BLACK AWARENESS DAYIN BRAZIL
Originally published in
November 2016
Hey, galera! Everything’s good? Do you know what we celebrate on November 20th? It is Black Awareness Day in Brazil, a day to celebrate awareness of the black community for the journey and circumstances their ancestors came to Brazil and the wealth of contribution to the country and society, that has in the past not always been recognized.
The Black Awareness Day in Brazil
The date of Black Consciousness Day Brazil was chosen because one of the greatest civil rights activist in Brazil: Zumbi dos Palmares. This is the anniversary of his death. He fought bravely against slavery. The special date to celebrate Zumbi was established in 2003, but was only made official in 2011.
More than just a celebration, it is a day to think about the position that Black people have in society then and now. The past generations who have suffered (and still suffer) through racist acts, despite the abolition of slavery in 1888, discrimination still continues. It’s a day dedicated to fight racism and defend Black people’s rights and respect in society.
The National Black Awareness Day is only a public holiday in some Brazilian states such as Rio de Janeiro, Alagoas, Amazonas, Amapá, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio Grande do Sul.
Zumbi dos Palmares
The leader in the fight against slavery in Brazil was Zumbi dos Palmares, who was not born into slavery but was born in a Quilombo. Quilombos were communities where people who had been enslaved and managed to escape, lived together in freedom. There, he fought until his death in defence of his people against the oppressors who enslaved them.
Quilombo dos Palmares was located on a long strip of land, stretching about 200 kilometres, near the coast; between the Cape of Santo Agostinho in Pernambuco, and the northern part of the São Francisco River, now in the state of Alagoas. Zumbi dos Palmares died on November 20, 1695, at the age of 40.
Black Awareness and its History
The various African groups who came to Brazil in the early 16th century did not recognize themselves as black (as we recognize today), but as Bantos, Hauzas, Kanembus, Fulas, and so on, referring to the ethnic groups to which they belonged.
After the formal abolition of slavery on May 13, 1888, freed black people had to now confront a new fight: the fight for equality and civil rights.
This feeling of discrimination alienated black people from society, education, and consequently marginalized them in the labor market. Over time, the discrimination has decreased and black people began to have opportunities in sports, in the arts, but not so much in high society or the ruling class.
The Black population campaigned for a symbolic celebration of the constant struggle for their release, and for the end of discrimination and prejudice. The creation of Black Awareness Day in Brazil is a way to value the brave people that contributed so much to the Brazilian culture and who were unjustly enslaved by the white man.
As of January 2003, the Federal Law 10,369 established National Black Awareness/Consciousness Day in the school calendar and teaching Afro-Brazilian culture became a part of the curriculum for all schools in the country, and now incorporates typical activities and projects that celebrate the history of African Americans.
Additionally, there is also the intention to make the population aware of the importance of black people socially, historically and culturally in Brazil.
An important reminder! Unlike many other languages, in Portuguese the word NEGRO is not offensive!
How to fight against racism?
The racial issue in Brazil is very important and can be complicated, so in our classes we try to teach our students about it and we can recommend you some authors for you to read. We must understand that racism is not an issue for black people but for society as a whole.
So what can we do fight against it? As we are learning Portuguese online, we’ll show you some expressions that are considered to be racist, but still used by many Brazilians on a daily basis. That way you’ll know how to replace them with appropriate expressions.
Expression: Mercado negro = black market
Associates the color black to something criminal.
Change to: clandestine market / illegal market
Expression: lista negra = black list
Associates the color black to bad behavior.
Change to: forbidden list / bad list
Expression: humor negro = black humor
Associates the color black to unfortunate situations.
Change to: acid humor
Expression: morena(o) = dark or light skin
Many people feel uncomfortable with these terms because they are a way of whitening of black skin.
Do not use these terms.
Expression: cabelo duro = frizzy/hard/stiff hair
Often used to describe afro curly hair. There is no such thing as hard or bad hair, right? All hair is beautiful 🙂
Change to: curly hair / Afro hair
Expression: mulata(o)
This if often used to describe people with light black skin. In addition to being a way to whiten black skin, this word referes to mula (mule – animal that is a cross between a mare and a donkey).
Do not use these terms.
As we said above, these words are still common in Brazilian society, but more and more people are starting to gain more conscious and fight against what’s wrong even if it is consolidated in our society.
It is not enough not to be racist, we have to be anti-racists.
Adapted from: https://rioandlearn.com/black-awareness-day-brazil/. Accessed on November 20, 2021. © 2016-2021 Rio & Learn. All rights reserved.
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