WODE MAYA, Nov 11, 2023
****
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a 2023 YouTube video of racism in Brazil that was produced and narrated by Ghanaian influencer Wode Maya.
This post also presented some comments from that video's discussion thread.
The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Wode Maya and all those who are associated with this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wwBv_ar2QY&t=2s
(Numbers are added for referencing purposes.
2023
1,@almonnirvana
"WODE MAYA is a think-tank. He creates some of the videos
which you can never skip when YouTube suggests them to you. I've been exploring
the whole earth just sitting on my coach in Kenya. Keep on keeping on bro."
2.
"Wode, your Kenyan co-host did a great job with this episode,
perhaps in bridging the gap we need affiliated content for Portuguese speaking
Afro-Nations both in continent and diaspora.
An ideal opportunity for her to explore and travel, it also aligns with Pan-Africanism conversation and bridging the 6th region."
3.
"Unite African Diaspora 🤎✊🏽"
**
4.@Vincity1183
"I’m happy that a African brother like you are able to travel
the world & show people back in Africa the truth of how blacks are treated
outside of Africa & Europe welcome to this side of the world"
**
5.@alexbento7378
"As a black Brazilian who has lived in the United
States for 12 years, I see that black Brazilians have to learn some things that
black Americans did, they built their own structure of TV, radio, University,
schools and much more, I don't say that to to segregate but to show respect,
because here in Brazil white people respect black Americans a lot because they
recognize everything they have achieved, here in Brazil there is a lack of
black filmmakers to tell our stories in a beautiful way, where are the black
filmmakers in Brazil? We are a large black nation but we are still small in
purchasing power, you don't see engineers, doctors, or technology companies
with black people prominently featured.Black Americans are a reference of
success for the whole world, where in the world there are so many black people
on TV in the cinema, hundreds of hundreds of films, there has been a black
president, here in Brazil the only black person who is world famous was Pelé
many years ago , without this we are invisible in the world, and in Colombia
does anyone know? There is no comparison between the United States and the
world reference .Today I live in Brazil and I see the big difference between
black people in the United States and the rest of the world"
**
6.@ashleychemise
"I'm watching this as a Black American woman and it's sad,
not surprising, I, too have experienced racism...In times past I've wondered
how many African families were ripped away from each other during the
transatlantic slave trade when some Africans were sent to South America while
others were sent to North America...I feel them...I am them. Great video Wode
Maya🙏🏾❤️"
**
7.@YouTubeBlueButterflies
"I'm African American and I have distant
family in the Caribbean and my heritage in the "new world" started in
Barbados"
**
8.@FierceLeo
"Colorism, light skin and dark skin is an
issue every where, no matter the hair texture or not. The old Willie Lynch strategy to keep slaves
divided. Right ?"
**
9. @Lady1M365
"Thank you for the education we would
never get in schools. They have been on a mission here in the US to eliminate
the history of slavery in our schools. Keep going Wode Maya. I appreciate you.❤"
**
10. @georgehosea139
"I think that black people have to learn to love each other,
be there for each other, empower each other through education and training and
learn to be self reliant and hard working. With such virtues they will be able
to uplift their lives and if necessary live in their own communities and run
their own lives. This is a very enlightening vlog Wode Maya keep them coming, I
pray for the equality of all races in the world, because we are indeed equal,
is humanity. 😅"
**
11. @AliveBlessedGrateful
"I traveled to Brazil in 2002 as a volunteer with Habitat for
Humanity and I was shocked to encounter racism there. One dude walked up to our
group and started talking to us. He said he’s not black, he’s not African. I
just stared blankly and thought… why’d he even say that? 🤣
Secondly… dude was darker than me talkin bout he’s not black 🤦🏽♀️🙄"
**
12. @tshepomaph8201
"Brazil has so many similarities with my country South Africa
🇿🇦
where there is always a concerted effort to keep economic activity and
opportunities only within white communities, Which is the main reason for
racial inequalities in these countries."
13.
