Black Culture In Africa

The modernize approach of religion and traditions of the old African culture now converted into an Afro-Brazilian culture that still has an impact and exists today which is also still celebrated in Brazil. I believe that without slavery, many of the importance of both sides of society selling slaves and buying slaves would not have shaped humanity in the modern world. “Two centuries had seen African and European cultural religious and linguistic habits merging into unique Afro-Brazilian social and religious customs, music, and storytelling (Nellis 62).” The cultural influence of Afro-Brazilians has persistently grew from celebrations like carnaval into a mainstream popular culture. Brazil holds a variety of different ideas, culture and people. These ideas and traditions include musical interests, dancing, different food dishes, literature and art, festivities, and religious practices.

Culture is such a broad and complex term that can be defined in numerous ways. It is said that in part is the integrated pattern of human knowledge, communication, belief, art, literature, and music one acquires upon learning and transmitting characteristics from previous generations. Culture is symbolic communication, and its symbols are learned and carefully perpetuated in a society through its institutions. In Black Culture and Black Consciousness by Lawrence W. Levine, he carefully attempts to uncover Afro-American culture during the antebellum and postbellum periods. More often than none, historians like to emphasize the things that get lost in the culture of Afro-Americans when they are taken from Africa and forced to live as enslaved people in North America. However, in Levine’s book, we discover that he carefully

Perhaps many people may argue that both the US and Brazil have similar collections of ethnic and racial groups, that is a big minority of indigenous individuals, such as blacks and immigrants from Germany, Italy, and Asia. The presence of the minority groups in both nations was led by activities such as slavery and colonization during the19th-century (Wade, 2017). Chinese predominate the United States while Japanese predominate Brazil. Globalization and the rapid advancement in technology have demonstrated that technological revolution hasn't done much in altering the way of life and the belief of many people (Moran, 2014). With this in mind, I propose research on the differences in culture between Brazilians and Americans. This is because culture is social hence it is not an individual occurrence, it is a product of society, and it grows from social interaction. Culture is differentiable to us by comparison. Thus we should compare different cultures.

In this paper I discuss the African-American culture in regards to values, norms and beliefs.

Africans have, since the early settlement of America, has had a great influence in the nation’s growth. These contributions to the United States from enslaved Africans have been greatly portrayed in American culture. Varying from cuisine, to song and dance are not only portrayed today but it has a deep-rooted impact throughout the United States. During the middle passage, enslaved Africans were forced to abandon their everyday lives, their families and their homes and forced to adapt to a new lifestyle they knew nothing of. However, upon arrival into the New World, due to their prior knowledge and wisdom from back home, they were able to quickly adapt and custom themselves to this new lifestyle in order to survive with the hope of potentially one day returning back to Africa. Unfortunately, African contributions to the culture of the United States has received little to no recognition and it has been taken credit for by Europeans and Whites since the early establishment of the United States.

Professor Henry Louis Gates’ “Brazil: A Racial Paradise”, a documentary that focuses on the Afro-Brazilian population of Brazil, explored and exposed the concept of Racial Democracy; touted by the Brazilian government, it’s influence is largely overrated. (“Brazil: A Racial Paradise”, Black In Latin America, 2011, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Public Broadcasting Service, Web) While the institution of Racial Democracy has brought upon a certain amount of integration between Brazil and its 75 million Afro-Brazilians, the not so distant past-coupled with the realities of modern day racism-has left Afro-Brazilians alienated and discriminated against by mainstream society. However, since the abolition of slavery in 1888, coupled with the declaration of a Racial Democracy in the 1930’s and the leadership of influential Afro-Brazilians, Brazil has been quietly successful, albeit

As I read Marilyn Halter’s book, Between Race and Ethnicity: Cape Verdean American Immigrants 1860-1965, I was able to develop a clear perspective of the Cape Verdean’s American voyage as well as their social and economic triumph. Prior to reading this book, I had no knowledge of the Cape Verdean people, unless they are very similar to the “Brazilians”. Marilyn intentions for her book was to address the social construction of Cape Verdean racial and ethnic identity and how the trials they experience while margining into American society. Cape Verdeans, a mix raced people group of Portuguese and African decent, struggled to attain and maintain their social identity in America, all while enduring isolation and ridicule from both Whites and Black in the new world. After reading this Halters book and her narrative depiction of the Cape Verdeans experience migrating to America. Just as many American immigrants during early 19th and 20th century, they were in search of an opportunity toward social mobility and sustainability while departing from the racial boundaries in their country. Though as soon as they arrived, the American society stressed the Cape Verdeans to choose to identified as white or Black? Little to their knowledge, their journey in search of prosperity immediately immersed them into the vulgar, racial divide between black and white Americans.

