Africans In Colombia & Cuba | One54 Africa Podcast

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]There's a lot of places in South and Central America that are blacker than you think.

[00:00:06]>> Yeah, for real. When I went to when I went to Columbia >> Yeah. Oh. Cartagena? Cartagena?

[00:00:15]It's >> Buenaventura Yeah. is all black. Cuba?

[00:00:19]It is Yeah, and not just black, but the music, the way that they sing and dance, the call and response, the group dancing. It's not I know Yeah.

[00:00:30]>> line dancing, but everything, the flavors, it is so African. Got a food not? It Yes, exactly. And so, if you pay attention Right. we out there.

[00:00:42]>> Yeah. But, if you just watching movies >> Well, they're not going to show you that. And my thing is, too, I'm wondering cuz I know what the Brazilians, black Brazilians we're talking about, they're they're trying their best to like bleach it out. The black folks and you know what I'm saying? They're trying to cuz they always represent Brazil with the whitest-looking people.

[00:01:01]>> Right. Yeah, and often times that's also because >> Mhm.

[00:01:05]that's who makes it out. So, if you meet Brazilians who have traveled or on vacation or who relocated they're you going to be lighter skin because Brazil has the closest thing to a caste system. It's you know, it's been that way for a long time. So >> darker populations are also the poorest.

[00:01:29]>> poorest They're not buying flights to New York for Christmas. You know what I mean? So, if you walk around and you hear, "Oh, Portuguese." you're going to see the people who, you know, like most places in the world. You know, it's crazy because I I wore this shirt because because of you. You can see right here it says Olodum. Olodum Olodum and you know, this is you know, you know, a group that, you know, fought against racism in in Brazil. But, Michael Jackson wore this shirt in his video, [clears throat] they don't care about us, right? 1996, yeah. And that is And he had the band in the back of him.

[00:02:07]He had them behind him. That's what made that's what made them angry. That song that song right there not only was it talking about like what was going on in the states, but it was actually what was going on in Brazil too because you know, a lot of people don't know that the government the Brazilian government did not want him to film there. He did they didn't want him to show what the other side of Brazil look like and they were had there were fears that they had a bid for the 2004 Olympics and if Michael Jackson did this massive video there that people would see how poor and especially that the black you know, the black population and how they were living and I [clears throat] mean Michael Jackson had to get all sorts of internal help like from the locals that they helped protect Michael Jackson. The gangsters.

[00:02:53]The gangsters. Just to be in the favela in the favela in the favela in the favela. Did you ever Did you ever go?

[00:02:58]Yes, I did. I had a rock thrown at me.

[00:03:00]>> [laughter] >> That's hilarious. It was like he asked me for some money. I was like, no, no.

[00:03:04]Poink.

[00:03:05]I was like, oh, I I got YOU LIKE THIS, WAIT A MINUTE. I WAS LIKE, THAT'S IT. AND THEN I WAS ABOUT to I was about to go in and I go, hold on. God damn it, I'm out of pocket.

[00:03:13]I said, no, I'm outnumbered here. I was like, you know, let [laughter] me just chill. I went to I got to the favelas because my friend who was in you know, the the the carnival is about the escolas is the is the is the samba schools. It's a competition of samba schools which I didn't know. My friend was in Grande Rio and Portela and she was like, hey, do you want to take part? And I was with some guys from Atlanta. You know, it was a bunch of Americans. You want to take part in the in the we like, yeah.

[00:03:42]What? In the rehearsal? In the in the whole in the in the parade. And we're like, we didn't know. We're like, yeah.

[00:03:48]And then she goes, okay, we want to buy costumes. So we put on the costumes and let me tell you something. We I didn't know it was like floats. So, we're just in the back >> of costume was it? It was just like you got the pants and the it's cool and it's colorful.

[00:04:05]>> going to say it was like a samba. So, so we were sitting there like, you know, you have to do the dances, right? The the thing moves, right? It moves. The float moves and you're like doing the little in Portuguese and you're like whatever and they were walking. I'm like, it's it's night time. I go, "Man, how long is this parade? We're still going and stuff." I said, "Man, what do we do What is I don't even understand this." And they said, "Oh, it's a competition of the floats." But we were the last float. So, we get into the Sambadrome.

[00:04:33]Didn't know We get into this big stadium and there's people cheering. I was like, "Oh, this is what we we walked for so long. We were go heading to the Sambadrome." And so, it's like it's 6:00 in the morning. We finally get to this Sambadrome. I'm my feet are I'm flat-footed. I'm like I'm a lay whatever.

