Note from BW of Brazil: Today’s post is a collaborative essay by Mark Wells, a frequent traveler to Brazil who has written on the topic of blacks and racism in Brazil in a comparative analysis from the African-American perspective for a number of years and Daniela Gomes, an Afro-Brazilian Ph.D candidate who has spent time in the US and studied much on black American influence in Brazil. Today, the team takes on a topic that was the source of a lot of controversy between around 2007 and 2010 on African-American-oriented websites: African-American men and sexual tourism in Brazil. The comments and opinions about this subject provoked some very strong opinions and comments about Brazilian women, or at least stereotypes concerning Brazilian women. This debate has recently heated up again with a documentary posted on You Tube about this very topic. These thought-provoking pieces should be a welcome addition to a growing cross-cultural debate on the general exchange of experiences in the African Diaspora.
A message to African-Americans on the stereotype of Brazilian women
by Mark Wells
As an African-American male who has visited Brazil a number of times over a period of 13 years, and becoming familiar with the Afro-Brazilian struggle, I believe I stand in a unique position of being able to critique and make comparative analysis between the two communities. As this incredible blog has exhaustively shown, the experiences of African-Americans and Afro-Brazilians have many similarities but also unique histories that present complex differences. Over the years there has been a small, but growing interest in the African-American community about the experiences of our “cousins” in Brazil. Although some have been on the cultural/historical tip, I hate to admit, the majority of the interest has had to do with aspects that have nothing to do with cultural connections with a common people.
A few examples
First, I remember a period starting in the early 2000’s in which some friends of mine hipped me to the fact that independent, US-based black porn video producers had suddenly developed an interest in Brazil. At that point, along with white American and European smut producers, African-American men were flocking to this new, “exotic” market in droves.
Second, in my own experiences, whenever someone heard that I was a frequent traveler to Brazil, I would always start meeting brothas who suddenly wanted to know me. After the exchange of “wad’dup” (or sometimes not even this), the conversation would ultimately turn to my trips to Brazil. There was rarely a moment when dudes would even hesitate in going straight to their real curiosity about Brazil: the women. Brothas would push up on the topic in a number of ways, from regular questions (“How are the women there?”), to the recognition of the perceived image of Brazilian women (“Man, dem chicks is bangin’!”). Another common way of approaching the topic was when brothas would ask me, “Was’sup on dat Brazil tip?” I, with my background in the social sciences would always touch upon how Bahia, where I would spend many of my first trips, reminded me so much of the US south. Brothas would always gimme dat look, cock their heads, curl their lips, and say, “Come on dawg, wus really up on Brazil?!?!?” Without having to acknowledge it, I always knew that they specifically wanted to know about Brazilian women. Then there were the flat out crude comments like, “Dem Brazilian bitches fine den a muh-fucka!”. In all honesty, the vast majority of comments/questions I’ve heard over the years would fit into some type of the latter category.
I remember vividly in 2002 when I met the first black American man I personally knew who had visited Brazil. After a mutual friend introduced us and we exchanged “wad’dups”, I asked this brotha what he liked about Brazil. The first thing out of his mouth? “A brotha can go to Brazil and find a sista and not have to deal with that nappy-ass hair!” Damn. Of all of the things he could have said about Brazil, the first comment he makes exposes one of the deepest contradictions about black American identity: Yes, we are “black and proud” but don’t be “too black” and have hair that’s “too nappy” or you will get roasted! On the hair topic, I always thought it was ironic how one of the greatest symbols of black pride in the US, in fact, the creator of the anthem “I’m Black and I’m Proud”, James Brown, wore his hair straightened for the vast majority of his career. Jus’ sayin’….
Year after year I would always have countless brothas tell me that they were going to get a passport and VISA and go to Brazil with me on my next trip. In reality, none of them ever actually followed through on this.
Then in 2006 the floodgates on the “Brazilian Experience” were opened when Spelman College professor Jelani Cobb wrote a piece in the leading African-American women’s magazine Essence entitled “Blame It On Rio”, detailing the journeys of African-American men on their sexual and/or amorous adventures in Brazil (interview here). Two years later came a full-length book, Don’t Blame It on Rio: The Real Deal Behind Why Men Go to Brazil for Sex by Jewel Woods and Karen Hunter (interview here). Having become a Brazilianist over the years, I eagerly snatched up both titles wanting to see how my beloved Brazil was being experienced by other African-American males. Although I was appreciative of the titles, I became deeply disappointed. Here’s why…
The article and the book both exposed a growing fissure in the relationships between African-American men and women. The comments of many of the men from both sources exposed a deep disappointment on the part of African-American men in regards to African-American women. Many comments of these travelers voiced the opinion that black American women were either too independent, too verbally aggressive, too unappreciative (of black men), too fat or, if they were very attractive, out of the reach of most black men of average income or social status. Having read studies by scholars such as Adriana Piscitelli on sexual tourism of European men in Brazil, I was taken by the similarity of the comments made by European men as well as African-American men in regards to Brazilian women. In both cases, in comparing Brazilian women to women in their countries of origin (white German or black American), men commented on how Brazilian women were more affectionate, attractive, dependent, submissive and less combative than women in their respective countries of origin. Some of the black men commented on how some of the “dime pieces”, or the Halle Berry, Ciara or Beyonce types, were much more accessible in Brazil than in the US.
On the flip side, the “exposure” of black American men’s visits to Brazil and mingling with local women provoked outrage, disgust and all sorts of vile comments from black American women on forum sites or pages that posted articles about black American men in Brazil. In literally thousands of online comments, Brazilian women were continuously defined as “bitches”, “hoes (whores)”, “prostitutes”, “sluts”, “gold diggers” or women looking for easy access to living in the US. There were also comments about African-American men not being able to “handle” “strong, black women” thus needing to go and pick up submissive Latinas in Brazil. The heated debate and finger pointing can be seen in a variety of You Tube videos as the beef continues today.
The problem with the comments on both sides is the generalization. No one can say with any accuracy where these men were finding these women in Brazil and the context of their situations. I recently can across a You Tube video by popular African-American personality and documentary maker, Tariq Nasheed about his visit to Brazil. While I am in no position to attempt to deny anything he said about his experience, I will say it was very difficult to ascertain the context and background of his trip. According to his recollections, Brazilian women have no problem walking up on a man and kissing him directly in the mouth and making themselves blatantly sexually available. The women he spoke of were very openly “selling themselves”.
Let’s be clear. If one is looking for this in Brazil or is directed to areas where “das wus up”, of course it’s not hard to find. But there are also areas of Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and Miami and many other American cities where one can find leisure sexual availability if that’s what that person seeks. The point here is not to deny that open sexual availability or sex for money trade doesn’t exist because that would be denial of reality The problem is again the generalization. Having listened to the 31 minute video only once, I don’t remember Nasheed’s comments portraying Brazilian women in any diverse manner as can be found on this blog, for example. While on the topic of popular African-Americans, I also remember back around in 2007-2008, radio personality Michael Baisden basically telling his listeners to just “get naked” and get down to Brazil where he had recently visited. Really?
