During
this month-long adventure, it’s become clear that Brazil is more than just one
place, concept or stereotype. There are many iconic symbols of Brazil—Carnival,
the Amazon, samba, soccer and warmth. Yet, after spending a month in the country,
it is clear that there is much more to Brazil beyond these symbols. Similar to
many other nations, it means different things to different people, depending on
their socio-economic status, race, region, or location. My perception of Brazil
and its people has dramatically evolved during the short time I have been here.
The abundance of cultural activities, museum visits, lectures and daily
experiences have contributed to this transformation and have allowed my
understanding of Brazil to rapidly develop in a short period of time. Due to
the role of Brazil’s history and the resultant “cultural mixing”, it’s become
evident as one of globe’s most
varied and diverse culture.1
Within our experiences and during our the visit to the coffee plantation in the
city of Jundiaí— Fazenda Nossa
Senhora da Conceicao—we learned about the combined roles that
slavery, Portugal’s colonization and immigration have played in Brazil’s
history and the Brazilian identity.
Portugal’s Colonization
Portuguese colonization began along Brazil’s shores in
1500.4 During this time, there was believed to be over 5 million
people belonging to nearly 100 different ethnicities (Melnior). Wen Portugal
first arrived, they had to make alliances with various tribes, who were at
conflict with other natives, and adapt to their culture and language. While
Portugal built their empire on slavery, instead of enslaving the “lazy” and
rapidly dying off natives, the Portuguese imported African slaves for manual
labor. By the 17th century, every social aspect of life was built on
the slave system, which uniquely allowed slaves to buy their freedom and buy
other slaves. Brazilians had the belief that mixing races could make you
“whiter.” Gilberto Freyer believed that the main characteristics of Brazilians
emerged from racial mixing, a concept he called “racial democracy,” (Casa-Grande e Senzala). 5
Prior to Brazil’s independence in 1822, Brazil was perceived as a place of many
different cultures that could not be united as one country. This history has
had a tremendous impact on the modern day Brazilian identity.
Similarly, Portugal’s colonization has left a tremendous
impact on the culture – including language, customs, architecture, and music. The
most obvious influence is the Portuguese language that every Brazilian citizen
speaks, although the dialects range between the regions. In addition to using African
drums, contemporary samba also includes the Portuguese guitar sounds. This
music is key to Brazilian Carnival, a festival that was also brought over when
the Portuguese colonized the nation.6 The celebration occurs
immediately before Lent, a religious tradition that was also instilled in the
nation with Catholicism.6 These traditions are deeply ingrained in
modern Brazilian culture.
Brazil sought independence from Portugal to keep the
slavery system intact. During the 19th century, other countries had
already abolished slavery and Haiti had a slave revolt, which impacted the
global coffee industry and opened up the market for Brazil.4 By this
time, half of the population were slaves, the remaining consisted of a small privileged
white population and poor mulattos, freed blacks and Indians.4 On
the Jundiaí coffee plantation, which opened in 1810, we had an intimate look
into the Portuguese family who ran the coffee plantation and into the life of
the slaves during that time. Most of the buildings on the farm have symbolic
Portuguese architecture that was commonly used by wealthy families. Following the
end of slavery, many slaves were jobless and homeless and moved to bairros
africanos (African neighborhoods) to settle. Overtime, other poor citizens moved
to these “illegal habitations,” leading to the contemporary favelas. The role
of history in modern-day Brazil is undeniable and many of their most precious
cultural icons stem from the “mixing of cultures.”1
Slavery
Some
of Brazil’s most famous dances and music are originated from the bringing of African
slaves to the nation during the 16th to 19th centuries. The
Brazilian samba – the official music of Carnival – is believed to have stemmed
from both a West African Bantu word meaning “to invoke the spirits of
ancestors” and the word ‘semba,’ meaning “pelvic movements,” (The Telegraph).2
Scholars agree that Samba has globally become “synonymous” with Brazilian music
and the Brazilian identity, since the 1930’s (Crook, p 9).3 Beyond
the cliché of Samba occurring primarily on the streets of Rio Carnival, there
is cultural heritage within the mesmerizing rhythmic movements of Samba that
Brazilians all over the nation relate to. Prior to visiting Brazil, I had no
idea of its origins as a “ritualistic love dance” between the slaves.3
In addition to Samba, Africans used other ritualistic dances like batuque and
capoeira to provide comfort during their life as a slave. Today, these
religious traditions have become apart of Brazilian culture and traditions.
