Black In Latin America Summary

The African diaspora in Latin America is one of great cultural importance, especially in Brazil. In “Black in Latin America,” Henry Louis Gates goes on to explore the African culture found throughout Brazil’s cities, and in doing this, it was found that the identity of Brazil is based from ideas and characteristics developed through the hybridization of African and European culture. From Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, African culture emanates through everyday life. This is shown through the music, dance, religion practiced all around Brazil. Although the country was colonized and dominated by the white Europeans, Brazil would not be the country it is today without the massive amount of culture brought by the African people. The African heritage in Brazil can be traced back to the time of the slave trade. Although the slave trade was very prominent in the United States, the number of slaves delivered to Brazil was much more massive in comparison. This was due to the distance that Brazil was from Africa, and also had to do with the large sugar industry in the country. Because so many slaves were brought to Brazil, the country’s population became prominently African. Many of the Europeans that came to Brazil were men and because of this, they had many children with …show more content…
It was covered during the section with capoeira with the berimbau, talking about how it was used both as a warning sign and to keep the beat. Music was also discussed slightly with Carnival and the Candomblé religion, but nothing went into deep detail on the subject. In this case study, I don’t believe music played as big of a role in the social structure as the people themselves did. I think the way the slaves were treated had much more of an impact on the culture than the music did. That being said, music still played a massive role in the creation of Brazil’s modern-day