On the Black Women of Brazil blog, one finds black women in a variety of endeavors. They are actresses, college students, professors, singers, maids, politicians, business women, writers, mothers, activists, religious leaders and act in a plethora of other roles. To be sure, you will also find black women who are funkeiras that sing and dance in sexually suggestive manners. Even if one doesn’t actually say that “all Brazilian women” are “such and such” a way, by only presenting them in one manner, this is the message that one surely gets from the description. After all, let’s be real, when one thinks of the already-established image of Brazilian women, which comes to mind first? The above photo labeled “Young black women in the city of Curitiba” or the photo labeled “Candidates from a Carnaval competition” further up the page? In this sense, there’s no difference between this image of Brazilian from someone watching a few hours of BET Hip Hop music videos and drawing a certain conclusion about African-American women.
On the stereotypical image of the beauty of Brazilian women, let me say this. Yes, there are some very beautiful women in Brazil. No denial there. But having traveled to four Brazilian states and countless cities, I can also say that like any other population of women, there are all sorts of women in Brazil. There are tall, short, slim, overweight women, there’s kinky, curly/kinky, wavy, straight and many other descriptions of hair texture. And while everyone has their own standard of beauty, if one is truly honest and has spent enough time in the country and walked through the streets of any city on a regular day, one will find women that are considered beautiful, women who are considered average and those that society deems not so attractive. Back in May, a male African-American friend recently Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and after spending a few weeks in the two cities, this was his EXACT opinion. It wasn’t like he just got off the plane and there were just hundreds of “dimes” walking around everywhere he went.
Here’s the thing. If you go to Samba School Carnaval rehearsal, for example, and you’re only looking for “passistas” or dancing girls, you will probably see some very beautiful women. But these women are judged and chosen according to certain criteria. If you go to an area famous for prostitution, you will also likely find a certain look that most “customers” prefer. Wouldn’t this also be true of any US strip club? In my own vast experience in Brazil, I can tell you that usually when Brazilian women whistle at you or approach you in an aggressive manner, usually they are involved in some sort of the sex game, be they dancers, prostitutes, or frequent areas where a lot of foreign men will be around. Some black men complain about how fat American women are. Statistically, the US is one of the most (if not THE most) obese countries in the world. No denying that, but statistics also show that obesity is definitely taking affect in Brazil as well.
In further exploring this question of the beauty of Brazilian women in the opinions of African-American men, the interchange of black identity intertwined with seemingly contradictory ideals of beauty also comes into play. Anyone that spends any amount of time in any US black community would have to agree that, in general, African-American men have a preference for black women who aren’t “too black”. Take a look at the wives of many professional African-American male athletes, prominent figures and entertainers; listen to any number of Rap songs or comments by black American rappers/singers that glorify light skin, light eyes, long hair, a “mixed” look, etc. With this mind, consider the fact that in Brazil, the mixture between Africans, Europeans and Native Americans was much more intense than in the history of the US. As such, Afro-Brazilian women run the gamut of phenotypes, some presenting phenotypes that are rarer than what one would find in any African-American community. Of course there are dark-skinned black women in Brazil, but there are also far more women who would be considered “mixed” according to African-American standards. So what does this say about any opinion that Brazilian women, or specifically Afro-Brazilian women, are somehow more attractive than American women in general, or specifically African-American women? Simply put, persons of African descent that live in Western societies also judge beauty according to the European standards of beauty. Again, “black is beautiful” as long you aren’t “too black”.
With all of these issues on the table, a black Brazilian woman recently chimed in with her thoughts on these issues basing her analysis not only on her experiences in the US, but also a popular documentary that’s been causing a buzz on the internet regarding this topic. The video is called Frustrated: Black American Men in Brazil. Discussing this video in no ways endorses it as I find it a very simplisticportrayal and ultimately presents Brazilian women in a manner that isn’t much different from the infamous flyers and pamphlets circulated in European travel agencies with scantily-clad Brazilian women plastered on them. In the 1999 film The Best Man, the character portrayed by actor Terrence Howard welcomes his homies to “paradise” at a bachelor party featuring “booty club” dancers. I challenge readers not to view Brazil is such a narrow-minded manner. Countless posts on this blog portray a Brazil in which black women experience many of the same issues that face their American counterparts. The two communities have much more in common than any of the one-sided African-American reflections of sexual tourism over the past 10 years.
Hopefully this is the impression you come away with after reading the piece by Daniela.
On being an Afro Brazilian woman living abroad
By Daniela Gomes
The process of writing this post has taken some time. Several times I thought about starting it, but I feel so sensitive about the subject, and I see how much this can influence the writing so I stop.
The first time that I came to the US, I had the opportunity of living two months in Atlanta-GA. It was such a deep experience that, for me, each step that I took was seen as something magic. Among these experiences there was also something new for me in the fact that here I was considered pretty by Black men, which didn’t happen often in Brazil.
During those two months, I learned that the word beautiful had another connotation when it was followed by the sentence, “oh are you from Brazil?” It was easy to realize that what was on the table wasn’t only the fact of being beautiful of not, but in front of this was the fact that being Brazilian meant something else.
I had always heard about the stigma of the Brazilian women’s hyper sexuality abroad, the fact that she was seen as a promiscuous woman, or even as a prostitute, but I always thought it was a generalization and not a real fact.
Over the years, as a person that always had African-American friends, I never saw it as a possibility, considering that with my friends I always had respectful and equal relationships independent of where they were from.
And these relationships were increasingly responsible for bringing me to the concept of Diaspora and made me start thinking about the black struggle in a collective way where black people around the world need to be united in the fight against racism.
In this period, I started to have more contact with the African-American community (1) because of my work and sometimes I was approached by some African-American men in a malicious way, but I always saw it as isolated incidents, because I believe that a bad character is a thing that isn’t related to nationality.
I need to say that this thought hasn’t changed. I still meet wonderful people on my path and I’m still making amazing friends here.
However, I need to say that since I came to live in this country, I have come to learn some facts which have made things became clearer and this has really made me sad.
The first fact was a comment made by a stranger who told me about African-American men who go to Brazil to find prostitutes, because it would make the relationship easier considering the language barrier. The second fact was the observation of the bad behavior of some African-American men in Brazil, who were treating women as available bodies, as people who were only there just waiting for them. Finally, I had access to a video that is published on You Tube, where African-American men affirm that they are looking for Afro-Brazilian women, because they were supposedly submissive, wouldn’t worry about their status or social position and would not be highly educated.
This video shocked me for several reasons:
First, because all of the women in it were black.
Second was the fact that most of the women in the video were clearly part of a prostitution network and indirectly in the video people were mentioning sexual tourism. Third, the fact that during the video every moment brought out a tension between Afro-Brazilian women and African-American women, as if the latter were being deprecated by the former.
The perspective highlighted by the video made me feel really bad. I started to remember several isolated facts that have happened not only with me, but also stories of people that I know that had exactly this perspective: Afro-Brazilian women being treated as second class people here.
