Brazil slavery unearthed
March 26, 2012 at 1:00 am
Brazil slavery unearthed
Traces of painful past discovered in harbor remake
By Juliana Barbassa
Associated Press
Rio de Janeiro — In a rundown part of Rio de Janeiro's harbor district, archaeologists are digging up fragments of a history many Brazilians would rather ignore.
Up to a million men and women forced into bondage in Africa emerged from the bellies of ships onto the Valongo wharf of what was once the world's busiest slave-trading port. Today, as Brazil surges forward on the world stage, scholars hope the trove of beads, bracelets and statuettes they are finding will also prompt Brazilians to look backward with greater interest at their slave heritage.
The wharf that was intentionally buried in 1840 and replaced by a new port is coming back to light as part of a $5 billion project remaking Rio's port region for tourism and business ahead of the 2016 Olympics.
Brazilians have long viewed their country as a racial democracy free from prejudice and the discrimination that marked U.S. history.
More:
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120326/NATION/203260361/1020/nation/Brazil-slavery-unearthed
