Denis Opudo
The recently released Black Panther has attracted a huge following globally. The well-executed movie talks about the never colonized and self-reliant Africa. Black Panther has managed to raise almost $1 billion globally. Brazil is amongst the top five of its main markets. The Brazilian cities connected to African culture organized places for the blacks to view the movie. Brazil has more than 100 million mixtures of black and brown people.
Intelectualidade Afro-Brasileira is a Facebook group which organized a private movie session. The move previews got the opportunity to market for the companies owned by the blacks. This took place in favor of the Black Panther. In Rio de Janeiro Afro-Brazilians gathered at the shopping malls spaces. These are spaces specifically set aside for white elites in Brazil. The move was a sign of protest against racial discrimination.
The gatherings also signaled positive signs. It showed that the Afro-Brazilians were ready to support products that represent them in a larger crowd. Black Money is also a movement in Brazil that the blacks use to support their own business. Both Black Money and Black Panther received overwhelming support. The support has gone up to the mainstream media. Afro-Brazilians have always felt connected to the African roots. They feel connected more than their counterparts in America. But this does not get the mainstream attention. is an indication euphemism for the white establishment in Brazil.
There is a big difference between the United States and Brazil. In US black movies, products and companies receive support from all races. The support reflected by the blacks in Brazil is a good sign that they can come together and support their own. It also shows that Afro-Brazilians have a great influence on the Brazilian economy. Majority of Brazilian entrepreneurs are blacks. Furthermore, most of the businesses in Brazil are under one person ownership. The blacks in Brazil have cannot generate wealth through large-scale entrepreneurship. This is because they do not have capital and cannot access credit. Averagely blacks earn 55% of the white Brazilians monthly income. Black Brazilians get $472 compared to the whites who earn $850.
Irrespective of the difference blacks have an annual consumption of $493 billion. The figures rank Black Brazil as the 11th largest country in the world. Moreover, it can rank it as the 17th largest economy in terms of consumption. The Afro-Brazilian’s interest in entrepreneurship has gone up due to a number of factors. Many blacks have received the college education. This is attributed to the launch of affirmative action in universities. Furthermore, the beauty movement promoting positive black aesthetic has helped to boost the black’s self-esteem. Furthermore, social media has helped to spread the knowledge and opinion about black products.
There are many companies that are promoting black products and are doing quite well. Diaspora.Black is a startup based in Brazil that is trying to market itself as the Balck Airbnb. The startup recently closed crowdfunding campaign where it garnered above $5,000. The startup will take part in an accelerator supported by Facebook in Sao Paulo in the course of 2018. In 2017 Paulo Rogerio a social entrepreneur developed Dande Valley. This is an accelerator that will help nature the black entrepreneurs’ creative economy in Salvador city. Salvado is Brazil’s black largest city. It has more than 80% of the city’s 3 million population classified as blacks.
