resources on african themes
Menu
- » Home Page
- » ATI, FoI, RTI
- » Africa
- » Angola
- » Bibliography
- » Ethiopia
- » IP & Copyright
- » Library Science
- » Makhno
- » Mozambique
- » Russia & Africa
- » Mandela in Brasil 1991
- » MHN
Links
Nelson Mandela’s Visit to Brazil,
August 1991
«Quando vejo seus rostos tenho a sensação de estar em casa, porque a mistura da população é como a nossa. E nós damos as boas vindas a esse fato, porque a miscigenação enriquece o País». Nelson Mandela, speaking at a cocktail party in Rio de Janeiro on 2 August 1991.
In August 1991, Nelson and Winnie Mandela paid a six-day visit to Brazil, Mandela in his role as president of the African National Congress (ANC). The trip, undertaken near the beginning of the process of negotiation that eventually led to South Africa’s first democratic elections in April 1994, marked a sharp learning curve for both sides. The ANC lacked the cadres and capacity to prepare properly for the visit, had little or no grasp of the subtleties of race politics in Brazil, and appears to have seriously under-estimated the expectations that the arrival of the Mandelas aroused among Brazilian blacks. The main interests from the ANC side seems to have been to exert pressure on the Brazilian administration of President Fernando Collor de Mello (b.1949; held office March 1990-December 1992) to maintain sanctions – most specifically regarding arms sales – against the still-white minority government of South Africa; and to seek support (including funding) in the struggle to end apartheid and gain power in South Africa. The schedule originally planned for the visit was punishing, but in addition it marginalised black groups and political figures; in the end, for both reasons, several events were dropped and some changes were made. By the conclusion of the visit, significantly, Mandela had changed his previous diplomatic line and stated publicly that he sensed some bitterness [amargura] among black Brazilians, and yes, racial discrimination did indeed exist in Brazil [Folha de São Paulo, 7 August 1991; see below].
In order to understand the impact of the visit on domestic Brazilian politics in the ’90s, a little background is necessary. The ideology of ‘racial democracy’, which posited that Brazil had overcome the racism found in other parts of the world, although discredited by writers such as Carlos Hasenbalg, Thomas Skidmore and Nelson de Valle Silva, still persisted to some extent among white politicians at this time. In mid-1991 the Brazilian government was preparing for a population census, which had already been postponed. An alliance of black consciousness movements was campaigning around issues related to the race categories used in the enumeration. These were important because, if multiple categories or self-reporting were used, then Brazilian people of colour would likely become a series of minorities; however, if the categorisation were binary (black/white) then many lighter-skinned blacks would report as white. In addition, debates around race issues were largely suppressed.
Above: The front page of a flyer on the 1991 census that was distributed by ‘Black Movement’ groups in Rio de Janeiro in August 1991, more or less at the time of Mandela’s visit. The flyer asks Brazilian people of colour to show ‘good sense’ and not to allow their race to become an ‘empty ballot’ [passar em branco], thus turning them into an invisible population. Top right: The gym at the Nelson Mandela Ciep. Second right: the outside of a typical Ciep building. The abbreviation Ciep stands for Centro Integrado de Educação Pública or Integrated Centre for Public Education. Cieps were especially associated with the two governorships of Leonel Brizola in Rio state (1983-1987 and 1991-1994). They offered classes, sport and cultural activity, and were built on modular principles from pre-cast concrete blocks in three sections: classes, a gym, and a library. Beneath right: the covers of some of the books on South Africa available in Brazil around the time of the Mandela visit.
It is worth noting that one of the few academic texts to attempt an analysis specifically of the Mandela visit in this broad context is Melissa Nobles’ Shades of citizenship: race and the census in modern politics (Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2000), especially pages 156-159.
Above: This video clip showing Mandela during his Brazilian visit in 1991 is from the Brazilian channel Cultne, described as the Acervo Digital de Cultural Negra for Brazil.
Nelson Mandela entered this environment, it seems, almost entirely unprepared for what was to follow. In what was virtually his first public utterance, in a speech in garden of the Palácio Guanabara in Rio, he unwittingly caused a sensation. Brazil, he stated, was a successful multi-racial society that could serve as a role model [guia] for South Africa. The black consciousness organisations were stunned and dismayed. Mandela’s politely well-meant remark that he ‘felt at home’ was seized upon and turned around – he would feel at home, he comes from apartheid South Africa [see the cartoon below]. Allegations were made of discrimination in the choice of people that Mandela was to meet.
The selection of press clippings listed below were made at the time of the visit, mainly from Carioca and Paulista newspapers. They are organised by topic: 1. The Run-Up to the Visit; 2. General Reports on the Visit; 3. The Attempted Fraud (an alleged attempt to defraud the state government of Espírito Santo by the representative of a non-existent solidarity organisation); 4. Mandela and Racism in Brazil; 5. Sanctions and Support; 6. Winnie Mandela; and 7. Beijoqueiro, Mandelão e Mandelinho (on an eccentric serial kisser, and on Mandela’s easy connection with Brazilian children).
Since this page was first posted, the website Black Women of Brazil has posted a page in English here dedicated to an analysis of the visit by the Mandelas, under the heading ‘Looking back: When Nelson Mandela visited Brazil in 1991, he noted the bitterness of black Brazilians due to the racial situation’, which includes several good-quality colour photographs taken at the time. The Black Women of Brazil page refers to this site, saying that it is important for Brazilians to see their country and society through the eyes of the foreigner.
1. The Run-Up to the Visit
♦ 14 July 1991
Cancelada. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 14 July 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 97 kb.
Reports changes to Mandela’s scheduled visit to Latin American countries; however, he will still visit Brazil.
♦ 27 July 1991
Mandela e Winnie em Havana. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 27 July 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 50 kb.
The Mandelas visited Cuba before arriving in Brazil.
♦ 28 July 1991
Mandela defende aliança com comunista. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 28 July 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 103 kb.
In Cuba, Mandela states that the alliance with the SACP will not be abandoned by the ANC.
♦ 28 July 1991
Wim van Volsem. Samba time for Nelson. Sunday Times [Johannesburg] 28 July 1991. In English. Click here to download a PDF file, size 57 kb.
♦ 30 July 1991
O Rio te abraça Mandela. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 30 July 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 188 kb.
An advertisement for the ‘showmício’ [Brazilian neologism, combination of English ‘show’ and Portuguese ‘comício’] to welcome the Mandelas, to be held at the Praça de Apoteose [i.e. the sambadrome] on Thursday 1 August at 6 p.m. Announces the participation of several very well-known black musicians and groups.
♦ 31 July 1991
Roberto Pompeu de Toledo. O parto de uma nação. Veja [Rio de Janeiro] vol.24 no.31, 31 July 1991, pages 40-45. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 1.1 Mb.
A general background article on the difficulties South Africa is likely to face in the post-apartheid era.
♦ 1 August 1991
Rezek anuncia agenda curta. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 59 kb.
It was immediately clear that Mandela’s programme was a problem, and Francisco Rezek announced that it would be reduced, not to exclude anybody but in order not to sacrifice the visitor.
♦ 1 August 1991
Rezek sugere agenda menor para Mandela. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 33 kb.
Francisco Rezek, the Brazilian Foreign Minister, describes the programme as absurd, pointing out that Mandela has limits of health and age.
♦ 1 August 1991
Partido dos Trabalhadores. À população do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Partido dos Trabalhadores, 1 August 1991. 1 page. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 118 kb.
This leaflet was distributed by the PT at the Showmício at the Sambódromo Marquês de Sapucaí (also known as the Praça de Apoteose). It concludes by hoping that Mandela’s visit will serve as a stimulus in the struggle for socialism.
♦ 1 August 1991
Bahia reorganiza programa. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 62 kb.
Mandela’s visit to Bahia was cut to less than a day, as the state of Espírito Santo was added to the itinerary. Black groups had to reorganise the programme at short notice.
♦ 1 August 1991
Brasilië ontvang Mandela koninklik. Beeld [Johannesburg] 1 August 1991. In Afrikaans. Click here to download a PDF file, size 60 kb.
Mandela gets a royal welcome in Brazil.
♦ 1 August 1991
Brizola dá festa hoje para Mandela. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 24 kb.
The first day includes a cocktail party with Brizola and the show at the sambadrome.
♦ 1 August 1991
Gafe. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 49 kb.