"I was in Sao Paolo in 2012 and i can
truly say that the people are one of the nicest in the world...very
diversell!!! beautiful city, very friendly people and you can literally ask
anyone on the streets for help with anything ....i personally didnt experience
any racism and i was there only a few weeks so i cant speak for everyone but i
felt at home and will definitely visit again"
**
Reply
14.@Omar-kl3xp
"I think racism in Brazil is more
systematic and institutional, the people might be nice but the government is
making sure that the black population in Brazil remain poor"
Reply
15.
"Great elaboration. Because what he asked
only meant direct racism from human to human. But Systemic racism where the
system is set up to oppress or restrict the black people is strong. Because you
cannot really point a finger at it or describe it clearly because it is
intertwined in the system. It is a silent racism. It is in the West as well. It
exists in the UK more than the direct racism so I can relate to what to mean."
**
Reply
16. @lammuri
"
@Boomarrang yes, UK indeed. A UN Human Rights Expert Group visited the UK and
described the country as structurally, systemically and institutionally racist.
The Conservative Government denied it."
**
Reply
17. @segundent3680
"Structural racism - where every floor
gets whiter the closer you go to the top."
**
Reply
18. @felityf1
"Exactly, the Black people in Brazil is
only now, in the present generation, getting go to universities."
19.
"Loving your coverage of Brazil, Maya!! 🇧🇷
I notice that you are asking people to recall moments of racism. While these
moments do exist… and often, I challenge you to think of racism as systems. In
places like Brazil and here in the US, the exception of racist incidents is
what many point to to say that it doesn’t exist. Structural racism - education,
healthcare, housing, etc. is the most brutal form. Keep doing what you are
doing, dear brother! ❤️🖤💚
20.
"We have been divided by the distance for so long but
grounded by the roots called black ❤️
I love you more my people❤️"
**
21. @belvedere92
"That young lady on the train who says she feels lost as an
Afro-Brazilian is totally understood by me. I lived for many years in the USA
and in my conversation with Afro-Brazilians they tell me that there very few
organizations that cater to organizing Afro-Brazilians culturally or
functionally with respect to things like quality of schools, demanding
government actions in their areas, etc., etc. So yes you will feel lost in such
situations."
**
Reply
22. @gildahernandez3557
"So sad but it’s the story of our Black
history all over the world.. The only way our people become aware of our
plight, is through education… if we
don’t know who we are, we won’t know where we are going…I have learn so much of
our history within the past 10 years, simply because of self interest….The
greatest self inflected wound upon ourself, is ignorance… Life is Spiritual… 🤷🏽♀️💕🙏🏽💕🙏🏽💕🙏🏽💕🙏🏽"
**
23. @elizamasilva502
"I'm a black Brazilian living in the UK. The experience
within the Brazilian community here where I live feels like an extension of
life in Brazil, but not all for the good reasons..
I often hire people to help me with cleaning/ironing at
home.
It gets interesting every time it happens to be a white Brazilian because
they are the only people to volunteer information of what they used to do/be in
Brazil. Some seem so ashamed and misplaced by cleaning for me I almost feel
sorry for their struggle.
These aren't bad or unpleasant people just normal friendly
hardworking white Brazilians which means it doesn't take a horrible person to
be that way.
I believe it was not up to them how those beliefs formed
foundation in their minds given that it's learned the moment you come into the
world.
BUT, it is up to each
person to shine a light on those beliefs and be brave enough to acknowledge
their racism.
Own it. Then change it."
**
24. @kerry-annwatson6104
"very insightful...I didn't know that
racism was so prevalent in Brazil. I was moved by the words of the young lady
who said that every day she fears for her life and the lives of her family
members. I'm from Jamaica and I've also lived in the Bahamas. I have not
traveled extensively nor have I been exposed to some of the atrocities that
have been meted out to other people of African descent/ancestry(on the merit of
one believing that he is superior to the other) so I cannot relate to the
narratives that are being told. I am in awe! This touches me to the core.
Thanks for enlightening us, Wode Maya. I can't wait to meet you in Jamaica."
