The Masters and the Slaves, was written by Gilberto de Mello Freyre, which was first published in 1933. It is a secondary source because it incorporates and explains in detail the different types of resources. He wrote this reading to explain that the strength of Brazil lies in its racial diversity.

Freyre elaborates on the living conditions of Portuguese settlers, the indigenous peoples of Brazil, and African slaves. In this particular chapter, he focused mostly on African cultural anthropology and its social history rather than the physical anthropology. Freyre believes that the anthropology-culture and historical social aspects of African life indicate that Brazil benefited from a better type of colonists from the “dark continent”, than did the countries of the Americas.

He traces numerous separate lines from African civilization to Brazil, noting in considerable detail the importance of the vastly varying African populations, religions, languages, and cultures that were brought. He emphasizes that the negative qualities considered characteristic of African slaves in Brazil were in fact produced by slavery, not by African heritage. There was a deeper analysis of food, clothing, religious rituals and dance, which was linked from the African slaves to the Brazil’s culture that is seen today.

Sexuality was a prevalent theme in this reading, he talks about the odor of certain kinds of bodies, the “lushness” of women’s diets, sexual diseases, the heat and the importance of Big House in Brazilian culture. There is a focus on the prayers, child marriage, taunting rhymes and lullabies. He also mentions the Mohammedan Negroes that were brought to Brazil from the African area which had been most deeply penetrated by Islamism. They were culturally superior not only to the natives, but to the great majority of the white colonists.

Freyre does an excellent job in explaining the impact the African culture had in Brazil. He uses variety of resources to give an insight of the living conditions of “Negro” slaves. Although some of the resources might not be credible because they were travelers’ accounts or family stories, it gives the reader the unpleasant truth about slavery and its mark in Brazil.

Do you agree with certain points in this reading? If so, what are they?

Do you believe this reading is similar to Jose Vasconcelos and his idea of a “cosmic race”?