represented as being of middle-class. Black women usually appear under strong sexual connotation and sensuality. Black men usually appear as rascals or criminals. Another common stereotype is of the "
old mammiesThe Mammy archetype is the portrayal within a narrative framework or other imagery of a domestic servant of African descent, generally good-natured, often overweight, and loud....
". In 1970, in the soap "A Cabana do Pai Tomás" (based on American novel
Uncle Tom's CabinUncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the United States, so much in the latter case that the novel intensified the...
) a white actor, Sérgio Cardoso, played Thomas, who was a black man in the book. The actor had to paint his body in black to "look black". The choice of a white actor to play a black character caused major protests in Brazil. In 1986 a white actress,
Lucélia SantosLucélia Santos is a famous Brazilian actress, director and producer.-Career:Her career spans for three and a half decades filled with creativity and success. Her first work for television, Escrava Isaura, 1976, based on the novel by Bernardo Guimarães, is probably one of the most famous...
, played a slave in the soap
A Escrava Isaura. In 1975 the telenovela
Gabriela was produced and it was based on a book by
Jorge AmadoJorge Amado de Faria was a Brazilian writer of the Modernist school. He was the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, his work having been translated into some 30 languages and popularized in film, notably Dona Flor and her Two Husbands in 1978...
, who described Gabriela, the main character, as a black woman. But to play Gabriela on television
Rede GloboRede Globo is a Brazilian television network, owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo. The network is currently the largest in the Latin America and the fourth largest in the world, just behind the U.S...
choose a non-black actress,
Sônia BragaSônia Maria Campos Braga is a Brazilian actress.-Biography:She was born in Maringá, Paraná, Brazil, the daughter of Maria José "Zeze" Braga, a seamstress, and a realtor father. In 1975, she became famous in Brazil with the telenovela Gabriela...
. The producer claimed he "did not find any talented black actress" for the role of Gabriela. In 2001 Rede Globo produced
Porto dos Milagres, also based on a book by Jorge Amado. In the book Amado described a
BahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
full of blacks. In the Rede Globo's soap opera, on the other hand, almost all the cast was white.
In the fashion world African-Brazilians are also poorly represented. In Brazil there is a clear predominance of models from the South of Brazil, mostly of European descent. Many black models complained of the difficulty of finding work in the fashion world in Brazil. This reflects a Caucasian standard of beauty demanded by the media. To change this trend, the Black Movement of Brazil entered in court against the fashion show, where almost all the models were whites. In a fashion show during
São Paulo Fashion WeekThe São Paulo Fashion Week is a fashion event, held at Ibirapuera Park, in São Paulo. It began in 1996, when the event was known as Morumbi Fashion Brazil. It won the current name in January 2001. Today, the event is the most important fashion show in Latin America and appears among the major...
in January 2008, of the 344 models only eight (2.3% of total) were blacks. The Brazilian Prosecutor had to force the fashion show to contract black models and demanded that during São Paulo Fashion Week 2009, at least 10% of the models should be "Blacks, African-descendants or Indians", under penalty of fine of 250,000 reais if the condition was not fulfilled.
Religion
Most Afro-Brazilians are
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
s, mainly
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
s. Afro-Brazilian religions such as
CandombléCandomblé is an African-originated or Afro-Brazilian religion, practiced chiefly in Brazil by the "povo de santo" . The religion was largely originated in the city of Salvador, the capital of Bahia. Although Candomblé is practiced primarily within Brazil, it is also practiced in other countries...
and
UmbandaUmbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion that blends African religions with CatholicismUmbanda is related to and has many similitudes with other Afro-Brazilian religions like Candomblé, Batuque, Macumba, Quimbanda, Xambá, Egungun, Ifá, Irmandade, Confraria, Xangô do Nordeste and Tambor de Mina, but...
have many followers, mainly Afro-Brazilians. They are concentrated mainly in large urban centers such as
Salvador de BahiaSalvador is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia...
,
RecifeRecife is the 5th largest Metropolitan area in Brazil with 3,768,902 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 4th largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper was 1,561,659 in 2009...
,
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and...
,
Porto AlegrePorto Alegre is the eleventh most populous municipality in Brazil and the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian state. Porto Alegre is one of the most important cultural, political and economic centers of...
,
BrasíliaBrasília is the capital of Brazil. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the fourth largest city in Brazil, ahead of Belo Horizonte...
