The Brazilian government is forgiving or restructuring Africa’s almost $900 million debt in an effort to strengthen economic ties between Brazil and the African continent. Twelve countries will benefit from the decision, including Tanzania, Zambia and Congo-Brazzaville. Trade between Africa and Brazil has increased in recent years, leading to an extensive partnership between governments. Brazil’s…
I don’t mean to beat a Brazilian Horse, but it looks like our neighbors to the south are at it again. On the heels of an article we shared this week about Globo TV airing a show about a white woman who “becomes” black by painting herself brown and donning an afro wig in order…
While I was poking around my favorite film blog, Shadow & Act, I ran across a story about a Brazilian TV show that ran a special end of the world episode involving a white woman “becoming” a black woman to live out her dream of bedding a black man. My first thought? What the hell?…
Judge Joaquim Barbos just became Brazil’s first black judge to preside over the country’s high court. The 58-year-old was nominated by his fellow justices, and rose through the ranks after being born into a poor family and overcoming tough odds. Judge Barbos joined the Supreme Court in 2003 when he was appointed by then President…
Black American media outlets recently exploded over a Brasilian university official asking a black female Brasilian student to leave campus for sporting a natural hairstyle. It propelled a popular stereotype of Brasilian culture, which paints Brasilian citizens as being reluctant to confront race, instead, choosing to define their ancestry as a big melting pot. The…
Last month, 19-year-old student Ana Carolina Bastos Soares said she was a victim of racism at her school. As she was attempting to enter the campus at the Unidade Integrada Estado do Pará, Bastos claims the school’s director kept her from attending the first day of classes because of her hair. The blog Black Women of Brazil reports:…
Black hair bears the brunt of racism all over the world. Music giant Sony was recently ordered to pay retroactive compensation back to 1997 for the release of the song, “Veja os Cabelos Dela (Look at Her Hair) by the singer known as Tiririca. Here are a few lyrics from the song: Veja veja veja…
Racism in Fashion has always been an international issue with Fashion Weeks across the globe shunning models with darker complexions. At Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Brazil, protestors from non-profit organization Educafro Brazil chained themselves together in front of the Fashion Week venue, Fundação Bienal, to demand more black models on the runway. Sound familiar? While…