I started to remember that usually the comments about Afro-Brazilian women being beautiful were followed by comments about how these men would like to go to Brazil and have a lot fun, but never was a comment followed by the thought that they could go to Brazil and find a woman to have real relationship, because these are reserved for good American women.
My sadness only deepens when I think that this is the reflex of our bodies being sold as a product since slavery, because in Brazil, the white woman always was for marrying, the ‘mulatta’ for fucking and the black woman for work.
As Afro-Brazilian women, regardless of whether we are light or dark skinned, over the years we have become the “mulatta” for exportation, a symbol of the sexuality of a country, a walking ass that is available, the one that deserves to be enjoyed, but who never will become a Mrs. So, Brazil which has been able to hide its racism over the years, was also smart enough to sell us as its best product, which can attract millions of “clients”.
However, if Brazil is selling a product, there is on the other hand a country that is buying this image, that is believing that the Afro-Brazilian woman is really the great whore that everybody says. And this really saddens me. It saddens because I know and have been learning more and more each day about the struggle of African-American women to escape from stereotypes like these. So why believe it when this image is related with sisters from other countries?
There isn’t a way to talk about Diaspora without think about union, about shared pain and experiences in the struggle against racism and to think that I can be viewed as someone that isn’t good enough really makes me think about if we are in a collective struggle.
Of course I can’t generalize; as I mentioned before, my personal relationships inside the black community here were always wonderful and I believe that as my friends there are other people who are also open-minded and are available to learn and respect the culture of their neighbor and to follow in a collective struggle.
I prefer to think that in the majority of cases what happens is a lack of knowledge about Brazilian culture or about what really happens in Brazil.
For this reason I decided to respond in few words to some of the questions which were brought up in the video Frustrated: Black American Men In Brazil.
About the sexuality of the Afro-Brazilian Woman: There isn’t a way to generalize it, in a country with more than 50 million Black women, each one of them is going to deal with their sexuality in a personal way. I know Black women in my country who are more sexually open in the same way that I know others who are virgins; there isn’t a standard for the sexuality of the Black woman in my country. I also don’t believe that we are hyper sexual or are more sensitive towards sex than other women in the world. I really believe it is more a sold concept than the truth. The only certainty that I have is: WE AREN’T AN AVAILABLE BODY and to go to our country doesn’t mean easy sex just because we are Brazilians.
About Afro-Brazilian women being submissive: understanding machismo/sexism in my country, I believe that several women in Brazil are still subjugated by men, but in the same way that sexism is everywhere, the struggle of Black feminism also exist everywhere and we have been standing against all kinds of oppression of gender and race. We have a history of protagonism in our country, Black women who have always have been responsible for supporting their families, as matriarchs and also through political pioneering in different situations. WE NEVER WERE BACK STAGE.
About prostitution in Brazil: There is prostitution in Brazil as there is prostitution everywhere. Actually Brazil is still a conservative country in this sense, because it is one of the few countries in the world, where prostitution is illegal and considered a crime. AND NO, NOT ALL BLACK BRAZILIAN WOMEN ARE PROSTITUTES OR ARE GOING TO CHANGE SEX FOR FAVORS.
About Afro-Brazilian women being better than African-American women: I don’t believe this comparison can even exist. In a political sense, black women in both countries have been sharing a history of struggle and activism and learning a lot from each other. Physically, I believe that actually we are really similar to each other, because here I see several people who look like myself, my friends, my sisters.
Emotionally, we have a different history, although we both suffer with the oppression of racism, but I really believe that none of us have time or wish to be a doormat for a man. Sexually, I believe that this question needs to be treated as it is, something personal, that which only the people who are involved in it are responsible. It’s more than time to break the stereotypes which were created about us.
Well, the post was long, but I hope it is clear and can help us to continue constructing friendly relationships in the fight against racism. Everybody is welcome in Brazil, but it is necessary to knock down some images that aren’t true.
I post here the link for the video Frustrated: Black American Men In Brazil. And I call all Afro-Brazilian and African-American women to unite and give a correct response to something so sexist and full of prejudice.
Daniela Gomes is a Ph.D Candidate in the African and African Diaspora program at the University of Texas, a Master in Cultural Studies from the University of São Paulo, a Specialist in Media, Information and Culture, also from the University of São Paulo and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Umesp. She blogs at http://afroatitudes.blogspot.com.br
Source: Afroatitudes
Notes
1. See here another piece by an Afro-Brazilian woman and her discovery of the issue of hair among African-American women
Thank you Marques, for share my article and also to show me someone else who is thinking in the same way. It just reinforce my idea that this kind of sexist and xenophobic thought is really an exception. That there are a lot of people in this country who are able to be open mind and to have healthful relationships with other diasporic people. Because in my opinion more than talk about personal relationships, we are talking about join our struggle in this journey against racism and oppression and we only will be able to do that when we see each other as equal.
“Brazilian women have no problem walking up on a man and kissing him directly in the mouth and making themselves blatantly sexually available. The women he spoke of were very openly “selling themselves”.
Well, in that case I would’ve boned at least one Brasileira per day after I took a stroll on Ipanema/copacabana Boulevard last September.
Nonsens. Ofcourse there are gorgeous women walking over there, but it’s not like you just have to snap your fingers at any Brasileira and she will be on your knob. No descent man, at least I would not, want such a woman. How you going to pay 800U$ for a plane ticket, travel hours to Brasil, strictly for some Brazilian poo tang pie? That does not make sense to me.
What I also do not understand is why Afro Americans (men and women) stereotype (Afro) Brasileiras as such? I would think “they” should know better, especially since they fight against the same negative/sexual stereotyping that they constantly experience in the USA all the time.
They stereotype, because they think the same way most people in this country do. We as Africans living in the United States have been inundated with the same thought patterns as the prevailing culture, Europeans, ( so-called whites ). We tend to think we have more going for for ourselves than our ethnic kin everywhere else on the planet. We have let ourselves become the proverbial “Ugly American” African Americans actually think that they are a WESTERN PEOPLE, and are in love with the very same culture they deem as their enemy.
Agreed, we must address these problems together.
Ashamed
Great article.
It should be stated quite vociferously that the essay by Mark Wells is a quintessential work of tripe and utter buffoonery! First, it defies logic, and good common sense, why Mr. Wells felt obliged to rely so heavily on black American vernacular, especially in light of the fact that there are people of African descent throughout the Black Diaspora that read articles on this site (native and non native English speakers) and as such, will no doubt have difficulty understanding his essay in its entirety. However, and more importantly, the crux of Mr. Well’s article misses the mark miserably and its superficiality is only surpassed by his cartoonish depiction of Black women and Black men in both Northern and Southern spheres of the American Continent which, quite unfortunately, rather than providing any clarity or resolution to this matter, only further exacerbates the chasm that prevails between understanding the subtle and not so subtle cultural nuances and idiosyncrasies that exist between Blacks in the US and their Brazilian counterparts.
