Check out our first student post from Genesis Paulino '21!
April 30, 2018.
This is the second day of short term in Brazil. Our first week is in Rio Vermelho, Salvador da Bahia. Today was such an amazing day that words can’t even express the amount of emotions that I have gone through already. We started the day off with taking the bus to a restaurant where we had lunch and then some amazing food. It was definitely nice to have to try something new.
As being a Latina myself, I have always been very curious of how does Brazil, a country whose native language is Portuguese fit into being a Latin American country? After having only been here for two days, I can see the amount of connection between other Latin American countries, along with the other connections to race and sexuality in the United States.
Today we visited two museums that showed and explained different historic times in Brazil. One was from a very historical landmark, the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, a Catholic church. The other was the MAFRO Museum Afro Brasiliero da UFBA - which had the most impact on me. This institution defends and expresses Afro-Brazilian culture through paintings, objects and pictures.
One of the objects made the museum was of a black young boy behind bars. All I could think about was the issues that the United States is having with our black population as well. Looking at this picture, along with poems and art on in the museum, it’s as if I can truly feel the pain that has been inflicted on the black population.
In Intro to Gender and Sexuality course that I took my first semester of college, there was a section of the class on how institutions like these are a way of representing important issues in a country. Brazil may not have completely solved their issues in the Afro Brazilian community, but the museum is for sure a great start of acknowledging what was going on in the country. The museum is a way of them having a voice and standing in their own country.
For example, I am so surprised and I find so wonderful that natural hair has become so accepted in Salvador da Bahia. As a woman with the same hair type who sees issues from society in my own cultures - the Dominican Republic and the United States - Brazil certainly seems more progressive on this issue. I find that such a beautiful thing.
I love the culture, the food and the people of Brazil. I have learned so much about them already in just two days and I can’t wait to see what else there is to come in the next 3 weeks.
- Genesis Paulino '21