**
25. @afiganyo5678
"I am Ghanaian-American and have been
studying Brazilian Portuguese for 4 years and I just came back from Sao Paulo
(my first trip to Brazil). I definitely felt the racism.
It wasn't the kind of racism I feel in parts of Europe where people have never seen blacks before. It was more a situation where people were confused why I was where I was and why I looked like an entitled person with money. It made me think of how America was before the civil rights movement.
The fact that they took so much black culture and then discard black people is tragic and I have a mixed feeling about going there. I will definitely go again but now my eyes are opened."
**
26. @DolphineAchonga-gn6kn
"I agree with the young lady. Being
taught that Brazil is color blind keeps them from tackling racial issues head
on and demanding for institutional changes. However, Afro community also failed
to build global networks and invest in each other. That's something to learn
from Jewish and Irish communities who were once just as hated and looked down
on. The fact that the mother continent itself has leaders who refuse to build
it for the better creates an unfair perception of Afro peoples everywhere. Not
all Europeans, are smart. Not all Chinese or Japanese are smart. Not all Jews
are billionaires. But their mother countries' economic successes creates a halo
effect that accords them the esteem of others everywhere they go. We celebrate
individuals but also judge them as part of a community. It's the animalistic
part of us that we'll probably never outgrow no matter how advanced human
society becomes. The day Africa climbs from the bottom of the global ladder
it'll automatically buy esteem, for all Afro peoples everywhere. So do your
best wherever you are to give a good reflection of your peoples. Build networks
and push each other to succeed intellectually and economically."
**
27.@Keesha
"Lived in São Paulo for about 3 years as a NYC transplant and
I loved it…. I stayed close to Ave Paulista and it often felt like I was back
home in Manhattan. Brazilians are beautiful people ❤️.
As a black woman though, I was treated very differently from locals, though we
looked the same. The minute I opened my mouth and they hear English I get
received differently. It’s sad because even your own black
people are racist to each other , but it is the heritage of a former slave
state and colonial society."
Reply
"You were treated differently because you're American and
therefore your social status changed in their minds. That will happen anywhere
even in Europe. Being Black American gives you immediate upgrade. This has
little to do with color and all to do with money or persecption of higher
financial status."
**
Reply
29. @anndeecosita3586
"@SilVia-hs2kb I
agree. Most places I go they don’t assume I’m American based on looks because
I’m not white. But once they realize I’m American the whole dynamic changes. I
have seen people be very disrespectful to poor locals while kissing my ass
because I’m American because they figure I have money. This makes me
uncomfortable. That’s I typically primarily speak Spanish when I go to
countries where English isn’t the primary language unless I am traveling with
someone who only speaks English. When I went to Peru, most probably assumed I
was Brazilian."
**
Reply
30. @FindYourFree
"Spent some years and Bahia and SP with my kids and returning
to SP to live soon. They always said the
$$$ whitens you in Brazil and I saw this to be true"
**
Reply
31. @FierceLeo.
"Are we taking about racism or prejudice?"
**
Reply
32. @robertkessel8184, 2024
"@FierceLeo. Racism is the cause of prejudice. So we are talking of both."
Reply
"No it's not. I've been to 20+ African countries. Black
people are racist against each other ( different ethnicities) and against other
races. To blame it on a already extinct colonial state is just to give an
excuse. There should be no excuse for any type of racism."
**
Reply
34.@lammuri
" @DC-dudu you are talking about tribalism and classism not
racism."
**
35.@chinatownboy7482
"@ashleychemise What can we do moving forward? We know the history. We can't change the past. We can craft and shape the future."
**
Reply
36.@ashleychemise
"@chinatownboy7482 I'm not sure of your ethnicity, but judging by your name if
you are Chinese you start by calling out present day racism in your culture and openly standing against
injustice for Black/African people. Since you referenced the present tense,
remember, North and South African Americans are not in power on a dominant
level... it takes those on a dominant level to be brave and fight along side of
us. We are the only group that can not easily go back to "family in our
homeland". So much more I could say...I'm tired and will no longer post on
this thread."