As a dark skinned Black man from the US who is fluent in Portuguese and has traveled to Brazil on a regular basis since 1981, it can definitely be said that there have been many societal changes in regard to the Black Brazilian population and Brazilian society as a whole. With that said, if there’s one aspect that has remained rather consistent in Brazil over the years, and for that matter in the US as well, is the hypersexualization, exoticization and exploitation of Black women. This aspect, coupled with the fact that Black women in both countries suffer disproportionate physical and sexual violence, primarily at the hands of Black men, creates a vicious reality for Black Brazilian women who are consistently demeaned and deprecated in a pernicious oppressive white supremacist society that refuses to acknowledge the intrinsic pulchritude and humanity of its Black citizenry.
What is ostensibly absent from Mr. Wells essay, and common discourse surrounding this issue, is the role that white oppression has historically played, and continues to play, in the perpetuation of Black stereotypes, the subjugation and exploitation of Blacks in both the US and Brazil and the insidious role of the status quo in the propagation of these stereotypes on a quotidian basis. Thus, it would appear rather conspicuous, the challenge that lies before Black males in the US is not to tacitly succumb to disinformation and caricatures of Black Brazilian women, and those of other predominantly Black polities like the Dominican Republic, Colombia or Cuba, but rather instead take the opportunity to better contextualize Black Brazilian reality by learning more about Brazil’s African influences and legacy. Engaging in the aforementioned will, invariably, empower ourselves to truly appreciate the sanctity of Black life, love and healthy relationships and, undoubtedly, diminish the desire to further sexually exploit Black women through sexual violence, prostitution and other nefarious activities.
Shawn L,
From what I take from this article, it is not meant to address everything under the sun as to the effects of white racism. On this blog in itself there are more than a few articles about the effects of racism on the Brazilian side. On the other side, the are a great many blogs and websites that expose racist effects in US black communities and as such would have been beyond the scope of this article and I think it would have made the already long text even longer. A discussion on racism was apparently not point of the Wells or Gomes piece.
Second, it is interesting that you point out that “the challenge that lies before Black males in the US is not to tacitly succumb to disinformation and caricatures of Black Brazilian women”, when in fact, there is a section of the Wells essay where he specifically gives examples of the various roles black Brazilian women play in society and provides ample examples from this blog itself.
Third, for anyone who has hung out in a US black community, listened to the music or watched a few films, the few pieces of expressions of day-to-day discourse are simply a representation of dialogue. If you noted the title of the piece, it is directed at “African-Americans”.
It lacks logic and common sense? If this is a person’s personal account of his experiences with a group of people, how does this defy logic and common sense? There are any number of black-oriented books that anyone can buy and read using the very same expressions.
On “hypersexualization, exoticization and exploitation of Black women”, both pieces by Wells and Gomes distinctly point this out.
Although we believe your analysis misses the mark, with your vast amount of experience of travel to Brazil, it would be great to receive your insight as well. Overall, both pieces move to create a dialogue beyond the superficial representations and images that some people have. As such, the blog stands behind both articles!
One thing that needs to happen is the dramatic increase in English speaking ability among the Afro-Brazilian population. It is the language of international business and must be taught/learnt.
Yeah there’s hypersexualization but its on both sides, Black men are overtly sexual and have big dicks and Black women especially dark skinned are hypersexual and “can go for hours” (insatiable). This are stereotypes heaped onto us by the ruling classes (usually White) and their more than happy to reinforce these attitudes in media, which is why we SHOULD OWN THE MEDIA we produce and distribute what we feel put our people in the best light.
Obesity is a problem in Brazil but that’s because Fast Food as made it down to Brazil where the vast majority of people that frequent these places are from middle to lower income, just like the US.
Lots of problems and all peoples of Afro descent should work together. Remember popular music and sports is NOTHING without our participation.
In all fairness to Mr. Wells, his intent seems to be an attempt to clarify and analyze the exploitation of Black Brazilian women, as well as show the parallels with the sexual exploitation of African-American women. Perhaps the problem is so vast that it may necessitate more than one viewpoint for us to obtain a clear picture of this issue. Therefore, I think it would be unfair to castigate Mr. Wells, one man out of many, for presenting his observations, his side of the story. Even if you believe it is a myopic view, it is still a valid observation, which I, for one, do not see as damaging to Brazilian women. In fact, it is both revelatory and redeeming in many ways. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if several people who have the knowledge and expertise on the exploitation of Black Brazilian/African-American women, find some meaningful ways to make a difference, rather than create another chasm?
A lucid and thought-provoking piece. Interestingly, not a few African slaves were shipped off the West African coastline of the Gulf of Guinea to work on plantations in Brazil and Southern U.S. Despite the horrors of slave trade, cultural heritages from the Yoruba axis of Benin Republic and Southwest Nigeria such as dance, apparel (colourful & patterned aso-ebi and ankara fabrics), Sango (native deity), dance and song, and literature are not entirely abandoned or lost. Despite the chauvinism, sexism and racism faced by women today. there’s a rich history of black African women such as Queen Amina who was an administrator and warrior of the ancient city state of Zaria (in today’s Kaduna State- Northwest Nigeria) and commanded army of men. Similarly Oni Osun, the Yoruba goddess of water who kept her family including men safe and ensured their survival. These and even tales abound with subtle yet revealing messages of the role of women and matriarchs in our history and society. Pardon my saying so, but it seems today’s world is even more chauvinistic against black women despite the strides they’ve made in both the home and society. Of course, there’ll be constructive one and destructive one in every sphere of of life just like the men too. The male ego may be sometimes threatened by an assertive and aggressive woman but, on the flipside, that’s where a woman’s tact and wisdom should come into play to defuse any uneasiness and friction. Similarly, man needs not lord himself over or subjugate woman because, after all a is said and done, she’s the ultimate ally/helper (or otherwise) Providence can ever grant him.
Unfortunately, stereotyping of black woman (African, Afro-American, Afro-Brazilian etc) reinforces an image and perception, albeit badly, of not just the individual but also a nation or entire race. This doesn’t help with the fierce or ferocious attitudes some black women, wittingly or unwittingly. Conversely, black male pride and portrayal of machismo at the expense of etiquette and decency does not augur well for us both at home and away. The media doesn’t help either with it’s portrayal and propagation of sex as commodity via music videos, lyrics, porn and others in a bid to sell and rake in profits and using the beauty and shades of voluptuous African women to this end. Okay, it may all be entertainment but, sooner or later, generations of young impressionable minds take this as norm. Then the vicious circle of gender warfare or inequality perpetuates itself. There’s need for vast and thorough study and teaching of history of pre-colonial and colonial African society; the pioneer nationalists, intellectuals, statesmen and women, their struggles and sacrifices for the independence of their countries and their countrymen & women in Egypt, Nigeria, Angola, Ghana,Tanzania, DRC and South Africa.
No flattery nor offence intended, Afro-Brazilian women are ravishingly beautiful. But what’s more beautiful about any woman of African Decent is in deep knowledge and appreciation of her self and ancestry/history, character refinement, industriousness, warm personality and character refinement.
Thanks for such an educative piece, Mr. Wells and Ms. Gomes.
Abdulrazak Bodunrin,
Abuja,
Nigeria.
Well said brother, well said.