Slavery’s
impact on Brazilian culture became truly apparent through our studies and during
our visit the coffee plantation in the city of Jundiaí. Our tour guide
described the life of the slaves and the many cultural features they brought
with them, including capoeira and samba. Capoeria’s Afro-Brazilian roots as a
dance of war are undeniable when observing the elements of dance, instruments,
and artifacts left collected by the plantation owners. A group of old women
dancing with plantation staff warmly grabbed us to practice our Samba steps
with them, greatly outdoing us in their ability to move their bodies. On the
other hand, we also solemnly listened as the tour guide presented old objects
belonging to the slaves and tools used to shackle and torture slaves into
obedience. Yet, it is difficult to forget the role Portugal played in the
bringing of the slaves to this plantation.
Immigration
During the 18th and 19th centuries,
many Europeans immigrated to Brazil hoping to find wealth and prosperity. The
largest immigrant groups were those of Italy and Germany. In addition, Brazil
was facing a work force crisis by the end of the 19th century, due
to the end of slavery, and began to find unique ways to attract Italian
immigrants to coffee plantations. These immigrants were promised housing and
land, but arrived to find they were receiving very low wage. On the coffee
plantation in the city of Jundiaí, the plantation owners had constructed an
Italian-inspired church to keep the unhappy immigrants satisfied and on the
land, afraid that they would try to find work elsewhere. According to the
plantation’s website, the Italian immigrants implemented its culture of
vineyards, creating a new cycle in the history of the farm. Additionally, the
Brazilian government promised German immigrants land where they could resettle
their families and colonize the region. While this mostly turned out to be a
scam, some immigrants settled in rural areas and formed their own houses and
colonies.
In addition to the cultural impacts of Portugal and
African slaves, some aspects of the Brazilian culture were brought along with
Italian, German and European immigrants. These immigrants primarily settled in
Southern and Southeastern Brazil and organized communities in the various
states. The demography and culture of Southern Brazil was dramatically
impacted, as nearly 80 percent of the population is considered to be white.1
While the Southeastern region has a more equal racial demographics, the region
is still the richest of the country and much more “whiter” than the North. The
food found in the Southern regions includes various German and Italian options,
with some entire towns full of European-descent, such as Pemerode. Additionally, the architecture appears quite
European, which explains why rather than compare Brazil to the United States, I
often find myself comparing it to my European travels.
The Brazilian Identity
All identities are based on the relationship between one’s
self and one’s people.1 The Brazilian identity only began in the 20th
century, and is quite unique in comparison to that of European countries or the
United States. The European domination, centuries of slavery, and immigration
led to the melting pot of nationalities that we see today. Differing from the
United States where individuals identify with both their heritage and America,
commonly seen as African American, Asian American, etc., Brazilians identify by
both their race and nationality. In this mixed nation, social status can change
how one’s race is perceived. This is displayed in futebol, where race doesn’t
matter, as long as the player is talented. Rather than using a “multiracial”
category, the country use skin color categories, with many Brazilians
self-identifying as “pardos” when having visibly mixed racial origins. In
addition to a national identity, Brazilians clearly have strong regional
identities. In truth, an American cannot begin to understand the complexities
of the nation or identity after spending a short month in Brazil, but we can
use the information available to us to attempt to paint the true picture.
1. Thomas Melnior
3. Brazilian
Music: Northeastern Traditions and the Heartbeat of a ..., Volume 1 r Larry Crook
5. Casa-Grande e Senzala, Gilberto Freyer
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