This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIO DE JANEIRO 001248
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SOCI PGOV BR
SUBJECT: AFRO-BRAZILIAN LEADERS DEBUNK MYTH OF RACIAL
DEMOCRACY IN BRAZIL
Summary
-------
1. Two prominent members of the Afro-Brazilian community sat down with members of the Hyde CODEL (septel) on December 1
to discuss the business and political climate for black Brazilians. In a wide-ranging discussion, they explained how
Brazil's electoral and educational systems work to prevent Afro Brazilians from accumulating political and economic
power. The legacy of slavery also has hurt, depriving entrepreneurial blacks of family inheritances with which to launch
businesses. Societal discrimination has limited job opportunities as well, because blacks are rarely hired for
publicly-visible jobs, they said. Nevertheless, the participants identified numerous areas in which Afro- American and
Afro-Brazilian businesses can forge stronger trading links, to help bring wealth and success to struggling communities.
Overall, race in Brazil is a complex subject, in part because miscegenation (racial mixing) over subsequent generations
has made it difficult to identify and categorize individuals according to skin color. End Summary.
2. Jurema Batista, the first Afro-Brazilian woman to serve in the Rio de Janeiro State Assembly, and Giovanni Harvey,
director of an institution assisting young Afro-Brazilian entrepreneurs, sat down with members of the Hyde CODEL on
December 1 to discuss business opportunities and the political climate for Brazil's black population. American
participants included Representative Mel Watt (D-NC), Tom Lantos (D-Cal), Diane Watson (D-CAL), Luis Fortuno (R-PR), Eni
Faleomavaega (D-AS), their staff members, as well as the Charge d'Affaires, the Consul General, Poloff, Commercial
Officer, and Conoff, note taker.
Electoral System, Legacy of Slavery Impede ---------------- ------------------------
3. After introductions, Rio State Assemblywoman Batista opened by noting the disproportionately low numbers of blacks in
business and politics. (Note: Estimates of the overall number of Brazilian blacks vary. Our participants offered the
figure of 45 percent of the total population - an estimate at the high end of the spectrum. End Note.) The electoral
system presents an informal barrier to the accumulation of political power, Batista explained. Because Brazilians tend
to vote according to name recognition rather than party affiliation, candidates need to have access to wealth in order
to be able to disseminate their name and publicize their platform to the masses. As a result, electoral winners are the
ones who can "buy" the most votes by carrying out short-term community programs during the campaign. These programs are
naturally targeted at poorer, more populated areas, which tend to be black. Such communities are the most vulnerable to
this type of campaigning, since state-provided services are often lacking there. The longer-term result is that wealthy
candidates, who are almost always white, are able to propagate themselves in power.
4. Both Brazilian participants said that the legacy of slavery has hurt Afro-Brazilian entrepreneurship. "We have no
legacy of inheritance," explained Harvey, whose business development firm is called the Brazilian Business Incubator.
"Most people from my generation have no inherited resources, so how can they start their own businesses?" Discriminatory
hiring practices are an additional barrier, as blacks are often passed over for jobs with visibility because, according
to Harvey, employers prefer individuals with lighter skin tones in positions that interface with the public. "Racial
democracy is a myth," declared Batista. "What we have here is non-formal apartheid."
Education System Favors the Wealthy ---------------- ------------------
5. In response to a question from Representative Watt about educational opportunities, the participants explained how
Brazil's peculiar education system disadvantages the poor. Because of low pay, Brazil's public secondary schools do not
tend to attract the best teachers. As a result, middle and upper class Brazilians usually send their children to private
schools, which better prepare their graduates for Brazil's rigorous university entrance examination, the vestibular.
Those who excel on the test tend to enroll in public universities, which are considered the best in Brazil - and they
are tuition-free. The ironic result of this system is that the students who pay the least for a university education
tend to be from families who can afford to pay the most. Intelligent, hard-working black students are placed at a
disadvantage if their families cannot send them to private secondary schools; if they cannot get into a public
university, they suffer a double whammy, because now they must pay for a private university education. Many cannot
afford it.
Forging Stronger Links With Afro-American Business ---------------------- ---------------------------
6. Several CODEL members asked Harvey to identify areas in which Afro-American and Afro-Brazilian businessmen could
forge stronger trade relationships. "We've been looking for U.S. partners for 15 years, but earlier we did it the wrong
way," he responded. Tourism and arts-and-crafts have the most potential, he explained, but "initially I was resistant
because I wanted high value-added products. But this isn't the reality of Brazil. These areas have been successful. and
we have to be pragmatic." Other areas worth exploring include gastronomy, civil construction, beauty products, retail
businesses, transportation, and education and non- governmental organization (NGO) initiatives.
7. "Brazil is often mentioned as a country of the future," Harvey concluded. "This will only come true when the black
segment can share power. We want a more comfortable place here. We want to take the future in our hands."
Comment
-------
8. Racial discrimination definitely exists at the societal level in Brazil. Laws are on the books prohibiting it, and
many Brazilians note that Brazil has tried harder than many multi-ethnic countries to foster a sense of racial equality.
Members of different races mix in relaxed fashion and interracial relationships are common. Nevertheless, as our
participants noted, significant (and in some cases systemic) impediments remain. Even getting a firm grip on the issue
is a challenge; the historical mixing of groups dating back to colonial times makes it far more difficult to determine
one's race here than in, say, the United States. Millions of Brazilians who in the U.S. might be considered blacks
identify themselves as of mixed-race (or "mulatto") origin, for a number of reasons. Finally, many individuals of all
colors reject state- or societal-imposed racial categorization schemes, preferring to identify themselves simply as
Brazilians. The CODEL conversation illuminated many of the challenges Afro-Brazilians face, but some of the opinions
expressed did not necessarily represent unanimously- held views - even among non-white Brazilians.
LIST