The history of slavery and discrimination against blacks in Brazil has left traces that extend to the language we use in our daily lives.
In many cases, the association of black with something negative is evident in phrases such as: you are on my “black list”, she bought a computer on the “black market” or I am a “black sheep” family. But some manifestations of racist origin are much less obvious.
To raise awareness and suggest that they be excluded from everyday life, the Bahia Public Defender has released a kind of racist language dictionary for Black Awareness Day.
“Our language was heavily influenced by the period of enslavement, and many of these expressions are still used today, even if unconsciously or unintentionally. We need to rethink the use of words and expressions that are the result of racist construction, ”reads the introductory text of the booklet,“ Racist Expressions of Everyday Life ”.
Check out ten expressions of racist origin cited in this dictionary that are still part of the vocabulary of many Brazilians today:
1. Bedside table.
Bahia’s Public Defender’s booklet states that while there are several explanations for the origin of the word, one refers to “servants, usually enslaved people, who were supposed to hold objects for their masters and were forbidden to speak.”
Therefore, the dictionary recommends replacing the word “bedside table” with “bedside table” in everyday life of people. In 2019, furniture chain Etna announced on Black Awareness Day that it would remove the term from its catalog and from all of its stores.
In a video campaign, the company explained that while many people use the “nightstand” without knowing its origin, the name refers to the slavery period in Brazil, when enslaved people spent day and night motionless by their bed to satisfy people’s requests. “male”.
“Without realizing it, we still use such racist terms, but we know it’s always time to change and evolve,” says a video released by Etna in 2019.
2. The color of sin
Bahia’s Public Defender’s booklet explains that the expression “the color of sin,” often used as “praise” by white people, carries with it the racist culture of “hypersexualization of black bodies, stigmatized during the colonial period, when“ gentlemen ”“ sexually raped black women and regarded it’s like a moment of fun. ”
Other expressions mentioned in the booklet also refer to the sexualization of blacks, especially women. The publication emphasizes that such objectification paves the way for sexual violence and discrimination.
“The expression ‘export mulatto’, for example, often used as a form of praise, reinforces a hypersexual stereotype applicable to black women that dates back to the days when slaves were objectified and eroticized and is still viewed as women who are considered unfit for marriage, “the document says.
The expression “giving with a stick”, used today to mean “abundance” or “large quantities,” also refers to the violence of slavery.
“Self-expression originated in slave ships. Many of those captured chose to die rather than be enslaved, and went on a hunger strike in the transition between the African continent and Brazil. To get them to feed, a “food stick” was created to play the angu. soup and other foods by mouth, ”says the Public Defender’s Dictionary of Bahia.
For this reason, the publication suggests, for example, instead of saying, “There were people who need to be beaten,” people said, “There were many people” or “Many people.”
Another expression that comes from slavery and is also widely used today is “no pau.” In this case, it can be replaced with: “no”.
The expression “on the hips” is often used to refer to something badly done. But according to the Bahia Public Defender’s booklet, it dates back to “the time of Brazilian slavery, when tiles were made of clay and molded onto the thighs of enslaved people. Since the size and shape has changed, the expression refers to something badly done. ”
5. to blacken
This word, used to mean that someone “spoils” someone’s image or reputation, comes from the Latin word denigrāre, which means “to denigrate”.
“It is based on the meaning of ‘make it black’. Used as a synonym for slander or slander, it once again emphasizes that black is negative, offensive, ”says the“ dictionary ”of the Public Defender of Bahia.
6. Challenge denials.
According to the booklet, this expression, used to mean “unleash the game,” is based on both slavery and misogyny and contempt for women.
“At the time, it was common to see slave owners put up a black enslaved woman as a prize in games or bets,” says the defender’s publication, which recommends that we no longer use the expression.
7. Half bowl
Like hips, half a cup is often used to mean something mediocre or poorly done. Again, the term has its origins in slavery.
“Blacks who worked violently in gold mines were not always able to achieve their goals. When this happened, they received only half a bowl of food as punishment and received the nickname “half mad,” which today means something useless and mediocre, ”says the Dictionary of Racist Expressions of Everyday Life.
8. Macumba
The word was originally used as the name for a percussion instrument of African origin similar to the recoreco instrument, the booklet says.
However, in Brazil, it began to be used in a derogatory sense to refer to offerings to the Orisha in African religions. The advocate stresses that every religion of African descent has its own name for the offerings, and suggests that the correct terms be used in everyday life without negatively attributing a ritual that should be respected as part of the religion.
