Monday, November 22, 2010
Brazil Celebrates Black Consciousness Day
Brazil commemorates Black Consciousness Day recalling fugitive slaves’ leaderHundreds of cities, towns and villages throughout Brazil commemorated SaturdayBlack Consciousness Day with different festivities and culturalactivities. Brazil is considered the second Black Country in the worldbehind Nigeria, with 75.8 million African-Brazilians and is stillexposed to the consequences of racial discrimination.
A hundred twenty two years after the abolition of slavery in 1888,Brazil recalls and honours on November 20th “Zumbi dos Palmares”, thelast chief of a republic of fugitive slaves.
Killed on November 20, 1695 by the big landowners of the time he has become asymbol of resistance against slavery and has only lately been recalledas such.
According to Brazil’s statistics office, IBGE, of the 10% poorest and indigent Brazilians, 74% are black or coloured.
Afro-Brazilian organizations admit that some progress has been achieved byAfro-Brazilians in publicity or in less-demeaning roles in thecountry’s famous soap-opera industry. Similarly the colour of skin isless linked to household cleaning and maintenance services.
In Rio do Janeiro Black Consciousness Day inspired three plays in localtheatres, with one of them particularly touching. ”The whip revolt”occurred a century ago, 22 November 1910 when a black officer from theBrazilian navy, Joao Candido, the son of former slaves and crew membersof the cruiser “Minas Gerais” mutinied in the bay of Rio do Janeiro.
Candido and the 1.173 men on board threatened to bombard the city with thepowerful guns and cannons of the cruiser unless the long establishedpractice of corporal punishment and whip lashing were not abolished bythe navy.
It was all triggered when a crew member was sentenced to a punishment considered exaggerated: instead of the customary 25 whiplashes he was to receive 250 lashes. United States also adhered to the celebration with a message from the State Department.
“The United States Government and the American people congratulate thepeople of Brazil as they recognize Black Consciousness Day, also knownas Zumbi dos Palmares Day, on November 20. The life of Quilombo leaderZumbi and his unrelenting struggle against slavery stands as anenduring symbol of freedom and justice.
“Today, both Brazil and the United States recognize the important contributions ofAfro-descendants in our societies and the imperative of combatingdiscrimination, which has negatively impacted both of our countries.Just last month, our governments, in partnership with civil society andour private sectors, met for the third time in Salvador da Bahia underthe historic U.S. – Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial andEthnic Discrimination and Promote Equality. Together we are celebratingthe diversity of our heritage and developing and sharing bestpractices to ensure equal opportunity for Afro-descendants and indeedall citizens of our nations.
“On this significant day, we congratulate the people of Brazil and look forward to a long andfruitful partnership as, together, we provide leadership and examplesof democracy, diversity, and social justice to our Hemisphere and tothe world”.
https://theblacklist.net/
Comments