Marcos Arouca da Silva
‘You Belong in a Circus’
Though the members of Brazil’s soccer team are hailed as heroes in this soccer-crazy nation, not even they are immune to racial insult. Brazilian midfielder Marcos Arouca da Silva was called a monkey during a postgame interview, an event that he said wasn’t an isolated incident. Brazilian referee Marcio Chagas da Silva has said he’s been subjected to more than 200 racially based attacks during his career refereeing matches in the country, according to The Root. Reports say that during a recent game between Brazilian clubs Esportivo and Veranopolis, fans reportedly yelled at the referee from the stands, “You belong in a circus. Go back to the forest, you monkey.”
MV Bill
‘Racial Democracy Doesn’t Exist’
In his documentary, professor Gates talked to rapper MV Bill, who is also an activist and best-selling author in addition to socially conscious rapper. MV Bill, who still chooses to live in the infamous favela known as City of God, told Gates that he has been discriminated against and treated badly in Brazil because of his skin color even after he became famous.
“In Brazil we are not allowed to talk about this. We have to live in a racial democracy that doesn’t exist. There is no equality,” he said. “Brazil was one of the last countries to abolish slavery. And since then we have lived under the myth of a racial democracy. But this democracy is exposed as a lie when we look at the color of the people who live in favelas, the color of the people who are in prison, the color of the people who live from crime. People will tell you in Brazil that our problem is an economic problem, a social problem, anything except racial. It can never be racial. But it is.”
