Nitheesh
Narayanan
Narayanan
Rafaela
Silva won a gold medal in Judo for Brazil in the
recently concluded Rio Olympics. It is through
this Afro-Brazilian athlete that the hosts received their first gold medal in
the 2016 Olympics. The success of Silva in Judo has been read as a befitting
reply to what she had to face after being disqualified in the 2012 London
Olympics following an illegal leg grab. She said, recollecting that event, ‘I was very sad because I lost the fight. So I
walked to my room, I found all those insults in social media, they were
criticizing me, calling me monkey, I got really, really upset, I thought about
leaving Judo’. For many, especially those who are not from Latin American
countries, who have heard of Silva’s experiences, wondered if racism actually
existed in Brazil.
There is this conception that the Latin American countries are free from
racism. In almost all studies and briefings on racism, Latin
America does not appear .But this is an erroneous understanding. Brazil, the
most populous country in the region also has the largest number of African
descendants of all Latin American states. In fact, Brazil
has the largest African population in any country outside Africa.
An analysis of the problem of racism in Brazil
will shed a reality check on the prevalence of racism in Latin
America.
Silva won a gold medal in Judo for Brazil in the
recently concluded Rio Olympics. It is through
this Afro-Brazilian athlete that the hosts received their first gold medal in
the 2016 Olympics. The success of Silva in Judo has been read as a befitting
reply to what she had to face after being disqualified in the 2012 London
Olympics following an illegal leg grab. She said, recollecting that event, ‘I was very sad because I lost the fight. So I
walked to my room, I found all those insults in social media, they were
criticizing me, calling me monkey, I got really, really upset, I thought about
leaving Judo’. For many, especially those who are not from Latin American
countries, who have heard of Silva’s experiences, wondered if racism actually
existed in Brazil.
There is this conception that the Latin American countries are free from
racism. In almost all studies and briefings on racism, Latin
America does not appear .But this is an erroneous understanding. Brazil, the
most populous country in the region also has the largest number of African
descendants of all Latin American states. In fact, Brazil
has the largest African population in any country outside Africa.
An analysis of the problem of racism in Brazil
will shed a reality check on the prevalence of racism in Latin
America.
Adam
Stefan in his documentary, ‘Wide angle- Brazil in Black and White’,
narrates different ways in which race matters in the country. The documentary
starts by stating that there might be
racial harmony in Brazil,
but this does not mean there is existence of equal opportunity. Timothy
Mutholland, President, University
of Brazilia, points that
‘the denial of racism is one of the ways which people fight against quota
system’. He adds that ‘the university which must be for everyone is reserved
for an elite white minority’. Universities are not the only places where
experiences of racism can be documented. It is prevalent across Brazilian
society. Two years ago, a huge debate was triggered in Brazil
following the news that the singer Anitta used skin whitening cream. Two
photographs from her past and her present showed that she had lightened her
skin since she signed a contract with Time Warner. Jouquim Barbosa. The first
black judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court, says, ‘Racism in Brazil is well
hidden, subtle and unspoken, underestimated by the media’. It becomes crystal clear from the fact that 98.5% of the Brazilian
judges, 99% of their diplomats and 81% senators of Brazil are white.
Stefan in his documentary, ‘Wide angle- Brazil in Black and White’,
narrates different ways in which race matters in the country. The documentary
starts by stating that there might be
racial harmony in Brazil,
but this does not mean there is existence of equal opportunity. Timothy
Mutholland, President, University
of Brazilia, points that
‘the denial of racism is one of the ways which people fight against quota
system’. He adds that ‘the university which must be for everyone is reserved
for an elite white minority’. Universities are not the only places where
experiences of racism can be documented. It is prevalent across Brazilian
society. Two years ago, a huge debate was triggered in Brazil
following the news that the singer Anitta used skin whitening cream. Two
photographs from her past and her present showed that she had lightened her
skin since she signed a contract with Time Warner. Jouquim Barbosa. The first
black judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court, says, ‘Racism in Brazil is well
hidden, subtle and unspoken, underestimated by the media’. It becomes crystal clear from the fact that 98.5% of the Brazilian
judges, 99% of their diplomats and 81% senators of Brazil are white.
Looking
at some of the data on the socio-economic indicators of Brazil allows
us to further grasp the division that exists in reality. Findings on education
will shed important light on this. Illiteracy among Afro-descendants is more
than twice of that of whites. A factor being the underfunding of the public
schools where the non-whites depend for their education. In 2000, compared to
the 20% of whites, 42% of the Afro-descendants population had no schooling and
only 1.41% of Afro-descendants had an advanced degree compared to 6.95% of the
whites. There were 23,5,5000 white
students in Brazilian universities (78.8% of Brazilian university students at
that time) while there were only 576000 Afro descendants students (19.3% of
university students). A sharper decline occurred between 1991 and 2000 in the
proportion of Afro-descendants students who are between 18-24 year age group in
Brazilian universities. They fell from 16.7% of the student body to 15.9%.