The Mandela visit was often marked by poor organisation on the Brazilian side, something that was frequently noted by the local press. He was awarded, for instance, the Tiradentes medal by the Rio state assembly, but no actual medal was cast in time for the ceremony.
♦ 1 August 1991
Homenagem antecipada. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 54 kb.
A local dance company produced Ogum Onirê in honour of Mandela. The orixá Ogum represents perseverance, one of Mandela’s obvious qualities.
♦ 1 August 1991
Mandela chega ao Rio e ganha show na Apoteose. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 237 kb.
♦ 1 August 1991
Mandela inaugura hoje Ciep em Campo Grande. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 69 kb.
♦ 1 August 1991
Nelson Mandela amanhece no Rio. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 29 kb.
Details of Mandela’s programme, including the opening of the Ciep named after him, in Campo Grande.
♦ 1 August 1991
Perfil: Nelson Mandela, uma luta pacífica. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 158 kb.
More background.
♦ 1 August 1991
Prefeitura se lembra de Zumbi. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 118 kb.
The Rio city authorities have cleaned up the monument to Zumbi dos Palmares, leader of a 17th century community of former slaves in the Brazilian interior, in honour of Mandela’s visit.
♦ 1 August 1991
Uma apoteose musical para Nelson Mandela. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 105 kb.
Details of the show to welcome Nelson Mandela to Brazil: includes Emílio Santiago, Alcione, and Martinho da Vila.
♦ 1 August 1991
A voz serena. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 121 kb.
♦ 1 August 1991
Lourival de Sant’anna. Líder vira mito após passar 27 anos na prisão. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 73 kb.
Some historical and biographical background on Mandela.
2. General Reports on the Visit
♦ 2 August 1991
Alegria ao reinaugurar Ciep. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 59 kb.
Mandela did not have time, in a half-hour visit, to see the classrooms, the canteen or the library at the Ciep that was named after him.
♦ 2 August 1991
Brizola recepciona líder negro. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 2.4 Mb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Casal fica só com a roupa do corpo. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 36 kb.
All the luggage belonging to the Mandelas were routed by mistake to Miami.
♦ 2 August 1991
Coquetel teve 400 convidados. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 67 kb.
The reception at the Guanabara Palace, with 400 guests, was addressed by Mandela, who greeted the attendees in Portuguese.
♦ 2 August 1991
Desorganização e cansaço mudam agenda. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 79 kb.
The show started without Mandela, who arrived at 22h00, and was attended by around 20,000 people; the Mandela's suitcases were lost; and the arrival at the airport was chaotic.
♦ 2 August 1991
Entrevista esperada que não houve. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 63 kb.
A collective interview that was scheduled was cut short by Mandela himself.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 28 kb.
Mandela is awarded the Medalha de Mérito de Brasília.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela agradece ao Brasil apoio na luta anti-apartheid. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 94 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela atrai 40 mil à Praça da Apoteose. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 149 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela no Rio. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 174 kb.
A captioned photograph.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela no Rio: emoção supera o cansaço. Jornal da Tarde [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 374 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela, no Rio, faz ultimato a De Klerk. Correio Braziliense [Brasília] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 2.5 Mb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Nas Laranjeiras, diploma de cidadão. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 68 kb.
At the cocktail in Guanabara, Mandela was given the freedom of the city of Rio de Janeiro.
♦ 2 August 1991
Cezar Faccioli. Nelson Mandela defende instalação imediata de governo de transição. Gazeta Mercantil [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 315 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Casal visitante almoça com Fleury. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 620 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
No Ciep, visita rápida frustrou moradores. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 61 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
País vira guia contra apartheid. Correio Braziliense [Brasília] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 1.6 Mb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Rio recebe Mandela como herói. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 34 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
O privilédio [sic] que poucos conseguem. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 75 kb.
The driver assigned by Itamaraty (the Brazilian foreign ministry) to drive Mandela around is a Portuguese citizen, Laurindo da Graça Montanha, aged 60.
Above: a uncaptioned cartoon by Cruz published in O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] on Monday 5 August 1991. The kind of ecstatic reception by black Brazilians that is depicted is what the ANC and Mandela were more or less unprepared for.
♦ 2 August 1991
Quem é Nelson Mandela. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 47 kb.
Short article with biographical details.
♦ 2 August 1991
Rio recebe Mandela com festa: duas mil pessoas esperam quase cinco horas para homenagear o líder negro sul-africano em um Ciep de Campo Grande. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 295 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
O sonho de uma democracia não racista. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 71 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Um sorriso negro, mil abraços negros. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 55 kb.
♦ 3 August 1991
Homenagem. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 3 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 26 kb.
TV-Globo showed the film Zulu (1964; dir. Cy Endfield), about a battle in 1879, in which a handful of British soldiers defeated a Zulu impi, on the day of Mandela’s arrival in Brazil.
♦ 3 August 1991
Líder africano volta a Rio na segunda-feira. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 3 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 77 kb.
♦ 3 August 1991
Mandela almoça com Fleury e ataca apartheid na África do Sul. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 3 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 1.4 Mb.
♦ 3 August 1991
Mandela chega a São Paulo com seis horas de atraso. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 3 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 167 kb.
Again, an article on the disorganised nature of the visit and its programming.
♦ 3 August 1991
Colin Darch. A hora de Mandela. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 3 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 254 kb.
♦ 4 August 1991
Mandela pede descanso: líder sul-africano desembarca em Salvador exausto. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 4 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 122 kb.
Mandela arrives in Salvador, in Bahia, in a state of exhaustion and asks for a break.
♦ 4 August 1991
Gabriela Máximo. Me sentirei honrado com a presidência. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 4 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 210 kb.
♦ 5 August 1991
Líder não descarta a luta armada. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 5 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 41 kb.
♦ 5 August 1991
Mandela quase morto de tanto amor. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 5 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 95 kb.
The visit to Vitória ES.
♦ 5 August 1991
Nelson bedank Brasilië. Beeld [Johannesburg] 5 August 1991. In Afrikaans. Click here to download a PDF file, size 80 kb.
♦ 5 August 1991
Uma sósia em Salvador. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 5 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 145 kb.
José Lopes dos Santos bears a striking physical resemblance to Mandela, and meets him for a few moments.
♦ 5 August 1991
Eliane Velloso. Mandela se encontra hoje com Collor. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 5 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 85 kb.
Mandela is scheduled to meet the Brazilian President, Ferdinand Coller de Mello.
♦ 6 August 1991
Azambuja prevê cooperação. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 61 kb.
Marcos Azambuja, the acting foreign minister, praises Mandela and predicts close cooperation between Brazil and South Africa at a dinner at Itamaraty.
♦ 6 August 1991
Brasilië se hoogste eer vir Mandela. Die Burger [Cape Town] 6 August 1991. In Afrikaans. Click here to download a PDF file, size 48 kb.
Brazil awards its highest honour to Mandela
♦ 6 August 1991
Brazil boobs as Mandela jets in. Star [Johannesburg] 6 August 1991. In English. Click here to download a PDF file, size 102 kb.
A delayed report on Brazilian clumsiness regarding South Africa – by first announcing that an ambassador would be appointed; then announcing that the appointee would be black; then by revealing that there were no candidates, and that Brazil had in fact never had a black ambassadorial appointment.
♦ 6 August 1991
Collor condecora visitante. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 106 kb.
Above: Nelson Mandela shakes hands with the Brazilian President, Fernando Collor de Mello, after receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco on 5 August 1991 in Brasilia. The award is given to distinguished foreigners.
♦ 6 August 1991
Congresso também entregou comenda. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 52 kb.
Mandela is awarded the Grande Colar da Ordem do Congresso Nacional.
♦ 6 August 1991
Mandela no Planalto. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 105 kb.
Photograph with an explanatory paragraph.
♦ 6 August 1991
Mandela recebe comenda do Rio Branco e agradece apoio. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 147 kb.
Includes two boxes: Líder nota amargura de negro, and, Flagrantes da visita.
♦ 6 August 1991
Mandela recebe Honoris Causa. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 132 kb.
♦ 6 August 1991
Nelson Mandela recebe condecoração de Collor. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 133 kb.
♦ 6 August 1991
Presidente lembra raízes comuns. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 58 kb.
♦ 6 August 1991
Un[iversidade de] B[rasília]: homenagem, carinho e tumulto. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 74 kb.
Mandela is awarded an honorary doctorate.
