Brasil.... un pais tropical, un pais carnaval.... lalalalalalaaaaa! Yanna the song, don't you?
VI. Racial democracy: more than a myth, a dangerous fraud.
It would be difficult to go anywhere in the world where Brazil would not be identified with samba, Carnaval and soccer (futebol). More than a cultural identification these three words carry a very heavy racial compound: samba reverberates the sounds of Africa; Carnaval is the stage for the "mulattos" (this horrible word) and futebol the kingdom of Pel‚s and Ronaldos.
According to the ruling class's perspective and among the empowered whites, it's a "clear" demonstration that Brazil is a "racial paradise" or a "racial democracy".
For black people, at least those politically aware, things are much more complicated. A full discussion about the sociological, cultural, political and even economical roles of Carnaval, Samba and Futebol would demand at least a specific essay. To talk about only the racial issues related to them, I point out the following things:
Samba and Carnaval (or any other music style related to our African roots) are indeed important to express our culture and to resist to social and cultural domination. Communities are organized around Carnaval and samba; opinions are expresses through them and denouncements are made. However, the question of how the majority of the society sees it and how the dominant sector uses it are important. For instance, it's unquestionable that both Carnaval and Samba became "the place" for black people to express themselves. It is also a place which, year after year, is being "fought around" because of an increasing interference of powerful people (from drug dealers to politicians). Also, there are alwaysthe problems that come with the exploitation of the sensuality of the black women. This exploitation was transformed in a popular saying that was reproduced by Gilberto Freyre: white women are to marry with; black ones to work and mulattas for sex.
Carnaval, music and Futebol has served as a venue for blacks to imporve in socio-economic terms. However, it has become almost the only way of moving upward in the social scale.
Overall, there are far from being true manifestations of racial democracy. When race becomes an issue related to these questions (at least in our perspective), it usually comes as a protest against racism. That is what some "escolas de samba" show from time to time. Many use the parade to make exaltation in favor of a history and values which have nothing to do with their lives. This can be seeing in some lyrics of sambas, MPB songs, music made in Bahia (axe music) or Pernambuco (maracatu and mangue beat).
Finally, Carnaval, Samba and Futebol are --always were-- used by the ruling classes to sell an image of the country that doesn't fit in our reality.
Concerning racial democracy itself, the main point is that most of the Brazilians believe it exists. This coupled with the "whitening policies" result in a very difficult and complex situation. This situation has a direct impact "being black in Brazil".
In Brazil, "being black" is not a question of having African ancestors (as in the USA). In Brazil, being black is a question of "tonality", of skin color. A person would be identified as black or not depending almost exclusively on how much melanin you have on you.
Just to give an personal example my brother and I were registered in the birth certificate (which is filled by according to the color range of the employee in charge) as "pardos" (mixed or "light black"). My sister was registered as "black".
"Being black" is something that is not assumed by most of the 60% of the population which is composed by African descendants. On the contrary, most blacks refuse to call themselves black and prefer to link their skin color to anything else close to white. A sad example of that was given in a census done in 1980: half of the population answered white for the question "what color are you?". The other half gave 136 different alternatives, which included: burnt yellow, dark white, white morena, tanned, mulatta, pardo, light pardo, a little bit dark, etc., etc.
The conclusion of a sociologist who analyzed the census was clear: "The identity and ethnical consciousness of Brazilians are badly damaged. When the self-identify themselves they look for elements which can connect them to ethnical symbols of the white ruling class (...) trying to get as close as possible to the white model, understood as being the superior one" (Retrato do Brasil, vol. 1, p. 112)
By refusing to be called "black", people accept to be called names which have a terrible origin. Mulatto, for instance, mule (the sterile animal used only to carry stuff). "Escurinho" (little dark one) is pejorative.
[snip]
Excerpted from:
ciee.org
Note that you were right about these Brazilians.... they're too sexy!
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