**
37.@HendrikMaison
"I was in Brazil just 3 weeks ago, i went to Sao Paulo and
then Salvador, and in less than 48 hrs i was able to recognize the racism
immediately and i was very sad. I lost all my joy for Brazil i had for brazil,
I loved Brazilian soccer. To see afro
Brazillians living in such a state I was so hurt. It made me appreciate what
African Americans have done for black people. The struggle to fight for
freedom. As a born African living in the United States, I have come to cherish
the African-American struggle for justice and economic justice. Going to Brazil
told me how far back the black man in Brazil is, he is told to accept his
position and never question it because he or she is lucky to be Brazilian."
**
Reply
38. @koimt6732, 2024
"Yes. It's oppressive.
I commented that I felt better in Europe, where I was
treated better than in Brazil, but people don't understand. I came here in
1987, to free my mind and also to help my mother who was sick. I was able to
buy medicines, food and pay condominium fees with the money I received. My
sister was able to stay at home helping my mother.
It's very hard for you to live so unhappy, especially when
you live in the only country you know. Many Africans are not aware of what
racism is."
Reply
39. @learningtheworld.5255, 2024
"
I am nearly ruling out Brasil."
**
Reply
40. @donramonn12, 2024
" @learningtheworld.5255 yes,. Brazil is very racist.Europe is a
better choice."
Reply
41. @acilenecardoso7330, 2024
"
**
Reply
42. @andy-wz1fi, 2024
"As a black brazilian, this is true and it comes from years
of what we call "embranquecimento" (whitening) of the population.
Contrary to what happened in the US, in Brasil the way white people found to
discriminate was trying to make black people mix with the white population and
therefore lose its identity. It worked very well, many lightskin black
brazilians believe they are not black, there's hardly any idea of belonging to
our race, this was substituted by the feeling of being brazilian, which often
lacks the political aspect of being black and ignores the cultural and
socialeconomical differences of being a black brazilian."
**
Reply
43.@dondadaa404, 2025
"@andy-wz1fi other Latin American countries practice the
same thing."
**
Reply
44.@difenix1, 2026
"@andy-wz1fi deixa de mimimi que já tá ficando chato, o
branco casa com a negra o negro casa com a Branca o japonês casa com a Branca
com a negra e assim vai Isso é Brasil Se você quer a segregação você sofrerá as
consequências das suas escolhas aqui é Brasil somos todos mestiços e Vida que
Segue quem quiser se dividir em grupos que se divide mas não chore as
consequências não reclame."
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese (Brazilian) to English:
"
**
Reply
45.@DJM-new52, 2024
"@Junseld
Not entirely true. Many of our ancestors were not slaves
already in Africa. Most enslaved people were prisoners of war in the many
conflicts between African kingdoms and empires. That is how slavery worked in
most places from the beginning. People war on each other and either kill them,
drive them out, or enslave them. Anyone could be enslaved from royalty,
priests, nobles, warriors (POW’s most commonly) all the way down to commoners.
There was slavery in Africa but it was not the completely dehumanizing chattel
slavery which was practiced in the Americas by the Europeans colonial powers
such as Portugal, Spain, England/UK, France, and The Netherlands. In Africa,
you could at least have a chance to work yourself out of it and not have it
follow down your family line multigenerationally even though there still is a
certain stigma attached to it. It was more akin to indentured servitude. I am
of both Fulani and Yoruba descent. The Fulani made war on many other African
ethnic groups in the name of Islam and the Yoruba kingdoms such as Oyo Empire
warred with Dahomey and sometimes the Ashanti Empire. They both took slaves
from their defeated enemies as did the Romans did with the Celts, Germanics,
Greeks and many other European ethnic groups as well as the aforementioned
Europeans warring on each other. Even
after 250 plus of that, Black Americans became a new people composed of the
descendants of those captured and enslaved Africans that were former enemies as
well as our enslavers and the indigenous peoples of the Americas. No one is
claiming to be the sole recipient of ill treatment nor are we feeling sorry for
ourselves. If we talk about slavery,
it’s to address the ripple effect of that foul institution that
continues to impact us as a people. We are still fighting even if it’s not as
openly as in the 1960’s. If we had not,most of the rights we and many others
now benefit from have in America would not exist. If people truly knew the real
story about Black American as well as African history you would have a different
perspective."
