As a result of the centuries of
slavery and Portugese colonization, modern-day Brazil is a melting pot of
nationalities. Despite the common language, the Brazilian regions are full of
states with diverse ethnicities, customs and communities. Historically,
Brazilians have been very open about this diversity, often voicing their
perspective of those from other regions. In class, we discussed the lyrics of “Aquarela
Brasileira” by Silas de Oliveira, a samba de enredo, which identifies
stereotypes and characteristics of the various regions. The song describes the
“architecture, art and beauty” of Brasilia, the “sambas and drumming” of Rio de
Janeiro, the Amazon and beautiful rainforests of the north. The song ends with
Rio, as the author feels it’s the most representative of Brazilian society, and
excludes Southern Brazil, for the opposite reasons. Despite the deep pride seen
within these lyrics, it’s clear how much each territory differs from one
another.
While we were unable to visit many
states or regions during this dialogue, we managed to visit two different
states – the State of São Paulo and the State of Paraná. All of our cultural
activities, lectures, and experiences have allowed us to construct archetypes
and stereotypes of various areas of Brazil. For example, the perspectives of
Paulistanos have contributed to my understanding that the North has a high
population of poor and unemployed. Traveling to São Paulo and Curitiba has
provided me with the opportunity to compare two different regions – the Southeast and the South– with the characteristics that were described in class, as
well as explore why many Brazilians don’t feel the South is representative of
the country.
During our stay in the Southeastern
region, we primarily stayed in São Paulo and its outskirts, but we also
travelled to Santos, Embu das Artes and other towns on the countryside. As the
richest region of the country, it was clear that São Paulo had more money for
extravagant architecture, shopping centers, and cultural places in comparison
to states up in the north. Many individuals migrate from the North to the South
to the more industrialized region in hopes of finding work, contributing to the
highest person to square kilometer ratio in Brazil – 86.3 people per km2.
Due to the favorable climate, the state of São Paulo was fortunate enough to
have prosperous sugarcane plantations and ethanol plants, allowing the state to
have a highly renewable energy mix. Furthermore, the role history has played
impacted the demographics and race groups in the region. The southern region’s
racial breakdown is about 44% black and multiracial and 55% white. The presence
of dark skinned individuals is quite apparent, although a woman once mistook
Brianna, our teacher’s aid who happens to be African American, for an employee
after we informed her numerous times she was not.
While over 14% of the nation’s
population lives in Brazil, the southern states make up the smallest region of
the country. Additionally, the state is highly urbanized, in comparison to the
north, and known for its marvelous city planning and high standard of living.
Curitiba’s focus on sustainability is also a lot more noticeable, in comparison
to Sao Paulo. Curitiba was the first place in Brazil committed to promoting
environmental consciousness and sustainability, through programs like Green
Exchange and an integrated transportation system. During our visit to the Universidade
Livre do Meio Ambiente —an institute focused on sustainability and
reforestation—the pride felt by Eduardo Baptista, our tour guide, for these
successful programs was clear. He demonstrated the signs of a prosperous
reforestation project, pointing out rare species and signs that the forest was
in its fourth phase of succession. Furthermore, the city’s extremely high
number of green areas, a record breaking 54 square meters per person,
contributes to Curitiba’s status as the ecological capital. Our visit to Jardim
Botânico De Curitiba was extraordinary, displaying the city planners’
commitment to creating green spaces and increasing the citizens’ standard of
living.
In addition to boarding Argentina
and Uruguay, a large number of European immigrants settled in the South,
immensely influencing the demography and culture. In comparison to other parts
of the country, the South has the whitest population – with only 21% of black
or multiracial citizens. This was very noticeable and we rapidly noticed how
often individuals stared at Brianna, when walking the streets of Curitiba. Though
the citizens don’t seem hostile in their stares, it is quite clear how unusual
her presence is. Similarly, I have seen very few dark skinned Brazilians in
this city. During the 18th and 19th century, the largest
groups of settlers were Italian and German, which explains the numerous German
and Italian restaurants throughout the historical city center of Curitiba, of
which appear to be very popular. Thus, these differences from the southeastern
region and the high population of Europeans and Latinos has contributed to the
idea that the south is not representative of Brazil and shouldn’t be considered
a part of it.
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