Most of us know that Brazil is one big melting pot, but what kind of percentages are we talking about? How do Brazilians define themselves and do their genes “betray” that self-portrait? Does the discrepancy, if any, between the two even matter?

Sérgio Danilo Pena, a well-known geneticist from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, has been quoted as saying, “Only a few genes are responsible for someone’s skin colour, which is a very poor indication of ancestry.” A new study coordinated by Dr. Pena shows just that.

Despite the significant presence of “African genes” in the Brazilian population, Brazilians are more European than African. The percentage of European ancestry found in Brazilians varies from 60% in the Northeast to 77% in the South, according to a recently-published article in O Globo on the findings of the study.

In a 2009 census by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), 6.9% of Brazilians self-identified as negro (black), as opposed to other options such as branco (white), pardo (multiracial, brown), amarelo (yellow, East Asian) and indígena (Amerindian). In the face of such a low percentage of self-identified blacks, the recent study shows that Afro-Brazilians in Bahia actually have over 50% European roots.

One also must consider that, between 1500 and 1900, 12 million Africans traversed the Atlantic under slavery. Of the 10 million that survived the journey, an enormous 35% of them were brought to Brazil, compared to 6% that were brought to the United States. Given such statistics, the belief that Brazilians would, in fact, be more African than anything else wouldn’t seem too far-fetched.

In terms of Europeans, within roughly the same period (though with more migrating towards the latter half), over 5 million Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, German and Polish immigrants came to Brazil. If by the time the majority of Europeans settled in Brazil, a large portion of the African population had given way to pardos, this would explain the diluted presence of a genetic make-up reflecting African DNA.

The newest study is based on paternal ancestry and during the period of European migration, more men than women likely made their way to Brazil, especially since men were to replace the need for labor that the abolition of slavery left open. Previous studies by Dr. Pena have shown that, on the maternal side, things are more ‘democratic’ with results that show a more or less equal lineage of Amerindian, African and European ancestry.

Somehow, I doubt that any such DNA studies will change the ‘average’ Brazilian’s self-portrait. It is not as if those who first considered themselves as pardo would start considering themselves negro, or even branco. Genetics aside, it is evident that culture, tradition and upbringing in general all play a large role in who one becomes…to say nothing of economics.

Originally written for Street Smart Brazil

As we begin the “golden decade” (as the next 10 years have been called, at least in Rio de Janeiro), full of such events as the Military Games, Rock in Rio, the World Cup, the Olympics and others that are sure to come, I wonder how well Brazil is protecting itself (the Buy Brazil Act aside) against the onslaught of foreign companies which have all surely been slipped their permanent green cards. Sure, there’s tycoons such as Eike Batista at the forefront, but can he do enough (and more importantly, will he, since he seems to be quite cozy with China)?

To express my point, I feel the need to bring up a real example of my fears, which happens to have taken place in Jamaica. The Jamaican dairy industry was going very well, even 10 years after the country’s anti-IMF government ended up needing a loan from the IMF in the late-70′s. With the loan, of course, eventually came terms and conditions. In the early-90′s, however, the IMF required that Jamaica lower its tariffs on imported (and heavily subsidized) dairy products, particularly that of powdered milk. Of course, doing so would completely ruin the national dairy industry but as the government saw no alternative, they accepted the terms of the IMF. What resulted was that Jamaicans, already strapped for cash, preferred to purchase the cheaper powdered milk instead of supporting their own people and industry, though at a higher price.

What does the above example have to do with Brazil? Well, providing foreign solutions for everyday products and services creates reliability on them, which in turn takes business away from national companies. One argument could be made, from the point of view of the multinationals, that they are merely filling a void left in the market. Another argument can be made that work is being given to Brazilians in the kinds of companies in the picture at the top of this post. While both might have some truth to them, I still don’t see the current situation in Brazil as a positive one, even in the face of a booming economy.

The logos above weren’t randomly thrown together, I selected them myself and all, save the bottom three, reflect foreign companies that operate in Brazil (the bottom three are either scheduled or rumored to begin operations in Brazil in the future). In my experience living in Brazil twice, I saw time and time again, Brazilians choosing the “chique” companies over the national ones and it almost seemed that the marketing power of the multinationals could somehow improve the taste of the food and the look and feel of other products. In some cases, yes, Brazil needs to build up its own industries but before that, a line needs to be drawn, one that shows what Brazil is doing on its own and what Brazil could be doing on its own.

I just hope that the “golden decade” will not follow long-established patterns of foreigners fattening their pockets on the riches of others. The problem is companies with unlimited funds can easily divide and conquer. With economics, the promise of status or even friends and the ability to enter the home and more, many people are left rather defenseless to their tactics. Even in the face of what I would deem soft war techniques, I would hope the Brazilian people will learn to say “no” more often. Perhaps the rise of Brazil will lead to looking inwards to the talents and qualities that Brazil already has.

Originally written for Street Smart Brazil