Brazil a patchwork of Cultures and Races

Brazil was discovered by the Portuguese in 1500 .When they arrived in Brazil, they found native Indians living there. After many attempts to enslave the natives, the Portuguese brought Africans to be their slaves. Since that moment, Brazil has become a patchwork of cultures and races. Native Indians, black people from Africa and Europeans have shaped this republic called Brazil.

The influence of these three different continents makes the Brazilian culture very unique. The first influence that makes the Brazilian culture so curious is the country’s huge size. Brazil is the largest country in South America. Consisting of almost half the South American continent (47.3%), Brazil’s territory extends over 8,547,403 km2. Consequently, it has a diverse influence in each part of the country. For example, cities like Salvador, Bahia in the north of Brazil has the African traditions. On the other hand, cities like Porto Alegre in the south of Brazil have the European influence. Moreover, a foreigner can find mixed traditions in cosmopolitan cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

The second influence that makes Brazil such a remarkable country is the way of life of the Brazilian citizens. Sometimes it is very difficult for foreigners to understand why Brazilians are so friendly and happy despite all of the poverty and corruption. That is because of the “jeitinho’’- which means there is always a creative way to deal with some difficulty. Also, Brazilian people have many talents developed by different traditions and culture. For instance, it is easy to recognize a Brazilian person by the way he dances the samba. Foreigners usually have difficulty following this Brazilian rhythm, which came from African traditions.

In the end, Brazil is a multicultural place with many interesting options for foreigners. The difficulties they probably face are only small stones near the ocean of discoveries they can make in this melting pot country. In Brazil, the diversity makes the difference.