From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern for the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as remembered traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art

There is no doubt that African Americans have a rich cultural background and history like the many different ethnic groups who settled in the New World, whose origins lie in another country. For this reason, America was known as the melting pot. However, the backgrounds of each of these cultures were not always understood or, in the case of African Americans, accepted among the New World society and culture. Americans were ignorant to the possibility of differences among groups of people until information and ideas started to emerge, particularly, the African retention theories. This sparked an interest in the field of African culture and retention in African Americans. However, the study of African American culture truly emerged as a result of increased awareness in America, specifically through the publication and findings of scholarly research and cultural events like the Harlem Renaissance where all ethnicities were able to see this rich historical culture of African Americans.

Afro Brazilians have had to deal with centuries of oppression. During these times, Afro-Brazilians have had to deal with various methods, and strategies designed to keep entire communities oppressed. Many of these methods have had effects so profound, they are still affecting many Brazilians till this day. Political oppression is one of the oldest methods known to man, along with unleashing a forceful police force mimicking military forces. Authoritarian rule also played a major role in the shaping of the country. Furthermore, an inept biased justice system will fail those who need protections, and justice the most. These four key modes will be objectively examined, as well as the efficacy of each of these repressive strategies, and the impact that they have had or still have in the Afro-Brazilian communities.

The purpose of this paper is to recognize, study and analyze the race relations in Brazil. Race relations are relations between two groups of different races; it is how these two different races connect to each other in their environment. Since Brazil is racially diverse, this study is focused on how Brazilians relate to each other. Throughout the essay, it will become clear that there exists a conflict between two race groups. Afro-Brazilians and White-Brazilians are not connected and though these two groups converse with each other, discrimination still lies within the society. This discrimination has created inequality within the society for Afro-Brazilians. Thus, this paper will not only focus on racism and discrimination that

Over the past several decades there has been an increase, in Brazil, of people whom self-identify as being black or Afro-Brazilian. What sparked the rise in these identities in Brazil? Was it possible material and intellectual gains or, sparked from activism, or from other possible factors. The black movement and affirmation of “black” identity came about much later in Brazil than in other countries such as the United States. In my opinion the most important factors for the rise in these identities are the material gains from the Quilombo Clause, the effects of affirmative action and quotas, as well as social activism.

In both Portugal and Brazil are united by the legacy of slave history, where blacks and African descendants have always been viewed as "others". Thus, the paradigm of black/white provides a larger context of experiences, even though they might be biracial or multiracial. The concept of white through miscegenation becomes assimilated by all blacks and African descendants who watch telenovelas and who fall under the whitening ideology, to the point where racial democracy loses its purposes with blacks intentionally looking to become less and less black, relating to people of lighter tone and looking for people as far for the black background as possible to pursue intimate relationships with. Race is constantly being transformed and recast as political, cultural and, indeed global developments affect our sense of who we are, and shape the demands we place on our institutions" The most curious aspect, without even thinking about gender, but the fact that so many main characters in Portuguese telenovelas are

The colonial government in Brazil try to maintain order in the African community by creating a policy of encouraging the formation of Catholic Brotherhood. Expecting to elevate the Christianity virtue and to provide a charitable activity. For the Africans was a space to explore their identity and practice their customs. The ecclesiastics were tolerant about the dancing a singing of brotherhood because they demonstrated a better behavior in the campus, with less tendency of escaping. Other speculated that these dances make the slaves more interest in reproductive activities. On the other hand, in other cities were the tolerance was less common like in the case of Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, slaves were seeing dancing the batuque , could bring

Thousands of samba schools (known as Epiphany Troupes prior to the 1920’s), floats, and vibrant costumes take the streets of Rio in dance and celebration, adorned by their national rhythm of samba (Chasteen p.73, 48). In the 1950’s, along with Government support came mandatory requirements. First, each samba school must choose a nationalist theme for their parades. Also, due to its African roots, sprouting from Bahia, Brazil (city where African slaves were first brought in the 1500’s), it is a requirement that each samba school have Baians to honor the efforts of women like Tia Ciata, a forerunner in the early carnival movement (p.49) For Brazils economy, Rio Carnaval is a major source of monetary gain. Though with yearly changes of themes and costumes, carnival can be very expensive for Brazilians, especially those living in low-income