Brazil and Other Issues

Brazil is an interesting country. It is the largest country in South America. Now, its current 1988 Constitution describes it as a federal republic. Brazil has the union of the Federal District, 26 states, and 5,564 municipalities. Brazil has the world's seventh largest economy in the world. Its nominal GDP is huge and it is the seventh largest by the purchasing power parity as of 2012. It is a member of the BRIC group or a collection of expanding economies. These are some of the world's fastest growing economies in the world. Brazil's national development bank or BNDES played a role in the country's economic growth. Brazil is made up of many ethnic groups like Native Americans, Africans, Europeans, Asians, etc. Brazil has a large degree of cultural diversity and assimilation of cultures in its history. Many Europeans in Brazil are heavily of Portuguese descent since Portuguese imperialists conquered Brazil centuries ago. Many Africans in Brazil are related to the Yoruba, Ewe, Akan, Bantu, etc. Tupi, Guarani, and other Native American groups still live in Brazil. Many Afro-Brazilians heavily live in Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Goias, Mato Grosso do Sul, and in the Federal District (or in the mid southern states of Brazil). The southern part of the country is heavily European with Germans, Italians, and Polices found in Rio Grande Do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana, and the most populous areas of Sao Paulo. The coast also have many Afro-Brazilian Brothers and Sisters too. The city of Salvador da Bahia is considered one of the largest black cities of the world. In the Northwest (covering largely the Brazilian Amazon), a great part of the population has distinguishable ethnic characteristics that emphasize their Amerindian roots. Other ethnic groups have merged with the Indigenous tribes there. Over 60 million Brazilians possess at least one Amerindian ancestor, according to a recent mitochondrial DNA study. This region is not densely populated, and "caboclos", people of mixed native and European descent, are a small part of the entire

Brazilian population. About 1.5 million Japanese-Brazilians live in Brazil and most of them live in So Paulo. Some Chinese and Korean human beings live in certain locations of Brazil as well. Most of the Chinese came from mainland China and some came from Taiwan including Hong Kong (plus from Portuguese speaking Macau). Today, there are about close to 300,0000 Native Americans living in Brazil now as compared to about 5 million when the first Portuguese came into Brazil in 1500. Brazil is about 63.20 Roman Catholic, 23.45 Protestant (that includes Baptists too), 0.31 percent Afro-Brazilian religions, and the rest are no religion or others. Black Brazilians are defined as people who are solely, or mostly, descended from former African slaves, or immigrants. According to the 2010 census, there are 14, 517, 961 Afro Brazilians, which make up 7.61% of Brazil's population, although a larger number of Brazilians have some degree of African ancestry. Salvador, Bahia has a largest percentage of Afro-Brazilians. There is a huge influence of African cuisine in Brazil. In the state of Bahia, there is great cuisine. There is the dishes like Vatapa and Moqueca (both with seafood and dende palm oil). This heavy oil extracted from the fruits of an African palm tree is one of the basic ingredients in Bahian or Afro-Brazilian cuisine, adding flavor and bright orange color to foods. There is no equivalent substitute, but it is available in markets specializing in Brazilian or African imports. Yes, the capoeira martial arts was formed by African slaves that came mostly from Angola or Mozambique. It was used as a form of dance and a form of martial arts as well. It is a very cultural part of the nation of Brazil. There is a strong, mass protest movement in Brazil. It came about in June of 2013. It has been the largest and most significant protests in Brazil in a generation. This movement has been growing large in its size. Many folks from the left, the right, and the government talked about this movement and they are caught by surprise. The movement began on June 6. This was when the radical left Free Fare Movement (or the Movimento Passe Livre or the MPL) started it. This movement was an autonomist, non party organization. It has been active in the country for several years. It led a small demonstration. They wanted the reversal of a recent increase of public transport fares in the city of So Paulo from R$3 to R$3.20. The movement was criticized by the press for blocking the traffic and making unrealistic demands, and the demonstration was attacked by the police. The MPL returned in larger numbers in the following days, and the police responded with increasing brutality, beating up demonstrators and passers-by indiscriminately, and wounding several journalists. The demonstrations grew in size in 2 weeks. They spread across Brazil. More than one million people in hundreds of cities and movements were still taking place almost every day. There was a large mobilization led by the left on July 11, 2013. Many students, middle class, poor, young workers, etc. Some of them wanted demands to be fair to bus drivers, lorry drives, health sector workers, etc. Some in the mainstream press and TV networks supported the movement. Some wanted to let the movement to expose corruption and state inefficiency in order for them to drown out the left and delegitimize the federal government. Some of the demonstrators became more white and middle class. They included other issues like drugs, spending, etc. There has been many police repression and some of the police pulled back. Some of the police and reactionaries have tried to infiltrate the movement. The left has made a coordinated effort to regain leadership of the movement. Some of the middle class and bourgeoisie hate it that Brazil has a more expansion of citizenship. The Brazilian elite hates this reality as well. The redistribution of income and the expansion of social programs have benefited millions of people. This has occurred in the past 10 years allowing some of the poor to own a car or travel in shopping centers. The middle class is slowing in growth because of neoliberal policies. Many protesters want to stop government corruption, basic services, and the squandering of billions in state funds on the construction of lavish stadiums of the Confederations Cup and World Cup soccer tournaments (instead of investing in education and healthcare). Dilma Rousseff is the new leader of the Brazilian government. In Brazil, there has been huge inflation and sluggish economic growth (in about 0.6 percent in the first quarter and with industrial production fallen triggering layoffs). The ruling PT Party has a lot of explaining to do. This mass movement should have a revolutionary political perspective or it risks co-option. At the new of the day, all of us have the right to advance revolutionary changes in the world, especially in Brazil.