Thank you!!!!!
Okay I like this blog just for post like this. However given the Black Fissure (CORRECT!) between Black Men and Black Women caused by White Supremacy in America (to a lesser effect in Brazil) and White Woman’s push for equality during Feminism 2.0 co-opted the Civil Rights movement and the downward spiral started; many are saying late 70’s
Regan and Clinton’s War on Welfare didn’t help things either. And its true social and economic issues plague Black men in both countries while Black women in both country are seen as sex objects by White men, who get highly offended if a Black woman rejects his advances (this is more of an issue in Brazil).
Brazil’s diversity that it shares with the United States would make it stronger if the elites didn’t keep trying use divide and conquer but it works and that’s why they keep using it.
Black men should be FREE to pursue women in Brazil and I don’t think this blog post really said that was a bad thing, just that the objectifying of Afro-Brazilian women was unnecessary. The truth is Western women have taken Feminism one or two steps too far, its just that most American men are complaining or dropping out altogether, neither very useful.
If Ms Gomes wants closer ties, then she should encourage African-American men to make the trek to Brazil. I am going and I plan to make an impact economically because that is the ONLY way you’re going to be able to command respect from the elites. This is something Marcus Garvey, the Black Panthers and Malcolm X which is why the Panthers were murdered, jailed or chased out of the country and X was murdered.
I hope to be there soon, waiting for ticket prices to come down 🙂
Since you have opened this door, just out of curiosity;exactly what is the purpose of your trip to Brazil? Are you moving to live there? Why should Miss Gomes invite African-American men to “make a trek to Brazil,” as opposed to inviting Brazilian men to travel to the US? Am I missing something here?
If I may interject Ms. Williams, I say invite more African-American men AND women to Brazil and invite more Brazilian men AND women to the USA. We need more true cultural, business, educational, artistic, etc. exchanges between our countries.
The more there is open communication that goes beyond the superficial and sexual. More folks from America going down won’t totally end exploitation or prostitution but will bring the deeper richness of Brazilian society forward. It will also shine a light on those who travel there for the less righteous reasons. The more people learn how great Brazilian culture is, the more they will want to experience and get away from negative stereotypical behavior.
Invite more Brazilians to the USA too. The ones I know who have come here have had a great influence on the lives and communities they moved to in a massively positive way. They have unified and brought the collective expatriate Brazilian community out for celebrations like Carnival and exposed Samba, Zumba, Capoeira, Brazilian cuisine, music, film, etc to people in the USA who likely would never have been exposed to it.
With the upcoming World Cup and Olympics, this is a great opportunity for African-Americans to create strong ties with a nation we have so much in common with and much to learn from. We should not let an exaggerated negative situation keep us from building this potentially great bond.
I’ve been to Salvador, Bahia. I was not going just to ‘get some from those fine-ass chicks…’ ha no. My trip was incredible meeting all the wonderful people, experiencing the culture, food, weather, music and overall environment. And yes the women were wholistically beautiful from inside to outside; friendly, affectionate, direct, intelligent, industrious, active etc. like the women in the USA but every characteristic was more open.
Bahia with it’s rich history of being the state with the greatest African concentrated population outside of Nigeria has a wealth history you immediately come in contact with. And the people are always willing to share about it. One thing that was expressed to me was that with Brasilian women it’s not so much that they all look so much better: it’s that the energy often was so much better. I meet wonderful women all day here in Atlanta but the combination of great weather most of the year and a culture that is so cordial and inviting can make Brazilian women very appealing. They smile in ways that is incomparable to any others anywhere.
Something not covered in this article or not observed by the writers was the many men who DID marry Brasilian women after meeting them. And not for green cards and the like, but because they actually made a connection built on love and commitment. Ignoring that plays too much into the ‘Brasil-the-sexual-playground’ stereotypes also that they address here. One thing that is true of many African-American who visit or move to Brazil is that they want to be with a Black woman and some have found one in that country as opposed to running to a white woman or another from different races. Of course the basic images & chauvinist ideals can be present but not in all cases.
I feel that a more open exchange of info, history, business, culture, education, ideas, etc. will move both African peoples in America and Brasil past limiting stereotypes. It will take work but it can happen.
This article explains the reason why so many African American men read this blog lol. I thought it was for no ligit reasons.
One of the main motivators of the rift between BM and BW is the growing numbers of educated BW. BW generally outnumber their male counterparts in institutions of higher learning and in the corporate world. This is one of the many outcomes of the dismantling of the black American family. That education and career offers the black American woman a greater degree of independence and that is something BM are none too happy about. And it follows men the world over are not very happy when women become more educated. I have read that more black Brazilian women are entering University and now begin to outnumber black men, which is the case throughout the Diaspora. I am sure in coming years you will start to hear more grumbling from black Brazilian men about educated and independent women because as no one likes to lose control.
As a black American woman who has traveled to Brazil, I can imagine some black Brazilian women were more readily available to black American men in times when the economy suffered, now all indications I see are that the Brazilian economy is improving, therefore I would imagine there are less women seeking a foreign partner.
As for Brazilian women being more beautiful, of course the majority of dark skinned people believe anything whiter is better. I have heard some West African men believe Black American women are more beautiful because we have a larger percentage of racially mixed women, following that logic, then yes, Brazilian women would be “more” beautiful by having a greater admixture and therefore closer to white.
Most BM throughout the diaspora prefer women who do NOT look like the majority of black or darker brown skinned women. So they prefer women who do not share there own features. Of course few admit that, which is again an insult to the intelligence of women who watch them pass out and lose control of their senses when they see a fair woman with straighter, Euro textured hair.
They only thing that will truly make a difference in the lives of black and brown women in Brazil is if they can maintain some family structure. We have not been able to do so….and as you can see black American men and women can be found all over the internet battling each other making videos about running to other countries and behaving as if they despise each other. In some ways they do.
Liar
Ms. iforgotitall, where do you get your facts’ from? From rap & r&b videos and Black athletes pushed in the media? Your reasoning is highly exaggerated & patently false if we deal with reality.
That would be like Black men getting angry over Olivia Pope chasing the white boy President and and getting all upset because a handful of billionaires now have Black women as wives/girlfriends/mistresses. Or that all Black women are insane, undisciplined, ‘rachet’ battle-axes from watching Real Housewives of Atlanta, Basketball Wives and Love & Hip Hop. It’s simply all a gross media exaggeration.
What about the statistics that Black men still marry Black women 83% of the time today? Did you check that or since it’s not on BET or ESPN you ignored it? And this boogey-man of Black women having more degrees than Black men keeping us from marrying has been sold since the 80’s yet still Black men STILL lean toward marrying Black women today. I think you needs to check reality for once in the public, from lower to higher economic couples & households and see what you’d find. So I’d like to know where your facts are coming from.
I think you truly have forgot-it-all.
