Murphy Browne © November 12, 2020
BRAZIL BLACK AWARENESS MONTH
Throughout the Americas (Central, North, South) and on the Caribbean islands, Africans were enslaved by members of various European tribes, from the 15th century to the 19th century. Wherever these unfortunate Africans were enslaved they resisted their enslavers in various ways, including armed struggle. Most of the Africans who resisted are famous in the communities where they resisted but hardly known elsewhere. Bussa in Barbados, Marie Joseph Angelique in Canada, Solitude in Guadeloupe, Cuffy/Kofi in Guyana, Cudjoe in Montserrat, Gaspar Yanga in Mexico, Nanny in Jamaica and Zumbi in Brazil are some of the countless African freedom fighters. Many of these freedom fighters are honoured in the communities where they waged struggle against their enslavers, but Zumbi is the only African freedom fighter who is celebrated for an entire month.
In the Brazilian city Salvador da Bahia, “Black November” is celebrated similar to African Heritage Month in Canada and the USA during February. Salvador da Bahia has the largest number of African Brazilian citizens and art, dance, food, music and religion are influenced by African Brazilian culture. Capoeira is an African Brazilian martial art form that arrived in Brazil on the slave ships from the African continent. Candomblé is an African Brazilian religion derived from Yoruba belief systems developed by enslaved Africans in Brazil.
Since 1960 Brazilians have celebrated “Black Consciousness Day” (Dia da Consciência Negra) on November 20. November 20 was chosen as Dia da Consciência Negra/Black Consciousness Day in honour of a famous Brazilian Maroon leader Zumbi dos Palmares. Zumbi dos Palmares (1655-1695,) the last leader of the famous Palmares Quilombo was beheaded on November 20, 1695 by the Portuguese and his head publicly displayed both as a warning to enslaved Africans and proof that Zumbi was not immortal.
On January 6, 1694 Palmares suffered a surprise attack because of a careless sentry who failed to warn Zumbi of an approaching army of Portuguese. Although Zumbi and his followers from Palmares fought valiantly, they were surrounded and outnumbered. The Portuguese destroyed the Palmares Quilombo, captured 510 Africans and sold them in Bahia.
Zumbi and a few others from Palmares escaped and continued the fight. Zumbi was eventually betrayed by one of his trusted men who bargained Zumbi’s life for his own with the Portuguese. Zumbi was killed in the ensuing fight on November 20, 1695 and his body was delivered to the officials of the city council of Porto Calvo. In her 2013 published “Zumbi of Palmares: Challenging the Portuguese Colonial Order” Mary Karasch, a white American historian writes: “An examination revealed fifteen gunshot wounds and innumerable blows from other weapons; after his death he had been castrated and mutilated. The last degradation by his enemies occurred in a public ceremony in Porto Calvo, in which his head was cut off and taken to Recife, where the governor had it displayed on a pole in a public place. His objective was to destroy the belief that Zumbi was immortal.”
Zumbi is a National Hero to many Brazilians, with a Brazilian airport (Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport) named in his honour and a postage stamp (2008) commemorating his memory. He was once the bane of the Portuguese colonizers/enslavers in Brazil. Zumbi was born a free African in the community of Palmares where Africans had established a free Maroon community (quilombo) in 1594. Palmares was the most successful community of quilombos established by Africans who fled enslavement in Brazil and it survived and thrived for 100 years.
Although the Quilombo of Palmares was one of several quilombos established by Africans in Brazil, it was the largest with a population of 30,000 and lasted longer than any other (100 years) from 1594 to 1694. Some of Zumbi’s followers who escaped the carnage visited upon them by the Portuguese attack on Palmares escaped to live in other quilombos. Enslaved Africans in Brazil continued to flee until slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888. Some of the quilombos were so well hidden that they were never discovered by the Portuguese and the inhabitants lived in freedom and seclusion. Since 1988, the quilombos have received protective status under Brazil’s constitution in an attempt to maintain the distinctive culture, history and language developed by these communities.
In 2011 Dilma Rousseff then President of Brazil signed into law a bill that makes November 20 a Brazilian National Holiday although many Brazilian states had previously recognized November 20 with a public holiday.
In spite of the special day to honour Zumbi and the recognition of his place in Brazil’s history, African Brazilians continue to experience oppression in Brazil’s White supremacist culture. African Brazilians continue the fight for equality in education, employment, media, the workplace and the justice system. On November 20, the enslavement of Africans and other injustices since the abolition of slavery are discussed and the contributions of African Brazilians are recognized and celebrated.
Nascimento who transitioned to the ancestral realm on May 23, 2011 was a Pan-Africanist who played a significant role in raising awareness among African Brazilians and also wrote "Racial Democracy in Brazil, Myth or Reality?: A Dossier of Brazilian Racism" (1977), "Race and ethnicity in Latin America – African culture in Brazilian art" (1994), "Orixás: os deuses vivos da Africa" (Orishas: the living gods of Africa in Brazil) (1995) and "Africans in Brazil: a Pan-African perspective" (1997.) Recognition of Zumbi would not be complete without recognition of Nascimento as the African Brazilian activist scholar who has been described as a “militant Pan-Africanist” and spent his life raising awareness of the struggle of African Brazilians to navigate a White supremacist culture/system.
In 2020, 202 years after the Portuguese abolished slavery (1888) Brazil continues to discriminate against the African Brazilian population. During this Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) African Brazilian freedom fighter and hero Zumbi remains a symbol of freedom and struggle for African Brazilians 325 years (November 20-1695) after he was assassinated by the Portuguese colonizers/enslavers. On Friday, November 20, 2020, amidst the Covid19 Pandemic, African Brazilians will celebrate Zumbi’s courage, leadership and heroic resistance to Portuguese colonial rule and enslavement.
Murphy Browne © November 12, 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment