La Unidad Latina hosts discussion panel on Brazilian identity | Arts & Culture
People of all backgrounds gathered to have a discussion about samba, resistance and national identity in Brazil on Wednesday, Sept. 9, while eating Brazilian food staples like pão de queijo and guaraná. The La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. hosted its Brazil discussion panel with several speakers attending.
“Who in this room is not Brazilian?” Ivan Mendoza, the president of Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, said. The majority of hands in the room flew up. “This is going to be y’all’s introduction to Brazil.”
Josenildo Paulino, a history PhD student, covered contemporary history of Brazil over roughly the past 140 years. He used interpretation of historic paintings to tell the harsh realities of persistent colorism and racial prejudice post-Abolition in Brazil. The topics covered went from post-Abolitionism to redemocratization in today’s Brazilian presidency in the span of an hour.
Paulino spoke of popular culture pioneers and contemporary films that advocated for the young adult Black population of Brazil. Applause was followed by questions ranging from the parallels between Brazilian and U.S. history to Paulino’s day-to-day experiences with his identity as a Brazilian in America.
Hoberdan Peno, classical guitarist and graduate teaching assistant at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, delivered a musical lens to view Brazilian history from.
“We’re Brazilians,” Peno said. “We are totally different from each other but we are united as a people, as a culture.”
He presented different diasporas of samba on just one instrument. Peno spoke of musical figures like Aníbal Augusto “Garoto” Sardinha, João Gilberto and Tom Jobim. He spoke of artists who represented Brazil and transcended segregation through music.
Peno performed movement one of “Concierto del Sur” by Manuel Ponce to close out his discussion. Heads leaned into the center of the room to enter the world he created as his fingers danced across the strings.
Christopher Rodriguez, third-year psychology and cognitive sciences major, said he appreciated the speakers’ comments that they would always be Latino, no matter where they lived.
“It was really nice to be supported in that sentiment by someone who’s actually Latin American,” Rodriguez said.
Mendoza looks forward to introducing more countries ranging from El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Haiti and others into future discussions.
“So why are we even focusing on them? Why are we trying to highlight their stories?” Mendoza said. “Well, the whole purpose of talking about La Unidad Latina is that it’s not Hispanic unity, it’s not Mexican unity, but it’s Latino unity.”