♦ 7 August 1991
Mandela oortuig van oorwinning. Beeld [Johannesburg] 7 August 1991. In Afrikaans. Click here to download a PDF file, size 52 kb.
Mandela is confident of victory.
♦ 7 August 1991
Última prova de Mandela: só mesmo quem passou 30 anos na cadeia para aguentar a desorganização brasileira. Istoé [São Paulo] no.1141, 7 August 1991, pages 30. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 205 kb.
More nationally self-deprecating criticism of Brazilian disorganisation.
♦ 8 August 1991
Ruth de Aquino. Lembranças do Brasil: entrevista Nelson Mandela. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 8 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 160 kb.
Mandela gave virtually no interviews to the Brazilian press.
♦ 9 August 1991-15 August 1991
Colin Darch. Mandela in Brazil: home from home. Weekly Mail [Johannesburg] 9 August 1991-15 August 1991. In English. Click here to download a PDF file, size 332 kb.
3. The Attempted Fraud
♦ 2 August 1991
Tentativa de exploração. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 121 kb.
An attempt by a group called Amandla to defraud the state government of Espírito Santo of US$27,000.
♦ 4 August 1991
Wim van Volsem. Fraud scandal rocks Mandela’s Brazil tour. Sunday Times [Johannesburg] 4 August 1991. In English. Click here to download a PDF file, size 112 kb.
♦ 7 August 1991
Jorge Octávio Xavier, Benedito Vicente da Silva and Joseph Adeniyi Majaro. Visita de Mandela. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 7 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 62 kb.
Letter of protest from some of the people involved in the Projeto Amandla.
4. Mandela and Racism in Brazil
♦ 31 July 1991
Roberto Pompeu de Toledo. Casa grande e Soweto. Veja [Rio de Janeiro] vol.24 no.31, 31 July 1991, pages 46-49. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 683 kb.
The title makes reference to the classic work Casa grande e senzala [Big house and slave quarters] (first publ. 1933), by Gilberto Freyre (1900-1987). Compares levels of discrimination in Brazil and South Africa and concludes that Brazil is in no position to adopt a position of moral superiority.
♦ August 1991
Não deixe sua cor passar em branco: responda com bom c/senso. Rio de Janeiro: IBASE, August 1991. 4 pages. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 2.4 Mb.
A 4-page flyer laying out the position of the group of organisations (including the Centro de Estudos Afro-Asiáticos) on racial categories in the upcoming September 1991 population census. Mandela arrived in the middle of this debate.
♦ 1 August 1991
Homenagens, com ressalva. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 145 kb.
A cautious editorial on racism in Brazil, in response to the Mandela visit.
♦ 1 August 1991
Movimento negro acusa Brizola de discriminação. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 56 kb.
Black leaders in Rio complain that they have been marginalised by the state government during Mandela’s visit.
♦ 1 August 1991
Visita de Mandela ao Brasil conscientiza população negra. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 75 kb.
♦ 1 August 1991
Visita de Mandela provoca protesto de movimento negro. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 169 kb.
♦ 1 August 1991
Ruth de Aquino. A lição de Mandela. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 116 kb.
Ruth de Aquino visited South Africa in 1989: she concludes by writing that apartheid is not just something that happens on the other side of the Atlantic ocean.
♦ 2 August 1991
Igualdade ilusória. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 88 kb.
Comment on Mandela's surprising comment that Brazil was an example of a multi-racial society that could be followed. The Folha remarks that unhappily race relations in Brazil are very far from showing a harmony that is worth imitating.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela contradiz líderes negros do Brasil: segundo o presidente do CNA, país está mais avançado do que a África do Sul na construção de sociedade multiracial. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 104 kb.
Headlined ‘Mandela contradicts black leaders in Brazil’, this is a report on Mandela’s ill-judged remarks on race issues in Brazil at the reception in the Guanabara Palace on the day of his arrival.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela elogia no Rio realidade racial no país. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 138 kb.
A report on Mandela’s ill-judged remarks on race issues in Brazil at the reception in the Guanabara Palace on the day of his arrival.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela diz que no Rio se sente em casa. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 48 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Movimento negro protesta. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 50 kb.