Brazil's Workers Party government has mobilized troops against striking oil workers. There are striking oil workers with their supporters battling the Brazilian army troops in Rio de Janeiro recently. The army and security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Five protesters were wounded. The troops were mobilized to seal off the beachfront hotel in which the rights to exploit a major offshore oil field were being auctioned off and to disperse protesters demanding the suspension of the sale. The Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (PT, Workers Party) issued a decree last Friday. It mobilized over 1,000 troops to suppress protesters by striking employees of Petrobras or the national oil company. This was in opposition to the privatization of the Libra oil field. Libra is a large offshore oil field. It is estimated to hold between eight and 12 billion barrels of oil deep below the ocean's surface under a thick salt layer. If it is fully operational in about a decade, the Libra field is expected to produce 1.4 million barrels per day. The army troops are dealing with the event. Also, the government has assigned the paramilitary police of the National Public Security Force Fora Nacional de Segurana Pblica, FNSP) to counter the strikers. The FNSP was organized in 2004 by former President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva to combat drug gangs. The Petrobas workers have worked across Brazil walked off their jobs on October 17. They occupied the Ministry of Miens and Energy in Brasilia. Striker leaders reported that 90 percent participation by oil workers and that strike had paralyzed 15 platforms responsible for 80 percent of Petrobas' output. Also, affected are all Petrobas' 22 refineries. On Friday, there were protest marches in Rio and in So Paulo. The oil workers union (Federao nica dos Petroleiros, FUP) claims that the strike enjoys the support of administrative and contingent workers (terceirizao). In alliance with the FUP is the FNP (Federao Nacional dos Petroleiros), a smaller, radical federation of five Petrobras trade unions. The FUP and the FNP wanted a 7.68 percent increase in wages or 1.5 percent above the rate of inflation. They want the suspension of the Libra auction. They want to end legislation that would cause a way for the employment of contingent workers throughout the company. This is the first time that the armed forces have been mobilized against domestic protests since the PT took power in 2003.

A military regime ruled the nation from 1964 to 1985. Rousseff is mobilizing the troops. Ironically, he was a left opponent. That means that we can not worship foreign and

domestic capital to harm the working class. Eleven firms had shown interest in the Libra oil field auction, including the Anglo Dutch Shell, and Frances Total, Spains Repsol, Chinas state-owned CNPC and CNOOC, Indias Oil and Natural Gas Corp, Colombias Ecopetrol, PETRONAS from Malaysia, and Japans Mitsui investment group. The four firm consortium is Total, Shell, CNPC, and CNOOC. They made the only bid and secured the exploration rights. Total, Shell will each get a 20 percent stake, the two Chinese companies will each get 10 percent, while Petrobras, which is charged with Libras management and exploitation, retains 40 percent. At first, the Brazilian government expected some 40 separate oil firms to participate in the auction. U.S. and British energy conglomerates like Exxon, Chevron, and BP bowed out deciding not to join the bidding. Brasilia made an offer. Snowden said that the NSA spied on Roussef and her staff. They have been carrying out industrial espionage against Petrobras. An article in the Buenos Aires daily Pgina 12 suggested that a Chinese-Petrobras alliance counterbalances this latest interference on the part of US imperialism. Brazil is still dominated by international capital. It has a oil bonanza of its offshore fields. There are real activists in Brazil that wanted change. There are also the police and military forces trying to suppress the rights of workers too.

