Migrants and refugees are turning away from the UK, EU and US as they search for a place to start a new life. Brazil has become a particularly popular destination for people coming from Sub-Saharan Africa. It has many qualities recommending it to people seeking safety. The country hosts around 1.3 million migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, protections for foreigners are written into its laws and constitution, and asylum and citizenship are possibilities. Visas are also easier to obtain than for many other middle to high income economies, which means migrants and asylum seekers can reach it through safe and legal routes rather than resorting to smugglers.
But migrants in Brazil still face challenges when it comes to seeking protection and status. Many migrants speak of harassment and racial attacks, poverty and exploitative work. They say that while entering the country is relatively easy, rebuilding a life in Brazil is not. Complicated asylum procedures, a lack of information and support in languages they understand, and ignorance of migrants’ and asylum seekers’ rights among officials and the general population all throw up challenges. As a result, migrants struggle to access stable work, rent houses, or open bank accounts because, although they might have the right documentation, business owners, landlords and banks simply do not recognise them as legitimate.
In this new ten-part series, Sub-Saharan Africans share their experiences of moving to and settling in Brazil. They speak about the challenges, discrimination, and exclusion they have faced as they navigate the migration system in search for a dignified life. Their accounts were recorded during a collaborative workshop run by researchers from the ERC-funded project Modern Marronage? The Pursuit and Practice of Freedom and Missão Paz, an NGO supporting migrants in São Paulo, Brazil.
One migrant described their motivation for participating in the following words: “This is not only important for me, as it may help me to sort out my situation right now, but it also might change things for everyone who will come [to Brazil] after us, so others don’t have to suffer as we have.”
We hope their wish becomes a reality. Many of them have escaped life-threatening and traumatic situations, taken long journeys, and waited through years of migration procedures. Many are still hoping to find stability, while others are building the lives that weren’t possible in the places they left behind. And now they have shared their stories. We hope that, as a result, the path might become slightly easier to walk for those who follow them.
To accompany this series, Missão Paz has also produced a legal support guide for migrants in Brazil. It offers helpful advice on a range of topics – from rights and immigration status to dealing with xenophobia, racism and hate crimes – as well as contact details for migrant support services in the country.