Daoud,
The reasoning for the creation of the video about “Tired Black Men” seeking solace in Brazil is that those American BM are extremely unhappy with the new incarnation of American BW and believe in this case that Brazilian women offer a more malleable and physically beautiful alternative. Further in the videos about Brazilian women there is the concept expressed that Brazilian women are more sexual than American counterparts. As a black woman whose family has roots in the American South, I know that the sexuality of Southern, Christian BW is heavily policed. Because of this many American BW raised in middle class homes have very conflicted feelings about sexuality. Many of these women when out in the world found out that their white and asian counterparts were indeed ALLOWED to have greater sexual freedom. I dont know the complex nuances of Black Brazilian culture but I do know that many people describe themselves as Christian and the church has great power, so I would imagine black Brazilian women experience the same shaming for open sexuality, while men are allowed to freely express themselves.
I did not mention rap or hip-hop or sports celebrities. Yet I noted that the black American family is decimated and black relationships are in peril. One of the outcomes of that is BM online berating BW and making videos about just about every other group of women being more desireable and how they are “fleeing” to those women :-). To be fair, there are BW making senseless videos as well though they are much less in number. It is ridiculous to point to the marriage rate of American blacks as an indicator of the health of black relationships as a whole because the VAST majority of blacks do not marry. Black American men do not marry their partners for the most part, whatever race they are. When and IF the Bm marries, it is much later in life and the children he has produced do not get the benefit of a male presence or the opportunity to learn how to behave within a family environment. Only a minority of blacks are married and thereby continuing the cycle.
I would be curious if any marriages have come from these many trips to Brazil. I dont know of any. And, yes I do have black male friends who have traveled to Brazil solely for the purpose of sexual escapades and to use Brazilian women as a sounding board for all their gripes. But generally the return to the States and continue to engage with the same women they supposedly believe to be “less than”. I only know of one man who actually moved to Brazil.
Again as a Black man who has visited Salvador, Bahia and has many personal friends from across Brasil I find your points skewed though I empathize with your perspective. I do not see this massive exodus of Black men running from America to Brasil but there are some that do for questionable reasons as they do to NYC, LA, ATL or to a club.
I still do not see where you can say Black men in general prefer ‘other’ women to their own when the majority of relationships & marriages are with our own. There is no denial of a white supremacist standard that effects Black men AND women but the idea that Brasilian escapades of a few is the some epidemic or has that great a threat to relationships here in the states is a stretch.
The problems were here looong before folks did like Columbus and allegedly ‘found’ a place that was always there. I believe that there should be more communication and cultural exchange between our countries and cultures and that can help with more positive encounters besides sex tourism. Men are going to seek out sex wherever they can get it from Oklahoma to Okinawa. A rising economy in Brasil won’t slow relations in Brasil, frankly more of the opposite is likely to occur as real foreign money becomes available. Black men traveling there is minor. It’s as much hype as the all-the-good-Black-men-are-in-jail-gay-dead… paranoia that had women in a tizzy a few year back. You can go for it if you wish but there is no good result from that.
When I went to Salvador I met wonderful people everywhere I went. I had the pleasure of hanging out in Pelurinho with the only Black female owner of a travel agency in Salvador. Visited the Bale Folklorio my first night to view traditional Brasilian dance. Had day trip to Cachioera and witness the Festival of the Boa Noite, a 200 year-old all Black female secret society who would take their earnings to purchase the freedom of other Black women from slavery. Saw drum group Olodum wreck the house with their incredible drumming. Visited a Capoeira N’gola school led by Mestre Valmi & Mestri Kobra. And partied nearly every night and spent great times on the beach with sisters & brothers from the US and Brasil together. And what people, men & women, did on their own time is their business but I will state none of us bros sought out or needed to find ‘working girls’ or the women ‘giggalos’ to have a good time.
In fact I highly suggest for MORE Black women to travel to Brasil. I know some bros I told this to were like “nah don’t blow up our ‘spot'” and I laughed. My point is that if more women from America came to Brasil and observed the vibe of how many the sisters there radiate, they’d understand better how some bros get sprung. And US sisters would do well to meet the cool Brasilian bros who are as friendly and romantic as the sisters. It’s far from being just euro-mixed ‘looks’, you can get that anywhere in the USA. There is a welcoming and gracious vibe the Brasilian women give that is very different there. And anyone who believes they are more passive has not really gotten to know any Brasilian women. They can be even more possessive & aggressive than US Black & Latino women are. Don’t get it twisted, ha.
We do need relationship building and help here in the US. Until Black men and women address our personal and collective problems, nothing is going to stop brothers from trying to get sex from willing women across town or across the globe. But I do think we can gain great cultural & personal benefits by forging stronger ties with our sisters and brothers in Brasil.
T’chau!
You speak for me.
Daoud,
I understand men all over the world travel the globe on sex tours. That is not something I am placing at the heels of black American men. The trail of European men to Asian and SEA is very well documented. As is that of Northern Asian men to SEA. It is clear we are talking about a very small amount of middle and upper middle class BM who have the means to travel internationally.
It is always entertaining to me when American BM talk about the kindness, peace and beauty of other black cultures because I know what they are seeing. Further I would say it is true when you travel throughout the Diaspora, to South America, Central America, etc you find black people who seem to have much more satisfaction in life, they “seem” happier and have more organic lives than Black Americans. From what I see, Black Americans are the richest blacks or rather they control the greatest amounts of disposable income. I understand that the mineral wealth of Africans would in fact make them the richest blacks, yet for years and still to today they do not control their mineral resources or have the technology to extract them. Though black Americans are the “richest” they are the most unhappy. Would anybody ever starve to death in America? Black Americans as a whole are a disagreeable, angry, unhappy people. The stock image of hip hop is the angry black man. The snarling, lips pocked out, ready to pounce black dude. Following up that is the loud, sassy, angry black woman. I live in the NE and go to any shop and try to get customer service, you will encounter pissed off black folks. Why are we so angry? Because we live in a capitalist country and we worship that consumerist culture and within that culture we have the lest amount of resources to purchase material goods. We want more stuff!
So when when BM say..”hey look how nice and happy these people are”. I say, oh my these dudes have no self reflection. I can go to many countries and find BM more soft spoken and charming than black American men, there most likely would be an issue of chauvanism, but that’s another topic. The only place in America you find somewhat kinder, agreeable black people is in the South and South West.
We are still suffering under the yoke of slavery. It’s that simple.
And until we come to grips with this, we will suffer from PMS…Post Mental Slavery
Europeans created the standard for beauty and sexuality as the oppressors.
And until they come to grips with their own sexual hang ups, I don’t think
the brothers who act out and upon the stereotypes of themselves and their sisters
will change much.
Shame to all men for sexism is the worse curse.
Articles like this and the lack of coverage of black brazilian men are two big reasons I cannot support this site. This is coming from a brother that loves and has lived in Brazil and has NEVER partaken in the sex trade anywhere on this earth. There are a lot of stereotypes about black american men that everyone, including black women seem to believe more and more each year.
Thanks for your comment. This sexualized image of the black body has globalized and affects us all in the Diaspora.
You’re more than welcome, and I have learned so much about Brazil- a place in which I have great interest- from your site. I hope to visit someday. I’m not too bad with latin languages.