**
Reply
46. @dpeasehead, 2025
"@HendrikMaison: Thank you for being honest and for sharing
your observations. A lot of people are blinded to the endemic anti-black racism
by Latin American color blind multi-racial propaganda. White supremacy is white
supremacy no matter which part of the Americas it resides in and it is always
toxic to black people. A lot of outsiders don't like the more aggressive
approach of black Americans in the US when it comes to confronting anti-black
racism and white privilege but the Latin American "alternative" of
being in a state of permanent subjugation while living in a perpetual state of
denial is not at all appealing."
**
47.@koimt6732
"I keep commenting on it. I'm Brazilian and I feel better in
Europe than at home.
I want to come and live in Africa, but I don't know where I
come from and if the Africans will accept me as an African. We have a suffering
that never goes away. It’s horrible what colonialism did to our ancestors and
to us."
**
Reply
48. @texvor6949
"You should go to Popo Aguda in Lagos nigeria. Its the
settlement where a lot of Afro brazilians went to after slavery ended and left
brazil to go or return to Africa. Many of their descendants are still there."
**
Reply
49. @koimt6732
"@texvor6949 Oh
thank you. I just finished watching a video about Popo Aguda and immediately
felt at home. I got so emotional.You helped me a lot."
**
Reply
50. @texvor6949
"@koimt6732 No problem and good luck. Maybe you can
become a bridge and reconnection to Popo Aguda and those of Afro Brazil. That
will be your peoples gateway to the motherland by using the same path those of
the afro brasilians ancestors crossed to create a home back in africa."
**
51.@moa5351
[In the] "Bahia province of Brazil
they still use a lot of Yoruba words like Acaraje, efó and still practice
Yoruba traditional religion worshipping deities like exu, sango, yemoja and
osun."...
**
52. @faithbiyapo9297
"Charity begins at home. Nobody will love and accept us, when
we haven’t loved and accepted ourselves. Until we put pride, ego, religion,
greed, social class, tribalism, etc away and embrace each other as brothers and
sisters, nothing will ever change. Every negative thing we do to one another
devalues us as a group. Our leaders sell us out. We’ve got no infrastructure,
quality education, enabling business environments to create jobs and innovation
for the young. How can we be valued by outsiders? Everything starts with us. It
is well. Peace and love to all! Keep up the great work, Maya!"
**
53.@SechabaLSA
"As someone who grew up in Lesotho 🇱🇸
, a country with more than 98% black people and one tribe, I have a huge fesr
of relocating to a place where I'll suddenly become a minority. My most comfortable countries that I've lived
in are South Africa 🇿🇦, and Botswana 🇧🇼 . I don't think I'm brave
enough to relocate anywhere besides South Africa, Botswana, eSwatini and Zambia"
54.
"I am half eSwatini . I was born and
raised in the EU so, if you are born a minority it is part of your life.
i am biracial . I
love being in the african continent as i have family there . I am comfortable
identifying myself as a Black male. my
favorite african nation is Angola although Kenya comes close second"
**
55.@gerrytushh
"Good and informative video. I visited
Rio de Janeiro city Brazil and just a few hundred meters behind my 5 star beach
high-rise hotel was a huge favelas (slum) with so many people packed in tiny
shacks ....it was so sad 😢"
**
56.@Layla-fr7mf
"Racism in Brazil is so real and I
experienced it visiting Brazil already seated on the plane on my way to Rio
with my husband as being one of the only Africans/black people on the plane
there and back because the Afro Brazilians are so marginalised they cannot even
afford to leave the county or a plane ticket.
We stayed in an area called Leblon and after that Ipanema.
Sadly, we were the only non
Europeans/Caucasians in most of the restaurants and at the residences in these
areas.
