 "Photo: Tim Jackson -- For The South End")
Afro-Brazilian culture and the origins and evolution of the Fundação Cultural Palmares (FCP), or Palmares Cultural Foundation, were examined at a lecture on Nov. 12 in the Faculty Administration Building.
The keynote speaker, Ollie Johnson, who is an assistant professor in Africana Studies, talked about Brazilians who are of African descent and the racism that they have towards each other.
Johnson has conducted research on the Black Panther Party and the NAACP, along with many black political groups in the U.S. He has lectured in African-American politics in Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, and Japan.
He focuses on Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Latin American politics. Johnson believes that the acknowledgement of Afro-Brazilians is getting better, but said he wants “Brazil to recognize the important role blacks play in history and in politics.”
“[The FCP] represents a successful attempt to challenge Brazilian racism and to make the presence felt in the Brazilian state,” Johnson said.
The FCP was created in 1988 by the Brazilian government. It is an educational, governmental and private institution to encourage more people to be aware of Afro- Brazilians and their contributions to society.
Johnson said the Brazilian government thought that there were more important things to focus on other than race.
“They failed to acknowledge inequality and poverty in Brazil,” he said, “and interracial mixing of Brazilian population.”
Johnson told of activists taking matters into their own hands and demanding an office linked to the presidency to help stop discrimination among Afro- Brazilians.
Much like the United States, Brazil still endured problems after it abolished slavery in 1888.
There was no assistance to blacks after slavery. And like America’s problems there was still a strong prejudice and discrimination against blacks and a profound racial inequality.
FCP survives by “co-sponsoring events.” “They travel promoting the agenda of Palmares, visiting rural communities stating that the government knows they exist,” Johnson said.
The Palmares Foundation has challenged the Brazilian myth of racial democracy by promoting inclusion, recognition and the celebration of Afro-Brazilian history.
“There was pressure on the government to recognize the situation of Afro- Brazilians,” Johnson said.
Since 1988, there have been seven presidents. The first president, Carlos Alves Moura, was an intellectual and activist who encouraged people to become more knowledgeable in Afro-Brazilian culture.
He held seminars, protests and talks about the culture. Johnson says that one of FCP’s great accomplishments was legalizing and supporting Quilombo communities. Quilombo communities were hidden communities that tried to protect themselves from Portuguese authorities.
The Quilombo’s had minimal contact with the Palmares Foundation.
“Now the FCP is trying to help them and their needs,” Johnson said Affirmative Action and the fight to gain respect to Afro-Brazilian religions have been major accomplishments.
The FCP has fought for Afro-Brazilian culture to be taught in public schools as well.
“Palmares has no resources, staff, or funding,” Johnson said. “But it is important because it helps with achievements of Afro-Brazilian cultures.”
1 comments