Now I wonder if people know how deep this issue is. At the conceptual level, we say “objectification”. But how many people know that this “objectification is an actual biological phenomenon?
“Sexy women in bikinis really do inspire some men to see them as objects, according to a new study of male behavior.
Brain scans revealed that when men are shown pictures of scantily clad women, the region of the brain associated with tool use lights up.
Men were also more likely to associate images of sexualized women with first-person action verbs such as “I push, I grasp, I handle,” said lead researcher Susan Fiske, a psychologist at Princeton University.
And in a “shocking” finding, Fiske noted, some of the men studied showed no activity in the part of the brain that usually responds when a person ponders another’s intentions.
This means that these men see women “as sexually inviting, but they are not thinking about their minds,” Fiske said. “The lack of activation in this social cognition area is really odd, because it hardly ever happens.””
Thus, Black women in Brazil should NOT participate in this style of dress, unless their intention is for the known effect. Now we have to be understanding of the reasons some do or may have to at the same time.
Great article! Thank You for your thought provoking words. I have a deep love and appreciation for all women, and a very special love and appreciation for intelligent minded women with “any” amount of African ancestry.
The fact of the matter is that many Black women are adversely effected by the societal norms prevalent in their upbringing. African American women (and men) have usually been raised in an environment lacking proper mental nutrition. This toxic environment plays out in several ways, and the destruction of the family unit is just one of them. Pitting Black woman against Black man has had a devastating effect on both, and has taken it’s toll on the overall Black population.
I have to admit that I’ve been frustrated by the ignorant attitudes of many Black women, and I’ve been frustrated by many if the ignorant attitudes of some of my Black brothers.
I’m looking forward to my 1st visit to Brazil.
Please don’t believe this Article…Only Europeans are the ones coming here trying to get sex from our Brazilian women…Most African American Men are looking for real true relationship and marriage..African American dont have the same qualities like Brazilian women..African American are just looking for the real true women of this world..I love my Brazilian wife..My Uncle loves his Brazilian wife..My Male friends love their Brazilian wives….We only come here to find love that we are not getting in the States
Quite frankly BlackLava, that is simply BS and your are delusional. Men are the same all over the world. They are driven primarily by sex. To imply that only WM go to Brazil to buy women is laughable. I know many professional BM who go to DR, PR and Brazil on sex trips. The reality is that group in overall numbers is small because BM have LESS resources to do so. If BM had the money and financial ability of their white counterparts they would be travelling to Asia and throughout the world in the same way. In addition, American BM are the least likely to marry anybody, with only about 30-40% OVERALL of American BM married. The BM who marries his DR,PR or Brazilian partner is rare indeed, just like the American BM who marries his black American partner. So read, it is overall stats, not the percentage of BM married to BW which means little.
iforgetitall,
would you please stop with the gross generalizations please ??
“Black Americans as a whole are a disagreeable, angry, unhappy people. The stock image of hip hop is the angry black man. ”
RUBBISH
a hip hop video is not REALITY.
That is not a gross generalization. I am black American and I can say overall we are an unhappy people. Quick to insult, aggressive. Sorry just the truth. If you can look to the media every week and see endless fights, arguments and beatings among even the wealthy and admired from Floyd Mayweather, TI, Nelly, Columbus Short, The Game, Michael Jace, Ray Rice. And these are just the ones from the last month. At least Jay Z did walk away from the Solange incident unharmed.
U r not even black.
Shutup
I I am Brazilian and I am outraged to read that men in the world regard us as prostitutes and other vulgar terms that I will not write !
Imagine this year in June and July without dignity how many men , married men with children, all these tourists in brazil andronno not to see the world but to see Brazilian women !
You men Americans, Brazilians , Europeans and people all over the world , I say to you that you are more ignorant you are sure to be familiar with my country? You are sure to be familiar with Brazilian women ?
Women can become sweet and affectionate in front of you if they have a poor idiot , full of rich soldi.Le only women who become friendly with you are just prostitutes ! When you come to my country you just like to tell your friends that you had a sexual relationship with the Brazilian , how did you enjoy or else!
Poor fools the Brazilian women are bad if they are humiliated, treated like pieces of meat to tease.
Brazilian women are women proud , courageous and strong, we are not so good as you think!
The Brazilian so stupid that you speak with your friends when your holiday ends up in my country are just prostitutes.
I am the first that even in time of famine would never do that I consider demeaning and undignified!
The prostitutes and loose women exist all over the world.
My Brazil is gorvernato by stupid people who have not found a solution to this plague of tourism sessule!
When people ask me who I am Brazilian, I am Brazilian is with pride but do not ask of Brazilian women!
Many women in this world have lost their dignity!
Please don’t believe this Article…Only Europeans are the ones coming here trying to get sex from our Brazilian women…Most African American Men are looking for real true relationship and marriage..
Ask her to don’t believe in these words is call me a liar and I don’t have a reason to lie. Unfortunately it is true, unfortunately our African American brothers also treat us in a bad way and they also have prejudice against us. It is hard to believe especially for someone like me who is an Afro Brazilian woman who lives in the US and have several friends around the country. I still believe in the power of the Diaspora and I still believe there is a lot of people who are not like that, but to keep our relationship as brothers and sisters healthful we need to stop this prejudice and to dennounce these actions.
You tell me not to believe in this article?
I Do you know that many people still have prejudices about black women? Not imagine how many men! Do you know when I go to work with the excuse that they are distracted, you know how many of my colleagues have put his hands on my body?they call ah sorry! was not my intention!
Just the fact that you are a beautiful woman with exotic features, “You men don’t have right to touch me!”
Many people today give credit that can still touch us because we are black!
The fault is ours alone, this preconception him from the days of slavery! The idea that the black woman must be seen as an object of sexual desierio, humiliated and insulted is only our fault!
I married an Asian man they have another way of looking at women!
My husband is a respectable person and treats me like dovrebbere is to be a woman!
It is true many men are mostly Europeans, but it is not so!
When I was in Brazil was a umigliazione see many beautiful girls selling themselves for little and how many men were hypocritical for them only for their body!
What is most degrading and sell their bodies to a person who is not your husband!
I did not just read this article, sex tourism seen it with my own eyes when I came back to Brazil!
Before you tell me not to believe it!
Do you think that this thing we have to very closely?
If many girls dance funk or continue to do menial jobs and because they have lost their voice to make the world their own rights!
