Africa and Brazil: united by history and culture
Finalist of the Abril Award of Journalism in 2015, in the category Best Digital Feature
The west coast of Africa and the coast of Brazil were once connected. 200 million years ago, the two territories began to separate and assumed their current positions, thousands of kilometers apart across the Atlantic Ocean. The sea that separates them is also responsible for the link between them in modern times: 4.4 million Africans crossed it against their will between the 16th and 19th centuries in the direction of Brazil. These people played an important role in building the country. “Africa is in us, in our culture, in our lives, regardless of our personal origin,” argues Mônica Lima e Sousa, coordinator of the Laboratory of African Studies at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Leáfrica/UFRJ). For this reason, the traditions, culture and trajectory of the descendants of enslaved Africans are an important object of study for all children and young people in brazilian schools, black or not.
The slave trade and slavery determined the country’s present. The people who came from Africa put down roots, family, culture, and history here. Today, 53% of Brazilians declare themselves black or brown, according to the 2013 National Household Sample Survey (PNAD). This group is greatly disadvantaged. Data from the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) proves it: they are the majority of illiterate people, with the highest rate of age-grade distortion, and child labor is more common among them than among whites.
Recognizing that racial inequalities exist and opposing them is fighting racism. Law 10.639, in force since 2003, determines that this also happens in schools, which must now include the subject in their curricula. “It is by assuming the creative and positive values of these cultures that schools can contribute to overcoming the racism and discrimination that still strongly organize Brazilian inequality,” argues André Lázaro, who headed the Ministry of Education’s Secretariat for Continuing Education, Literacy, Diversity and Inclusion (Secadi/MEC) between 2004 and 2011. Among the actions established should be education to combat racism, reflection on the role of black people in the history of Brazil, and the valorization of African and Afro-Brazilian history, culture, and scientific knowledge built by black researchers and thinkers.
Although the legislation has been in force for more than ten years, there are still few cases in which it is well incorporated into everyday school life. A survey carried out by various bodies (read the article with the results here) points out the main obstacles to its implementation: there is little training on the subject, few teachers are aware of the rule, and many don’t consider it legitimate. “The implementation process faces resistance and obstacles for the same reasons that justify the law’s existence: in Brazil, there is a silent racism that disqualifies the debate on discrimination,” explains André Lázaro, a researcher at the Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO).
Changing this scenario requires work on several fronts, from public policies to everyday classroom life. Networks need to offer training and debate the issue so that school administrators encourage its incorporation in various areas and teachers include content related to African and Afro-Brazilian history and culture in their classes. “Practice in institutions must also be linked to training projects,” says Rodrigo Ednilson de Jesus, a lecturer at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and one of those involved in research into the implementation of the law. In order to rethink their own practices and positions, teachers should look at their attitudes and expectations in relation to students with different skin colors. Are black and white students treated differently? Does everyone receive attention, affection and praise? The first step to overcoming silent racism is precisely to combat the discourse that there is no racism. In an interview with NOVA ESCOLA, French historian Pap Ndiaye says: “Practices need to be consistent with speech. Educators, for example, can behave in a discriminatory way when advising students about career possibilities. Many teachers direct non-white students to technical schools. For others, a university course is recommended. Schools are not immune to discrimination”.
In the classroom, it’s not enough just to problematize racist attitudes coming from students or the school community, but also to review the content taught. The aim should be to deconstruct stereotypical views of Africans and Afro-Brazilians and show their importance in the construction of contemporary societies. To this end, it is essential to address the role of these groups at various moments in history, representing them as human beings who have created family ties, cultural products and who have their own trajectories in history.
In this digital special, we present the main strands of content that teachers can cover with their elementary school classes: Black Identity, African History, The Struggle of Black People in Brazil, Afro-Brazilian Culture, and Pedagogical Resources, a selection of reference materials to support their training and to work with in the classroom. (Use the top menu to navigate between the sections).
Black identity and racism
In Brazil, color or race is self-declared: when answering the Demographic Census or other surveys, everyone says whether they are black, brown, white, yellow or indigenous. This identity is usually related to skin color and other physical characteristics, not ancestry. It is common, for example, for a child of a black father or mother, but who has lighter skin, to claim to be white. In contexts other than this one, assuming blackness is a political act: it’s about taking on the group’s history and culture, its roots, its struggles.
The school needs to put students in touch with the elements that make up each Brazilian ethnic group, so that they are able to understand the complexity of these identities and thus affirm themselves not only by the color of their skin or hair, but also by other elements. Although the contents of the National Curriculum Guidelines for the Education of Ethnic-Racial Relations and for the Teaching of Afro-Brazilian and African History and Culture contemplate this effort, specific actions on the affirmation of each identity must be undertaken in schools.
The first step is to value actors of all ethnicities, presenting good models of affirmative representation. “It’s not about victimizing black people or treating them as the good guys while white people are the villains. The school’s role is to show this racial identity in an affirmative way, disconnecting it from the images that predominate in the media,” argues Paola Prandini, founder of Afroeducação. These images are common in textbooks, which show enslaved Africans in situations of embarrassment and humiliation, and in films and soap operas, in which black people still don’t take on prominent roles.
Teachers must value black characters in different social roles, incorporating African and Afro-descendant artists, writers, and scientists into their lesson plans. Through this contact, students of all races see the presence of Afro-Brazilians in leadership positions or as important thinkers as natural. “The students themselves can identify with these people and recognize that it is possible to achieve success,” argues Martha Abreu, a lecturer at the Fluminense Federal University (UFF).
Racism under discussion
During the 20th century, the idea that Brazil was a mixed-race nation and that racism did not exist here was widely disseminated. It’s the famous myth of racial democracy, as sociologist Lilia Schwarcz explains in her book The Spectacle of Races. Although very present in society, various surveys and statistics have already proven the profound social differences between blacks and whites in the country. One of the most famous surveys on the subject, conducted by Lilia in 1988, showed that although 97% of those interviewed said they were not racist, 98% said they knew someone who was. The result represents how society behaves in relation to racism today: although it recognizes its existence, it doesn’t consider it its problem.
At school, including content on African and Afro-Brazilian history and culture in the curriculum is one of the steps towards combating racism, but this cannot be the only action. Students and the rest of the school community need to be made aware of the issue, so that they can recognize racism in their own attitudes and change them.
“We must be careful not to naturalize actions that may be racist and treat them as just a joke or a natural disagreement,” Martha warns. Exchanges of offense, fights and bullying should be treated with special care when they involve historically discriminated groups, and this should be made clear in the school rules.
Rather than dealing with isolated cases or addressing the issue only on commemorative dates, the school routine should include moments of reflection on the issue. Some activities for this purpose are suggested in the Methodological Guide for Race Relations Education, organized by the NGO Ação Educativa. Another possibility is to use films to organize conversations with the school community.
Originally published by Nova Escola Online. November 2014.
Reporter: Wellington Soares
Editor: Iana Chan
Editorial Director: Maggi Krause
Art Director: Vilmar de Oliveira
Illustrations: Edson Ikê
