Open Letter of the Comboni Missionaries of the Province of Northeast Brazil on the International Year of Peoples of African Descent
The year 2011 was declared the UN Year International Peoples of African Descent. This year the various countries of the world should strengthen political commitment to eradicate discrimination against the descendants of Africans. The initiative also aims to promote respect for diversity and heritage cultural, not yet officially incorporated into the identities of many American nations!
Our pastoral experience in Brazil shows how the population of African descent still suffer prejudice and racial discrimination. Even having contributed greatly to sweat and creativity in building the social and cultural matrix of this huge nation multicultural and multi-ethnic, the african-descendants remain ignored. Even accounting for over half the population, Black people live on the fringes of society that they themselves have helped to build. In fact, we find they are living in the suburbs with no sewer and no infrastructure. Tight public transport systems, and surviving on minimum wage. Overcrowding the prison systems of the country, among the ranks of hospitals and killed by illegal activities and police actions.
We know they are legitimate and occupying new spaces, but thanks to his initiative and persistence, not to be recognized as citizens / them with equal rights and opportunities . Their struggles and achievements do not earn or visibility of the media, nor become a sign of socio-educational for current and future generations. The very slogan that marked the last government - " Brazil, a country of all" - seems to further reinforce the ideology that this country has definitely reached the supposed "racial democracy" than an effective recognition of universal rights respected . There is no denying that, unfortunately, the statistics in the Americas and Brazil show that Black people have not had the same opportunities as other citizens / AS.
Instead, we have seen the true forms of denial of rights and access to formal justice. Data from the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) and DIIESE (Department of Statistics and Socio Economic) in the metropolitan areas show that among black men and women there are an average 50% higher unemployment than the white population. Moreover, blacks receive on average only about 60% of the value of wages offered to non-blacks. Another alarming fact is the difference between the homicide rate of blacks and whites. Data from the "Map of Violence " show that the homicide rates in Brazil have the main victim of the black male population: out of ten young people killed; 7 are of African descent.
not hard to see that in major Brazilian cities there is an imaginary dividing line, but among the real "white" and "Afro-Brazilians." It becomes visible by the location and structure of housing for some and others. In places of high class, tall and beautiful buildings in the city's blacks only appear to work! For these, the residence remains in the distant suburbs, huddled in houses, tenements, slums, in places of landslides and floods.
Before all this, we Comboni Missionaries of the Northeast Brazil - we feel caused by the testimony of Jesus of Nazareth and the example of our founder Daniel Comboni, who gave his life for the life of Africa. We want to strengthen our common cause with those who are humiliated and discriminated by the color of their skin, by the vivacity of their customs and celebrations and his way of speaking and being. We strive to continue our fight on the side of African descent in our country, the continent and the entire planet, so that together we can break down historic barriers of prejudice and exclusion in all social spaces. We are aware that a year will not be enough to overcome these historical barriers, but we know that the world will be struggling and becoming aware to combat racism encourages us to continue to walk alongside our brothers them African descent!
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