Despite intensive regional variations, the under-representations of people of
colour in Brazil’s
public universities remain a reality. The whites earn 2.4 times more compared
to non-whites. In Salvador
province, which was the centre of slavery the ratio goes up to 3.2. Life
expectancy of non-whites is six year less than the whites.
at some of the data on the socio-economic indicators of Brazil allows
us to further grasp the division that exists in reality. Findings on education
will shed important light on this. Illiteracy among Afro-descendants is more
than twice of that of whites. A factor being the underfunding of the public
schools where the non-whites depend for their education. In 2000, compared to
the 20% of whites, 42% of the Afro-descendants population had no schooling and
only 1.41% of Afro-descendants had an advanced degree compared to 6.95% of the
whites. There were 23,5,5000 white
students in Brazilian universities (78.8% of Brazilian university students at
that time) while there were only 576000 Afro descendants students (19.3% of
university students). A sharper decline occurred between 1991 and 2000 in the
proportion of Afro-descendants students who are between 18-24 year age group in
Brazilian universities. They fell from 16.7% of the student body to 15.9%.
Despite intensive regional variations, the under-representations of people of
colour in Brazil’s
public universities remain a reality. The whites earn 2.4 times more compared
to non-whites. In Salvador
province, which was the centre of slavery the ratio goes up to 3.2. Life
expectancy of non-whites is six year less than the whites.
To
understand why there is a skewed development among the different social groups
in Brazil,
it is imperative that we take a glance at the colonial and post-colonial
political-economy of the country. The history of slavery in Brazil which
lasted for ended in 1888. It was the last South American country to abolish
slavery. Since then there has been no policies or legal provisions which
directly discriminated against non-whites or restricted their mobility unlike
the Jim Crow regime in the United
States of America. No rights were denied to
blacks and no racial hierarchy was legally set up by the state. But the
policies framed by the state in the initial decades of 20th century
nevertheless contributed to maintaining the division between different races.
One among them is the ‘whitening policy’. It is an aggressive immigrant policy
which provided subsidies and other facilities to the Europeans migrants to Brazil. The
huge majority of the country’s population had already been filled by the
outsiders, either from Africa or Europe, by
then. Africans were brought as slaves by the European colonizers starting from Portugal. The
whitening policy was also a major tool in modern nation-state making. The development of racism has to be seen in
close relation with the development of the nation state or the nationalist
ideology. Etienne Balibar explains how both depend on each other for their
existence. He argues in a way that it is inevitable for a ‘nation’ to identify
itself with the ‘race’, because historical, political, cultural and other
distinguishing factors of a ‘nation’ are ultimately subsumed under the idea of
‘race’. This inevitably leads to a nationalistic purism, an ideology that ‘we’
must not be contaminated by them. Two among the many examples of this are the
Jim Crow and apartheid regimes in United States
and South Africa
respectively which were shaped by the nation-state. Baliber elucidates how an
extreme sort of racist nationalism operated in the fascist Germany and in
other European countries. Following the pattern, the nation making process in Brazil has
completely neglected the needs of the blacks and continues to date without any
major alteration.
understand why there is a skewed development among the different social groups
in Brazil,
it is imperative that we take a glance at the colonial and post-colonial
political-economy of the country. The history of slavery in Brazil which
lasted for ended in 1888. It was the last South American country to abolish
slavery. Since then there has been no policies or legal provisions which
directly discriminated against non-whites or restricted their mobility unlike
the Jim Crow regime in the United
States of America. No rights were denied to
blacks and no racial hierarchy was legally set up by the state. But the
policies framed by the state in the initial decades of 20th century
nevertheless contributed to maintaining the division between different races.
One among them is the ‘whitening policy’. It is an aggressive immigrant policy
which provided subsidies and other facilities to the Europeans migrants to Brazil. The
huge majority of the country’s population had already been filled by the
outsiders, either from Africa or Europe, by
then. Africans were brought as slaves by the European colonizers starting from Portugal. The
whitening policy was also a major tool in modern nation-state making. The development of racism has to be seen in
close relation with the development of the nation state or the nationalist
ideology. Etienne Balibar explains how both depend on each other for their
existence. He argues in a way that it is inevitable for a ‘nation’ to identify
itself with the ‘race’, because historical, political, cultural and other
distinguishing factors of a ‘nation’ are ultimately subsumed under the idea of
‘race’. This inevitably leads to a nationalistic purism, an ideology that ‘we’
must not be contaminated by them. Two among the many examples of this are the
Jim Crow and apartheid regimes in United States
and South Africa
respectively which were shaped by the nation-state. Baliber elucidates how an
extreme sort of racist nationalism operated in the fascist Germany and in
other European countries. Following the pattern, the nation making process in Brazil has
completely neglected the needs of the blacks and continues to date without any
major alteration.
