Aspects of Afro-Brazilian Experience

Quilombismo and the Afro-Brazilian Quest for Citizenship

“…In "Quilombismo: An Afro-Brazilian Political Alternative," A. Nascimento (1980) elaborates this concept as that which has the potential to empower Afro-Brazilians as well as well-meaning Brazilians who are supportive of Afro-Brazilian liberation from the fangs of racism and marginality. In addition to defining Quilombismo as such, A. Nascimento goes on to propose an Afro-Brazilian Memory Week as an event to recuperate Brazilian amnesia regarding African contribution to Brazilian society.…”

“…In "Quilombismo: An Afro-Brazilian Political Alternative," A. Nascimento (1980) cogently elaborates Quilombismo as a viable political alternative that empowers Afro-Brazilians while subjecting the fallacy of "racial democracy" into rigorous critique. He further proposes the establishment of an AfroBrazilian Memory Week in which Brazilian amnesia regarding the historical past is confronted with the horror of slavery and the consequent dispossession of Afro-Brazilians that ultimately explains their current marginality in the society.…”

“…A. Nascimento sees in this inclusive way of life an Afro-Brazilian alternative that will not only unite all Brazilians but also give Afro-Brazilians their due in the articulation of Brazilian citizenship. In “Quilombismo: An Afro-Brazilian Political Alternative,” A. Nascimento (1980) elaborates this concept as that which has the potential to empower Afro-Brazilians as well as well-meaning Brazilians who are supportive of Afro-Brazilian liberation from the fangs of racism and marginality.…”

“…The thrust of this conceptualization resides in the need to recognize African contributions and adopt a political organization that is steeped in the legacy of South American and Caribbean maroon communities, especially the Quilombo of the Palmares that were led by Zumbi. In “Quilombismo: An Afro-Brazilian Political Alternative,” A. Nascimento (1980) cogently elaborates Quilombismo as a viable political alternative that empowers Afro-Brazilians while subjecting the fallacy of “racial democracy” into rigorous critique.…”

“…He further proposes the establishment of an Afro-Brazilian Memory Week in which Brazilian amnesia regarding the historical past is confronted with the horror of slavery and the consequent dispossession of Afro-Brazilians that ultimately explains their current marginality in the society. After reviewing the antiquity of the Black African knowledge system and the vital role of memory in the construction of pre-Columbian Americas, A. Nascimento delves into the emergence of Quilombist sentiment and Black consciousness in Brazil, making the case for Blacks not as strangers in Brazil but as bona fide “body and soul” of Brazil (A. Nascimento, 1980, p. 149).…”