Movimento Negro
The Afro-Brazilians are a great black people. They are our brothers and our sisters. As a black American, it is important to have solidarity with my Brothers and Sisters from Brazil including black human beings all over the world. So, there are a lot of links between Brazil and Africa.
The Black Movement in Brazil is a great movement. It has a long history. The movement for black liberation in Brazil has been around for centuries. Many social movements fought for the liberation of black slaves. Many rebellions were organized by Brothers and Sisters to fight against the evil action of slavery. There were insurrection and violent repression by the ruling class enemy. The total black rebellion movements for almost four centuries from 1549 to 1888 (when abolition came for all black human beings inside of Brazil) was called the Quilombagem. This movement involved slaves who fought for human liberation. They wanted social change. They wanted to use many means to believe in justice. Even though according to Moura the quilombagem had as its organizational center the quilombo where escaped slaves sought refuge in addition to all sort of individuals excluded and marginalized by society during the colonial era, the quilombagem comprised "other forms of individual or collective protests" such as insurrections (the most notable one being in Salvador in 1835) and bandoleirismo, a guerrilla tactic in which groups of escaped slaves organized themselves to attack groups of people and travelers on the roadways (Moura, 1989). The Republic of Palmares lasted for almost a century. The movement fought strong. The Revolt of Chibata was virtually the last organized armed black rebellion that took place in Brazil. It occurred in 1910. It was led by the sailor Joo Cndido. Through this revolt, Cndido succeeded in making the Brazilian Navy stop applying the punishment of flogging to sailors who were in their majority black. Despite this victory and a promise of amnesty the leadership of the movement was almost completely exterminated a year later. Even Joo Cndido who had survived purged by the government, lived out the final days of his life forgotten and in misery. Later, Brothers and Sisters wanted to use more peaceful forms of resistance as a means to have freedom. Afro-Brazilian movements continued from the major centers from So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. There was the black newspaper called the Menelick that started to circulate in 1915, It is followed by A Rua (The Street) in 1916, O Alfinete (The Pin) in 1918, A Liberdade (Liberty) in 1919, A Sentinela (The Guardian) in 1920, O Getulino and O Clarim d'Alvorada (Clear Daybreak) in 1924. They talked about real issues. The Frente Negra Brasileira (FNB - Brazilian Black Front) was established on September 16, 1931. It was created to fight against racial discrimination. They caused blacks to be included in the Public Force of So Paulo. Afro-Brazilians are still fighting for black liberation all of the time now in 2013. One of the greatest Afro-Brazilian heroes in the world is

Benedita da Silva. She is a hero, a living legend, and defends the rights of black human beings to this very day. I have huge respect to this great human being.

Now, this doesn't mean that everything is peaches and cream. We have to oppose many Afro-Brazilians being killed by genocidal police and militarized forces. About 90 percent of the Brazilian imports from Africa are oil and other natural resources. There has been a growth of African and Brazilian collaborations. This South to South linkage is growing. The North South alliance has been common too for a long time. Yet, mostly white or white passing leaders control the 37 Brazilian embassies in Africa. Even in Brazil, some black human beings are rarely shown in television or they are stereotyped in a sick, sexual fashion. Many poor Afro-Brazilians are killed by the police (after legitimate affirmative action policies have gone in Brazil). There is still mistreatment of continental born Africans who live in Brazil. Fernanda Polacow and Juliana Borges have documented the discrimination and racism that many African migrants face in Brazil (as also documented by Aljazeera. I saw a video on it recently in the Aljazeera website). Angolan immigrant Badharo instead finds barriers and even racism in Rio. Rio is presented as this cosmopolitan, progressive city. Many Africans from Angola come into Brazil. Ironically, Brazil and Angola were colonized by wicked Portuguese imperialists centuries ago. Ironically, Brazil has liberalized its immigration laws. The racism and violence has spiked in targeting the black population of Brazil including Angolan migrants. In June of 2011, an 11 year old Brother named Juan Moraes was killed by the Military police in June of 2011. Like Trayvon Martin, the value of young men of black African descent in the Diaspora is not respected by white racists. Mother of a young black man executed in 2006 by a death squad, in Santos, So Paulo, Dbora Maria da Silva doesnt see an improvement in the situation in the country. The street sweeper Edson Rogrio Silva dos Santos was shot dead in May 2006, during a wave of attacks in the state of So Paulo, when he went to buy medicine. For the mother of Edson, blacks are the biggest victims, because they live in the poorest areas of the city. According to her, the state still maintains a racist posture, even 125 years after the abolition of slavery in the country. There have been young black men dying by murder and young black women dying from lack of health care. Os jovens negros morrem e as mulheres negras tambm morrem (Young black men are dying and black women are also dying).