[00:04:51]I'm like, "Boy, I'm like, what the hell?" So, then it ends and so we have to go through the favelas and we sit at people's homes that we don't even know these wonderful Brazilian people in the cuz I had just finished watching the City of God the day before. Cidade de Deus. I watched it the day before. I saw the City of God before I went to Brazil.

[00:05:11]I was like, "Oh man, that favela. So, I don't want to be there." I'm like, [laughter] "Oh, I'm in the same place I just watched the movie." Yeah. So, they were so wonderful. The people were wonderful.

[00:05:21]And then we and then the news people came up to us cuz they found out me and some other Americans were joining the the parade. They were like, "Hey." It [clears throat] was Channel 4. It's a big Brazilian news station. And so, they interviewed me and my friend. I was like, "Yeah, we're from New York City.

[00:05:35]We just" and they were like, "Wow, how do you like Brazil?" And then we were on TV all over. I get back to my hotel area. Everybody's like, "WE SAW YOU."

[00:05:48]I WAS LIKE AND THEY WERE LIKE, "GAFFI, YOU" LIKE, "GOD forbid even in Brazil you got on TV. Did you ever go to Favela? I sure did. I sure did. When I was I was in college, so I was studying at um the university there and I was staying next to it in Gávea, Okay. which is the last neighborhood before City of God.

[00:06:08]>> the same that's the same place that's the same place where Michael shot, right? Where or is that different from where Michael Jackson shot?

[00:06:14]Or where they shot the City of God.

[00:06:16]Where the movie was shot was in City of God, yes. Cidade de Deus.

[00:06:20]So, yeah, I went to parties there.

[00:06:24]>> Yeah, yeah.

[00:06:24]>> Like as a student, but my experience was different because I made it my mission to disappear.

[00:06:32]Like that is the reason my Portuguese got so good because it was not the time to be an American traveling the world.

[00:06:39]Bush was starting the Iraq war.

[00:06:41]Everybody was freaking out and I was just like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I can assimilate." And I I did. I just like disappeared. I I left a lot of the clothes that I wore that I brought with me that were not the style, you know, cuz this is after before we had jeggings here, right? Back then all the jeans had stretch. It was like I was like, "Damn, my jeans are not tight enough. I cannot." Or like I needed everything. I was like, "I'm just wearing flip-flops, getting these little spandex and blending in." So, yes, I went to parties in City of God.

[00:07:13]>> And they party for real. Oh my god, it would yeah.

[00:07:17]>> dumb ass was partying hard and then I would take I was taking jiu-jitsu for a week. My dumb ass took jiu-jitsu cuz I was like, "Oh, I'm going to do jiu- I was doing hapkido." So, I start I was into martial arts heavy, Korean martial arts. So, then over there I met another dude who was taking on dough. Man, he goes, "Yo, why don't we take a jiu-jitsu class?" I was like, "Yeah." So, I went.

[00:07:39]We went to some school and the guy name was Fabricio. All of them names are Brazilian.

[00:07:43]>> Fabricio. He goes, "Welcome to the jiu-jitsu. You come and learn jiu-jitsu.

[00:07:47]We teach you good jiu-jitsu." And I said, "Cool." I bought the uniform.

[00:07:51]>> kind of good, that accent.

[00:07:53]>> I bought the uniform and everything, right? [laughter] And they go, "You come tomorrow 7:00 jiu-jitsu, okay?" And they call me Dios Libre Godfrey. They Dios Libre, you coming. Okay. Dios Dios Dios Dios Libre.

[00:08:05]Dios Libre. Dios Libre. So, they were like this, "Godfrey, you coming. You coming to jiu-jitsu 7:00 in the morning." I go, "Okay. Obrigado." I go, "I'm partying."

[00:08:15]6:00 [snorts] in the morning. I go, "Oh, damn. I ain't going to jiu-jitsu."

[00:08:19]>> [laughter] >> So, I'm laying down like, "I'll lay out down for like an hour." And then you hear the guy comes to my door, Fabricio.

[00:08:25]"Godfrey, time for jiu-jitsu Dios Libre.

[00:08:27]Time to come to jiu-jitsu." I gave him my address. Damn.

[00:08:31]>> [laughter] >> And he every day So, I did it for an hour 2 hours every day in the hot no air condition. I'm doing jiu-jitsu. I'm doing jiu-jitsu. I was like, "What am I I was Oh, I was partying and doing jiu-jitsu." So, for a week for It was a great experience.

[00:08:48]Dios Libre, okay. Come on, do the I had to do the drills over. 154, we all [music] connected, baby. You already [singing] know.

[00:08:57]I'm talking 154.

[00:08:59]We bringing that for corona home globe.

[00:09:03]Ain't no place like >> [music and singing] >> Ain't no place like Ain't no place like home.