Note from BW of Brazil: The practice of shopping mall “apartheid” has been a hot topic in the Brazilian media as of late due to the suspicion and attitudes provoked by the presence of mostly black teens in ritzy Brazilian shopping malls. Below, a ballet teacher recalls her own experience when she simply wanted to take her young students to a movie.
“At each turn and each escalator, we were escorted by security guards.” – Kátia Cruz , 47 – ballet teacher
Courtesy of O Tempo
A few years ago, the ballet teacher Kátia Cruz, 47, underwent a very embarrassing situation at a mall in the capital city Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte. She took the movies a group of nearly 20 dancers ages 10 to 15, her students in a dance workshop in Aglomerado da Serra in the south central region of the city when she was barred by from entering the entrance of the establishment by security guards. Kátia only managed to enter with her students when she presented to the guards the tickets for the movie, of which they had been invited to watch. Nevertheless, the group was watched and followed throughout the path that ran inside the mall.
“At each turn and escalator, we were escorted by several security guards. It was extremely inconvenient and unpleasant,” recalls the teacher. “It seemed that my students were outside of the standard visual aesthetic of traditional customers of that mall.”
And the situation wasn’t limited to commercial centers. Kátia says that even today, in some theaters and cultural spaces where she takes her group of black students, it’s clear how they are perceived, “as if they had a contagious disease.”
“These situations are totally uncalled for, simply because the girls differ from a visual standard that people usually receive in certain places. It’s very sad,” she laments.
Source: O Tempo
Because in these people’s minds these children and their teacher were out of their place. Even children who pose no threat to anyone, is a threat to the institution of racism, because they are Black they are not welcome to enjoy as common an activity as watching a movie. So the issue is not the watching of the movie, or being scared of a group of Black girls, the issue becomes one of deservedness, and staying in your place. Because of the perceived low value of Blacks they are then expected to participate in activities and socialize in places of the perceived same low value. Basically, Blacks are not deserving of anything good or equal to that of whites, whether it is something material or an experience as commonplace as watching a movie. Being in the favela is fine, doing favela entertainment activities also fine, working in a subservient position, washing my underwear and cooking my meals, fine; Entertaining yourself in my neck of the woods, not okay; moving into my neighbourhood, definitely not okay, having a good education and being a professional, absolutely not okay – who will clean up after me, who will be there so that I can look at them and feel better about myself and thank God I am not in their wretched economic state ?
“racial democracy” Brazil is one of the biggest scams of the twentieth century
Very good blog you have here but I was curious if you knew
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talked about here? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get responses from other knowledgeable
people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please
let me know. Cheers!
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good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and don’t seem to get anything done.
I almost never leave a response, however i did a few
searching and wound up here Ballet teacher on her experiences with racist security as she escorted her black students in a mall: theyre looked at as if they
had a contagious disease | Black Women of Brazil.
And I actually do have a couple of questions for you if it’s allright.
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Wonderful! Problem with the South Americans is that because their skin is white they think they are whites too…Laughable…They are more backward that any continent in the world and I mean all of them! Well done guys…keep feeling important and superior using other people just because you are under achievers. I am laughing so loud right now…Nonsense.
Good to hear from you. Sometimes the comments do border on the ridiculous as well as symptoms of denial. Generally every comments gets approved unless it is simply offensive or accusatory in a way that is simply not true. In reality, I appreciate all of the comments; those that deny the facts simply prove the necessity of the information.
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