According to the booklet, candomblé and ubanda refer to “ebo” or “dispatch” when referring to offerings to orishasas or spiritual entities. “Let’s stop stereotyping African religions, and each of them will follow its own faith,” – suggests the publication of the defender.
9. Mulatto
The booklet emphasizes that the term “mulatto” in Spanish refers to the male offspring of a horse with a donkey or a mare with a donkey – what we call a mule in Portuguese.
The term that defines a hybrid animal began to be used, according to the Huess dictionary, from the 16th century onwards as an analogy to refer to the children of white mothers and black fathers, or vice versa. In other words, a crossbred animal is compared to a person descended from whites and blacks.
“The huge derogatory accusation is even greater when someone says ‘export-type mulatto’, echoing the racist view of a black woman’s body as a commodity,” reads the Daily Racist Expressions Dictionary.
10. Slave
An increasingly fashionable debate concerns the use of the word enslaved instead of the word “slave” to refer to Africans who were forcibly brought to Brazil during Portuguese colonization.
The Bahia Public Defender’s Dictionary explains the argument behind this: “The use of the word ‘slave’ suggests that it is an inherent characteristic and condition of a person as it was imposed on the African people who were kidnapped and tortured in slavery. the word presupposes dehumanization, oblivion of the history and heritage of these peoples for world history. “
While these expressions are not always used with “intent” to offend or discriminate against, propaganda publication suggests that people voluntarily reject them because they reinforce a culture of submission, sexualization and humiliation of blacks.
“Racism manifests itself in our society in different ways. This micro-aggression, in addition to reproducing racist discourse by identifying blacks as a marker of social inferiority, affects the well-being of blacks, ”says the Public Defender of Bahia. …
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Method Media Bermuda will present the documentary FABRIC: Portuguese History in Bermuda on Thursday, December 29 at the Underwater Research Institute of Bermuda.
A spokesperson said: “Method Media is proud to bring Bermuda Fabric: Portugal History to Bermuda for its 5th and 6th showing at the Bermuda Underwater Observatory. In November and December 2019, Cloth: A Portuguese Story in Bermuda had four sold-out screenings. Now that Bermuda has reopened after the pandemic, it’s time to bring the film back for at least two screenings.
“There are tickets Ptix.bm For $ 20 – sessions at 15:30 and 18:00. Both screenings will be followed by a short Q&A session.
Director and producer Milton Raboso says, “FABRIC is a definitive account of the Portuguese community in Bermuda and its 151 years of history, but it also places Bermuda, Acors and Portugal in the world history and the events that have fueled those 151 years.
“It took more than 10 years to implement FABRIC. The film was supported by the Minister of Culture, the Government of the Azores and private donors.
“Bermuda Media Method [MMB] Created in 2011 by producer Milton Raposo. MMB has created content for a wide range of clients: Bermuda’s new hospital renovation, reinsurance, travel campaigns, international sports and more. MMB pays special attention to artistic, cultural and historical content.
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Maestro Filipe Cunha, Artistic Director of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Braga, has been invited to conduct the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, as announced today.
According to a statement sent by O MINHO, “he will be the first Portuguese conductor to conduct this orchestra in its entire history.”
In addition to this orchestra, the maestro will also work with the Lyceo Mozarteum de la Habana Symphony Orchestra.
The concerts will take place on 4 and 12 March 2023 at the National Theater of Cuba in Havana.
In the words of the maestro, quoted in the statement, “these will be very beautiful concerts with difficult but very complex pieces” and therefore he feels “very motivated”.
From the very beginning, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 will be performed by an Italian pianist (Luigi Borzillo), whom the maestro wants to bring to Portugal later this year. In the same concert, Mendelshon’s First Symphony will be performed.
Then, at the second concert, in the company of the Mexican clarinetist Angel Zedillo, he will perform the Louis Sfora Concerto No. 2. In this concert, the maestro also conducts Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.
“This is an international recognition of my work. An invitation that I accept with humility and great responsibility. I was surprised to learn that I would be the first Portuguese member of the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. This is a very great honor,” the maestro said in a statement.
“I take with me the name of the city of Braga and Portugal with all the responsibility that goes with it, and I hope to do a good job there, leaving a good image and putting on great concerts. These will be very special concerts because, in addition to performing pieces that I love, especially Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, I will be directing two wonderful soloists who are also my friends. It will be very beautiful,” concludes Filipe Cunha.