I was reading an article about what foreign languages African American should teach their children when I read this paragraph:

"The conservative estimate is that half the population in Brazil is of African descent – which means that Brazil has a black population that is almost three times the size of the African-American population in the United States. Brazil has the largest number of African descendents in the Americas. In the world, Brazil is second only to Nigeria in terms of the number of black people living within its borders."

I had no idea that there were that many people of African descent located in Brazil so I decided to look into it a little further, enlighten myself and make a point to feature Afro-Brazilians in my next couple of posts on the blog. The first is a photo of a monument/statue dedicated to Zumbi. Zumbi is celebrated as a hero, freedom fighter, and symbol of freedom amongst Afro-Brazilians in Brazil.

Zumbi dos Palmares (1655 - November 20, 1695)

Zumbi has become a hero of the twentieth-century Afro-Brazilian political movement. November 20th, is celebrated as a day of Black Awareness "Consciência Negra" primarily in Rio De Janeiro. Below you will find some additional resources where you can learn more about the Afro-Brazilian icon.

Resources

Zumbi: Freedom Fighter

Zumbi and Palmares