Afrolatinos: The untaught story

Brazil is a Portuguese settled nation that has established itself as a power in South America. It holds the largest population of Afro-descendants in Latin America and where Portuguese is the official language.

During the slave trade Portugal received an estimated 12,000 slaves per year from African regions.  Brazil was one of the countries to receive the overflow of enslaved Africans.  These slaves came from Akan, Igbo, Yoruba, Dahomean, Muslim Guineans, Hausa, Bantu, Angola, Congo and Mozambique.

When the producers started shooting Afrolatinos the documentary, Brazil was on the top of the list. With its large population of Afros and long history of slavery the production team was excited to shoot in Rio and Salvador Bahia. Well what they found was not what they expected.

Director Renzo Devia went to Rio and Salvador alone due to budget issues. He found it to be very expensive and meeting New York City standards. From $20 U.S per meal to $60 U.S per night at a hostel that anywhere else in South America would cost $ 20 a night. Shooting a documentary in Brazil is not cheap!?

Rio de Janeiro and Salvador Bahia are huge cities. Compared to the Afrolatinos presence in other countries throughout Latin America, Brazils major cities are much different. Black Brazilians are treated just like everyone else in the city. If you see Afros in major cities such as, Quito, Lima or Bogota it is usually because they come from their lands looking for work or they are displaced because of some political or social issue. Blacks in Rio and Salvador are just part of the population.

When Renzo started asking around if there was racial discrimination in these cities the answer was no. Yes there is discrimination, but it is more about economic status.  He continued to ask around and received feedback from average Brazilians who said that they would be ashamed of making racial remarks in the streets. People in Brazil are embarrassed of being racist? Wow, In Colombia, you hear racial remarks in the street all the time! There is no shame in other countries.

Brazileros know their African Diaspora history and celebrate it everyday. White Brazilians play Capoeira as well as practice African based religions like Candomblé and Umbanda. It is not like many Central and South American countries were you have to go to a specific places to find Afros, where there is segregation found and the black communities are hidden away from the larger cities. Driving in Rio de Janiero you see more light skinned Brazilians, where in the favelas the skin color gets a bit darker.

What is a favela? It is a community built on the outskirts of the city created by humble people. They build their own houses; are forced to steal the electricity and water. These (Favelas) have been here for a very long time and the government does nothing to stop it, it just seems like they don’t care.  We are left wondering why the government doesn’t do anything to help these communities.

Basically, the people who reside in the Favelas are the ones controlling the streets and dealing drugs is very common. The police do not go to the favelas unless it is at war against the drug dealers and many innocent people get killed.  So what does all this have to do with Afrolatinos? Black Brazilians live here yet there are no racial issues, their issues are more about significant economic discrimination. Favelas are a social issue in major cities like Rio and Salvador.  All of Latin America has Favelas they just named differently. In Puerto Rico it is Caserios, in Colombia it is un communal and etc.

Salvador has more of an African presence. From a church built by slaves for slaves to the statue of Zumbi standing tall in Pelourinho, Salvador.  Capoeira is seen everywhere you go but if you stop and look they will charge you. There is a museum of Slavery and of African based instruments. The one thing that did stand out is how Afro-Brazilians are using their blackness to make money. 

In Pelourinho Renzo saw women dressed up as if they were going to a Candomblé ceremony, yet they were asking for money to take pictures.  During the teams investigations in Brazil and in other countries they noticed a DISHONORING OF RELIGION.  Why are we paying for spirituality and religion? Some of those ladies don’t even practice this West African religion. Renzo was shocked that in Brazil you can also take Candomblé tours for $200 U.S. Yes, there are tour agencies that will take you to a ‘Sacred” ceremony!  If you want a babaluorxia to read you there is also a fee and there are many people in the street playing music but you will be harassed to “donate”.  This obviously takes the authenticity of Afro-Brazilian culture away but then again these people need to make money to live and the country is a tourist spot.

Renzo went to a local market were he saw a lot of botanicas. Religion is a big business, but something interesting is that when a Babaluorixa gives you the beads he buys them and blesses them unlike Cuba where the Babalawo makes the beaded chain. There are many African based religions in Brazil, we mention two but there is Batuque, Macumba, Quimbanda, Xambá, Confraria, Sincretismo, Xangó de Nordeste and many more. It was interesting to see the differences and similarities of the Santos and Orishas (Orixas in Portuguese) and their rituals.

There is one thing that also stood out in Brazil that you don’t see anywhere else in Latin America. The government and society respects the African based religions in open public. In Salvador Bahia you will find huge statues of the Orixas in a public park.  There are many images of African based religious imagery found in murals and there is a house dedicated to Yemaya (Yemaja in Portuguese) right next to a catholic church. 

There is also a place one hour away from Salvador that is called Cachoeira. This is a small town two hours away from Salvador where you can find the Sisterhoods of Candomblé. These women are descendents of Slaves who have kept the culture alive and in its purist form.

As much as this documentary is working to unite Latinos in Latin America, the truth is that Brazilians are very different from Spanish speaking nations. This is a reality that Renzo could not accept until he spent some time there. Spanish speaking Latinos share a bond and chemistry that was not felt in Brazil. This language is a separation - - of status - - where as a Latino, Renzo felt like an outsider.  He believes that if you’re in Costa Rica, Panamá, or Chile we are family with a different flag. The thing that unites us is our shared history. The fact that it was the Portuguese who brought enslaved Africans to Latin America doesn’t differ from the rest of Latin America and our past.

This documentary will continue to explore our history and tell the story never taught to us—aiming to unify not separate.