The stares from the Europeans were so blatantly rude until they would hear us speak English and realise that we were tourists which was already a guess because of the fact that we were eating at these restaurants and staying in such areas. They would feel so emboldened to treat non Europeans with disdain which seems rooted in the culture I could tell that the Afro Brazilians as majority are definitely abused and marginalised to the extreme.
We would be amongst the only black people at most of the restaurants in many of these areas such Ipanema, Leblon, Lagoa and such as if the Afro Brazilians also accept that they should not be seen at certain restaurants while we made sure to book an experience to learn about the history of Afro Brazilians with an Afro Brazilian who took us to different neighbourhoods and explained the history of the black people, the racism and places like Leblon that were known to be “wealthy” areas that purposely kept the black population far away from these areas unless they are in nearby favelas or working in restaurants or hotels or as maids.
It is expected but sadly there are no
laws to fight that kind of discrimination that is extreme in Brazil unlike
other nations. It is still slave like in nature with slavery still taking place
in remote areas so we as Africans need to be a safe haven to many of our own
people. It is the only way."
**
57. @KillahManjaro
"15:27. That old lady say she only
experienced racism twice. it's so normalized that she doesn't recognize racism.
People confuse prejudice with racism. When African Americans were marching in the 50s-'60s, they weren't marching for white people to stop calling them names or like them, or care how white people feel about them, they were marching for access to resources of the society, Education, Jobs, Freedom of movement without harm, Bank Loans, Houses, etc. all things required to accumulate power and be competitive in the USA like all groups.
It's the same in brazil. The black
population doesn't control anything in the society to accumulate power. if you have power you don't care or think
about what people say about you."
**
Reply
58. @afrakanaswahilitv5520
"It looks like you don't understand
racism in America. It's institutionalized in away that it's very difficult to
break through. It's in colleges, police, judiciary, and even in simple stuff
like public transportation. Imagine most of the jobs are in the suburbs and
first bus to get to the suburb leaves the city at 8am while those from the
suburbs to the city starts at 4:30am. Majority of the black people live in the
city and you have to be at work by 7:45am. So technically if you can't own and
finance a car you will have hard to make it"
**
59. @stevenolasite9644
"Wode Maya, you make it sound like it’s
all uhuru here in Africa.
I am Nigerian and I can say categorically that there is discrimination and xenophobia in Africa. South Africans kill their black brothers from other countries under the excuse that they are taking over their land.
As Ghanaian, I am sure you recall the “Ghana-must-go” saga, when Nigeria sent Ghanaians out of Nigeria in the early 1980s.
The genocide in Rwanda wasn’t perpetrated by white people.
In Nigeria, there’s the ethnic rivalry between the Yorubas, Ibos and the Hausas. No Ibo man has been President of Nigeria since 1966! In some families, they forbid their children from marrying from other tribes.
The more I think about this, the more I find facts that support the notion that evil is innate in humanity, and you will find discrimination everywhere you find human beings.
If these Africans in diaspora starts trouping to Africa en masse, I can assure you that it will lead to another conflict/discrimination between the locals and the new arrivals."
**
60. @Ivan-f7, 2024
"No no no... I'm 47 years old, I'm a
native Brazilian and I can say that this video does not convey the reality of
our people, there is prejudice against poor people, not against ethnic groups,
very little."
**
Reply
61. @florbella2213
"infelizmente, existe racismo no Brasil."
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese (Brazilian) to English:
"Unfortunately, there is racism in
Brazil".
**
Reply
62.@isobel95, 2024
"You're part of the old generation who
always learned and taught we live in a racial democracy.
How can you say that when the Yanomamis
are left to die by the previous government?
How can you say that when CAPOEIRA WAS A
CRIME until less than 100 years ago. Like, people were getting arrested just
for practicing Capoeira only because it
was a black cultural element.
Capoeira saiu do Código Penal em 1930!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Não faz nem 100 anos e pessoas eram de fato presas pelo ESTADO BRASILEIRO por praticar capoeira. É o Estado mostrando o próprio racismo.
