Read Also: A Treatise on Racism by Patrick Carpen.
Racism in Brazil is a complicated story. It exists in patches. It’s like a you’re walking in a street filled with puddles – eventually your foot could land in one of the dirty puddles if you are not careful. But if you watch your steps, you can avoid racist circles in Brazil altogether. Racism does exist in Brazil, although it doesn’t always show it’s face – like everywhere else in the world, it often comes clothed in a beautiful disguise.
The story of an acquaintance of mine, Paulo da Mata, illustrates the general perception or belief of white superiority in Brazil. I had first met Paulo da Mata in the year 2013 during my first trip to the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. At that time, I had come to Brazil as a refugee – running away from the Giant Frog and the Ugly Green Eyed Monster – of which I will tell you more in an upcoming book – A Journey to the Center of Brazil.
At that time, I had stayed for six months in Brazil, working for some time on a farm, teaching part time and then full time for a few months before returning to the border city of Lethem in Guyana when my tourist visa was nearing its end. I must admit that at that time, Paulo was really helpful and friendly to me, and we stayed in touch on Facebook.
I returned to Mato Grosso in the year 2020 – about 7 years later that is. Upon returning, another acquaintance, Jerry Mill, took me to the local press for an interview. They published a story about my arrival and business in Brazil. The article mentioned some tips I had given for combating the coronavirus pandemic, my books which I would be promoting in Brazil and the fact that I came to “look into” the exportation of beef to China, among other things.
I soon forwarded the article to Paulo da Mata. He sent me an alarming voice note. He said, in his Portuguese-accent English: “Guy! You are not doing all those things! You are not rich guy! You are fooling the people. If I were there at the press, I would have told them that you don’t do all those things! Exporting beef to China? Guy! Do you know how much it costs to export beef to China! You’re lying guy. And the white people will know that you are lying. They will ask you for money, and if you don’t have money to give them, they will know that you are not rich!”
I was alarmed at these ludicrous voice notes from Paulo da Mata. Shocked, I responded, “Paulo, you sound like a nut job. Are you ok?”
But Paulo continued in the same note and tone. He kept emphasizing that the “white people” who are rich will know that I’m lying. Little did Paulo know that a lot had changed over the last 7 years since he had met me as a refugee. Of course, no where in article stated that I was rich, and all the article said was that I came to “look into the possibility of exporting beef to China.” Nevertheless, Paulo still found it justifiable to attack me for this and when I told him that he sounded like a nut job, he said “Ok, I”ll just unfriend you (from Facebook) to make things simple.” And he did.
Paulo was a mulatto. He was mixed with the Portuguese and black races and possibly indigenous and others. But, he would more identify with the African race due to predominant African features. What struck me about his last conversation was that his mind seemed to tie the concepts of “white” and “rich” together.
And that’s the general tendency in Brazil – a country in which about 90% of the population is of mixed racial heritage – the tendency to believe that “white” is automatically tied to “rich,” and “black” to “poverty.”