Maria Beatriz Nascimento (1942-1995) is an Afro-Brazilian Sister who will never be forgotten. She was the intellectual voice of the Movimento Negro (or the Black Movement). She was a poet and historian. She research the quilombos or the Brazilian runaway slave societies. She was born in Aracaju on July 12, 1942. She was the daughter of housewife Rubina Pereira do Nascimento and bricklayer Francisco Xavier do Nascimento. She and her ten brothers and sisters migrated with her family to Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s. At the age of 28, she began studying for her undergraduate degree in history at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), graduating in 1971. In the process of studying for her degree she did a stint at the National Archives with historian Jos Honrio Rodrigues. She was a history teacher of state schools of Rio de Janeiro. She study black history and culture. She led the creation of the Grupo de Trabalho Andr Rebouas (Andr Rebouas Working Group) in 1974 at Universidade Federal Fluminese or the UFF in Rio. She worked with black university students of Rio and So Paulo a discussion of the race issue in academia and education in general. She was a speaker at the Quinzena do Negro or the Black Fortnight in the University of So Paulo in 1977, an event that was configured as a major meeting of black researchers. She was a militant lover of black liberation. She researched the history oof black Brazilians. Her work influenced the movie of Ori in 1989 that she authored and the movie was directed by sociologist including filmmaker Rachel Gerber. The film was narrated by Beatrice. It shows her personal way of showing black history. The documentary also showed key figures, meetings, and

speeches of the Movimento Negro between 1977 and 1988. Beatrice wrote poetry to outline the concerns and strength of black human beings. She wanted more social visibility to black human beings in Brazilian universities. She was working on a Masters degree in media at UFRJ under the guidance of Muniz Sodr. She was murdered by an evil boyfriend in 1995. RIP to Maria Beatriz Nascimento.

Her memory lives on in all of us.

SO, I AM A BLACK AMERICAN, YET I AM IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE BLACK BRAZILIAN BROTHERS AND THE BLACK BRAZILIAN SISTERS INSIDE OF BRAZIL. WE FROM THE STATES ARE INSPIRED BY YOU AND WE ROOT FOR YOU. WE ALL WANT LIBERATION WORLDWIDE. The Movimento Negro (black movement) is still fighting in Brazil against the genocide of black youth, the criminalization of poverty, and mass incarceration. There has been huge police violence in the state of So Paulo. So, women have the right to receive safe, affordable health care in Brazil indeed. Yalaorix Y Makumby Vilma Santos de Oliveira was brutally murdered on Saturday, August 3rd in Londrina. She was a great Afro-Brazilian woman. She was a long time leader of Movimento Negro (black rights organizations). Two other human beings died too at the hands of a sick man. Y Makumby Vila de Oliveira Santos and Olvia Oliveira dos Santos, 10, also died by the sick man. Yes, he was not black. Now, Yalaorix Y Makumby Vilma Santos de Oliveira was a militant of the Movimento Negro (black movement) in Londrina for over 30 years. Well known in social movements, she was one of the militants that fought for the quota system in universities of Londrina. So, our war against white supremacy is not just in the States. It is everywhere. Black people are fighting for human liberation in the States, Africa, Brazil, and all over the world. Many European and American banks control much of the resources that flow in the world. Many Brazilian mining companies have caused violence in Mozambique. These acts are a product of the evil of the greed for coal, diamond, and oil resources. I like to end it on an inspirational note. The Afro-Brazilian Sister Lorena Morais said it best in her article entitled, The pain of racism:

I am black, a journalist, a community health agent, from Salvador and Cachoeira (in Bahia), I love my cabelo crespo (kinky/curly hair), my nose, Im beautiful and I love how I dress, I love turbans, samba (3), capoeira (4) and for me ser negra (to be black) is much more than a skin issue. We are all equal, but only one who is negro/negra (black man/black woman) feels the pain of the whip on their backs. Crying does not relieve the pain. Wipe those tears, get up and lets fight! RESIST BLACK MAN, RESIST BLACK WOMAN!!!

By Timothy

Justice should be for all. Also, I like to thank the Great Black Sister Courtney for Inspiring me in my Life. I love Her as a Great Human Being. She is a True Ally, a True Friend, and a Real Human Being. Thank you Courtney. I Love You.