Consegue entender o racismo estrutural que existe desde o início da escravidão? A escravidão acabou mas a mente das pessoas continuou a mesma até pouco tempo atrás. Agora, falando sobre racismo, poderíamos tentar curar essa ferida. Mas, tem que reconhecer o crime e essa ferida. Fingir que o Brasil não é racista é por uma venda para não ver os próprios problemas.
Então, NÃO FALE que não existe
preconceito contra grupos étnicos, pelo amor de deus!!"
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese (Brazilian) to English:
..."How can you say that when the Yanomami
were left to die by the previous government?
How can you say that when Capoeira was a crime until less than 100 years ago? Like, people were getting arrested just for practicing Capoeira only because it was a Black cultural element.
Capoeira was removed from the Penal Code in 1930!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It hasn't even been 100 years and people were actually arrested by the Brazilian State for practicing Capoeira. It's the State showing its own racism.
Can you understand the structural racism that has existed since the beginning of slavery? Slavery ended, but people's minds remained the same until recently. Now, talking about racism, we could try to heal this wound. But, we have to acknowledge the crime and this wound. Pretending that Brazil isn't racist is like putting on a blindfold to avoid seeing our own problems.
So, for God's sake, DON'T say that
prejudice against ethnic groups doesn't exist!!"
**
63. @groovdiva9417
"@wodemaya what you said at 12:35 made me
cry. I have never heard someone from West Africa say this & it was like the
healing of a wound I never knew I had. I have had many friends from all over
the diaspora, and I have also had a few foes who made fun of me & my family
with the same ugly stereotypes created by American propagandists such as DW
Griffith, Ronald Reagan, Joseph McCarthy, Al Jolson, & many more. It felt
worse, more like betrayal, to hear those ugly stereotypes from someone who looks
like my family. I know the history of who-sold-who is not as simple as “you
betrayed us, & that’s it,” especially in Angola, but it still felt powerful
to hear you acknowledge the role of our Continental family, even under the
duress of continued colonial pressure in the economies & cultures of former
colonies.
I, among many, cannot wait until healing"
**
64. @SilvioSamuge
"Amazing video. I think you just inspired
me as a Mozambican (we speak Portuguese in here) to dedicate comments to
educate the Brazilian nation and empower them with knowledge. Thank you brother"
**
65.@Jqzd3000
"Dont have a victim mentally wise words
from the elder woman. If you believe you are a victim you will always be and
die has a victim."
**
66.@nazsolomon8164
"I visited Brazil for a month earlier
this year (2023), and sadly, i can confirm that Brazil is indeed a very unequal
country. There are a lot of lovely people there but there aren't enough
opportunities for them to change their lives. Also, sadly most of those people
are either black, mixed or indigenous.
I visited the US straight after that and was blown away by the freedom and abundance of opportunities that were available there."
**
67. @afiganyo5678
"I am Ghanaian-American and have been
studying Brazilian Portuguese for 4 years and I just came back from Sao Paulo
(my first trip to Brazil). I definitely felt the racism.
It wasn't the kind of racism I feel in parts of Europe where people have never seen blacks before. It was more a situation where people were confused why I was where I was and why I looked like an entitled person with money. It made me think of how America was before the civil rights movement.
The fact that they took so much black culture and then discard black people is tragic and I have a mixed feeling about going there. I will definitely go again but now my eyes are opened."
**
68.@WeAreInXanadu1969, 2024
"This is so disheartening.
I had NO idea it was like this in Brazil. I thought Black people there were running
things and more successful than African Americans. I just didn’t realize how they are treated
and that they’re so far behind. Very sad
to hear this as I feel like they are the majority there."
****
2024
69.@dorothysiaw-lartey2889
"Whitening also happened in Argentina too.
**
70. @LuisClaudioTheTagarela
"I am a Black Brazilian, not an Afro-Brazilian—this is just
my perspective, of course. I acknowledge that my ancestors came from Africa.
It's important to note that not all Black Brazilians, or Black people in
general, share the same viewpoint.
