Nick Altman Essay 3.docx

The documentary “Brazil: A Racial Paradise” explores the roots of the diverse racial and ethnic culture in Brazil, examining the roots of slave culture to the climate existing today. The film describes how Brazil began as the world’s leading slave country, importing almost half of the world’s slaves at one point. Slavery was even more brutal in Brazil than in the United States due to the volume and expendability of the slaves coming from the neighboring continent of Africa. However, although Brazil was the last country in the world to abolish slavery, the slave culture was very different from that of America. Slaves were able to buy their way to freedom and wealthy members of the black community were respected while slavery was still in practice. Slavery is only a piece of the many racial traditions and practices that have an American counterpart. A strong example of this is shown in the documentary both in the past and in the present. Capoeira, a slave dance, originated from the brutal torture of slaves on Brazilian sugar plantations. Similar to America, slaves were forbidden to engage in any kind of violence or possess any weapons, so they devised capoeira as a disguised form of martial arts in efforts to strengthen their bodies physically. In the United States, this is comparable to spirituals – songs written and sung by slaves on plantations to strengthen their emotional spirits rather than their physical bodies. Yet, the spirituals were also a method to prepare for defense, as many were sung to indicate the arrival of the Underground Railroad. Another similarity comes with the idea of Brazilian slave-turned-millionaire Chica da Silva and the actress Zeze who portrayed her in a biographical film. Chica de Silva was known for her “white” attitudes after securing her freedom from her master, with whom she had 13 children. The film discusses how she shed her heritage and began

acting like she was white. In the film, Zeze wears white face paint to portray this identity shift. This is similar to vaudeville and minstrel performances in the early 20 th century in the US; however, in this context, white performers were slathered in black makeup to mock African American culture and make themselves more comfortable in a changing society. A difference between the racial culture in Brazil and the US was presented in the documentary’s discussion of African American hair. In the US, black hair is considered both a symbol of status and an embodiment of African American culture. Many iconic figures in African American culture, such as Beyoncé and Diana Ross, are known for their hair, and a great deal of the American market is geared towards the black community. In Brazil, on the other hand, African Americans continue this whitewashing culture by attempting to make their hair closer to the style of Caucasian people. An interesting point I took away from the film was the similarity between how music and dance is used as a universal tool, regardless of the community. For example, early in the documentary, it is stated that contemporary dance descending from the capoeira is popularized in efforts to keep children off the streets. This struck me as similar to how rap and hip-hop creation has become more accessible to the black community and often gives kids a medium to express themselves rather than gangs or other dangerous activities. I also remarked how the culture is not as strict in Brazil; everyone’s opinions about race and identity are different and not as harshly criticized as they are here in the US. This reminded me of how Ariana Grande was recently criticized for her cultural appropriation in a music video and aesthetic era, and it seems that this is somewhat unique to US perception of culture; Brazil is much more open to acceptance.