There was
a long period, following de-colonisation, which lasted almost one century in
which the discussions on ‘race’ were conveniently silenced or sidelined in Brazil. The
state advocated that in Brazilian society, race is no matter. Racial Democracy,
popularized by Gilberto Freyre, is a term used to describe the society in which
there is no discrimination on the ground of race and race doesn’t hold any
significant position in socio-economic-political developments. Brazil was
called a racial democracy and projected as a country of mixture of races with
every one belonging to the ‘Brazilian’ race.
a long period, following de-colonisation, which lasted almost one century in
which the discussions on ‘race’ were conveniently silenced or sidelined in Brazil. The
state advocated that in Brazilian society, race is no matter. Racial Democracy,
popularized by Gilberto Freyre, is a term used to describe the society in which
there is no discrimination on the ground of race and race doesn’t hold any
significant position in socio-economic-political developments. Brazil was
called a racial democracy and projected as a country of mixture of races with
every one belonging to the ‘Brazilian’ race.
The
demands of the black population were heard in an organized manner at several
points in the 20th century. But no movement could actually sustain
for long to grow up to the level of deeply influencing the political structure
and redesigning of the social framework. Hanchard (1994) argues that the reason
behind the fact that there is no sustained Afro-Brazilian movement like the
civil rights movement in US or nationalist insurgencies in Sub-Saharan Africa
or other parts of the world after the Second World War was the ideological
hegemony, termed as ‘racial hegemony’, which neutralized the racial identity of
non-whites, making mass mobilization close to impossible. Only in 1998 would
official records register race. It had been denied till then, despite its
existence in the society. It was only in
the Durban conference of UN against racism held
in 2000 that Brazil
officially agreed that there is presence of racial inequality in the country.
This was due to the consistent pressure built by the black organizations and
civil rights activists onwards the conference. About 300 black activists went
to South Africa
to put pressure on the government and also to attract international attention
to the issue.
demands of the black population were heard in an organized manner at several
points in the 20th century. But no movement could actually sustain
for long to grow up to the level of deeply influencing the political structure
and redesigning of the social framework. Hanchard (1994) argues that the reason
behind the fact that there is no sustained Afro-Brazilian movement like the
civil rights movement in US or nationalist insurgencies in Sub-Saharan Africa
or other parts of the world after the Second World War was the ideological
hegemony, termed as ‘racial hegemony’, which neutralized the racial identity of
non-whites, making mass mobilization close to impossible. Only in 1998 would
official records register race. It had been denied till then, despite its
existence in the society. It was only in
the Durban conference of UN against racism held
in 2000 that Brazil
officially agreed that there is presence of racial inequality in the country.
This was due to the consistent pressure built by the black organizations and
civil rights activists onwards the conference. About 300 black activists went
to South Africa
to put pressure on the government and also to attract international attention
to the issue.
At the end of 2000, Fernando Henrique Cardoso,
the then president of Brazil
spoke to the world about the reality of racial inequality persisting in the
country. He traced its roots to the 350 years long history of slavery. For the
first time in the state, he also declared affirmative policies to overcome this
gap among its population. This started the quota system in higher education
institutes and government services along with the setting up of official
commissions to look into the matter. The succeeding governments of Lula and
Dilma continued with these policies. If we compare interventions of different
governments in the last 15 years, it can be seen that the government of Dilma
has given the highest priority to these affirmative policies. Setting up of
commissions and departments in both regional and central level, forming a
separate ministry to deal with the racial issues, policies to strengthen the
public school system and designing the universities with a more inclusive character
etc were the major steps taken in these years. Still 15 years is a very short
period for the impacts of these policies to be studied. There are enough signs
in the Brazilian society that these policies are provoking a certain sections
among the white population.
the then president of Brazil
spoke to the world about the reality of racial inequality persisting in the
country. He traced its roots to the 350 years long history of slavery. For the
first time in the state, he also declared affirmative policies to overcome this
gap among its population. This started the quota system in higher education
institutes and government services along with the setting up of official
commissions to look into the matter. The succeeding governments of Lula and
Dilma continued with these policies. If we compare interventions of different
governments in the last 15 years, it can be seen that the government of Dilma
has given the highest priority to these affirmative policies. Setting up of
commissions and departments in both regional and central level, forming a
separate ministry to deal with the racial issues, policies to strengthen the
public school system and designing the universities with a more inclusive character
etc were the major steps taken in these years. Still 15 years is a very short
period for the impacts of these policies to be studied. There are enough signs
in the Brazilian society that these policies are provoking a certain sections
among the white population.
