I do look Brazilian

I do look Brazilian. Frequently, when I say I am Brazilian I hear comments such as “but you don’t look Brazilian’’ or “but you’re too white to be Brazilian”, or “but your name is Italian’’, ‘’but, but, but’’. I’ll explain why I do look Brazilian. 

The territory that would become Brazil has registered the presence of humans for 12,000 years. There were several indigenous tribes, each with its own language and customs.

Portuguese people were the first to arrive in Brazil and that is the reason we speak Portuguese, not Spanish, as a lot of people think we do. They introduced new concepts of society, economy and religion, very different from indigenous customs. Portuguese became the language of the new territory, as well as political organisation and the economy.

Africans were also brought to Brazil to be slaves. However, each individual brought their own language, their faith and their abilities. In addition, Africa is a huge continent, so each of them had their own ethnicity and customs. They influenced in: music, cookery, rhythm, and customs in Brazil. So did the Portuguese people and other people in the future. 

During the 19th century, after the arrival of the Portuguese court, Brazilian ports were opened for trade with other nations. Likewise, people of any nationality could settle in Brazil. 

In this way, waves of Europeans such as Italians, Germans, Dutch, Swiss, Polish, Spanish and Arabs from different origins came to Brazil.

In the beginning of the 20th century, Japanese immigration was stimulated by the governments of both countries. As a result, Brazil has the largest population of Japanese, Italians and Portuguese descendants in the world.

The union between the different human biotypes ended up generating individuals who were not completely indigenous, europeans, white or black, with regard to the genetic aspect. 

This is called miscegenation and it is very present in Brazilian society.

So please, when someone says they are Brazilian, do not make any comment such as ‘’but you don’t look Brazilian’’ or “you’re too white to be brazilian” or anything like that because this can be offensive. There is no “but” when someone says they are Brazilian.