, São Luís. In addition to Candomblé which is closer to the original
West AfricaWest Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:*Benin...
n religions, there is also
UmbandaUmbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion that blends African religions with CatholicismUmbanda is related to and has many similitudes with other Afro-Brazilian religions like Candomblé, Batuque, Macumba, Quimbanda, Xambá, Egungun, Ifá, Irmandade, Confraria, Xangô do Nordeste and Tambor de Mina, but...
which blends
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
and Kardecist Spiritism beliefs with African beliefs.
CandombléCandomblé is an African-originated or Afro-Brazilian religion, practiced chiefly in Brazil by the "povo de santo" . The religion was largely originated in the city of Salvador, the capital of Bahia. Although Candomblé is practiced primarily within Brazil, it is also practiced in other countries...
, Batuque,
XangoIn Yorùbá religion, Sàngó is perhaps the most popular Orisha; he is a Sky Father, god of thunder and lightning. Sango was a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third king of the Oyo Kingdom...
and Tambor de Mina were originally brought by black
slavesSlavery is a form of forced labor in which people are considered to be the property of others. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation...
shipped from Africa to Brazil.
These black slaves would summon their gods, called
OrixasAn Orisha is a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system...
,
VodouCandomblé Jeje is the Candomblé cult that the Vodous of Kingdom of Dahomey brought to the Brazil by enslaved Africans in various regions of West Africa and Central Africa. These Voduns are the rich, complex and high Fon mythology...
s or
InkicesAn Nkisi , literally translates as "sacred medicine". The term Nkisi is the general name for a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin in Central Africa thought to contain spiritual powers or spirits...
with chants and dances they had brought from Africa. These religions have been persecuted in the past, mainly due to Catholic influence. However, Brazilian government has legalized them. In current practice, Umbanda followers leave offerings of food, candles and flowers in public places for the spirits. The Candomblé terreiros are more hidden from general view, except in famous festivals such as Iemanjá Festival and the Waters of Oxalá in the Northeast.
From
BahiaBahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast.It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
northwards there is also different practices such as Catimbo, Jurema with heavy, though not necessarily original, indigenous elements. All over the country, but mainly in the
Amazon rainforestThe Amazon rainforest , also known as Amazonia, or the Amazon jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
, there are remnanst of the original Indian population still practicing their original traditions.
Cuisine
The cuisine created by the Afro-Brazilians has a wide variety of foods. In the State of Bahia, an exquisite cuisine evolved when cooks improvised on
AfricanAfrican cuisine reflects indigenous traditions, as well as influences from Europeans and Asians.The continent of Africa is the second largest landmass on the earth and is home to hundreds of tribes, ethnic and social groups...
, American-Indian, and traditional
Portuguese dishesPortuguese cuisine is characterised by rich, filling and full-flavored dishes and is closely related to Mediterranean cuisine. The influence of Portugal's former colonial possessions is also noted, especially in the wide variety of spices used. These spices include piri piri and black pepper, as...
using locally available ingredients. Typical dishes include
VatapáVatapá is a Brazilian dish made from bread, shrimp, coconut milk and palm oil mashed into a creamy paste. This food is very popular in the North and Northeast, but it is more typical in the northeastern state of Bahia where it is commonly eaten with acarajé, although Vatapá is often eaten with...
and
MoquecaMoqueca is a traditional Brazilian seafood stew. Brazilians have been making Moquecas for 300 years.It basically consists of fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, chili pepper and additional ingredients...
, both with
seafoodSeafood is any sea animal or plant that is served as food and eaten by humans. Seafoods include seawater animals, such as fish and shellfish...
and dendê
palm oilPalm oil is an edible plant oil derived from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis.Palm oil is naturally reddish because it contains a high amount of beta-carotene . Palm oil is one of the few vegetable oils relatively high in saturated fats...
. This heavy oil extracted from the fruits of an African palm tree is one of the basic ingredients in Bahian or Afro-Brazilian cuisine, adding a wonderful flavor and bright orange color to foods. There is no equivalent substitute, but it is available in markets specializing in Brazilian or African imports.
FeijoadaFeijoada is a stew of beans with beef and pork meats, which is a typical Portuguese dish, also typical in Brazil, Angola and other former Portuguese colonies...
is the national dish of Brazil (for over 300 years). It is basically a mixture of black beans,
porkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word pork often denotes specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but can be used as an all-inclusive term which includes cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig...
and
farofaFarofa is a toasted manioc flour mixture, though variants are made with maize flour , and flavors can vary. It is eaten in South America and West Africa, especially in Brazil and Nigeria, where a variant is known as gari. It can be found commercially produced and packaged but is often prepared at...