The
process of impeachment initiated by the right wing opposition against Dilma
Rouseff government in Brazil
has become matter of debate on different counts. It was the allegations of
corruption and campaigns around it which eventually led to Dilma loosing
majority in the non-confident motion. The process of her impeachment has
completed its half way so far. It is been clear that Dilma, individually she is
not involved with any activities of corruption. Even the opposition does not
take the campaign to the level in which she is being personally accused of
corruption. The issue of corruption is not new in the political sphere of Brazil. There
have been allegations of corruption regularly being raised in the polity of the
country and many including Dilma’s several opponents are under investigation
for corruption charges. It has never been ‘used’ to initiate the impeachment of
a government until with Dilma Rouseff.
process of impeachment initiated by the right wing opposition against Dilma
Rouseff government in Brazil
has become matter of debate on different counts. It was the allegations of
corruption and campaigns around it which eventually led to Dilma loosing
majority in the non-confident motion. The process of her impeachment has
completed its half way so far. It is been clear that Dilma, individually she is
not involved with any activities of corruption. Even the opposition does not
take the campaign to the level in which she is being personally accused of
corruption. The issue of corruption is not new in the political sphere of Brazil. There
have been allegations of corruption regularly being raised in the polity of the
country and many including Dilma’s several opponents are under investigation
for corruption charges. It has never been ‘used’ to initiate the impeachment of
a government until with Dilma Rouseff.
The
scholars and activists have approached the ongoing developments in Brazil from
various angles other than the central question on corruption. The racial
question occupies major attention in this. The ousted head of the department
for Racial and Gender equality, Nilma Lino Gomes called it as a racial coup.
She points out that it is the affirmative action initiated by the government in
favor of the blacks in the country which provoked the right wing. The workers
party has received huge support in the 2014 election from the northeastern part
of the country which is predominantly dominated by the non-white population.
Dilma was seen as keen to adopt policies which will uplift the living statuses
of Blacks and mixed race . The law of social quota which reserves 50% of the
university seats to the students who have completed their studies in public
schools is one of the few examples. It was also noted that the protest marches,
demonstrations and gatherings which demanded the suspension of the Workers
Party government saw participation mostly from the whites who comprise of 47%
of the total population according to the last census conducted in 2012. With
these heated debates race is no more a non-topic in the mainstream platforms of
Brazil.
scholars and activists have approached the ongoing developments in Brazil from
various angles other than the central question on corruption. The racial
question occupies major attention in this. The ousted head of the department
for Racial and Gender equality, Nilma Lino Gomes called it as a racial coup.
She points out that it is the affirmative action initiated by the government in
favor of the blacks in the country which provoked the right wing. The workers
party has received huge support in the 2014 election from the northeastern part
of the country which is predominantly dominated by the non-white population.
Dilma was seen as keen to adopt policies which will uplift the living statuses
of Blacks and mixed race . The law of social quota which reserves 50% of the
university seats to the students who have completed their studies in public
schools is one of the few examples. It was also noted that the protest marches,
demonstrations and gatherings which demanded the suspension of the Workers
Party government saw participation mostly from the whites who comprise of 47%
of the total population according to the last census conducted in 2012. With
these heated debates race is no more a non-topic in the mainstream platforms of
Brazil.
At the
same time, the intensification of the racial conflicts also has to do with the
worsening economic crisis in Brazil.
Currently, it is going through one of the worst ever economic crisis since the
great depression of 1930s. Obfuscating the real crisis, the rightwing is using
the opportunity to line poor against on questions of race. These are challenging
times for the Left and progressive forces in the county to resist this right
wing coup while engaging with concrete realities.
same time, the intensification of the racial conflicts also has to do with the
worsening economic crisis in Brazil.
Currently, it is going through one of the worst ever economic crisis since the
great depression of 1930s. Obfuscating the real crisis, the rightwing is using
the opportunity to line poor against on questions of race. These are challenging
times for the Left and progressive forces in the county to resist this right
wing coup while engaging with concrete realities.
The author is a research scholar at the Center for
the Study of Discrimination and Exclusion, JNU, New Delhi
the Study of Discrimination and Exclusion, JNU, New Delhi