This is a great post. Black women in Brazil are not whores. And they should not be portrayed as such. I’m tired of these sick,vulgar stereotypes put on black women. As a black man I find this highly offensive. I don’t like any of my sisters in the African diaspora looked at this way. This post was very informative. Thanks for posting it.
https://youtu.be/lL_C_BP6mjk
I spent 6 months in Brasil recently and really tried to connect with the people. I didn’t stay in hotels, I stayed in the neighborhoods so that I could get to know the people and understand the culture better. I had great experiences and learned quite a bit. After hearing all of the stereotypical views, I found most were unfounded. There is definitely a segment of women in Brasil who employ themselves with pay for play. Just walk on Copacabana and see all the twenty-something brasileiras wining and dining (Itaipava or Skol, really) with white haired men old enough to be their grandfather. I have a friend who has vended on the beach for 33 years and he would show me and tell what was going on, where, who and what to avoid. In my time in Brasil I visited Sao Paulo for a month, Ilhabela for 2 months and Rio for 3 months. The women are not as portrayed in the media. I found them to be actually a much more sexually reserved than American women. They value themselves and still hold deep moral and religious convictions. Not all, of course, but more than you would believe if you just gathered you knowledge thru the media and the sordid tales of visitors. I went to block parties during carnaval and saw some kissing, but nothing close to the sex in the streets that people would have you believe. Most people who tell these tales are tourists who go and have a good time with prostitutes. They don’t necessarily negotiate a price up front, but you are providing them a bed for the night, food and a “fun” experience. I’ve seen videos of some of these girls and guy bragging about their conquests. Then you see the same girl in other videos. What they think was a girl giving them “attention” was a girl who gives plenty of guys attention. I can’t understand why a man would travel 5k miles to sleep with a woman that sleeps with everyone else. You can do that at home for a lot less money. My only solace is that most of the guys who are obsessed with going to Brasil for easy sex will never make it there. African American men have a bad rep in Brasil. We are seen as just looking for sex. So we attract those who think you will pay them for it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of great women that these brothers will never meet. I want to encourage responsible tourism. Learn the language. Learn about the history and culture. Go see the beauty of Brasil. Spend some real time there. It’s not just some wild fantasy waiting to be fulfilled. There are some serious socio-economic pressures there. The people are wonderful, however and we need to respect that. The women deserve respect as well.
I was born in Rio and currently live here. I know so many AA men who have contacted me and their interest in Brazil is the women FIRST. They are looking for sex with the women… I wonder why, as women are women everywhere. There are gorgeous women on every continent! I find it strange that a AA man will pay lots of $$ to fly to Brazil just for sexual activity with women. Most of these Brazilian encounters involves paying the woman. Could they not get that where they live? How can one expect to travel to a foreign country to find a “girlfriend”, when you will only be here for a week or so, have no way of communicating (they don’t speak English here), nor do you understand the culture.
Just a sad mess this is!
A lot of African-American men bought into the perverse stereotypes about Afro-Brazilian women as hypersexual and loose. Meanwhile…these same sistas are discriminated against by white portugese men and black brazilian men who place the white wannabes above them. Amazing how they can whitewash history and do it with no fear. Brazil is a shameful chapter for African-American men as a whole. All the hype about so-called Latinas, and they have tbe nerve to hate on blackwomen. Instead, we’re bombarded with a bunch of frauds…Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Lopez, Roslyn Sanchez, and many more. All of us are not slow like that, we see what the hell is going on crystal clear. Brothas…Stop The Madness! You negros exploit poor blackwomen for sex and you claim to be proud blackmen?…Yeah Right?
Sex Tourism.
Wonderful article and great to hear a woman’s perspective on the so-called “flock” of Black men heading to Brazil. Would love to hear more!
Very good post. I agree with everything written here. I think black American men need to work something out with their own black American women. We need to stop being so superficial and more human. We need to start appreciate women for their strengths and insight than just their physical qualities. Once we look beyond the European male mindset we were given, we will be the black men that GOD truly wants us to be.
I am happy for black American men pursuing black foreign women as I am with white American men pursuing white foreign women.
International dating/marriage is growing. I believe in them. That is why I have a blog based on them.
Just as black Brazilian women are mislabeled or stereotyped, so are black American women and black American men as well.
OK. I’ll be sure to check out your blog!
What is ur point?
I’m not giving up on my black American women, as I would be giving up on myself. I do not think going to foreign women is the answer. It does not matter if they are black. Brazilians are still Latinos and they come with a lot of differences that I have to comb through.
Besides, black American males need to stop running from their problems. They need to start being men and stepping up to the plate.
Some black American men are not running from their problems. They want to find solutions. If they are meant to go overseas and pursue foreign women for dating, friendship, marriage, etc., then they are going to do so.
We have choices of who we want. Some men like you are going to be with American women. Other men are going to be with foreign women or remain single. That is fine. But, it is a problem if someone is telling any grown man who he should date or marry.
Finally a great article that does not contain ‘whining and lies’, I found it amazing that she addressed the problem. Congrats..keep it up!
Yes, many American men, especially Black men are starved for pleasant, classy women, and not just sex. No, I don’t want to generalize, but American culture creates competition between the sexes, and tensions. The family laws, have destroyed families, especially black families, where you have a 70-75% divorce rate. Women are encouraged to have a life, and children without men.
This article is BLASPHEMOUS. Is a racist representation of Black Brazilians and most of all Black women.
Brazil isn’t as monolith as USA, neither are Black Brazilians. 80% of black America votes Dem while in Brazil we have over 20 parties to vote. That itself sets a huge difference in a understanding of politics and economics in both whites and blacks.
We have crazy communists here, blacks and whites, we have Socialists, capitalists, conservatives, progressists, Evangelic, Catholic and etc.
Many blacks in Brazil vote conservative and the poor population (black and white) usually votes populists parties that ruin the country.
Bahia fails to elect a black leader or mayor not because of racism but because of religion. Evangelic Political Parties is where the most prominent black leaders are and they have actual representation in Congress, senate because Priests can’t become politicians (Catholics) while Pastors can. Bahia is Catholic with a strong Afro Brazilian sect of religions. For centuries Afro-Religions and Catholicism live in peace, actually many of the religious parties are celebrated together. Catholics don’t burn our Orixas centers, who does that is the Evangelic (including blacks who are a large sect of the Evangelic minority).
The Evangelic minority became politically relevant during Lula and Dilma’s Governments and has been a weapon of oppression against white liberals, blacks, indigenous, Jews, and most of all Catholics and Kardecists.
Blacks will prefer to vote in the white Kardecist/Catholic men/women than in the black Evangelic because they are a danger for our culture.
I do find Brazilian women exotic and irresistible.
I may not like American women (black and white) so much. But, I do like foreign women (black, white, Asian, Hispanic, etc.) very much.
I would like to attend a carnival and see hot exotic women dancing and maybe take digital photos of them as well.
Black Brazilians need to learn English. Until they do, they will be invisible on the world stage, and this is a tragedy because despite being one of the largest “blackish” populations in the world, they have no independent identity.
The white Brazilians co-opt the afro-Brazilian culture (things like Samba and Capoeira) and present it to the world as their own creation. Most English speaking people didn’t even know blacks exist in Brazil until “City of God” came out, lol.
Your point is really interesting. So you mean that 100 million Black people in Brazil will be ignored until they speak English. Considering your point we also should to ignore more 50 million Black people in Latin America who actually speak Spanish. In addition we can ignore also the French Caribbean and in Africa we should ignore French African countries and Arabic African countries and in particular people who only speak their local language. Considering your logic the majority of Black people in the world who don’t speak English should be ignored.
About City if God isn’t only about language but about white supremacy and media control in my country who controls the media controls the story that will be narrate.