I feel that it is about time that I started doing something else than just travelling around. I have therefore made up my mind to return to Sweden in the very beginning of april and enjoy the Swedish spring and write a book about my bewilderment!
6 months in South America is enough time and it feels good that I do not want to prolong this journey anymore. The original plan was to stay until the middle of june and even visit some more countries across the caribbean sea but I have run out of steam and there is no reason to stick to that when the excitement and pleasure does not exist.
Brazil has of course disappointed me but I do think that I have got what I have been looking for in this journey. The mission is accomplished for this time. I have met wonderful people and have had an enriching experience.
Many black Brazilians identify themselves as "Brazilians" in the first place and they have no strong connection with Africa. I have not found any pride and dignity in them as being the descendents of former slaves who originated from Africa.
The absence of African awareness has historical explanations. It was not allowed to discuss any racial issues in Brazil until 1985.
"There were no blacks in Brazil until then." There were noly Brazilians. It is as recently as 2003 that Brazil introduced history lessons about slavery and Africa.
There has been a delibrate attempt to deemphasize "the African" and "the black" among the coloured in this country. We have a lot of people who still are suffering from that and have accepted their destiny of poverty.
Things are changing a little bit now and I have met some people who work hard to bring about some form of justice, equal rights and opportunity to all. The issue of being an African as long as a blackman is though more complicated and delicate than ever before.
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