Above: a cartoon by Jaguar (Sérgio de Magalhães Gomes Jaguaribe, b.1932), published in O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] on Sunday 4 August 1991. The caption reads: Mandela says that in Rio he feels at home. The bubbles read: That’s to say, he feels like he’s in South Africa ... before or after apartheid? The handwritten footnote reads: This is why they didn’t invite me to the cocktail party.
♦ 2 August 1991
Movimentos negros vêem discriminação. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 51 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Uma saudação à miscigenação racial. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 91 kb.
♦ 4 August 1991
Stan Lehman. Mandela to learn Brazil is racist. Sunday Star [Johannesburg] 4 August 1991. In English. Click here to download a PDF file, size 100 kb.
News of the controversial nature of Mandela’s remarks on race in Brazil was also published – although in a low-key manner – in South African newspapers.
♦ 5 August 1991
José Arbex. Fique por dentro: visita de Mandela gera debate sobre racismo. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 5 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 93 kb.
♦ 5 August 1991
Marcelo Dias. Depois de Mandela. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 5 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 137 kb.
♦ 6 August 1991
Líder fala sobre racismo no Brasil. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 71 kb.
♦ 6 August 1991
Líder negro nota amargura no Brasil. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 71 kb.
♦ 6 August 1991
José Arbex. Atraso e confusão marcam visita do líder anti-apartheid ao Brasil: Mandela cria anticlímax ao dizer que há democracia racial no país. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 99 kb.
Deals with the twin themes of the poor organisation of the visit and Mandela’s comments on race and society in Brazil.
♦ 7 August 1991
Comment: hypocrisy. Citizen [Johannesburg] 7 August 1991. In English. Click here to download a PDF file, size 558 kb.
With no sense of irony, the editorialist gets on a high horse about Brazilian accusations of South African racism when their own Brazilian house is so clearly not in order.
♦ 7 August 1991
Grito contra racismo: Mandela se afirma identificado com negro brasileiro. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 7 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 193 kb.
Includes a side-bar: Winnie visita 2 shoppings [i.e. malls].
♦ 7 August 1991
Carlos Franco. Mandela admite que Brasil discrimina negros. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 7 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 46 kb.
♦ 11 August 1991
Acir Braga da Silva. Nelson Mandela. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 11 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 43 kb.
In a letter to the editor, a reader asks ‘em que pode Mandela representar o negro brasileiro’?
5. Sanctions and Support
♦ 1 August 1991
CNA pede que não se burlem sanções. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 97 kb.
A report datelined Mexico City, quoting the newspaper El Financiero, condemns moves to lift sanctions through NAFTA.
♦ 1 August 1991
Mandela inicia hoje sua visita ao Brasil: ele critica a CEE pelo fim do embargo ao seu país. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 158 kb.
Mandela sets an agenda item for his visit by criticising the EEC for lifting sanctions against South Africa. Includes a box: Rezek quer mais contato.
♦ 1 August 1991
Mandela será ouvido sobre reaproximação: Rezek afirma que Brasil consultará líder negro sobre as relações com a África do Sul. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 124 kb.
The Brazilian foreign minister says that the government will consult black South African leaders, including Mandela, on commercial and cultural relations with their country.
♦ 1 August 1991
Gabriela Máximo. Mandela chega ao Rio hoje mais fortalecido. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 149 kb.
Mandela arrives strengthened after a trip around Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America seeking to have sanctions against South Africa kept in place.
♦ 1 August 1991
Tentativa de manter sanções. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 74 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
CNA busca verba para campanha. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 101 kb.
The ANC wants funding support to run its campaign.
♦ 2 August 1991
CNA pede renúncia de governo De Klerk. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 50 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Maria Helena Tachinardi. Brasil estuda a suspensão das sanções comerciais impostas à África do Sul. Gazeta Mercantil [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 188 kb.
Includes a box: Cezar Faccioli, O primeiro dia da visita.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela pede apoio do Brasil para mudança política na África do Sul. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 352 kb.
Above: Nelson Mandela waves to the crowd in the gardens of the Palácio Guanabara, flanked by Leonel Brizola, governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, and Winnie Mandela. In his speech he described Brazil as a role model of a non-racial society.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela quer ajuda do Brasil. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 2.5 Mb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Mandela veio pedir recursos para chegar ao poder. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 47 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Nelson Mandela. Correio Braziliense [Brasília] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 30 kb.
