what do chocolate, sugar, coffee, and tobacco all have in common? besides a presence on every corner in brussels, these agricultural products and the waves with which they flourished help produce a city, region, and a colony. their dark side goes beyond diabetes, stained teeth, and emphysema: they are also the reason that african slaves were brought to brazil in staggering numbers.
the estados unidos infamous current president remarked to the brazilian president, 'i didn't know you had black people here, too' on a state visit years ago. well, for anyone about to take the reins of the world's largest economy, or who just has general interest, it does.
salvador is a bitterly intoxicating city. this was the location where slaves were unloaded, held, sold, and punished (the nearby district, pelourinho, is portuguese for whipping post). it is also the home to cobblestone streets, beautiful plazas, and gorgeous baroque architecture. underneath all of it is that easily detected something-happened-here presence.
but unlike charleston, which does everything to bury this history in its veneer of fort sumter shot glasses and refrigerator magnets, salvador doesn't even really try. for one, the city and region are still host to west african languages, religious rites, wear, and food among other cultural customs. the presence of these has been used to attract travelers to the region, which has somewhat alleviated the dearth of other industry.
we are about to head out to hear a local gathering of percussionists, and am sure that the next few days may be able to yield some capoeira and maybe a candomble ceremony. vamos a ver. until then, i suppose we'll just relish a culture that doesn't ignore the elephant in the room. but still, that elephant's going to need a lot more peanuts.
post scripto. t-shirt seen today:
20% indio
30% blanco
50% negro
100% brasiliero
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