(lighly roasted coarse cassava
maniocCassava is a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
flour). It started as a Portuguese dish that the African slaves built upon, made out of cheap ingredients: pork ears, feet and tail, beans and manioc flour. It has been adopted by all the other cultural regions, and there are hundreds of ways to make it.
Capoeira
Capoeira is a martial art developed initially by African slaves that came predominantly from Angola or Mozambique to Brazil, starting in the
colonial periodIn the History of Brazil, Colonial Brazil comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to United Kingdom with Portugal....
. It is marked by deft, tricky movements often played on the ground or completely inverted. It also has a strong acrobatic component in some versions and is always played with music. Recently, the art has been popularized by the addition of Capoeira performed in various computer games and movies, and Capoeira music has been featured in modern pop music (see
Capoeira in popular cultureThe Afro-Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, noted for its acrobatic movements and kicks, has been featured in numerous films, TV shows and video game series.-Movies:...
).
Music
The music created by Afro-Brazilians is a mixture of
PortuguesePortugal is internationally known in the music scene for its traditions of fado, but the country has seen a recent expansion in musical styles, with modern acts from rock to hip hop becoming popular...
, Amerindian, and
African musicAfrica is a vast continent and its regions and nations have distinct musical traditions. Most importantly, the music of north Africa has a different history from that of Sub-Saharan African music....
, making a wide variety of styles. Brazil is well known for the rhythmic liveliness of its music as in its
SambaSamba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in African and European roots. The word is derived from the Portugese verb sambar, meaning "to dance to rhythm." It is a worldwide recognized symbol of Brazil and the Carnival and is the national dance of Brazil...
dance music. This is largely because Brazilian slave owners allowed their slaves to continue their heritage of playing drums (unlike U.S. slave owners who feared use of the drum for communications).
Literature
Afro-Brazilian literature has existed in Brazil since the mid-19th century with the publication of
Maria Firmina dos Reis's novel
Ursula in 1859. Yet, Afro-Brazilian literature did not gain national prominence in Brazil until the 1970s with the revival of Black Consciousness politics known as the
Movimento Negro.
See also
- Ethnic groups in Brazil
Brazil is a racially diverse and multiracial country. Intermarriage among different ethnic groups has been part of the country's history, and most Brazilians can trace their origin to European, Amerindian, and African ancestors.-Ethnic groups:...
- Batuque
- Candomblé
Candomblé is an African-originated or Afro-Brazilian religion, practiced chiefly in Brazil by the "povo de santo" . The religion was largely originated in the city of Salvador, the capital of Bahia. Although Candomblé is practiced primarily within Brazil, it is also practiced in other countries...
- Kalunga
The Kalungas are descendants of run-away slaves who lived in remote settlements in northeastern Goiás state, Brazil. Most of the 4,000 Kalungas, who are of mixed race, black and native Indian, live in very poor conditions in near the town of Cavalcante, Goiás.All of the area occupied by the...
- Liberated Africans in Nigeria
- Macumba
Macumba is a word of African origins. Various explanations of its meaning include "a musical instrument", the name of a Central African deity, and simply "magic". It was the name used for all Bantu religious practices mainly in Bahia Afro-Brazilian in the 19th Century...
- Quimbanda
Quimbanda is an Afro-American religion practiced in Brazil. It is often also called Macumba and found mostly in urban areas such as Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Maranhão and Pernambuco...
- Racial democracy
Racial democracy is a term used by some to describe race relations in Brazil. The term denotes some scholars' belief that Brazil has escaped the racism and racial discrimination of other countries, most notably the United States. These researchers contend that Brazilians do not view each other...
- Umbanda
Umbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion that blends African religions with CatholicismUmbanda is related to and has many similitudes with other Afro-Brazilian religions like Candomblé, Batuque, Macumba, Quimbanda, Xambá, Egungun, Ifá, Irmandade, Confraria, Xangô do Nordeste and Tambor de Mina, but...
- Helvécio Martins
Helvécio Martins was the first Latter-day Saint of African descent to be called as a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
- List of Brazilians of Black African descent
- Tambor de Mina
- Chica da Silva (person)
Further reading
- Ankerl, Guy. Coexisting Contemporary Civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western. 2000, Geneva. INUPRESS, ISBN 2881550045. Pp. 187-210.
External links