Do Not Sleep On Black Brazilian
Do Not Sleep On Black Brazilian
Do Not Sleep on Brazilian Afrocentrism Quartz Africa reported in 2018 that there are “over 100 million Black and Brown people living in this Latin American country. These demographics give Brazil an important role in the global movement of Afrocentrism. The unique racial and ethnic lines drawn among citizens in Brazil result of the complex social history of this majority mixed-race nation.
Although Brazil has been described as one of the most racially harmonious nations in the world, the country’s so-called racial blindness stems from the fact that Brazil was the last of all countries in the Americas to give up slavery. In addition, Brazil imported 10 times more Africans than the United States. Generations later, this has equated to a greater number of people with African ancestors.
Brazilians have been re-charged
Afrocentrism among modern-day Brazilians has been re-charged by increased global awareness and enthusiasm for African culture, fueled by international phenomena like Black Panther.
Perhaps one of the most iconic global symbols of Black pride, power, and unity is Black hair–particularly in its natural state, characterized by a surplus of kinks, curls, and coils. While the States has seen its own recent resurgence in the natural hair movement, Black Brazilians have also experienced a return to their African roots.
The Washington Post reported in 2018 that many Black Brazilians have abandoned their pursuit of White beauty standards in exchange for embracing their natural hair textures. Local salons have expanded their services to cater to an increased number of clients with natural hair, and online searches including the phrase “Afro hair,” have tripled in only two years.
Brazilian Afrocentrism expands beyond hairstyles and escaping White beauty standards. In recent years, the nation has also seen a rise in support and awareness of Afrofuturism, which manifests itself in an increased number of films and advertisements featuring a combination of sci-fi tropes and dark-skinned protagonists. Afrofuturism also spills over into the musical realm. Ellen Oleria, an Afro-Brazilian singer named her 2016 album “Afrofuturism.”
These movements emanate a wider trend of Afro-Brazilians reclaiming their Blackness; a movement that is fittingly spearheaded by the Blackest nation in the world outside of the African continent. Don’t sleep on Brazilian Afrocentrism: it’s a foreshadow of the positive places the rest of the African Diaspora could soon be headed.