Due to my job, I lived in Haiti for two years and in Angola
for three years, where I experienced discrimination in both countries.
Discrimination exists even in countries where Black people are the majority. I
have traveled to all continents except Antarctica, and I've found that there is
no place on Earth where Black people are not discriminated against—though the
extent of discrimination varies from place to place."
**
Reply
71.@chigozienwankwo234
"The context of discrimination you "experienced" in
Haiti and Angola should be analysed. I live in Africa and I don't believe, you
will be discriminated against the same way a white person can discriminate
against a black person"
**
Reply
72. @arlenecharles8762, 2025
"@chigozienwankwo234 I
was born in Birmingham uk my parents were from the West Indies, I went on
holiday with my Son who was Five at the time we were on holiday in Barbados
went to a posh restaurant the black door man did not want us in the restaurant."
**
Reply
73.@renslinemerv8338
"hi i am Haitian, i am curious to know what happened to you
in Haiti, because they might mistaken
you for a Haitian, im not saying nothjing happen to you, i kow my country. but
htings like that happen to only us , no foreigners"
**
Reply
74. @LuisClaudioTheTagarela
"@renslinemerv8338 I entered a shop in Pentionville, not sure
about the sorry, but If you're Haitian you know what I am talking about. I was
not well dressed, I was coming from a football game. The lady said to me what
you are doing here it's not a place for you and you can't afford to buy
anything here anyway, I said, excuse me, then she realized I wasn't Haitian. Is
it discrimination or not?"
**
Reply
75. @LuisClaudioTheTagarela
"@renslinemerv8338 I am black, and if I keep my mouth shut it's
difficult to know which nationality I am. The point is, they should not
discriminate against anybody, including Haitians."
**
Reply
76. @SherilynPeters
"I totally understand. I no longer describe myself as Afro.
Either i am black caribbean and refuse to call myself Afro. I live in the UK
and was told by Africans that Carribbean people are not Africans and they need to stop callibg themselves what
they are not. The first time i was told, i ignored it. But when i was told
numerous times i stopped😢"..
**
Reply
77. @saintsrown
"In Brasil, we call Afro Brazilians:
Brazilians."
**
Reply
78.@nolife2325, 2026
"While simultaneously looking down at
them as lesser which is why I’ll take US racism any day compared to the Latin
America type. At least there isn’t this veil of “racial harmony” which is
really a caste system that makes it difficult for pretos to unite and talk
about the rampant racism 😅"
**
79. @AleneHill-l2f
"We are in the US California, not far from Los Angeles. I would love to see Copacabana Beach, Recife, and Salvador. We are large Carribean families from Trinidad and Barbados; and color plays a big part in the social light. In India, the darker Indians are very poor. Alot of poor Brazilians live in the favelas, the Caribbean, parts of Europe and in the US. You see it in commercials, music videos, magazines, etc. Whenever one goes in this world; try to engage the positive and discard the negative like garbage. Life is short for us🍍🥥
****
2025
80. @primeiroultimo1726
"I was born and lived in Brazil until I was 18. I have lived in Portugal for 21 years and here I have not suffered a tenth of the racism that I suffered in Brazil. However, I still do not feel like I belong anywhere. I am very inspired by this movement of the diaspora returning to the Motherland and I hope to one day achieve this goal."
**
81. @NewsWithNicola
"Reminded that Brazil was the largest importer of enslaved
Africans and the last country to finally stop."
**
Reply
82. @0900370pian, 2026
"If you are talking about Latin America and the entire
Western Hemisphere, then Brazil was the last country to abolish slavery in
1888. But the last country to abolish slavery was Mauritania. Slavery in
Mauritania was only officially abolished in 1981, and it was criminalized as
late as 2007. So, between 1981 until 2007 owning a human slave was technically
not illegal."
**
83. @BRUSEMISSIONTRAVEL
"13:19 Yes, Ghana was one country that
made an official apology for its participation in the slave trade. Ghana has
done more than any other African country to bridge that gap. It’s not perfect
but the effort is appreciated. 🖤🖤🖤
****
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