In the Presence of Greatness

Today we me Abdias Nascimento who is truly a legend in the Black movement in Brazil and his life’s work makes him a icon world wide. Nascimento was born in 1914 and soon began to paint African influenced art and write plays. From this art grew a consciousness and pride in being black that led him to black activism and organizing during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Eventually he was exiled from the country for his criticism of white supremacy and racism. Upon being exiled Nascimento moved to the US and began working with scholars and activist to continue to critique white supremacy and racism. When the regime fell Nascimento returned to Brazil and was elected to office several times. At 93 years old this man’s life and experiences defy comparison. Although in many ways he was like WEB Dubois ie intellectual, long life and exile, Dubois was never elected to office and was never an artist. Some might say Paul Roberson but Nascimento was much more successful in his courageous political stances. He is in a category by himself.
The first thing I noticed about Nascimento was that despite his age and ailments he is still extremely insightful, controversial, witty and dedicated to the struggle of black freedom. Nascimento spoke about how there is so much to be done to ensure the recognition of black humanity but that the shadow of death was upon him. From this I drew two important conclusions. First, that our generation must continue to struggle that Nascimento’s generation started. Second, that despite the great leadership and voices in Brazil on the issue of Black empowerment there is very little media coverage. Who would Martine Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X be without television coverage and audio recording. The Brazilian media is stifling the movement by not giving coverage to neither the movement's leaders nor legends.