(2nd post from my Lilly Blog)
Oi! (Hello!)
So I have been trying to find just the right book/books to read prior to my trip. The crazy thing with getting this opportunity is that I was offered a new role within the company the same week I found I was selected for Connecting Hearts Abroad. To say the least, things have been crazy in my world, but I am SO BLESSED and glad that God felt I could serve in this way!
After spending time at Barnes and Noble I found A book (yes, just one!). I thought for sure they would have a lot more, but no. Anyhow the book I ended up getting is quit good and I like the way they organized it. It discusses a lot of the cultural/history/religion and then in the back it divides into sections based on major cities and lists various sites to see.
You, luckily, are going to get to learn all about Brazil with me! I feel like if I discuss my learnings on my blog I will learn that much more! (I guess I'm selfishly sharing this with you all!) 
Let's get down to it because I keep wanting to read ahead in my book!
THE WORLD'S MOST HETEROGENEOUS POPULATION
I thought that was AMERICA! I was wrong! The Brazilian colonial society was composed of only men that came over from Portugal. Unlike the Puritans of New England who were actually outcasts of their home country, the Portuguese men liked coming to Brazil. For decades is was strictly men who came over and while they were still loyal to their home country they eventually found a new home in Brazil. So why you might ask the "World's Most Heterogeneous Population?"
It started with the mix of the Portuguese men and the "local" females. These people were the first "Brazilians" known as the Mamelucos (White men and Amerindian women). Later, the Cafusos (Amerindian and African blood) and the Mulatos (African and European). In the 1500s there were nearly 5 million Amerindians (the original people of Brazil). Today, there are only 700,000 who are living on government reservations in Mato grosso.
A larger portion of the population is referred to as "Afro-Brazilian" which was a result of slavery from the early 1500s to the late 1800s. The slavery rebellion that took place can be described as both tragic and harrowing. While many lives were lost, by 1888 the Lei Aurea (Golden Law) was signed freeing nearly 800,000 slaves. This was the start of a new begining!
SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
This next portion honestly made me think, "How does the compare to our home country of America?"
Shocking facts of Brazil: (From 2006 Brazilian Census Bureau)
49.9% of the total population and 88.4% of the richest 1% of Brazilians were white....
Over 1/2 of the whites in the 18-24 age bracket (51.6%) attend college vs 48% of population classified as Afro-Bazilian make up a mere 19% that attend college.
It makes you wonder what could that "richest" 1% look like if that 19% looked more like 48%. If others were given the same opportunities that I was growing up, how much different would our world look? I really don't know. Just something to ponder.
WOMEN'S ROLES
Women's roles have historically been similar to those we have seen in the U.S. The biggest difference is that by 2010 2/3 of candidates for presidency were women and on Oct 31, the first female President was elected in Brazil.
210 LANGUAGES
" Around 210 languages are used in Brazil, including an estimated 80 Amerindian languages, and about 130 of them are endangered because they are spoken by groups of fewer than 600. Many are on the verg of extinction, spoken by only a handful of people, mostly elderly." Insights Guide-Brazil
***What was happening in Brazil when Lilly was founded (1876 for those of you who don't know!)?***
The closest historical date I have is 1871, this is when children born to slaves were declared free.
TCHAU for now! (Goodbye)
Nicki
No comments:
Post a Comment