Who Is Brasil?

Who is Brasil? Can the question actually be answered? It is like asking a person who he is, because just like a person, Brasil has a unique personality which has been shaped by the different experiences it has been through and which keeps changing. But, who is even the ideal person to define Brasil? A country is formed by all its people and they all have different feelings about it based on their experiences. Also, many people have external images of Brasil. Regardless, probably the most appropriate person to define who Brasil is, would be a Brasilian. However, since I have been assigned with the non-accomplishable task, I will be the unfortunate soul to attempt defining who Brasil is.

To understand who Brasil is today, it is necessary to go back to its roots and how it was created. The land that makes Brasil has existed for a very long time and nearly 500 years ago, it was already inhabited by indigenous tribes. One of the main ones was Tupi. Then, the Portuguese came to colonize. They brought many slaves with them, and the amount was greatest of any country in America. The Portuguese brought the language, religion and culture, but they weren’t precisely nice. They imposed their religion on the natives and destroyed many of their religious constructions. They would punish the natives for having different religious practices. They raped many of the women and slaved some amount of indigenes. Then proceeded to explode all the resources and richness of the land and take it all the way back to Portugal. Brasil had to serve the Kingdom for a very long time. It wasn’t until 1822 and officially until 1825, that Brasil acquired its independence. However, the main reason why it was able to become independent is truly sad and unfortunate. Brasil’s independence happened because slavery had been decreed illegal in Portugal, but the Portuguese wanted to continue slave-trading and that way they could continue it in Brasil, which was its own country, and slavery continued until 1888.

So, does this mean that Brasil is a united country with lots of diversity where everybody accepts each other because they fought together for their freedom? And since Brasilians are often perceived as warm nice people, does this mean that they are forgiving and that all the tragedy has been left behind? Well, not really. Brasil does have a huge diversity of people. All kinds of people can be seen in the country, from black all the way to blond and blue eyed. However, there is still racism in the country. I personally found that very surprising, since there are some countries very diverse in South America which are not racist, and I expected Brasil to be the same way. In Brasil, black people have a harder time succeeding. When they do become successful, then they aren’t considered black anymore. Being black, is more than the color of your skin. It is a socioeconomic status. One of our leaders during our time in Brasil is black, and he mentioned that when he is standing near the door of a store, people think that he works there. We went to a store once, and our TA is black and a woman asked her if she worked in the store, and the woman kept insisting that she did even though our TA denied it a million times. The racism is worst in some regions of Brasil. For example, the population in the south is whiter because there was a large European migration. When we were in Curitiba, black people were quite scarce and people kept staring at our black friend. But then does this mean that Brasil is a racist and hateful country? Not exactly, there are many accepting and all loving people in the country. It just means that the country is still recovering from the awful discrimination that it was forced to suffer through very long ago.

Racism is a complicated issue in Brasil, but at least people social classes respect each other, right? Wrong. People from lower classes are treated very badly. For example, wealthy families hire maids to clean their houses and take care of their children. Even though these women raise their children, cook, clean, and do anything else the family might need, they are not treated as part of the family, and many are even mistreated. Some maids are required to wear a uniform and have to follow a protocol of conduct. During class, we watched a movie about a maid. In the movie, the daughter of the main got into the family pool and the mother ordered it to be drained and completely cleaned up. It is a very complicated situation because these maids feel a deep love for the children they raise, yet they will never be their real mothers and are mistreated by the family they serve while their own kids are being raised by someone else.

Many aspects are very complicated in Brasil, even the feelings towards their independence are complicated. Some Brasilians know the details of why the independence really happened and feel guilty celebrating it, or don’t have pride and respect for it. Some are ignorant to the slavery fact, and celebrate the independence with great pride because it represents the strength of their country. Others know, but prefer to forget and often have mixed feelings within them. The feelings of Brasilians towards Portugal are also very mixed. Some Brasilians forgive or forget all the bad that Portugal did to them and actually wish to be European or move to Portugal looking for a better life. In fact, one of our group leaders in Brasil is moving to Portugal in a year. Others, are still bitter and refuse to forgive Portugal. For example, we were talking to our translator once, and she said that she said that she would never go to Portugal because she won’t set foot in a place that stole and took all their resources, killed and enslaved their people and brought slavery and war into the country. Although her decision is admirable and understandable, it is also very drastic. It is very immature to condemn people today who have did nothing wrong and have done nothing wrong to you because of something that their ancestors did to your ancestors.

So after a historic analysis, who is Brasil? Well, perhaps looking at the country’s culture might help answer the question, but considering how diverse Brasilian culture is, it might make it even more confusing. Brasil has many regions and all of them have something unique and special about them. For example, in the south, the culture is very similar to Argentina’s. There are gauchos, they drink mate, the accent is more similar to Spanish, and the food is very similar to Argentina’s. There are also many different European communities and cities that look and feel just like Europe. The North has a culture more influenced by the African culture because the larger population is black. Even big cities have different cultures. For example, Sao Paulo is a fast paced city, whereas Rio is more relaxed. Brasilian culture also has influences from Japan because there was a big migration of Asians into the country. In reality, Brasilian culture is a huge mesh of cultures from many different countries, which have evolved and been modified to become Brasilian and mixed with the authentic native culture. But, Brasil also tries to be someone it isn’t. There is a big influence from the US. Many clothing styles, music and food in the country are American. Brasil is even often trying to copy the US. Some Brasilians feel offended when Americans refer to themselves as such because for Brasilians, America is one continent and technically they are Americans as well and want to be like them. They don’t want to feel like they are being segregated.

Going back to the question, Brasil is the 5th largest country in the world. It has beautiful landscapes and biodiversity. It is the home of Samba. It cares about the environment. It is one of the leader producers of ethanol and the state of Sao Paulo has set a goal to be carbon free in 25 years. It is a country where corruption is high. Its cities are filled with art and culture. The city of Curitiba has been used as a model for urban planning and inspiration to other cities. It is a country with one of the best football teams in the world. It is the home to many nice warm affectionate people that light up your life. None of characteristics can fully answer the question. However, this is getting way too long and I am not any closer to answer the question now than I was at the beginning. Besides, I am a terrible writer, so I’ll just put you out of your misery and finish this quick.

Who is Brasil? Who knows? I certainly don’t. No one can truly answer that question, especially not me. I cannot say who I am, let alone an entire country. But, despite of any imperfections it might have, Brasil is a beautiful, diverse and complex country. Brasilians are lucky to have such a wonderful country and should be proud of it. Brasil should focus on being itself and improving instead of trying to copy something it isn’t. The short time I spent in Brasil was wonderful. I wish I could have stayed longer, but won’t definitely be my last time in the country. Learning from the country and its people, and trying to understand it and define has been a wonderful experience. Brasil has been through a lot and will continue to grow. There is no doubt that it will become one of the lead countries in the world, if it isn’t already.