Mandela is disappointed that the funds raised by the ANC during the visit have been modest.
♦ 2 August 1991
Eliane Velloso and José Luís Vilhena. Mandela pede apoio para chegar ao poder. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 130 kb.
♦ 5 August 1991
Aurélio Gimenes. Mandela quer constituinte na África do Sul: em visita a Vitória (ES), o líder do CNA defende uma solução pacífica para a democratização do seu país. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 5 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 99 kb.
♦ 6 August 1991
Collor manterá sanções à África do Sul. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 103 kb.
Sanctions will be kept in place.
♦ 6 August 1991
Collor promete manter sanções à África do Sul: Mandela mantêm encontro com o presidente e diz que visita ao país superou expectativas. Estado de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 265 kb.
♦ 6 August 1991
Grandes nações desapontam. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 45 kb.
The great powers disappointed Mandela and the ANC by lifting sanctions against apartheid South Africa precipitously.
♦ 6 August 1991
Mandela exige direito de voto para negros: em Brasília, o líder sul-africano visita o presidente Collor, a STF e a universidade, onde atraiu uma multidão. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 108 kb.
Includes a box: Brasil deve manter sanções.
6. Winnie Mandela
♦ 2 August 1991
Benedita da Silva. Saudação a Winnie. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 116 kb.
The author of this salute to Winnie is Benedita da Silva, a prominent member of the PT, who once campaigned under the slogan ‘Mulher, Negra, Favelada’.
♦ 6 August 1991
Minha Gente empolga Winnie. Jornal do Comércio [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 44 kb.
Minha Gente was a project of the Legião Brasileira de Assistência (1942-1995), a philanthropic organisation. While under Rosane Collor’s management, accusations of embezzlement were made. One of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s first actions in power was to close LBA down.
♦ 6 August 1991
Obra social e juventude de D. Rosane encantam Winnie: visitante quer um projeto parecido na África do Sul. O Globo [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 123 kb.
Includes a side-bar: Benedita lembra papel de Winnie e sai aplaudida.
♦ 6 August 1991
Winnie interessada pela LBA. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 6 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 34 kb.
7. Beijoqueiro, Mandelão e Mandelinho
Beijoqueiro was the nickname [English: roughly ‘I want a kiss’] of the eccentric José Alves de Moura (b.1940 in Portugal), who jumped onto the stage and kissed Frank Sinatra during a concert at the Maracanã stadium in January 1980, allegedly for a bet. He quickly became a darling of the Carioca press for attempting and often succeeding in kissing other celebrities, and was termed a ‘serial kisser’. His attempt to kiss Mandela and to give Winnie a rose was frustrated when he was thrown to the ground by two security men. He disappeared from public view in 2007.
♦ 1 August 1991
Mandela no Rio. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 97 kb.
Five-year old Nelson Mandela de Oliveira is due to meet his namesake, Mandelão, today.
♦ 1 August 1991
O pequeno xará de Mandela: menino que tem o nome do líder vai conhecê-lo hoje. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 1 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 359 kb.
Xará is used in Brazilian Portuguese to mean ‘namesake’.
♦ 2 August 1991
Beijoqueiro causa tumulto. Correio Braziliense [Brasília] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 1.5 Mb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Sérgio Torres. Beijoqueiro é barrado pela polícia no Rio: tentativa de beijar casal Mandela é frustrada. Folha de S. Paulo [São Paulo] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 170 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Crianças não conhecem líder. O Dia [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 92 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
Meninos sobem ao palanque: Mandelinha se junta a Elias em festa no palácio. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 245 kb.
♦ 2 August 1991
No aeroporto uma recepção de estadista. Jornal do Brasil [Rio de Janeiro] 2 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 140 kb.
Includes a photograph of Beijoqueiro.
♦ 7 August 1991
Herói em visita: samba e picaretagem seguem Mandela. Veja [Rio de Janeiro] vol.24 no.32, 7 August 1991. In Portuguese. Click here to download a PDF file, size 101 kb.
Mentioning Beijoqueiro in the first sentence, Veja argues that the visit was characterised by the same ‘fatos divertidos, pitorescos e até absurdos que acompanham a maioria das excursões de personalidades internacionais [no Brasil], sejam elas brancas ou negras’.
