Brazil Vs America Kissing Culture | One54 Africa Podcast

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Hook up culture is one. Hook up like just like you like we we about to do the thing or No, like to hook up yeah, I guess hook up here is a broader term but hook up like just kiss. Oh, okay.

[00:00:12]>> So, you can be I mean things may have changed.

[00:00:17]>> Yeah. Hold on. Hold on. I got to hear this. He knows he knows what I'm about to say. So, [snorts] there's a there's a thing where if you're out in the club at least back then and you're having a good time with somebody they'll ask you like Can we ficar? Like Can we ficar like can we get together?

[00:00:33]>> want to hook up? Hell no. Yeah.

[00:00:36]Either yes or no. No problem. No problem. Yes, okay. And then you could do it on the dance floor or you move to the side and you just start kissing and maybe just having these kissing sessions in these public places and a lot of times I mean you could keep in touch with that person or you could not. It would be like okay, thank you. Nice to meet you.

[00:00:56]Okay, bye.

[00:00:58]And [laughter] that would be it. And I was like what is going on here?

[00:01:03]And I'm like do you didn't exchange information? You just No, no, no. He was nice but it's okay. So, they just did the kiss thing and that was it.

[00:01:12]>> god. And women there are it you know, I remember being >> Women, men, everyone does it. Yeah. But you know what's great though is like when we were there you should have seen the American >> pre-COVID. But our faces our faces were all all the American dudes were like what's up man? All right, chilling. We was with these some of the hottest women and they're not they're they're they're actually you're okay with you looking at them. They like that. They and it was like wow, this is weird. I'm like >> you mean they >> No, no. They like No, no. Look not looking at them. They don't want you looking at When in America you look at them and go what you looking at? You know, sometimes it it happens here. But it was such and it wasn't even the freedom in Brazil is like they're okay with their bodies.

[00:01:54]They're okay being in in That is a huge thing. And what do you mean? What do you mean so Yeah. Everybody, and I mean everybody type is out on the beach free in Less clothes, yeah, whatever. And nobody and nobody is yes.

[00:02:10]>> little tighty tighty shorts, calçudas.

[00:02:13]Everybody.

[00:02:14]>> nobody's That's right. wrinkly everybody >> Everybody.

[00:02:17]>> Whereas here you wouldn't have that. So like like I said, I had to get new jeans. I had to get new bathing suits.

[00:02:22]>> Yeah. They're like, "Why are you wearing this big old thing?" Yeah. I had to get everything to fit me.

[00:02:28]>> Well, yeah, so what what's the difference between bathing suits? I know when I told my wife, well, that was something I remember going to Copacabana Beach and I'm like, "Oh, shoot." She was like, "I can't believe I didn't know." I was just They were they were free.

[00:02:39]Nobody's yelling out out there like But nobody's yelling at women and doing nothing. It's just normal. That's what I liked about it. You still show respect.

[00:02:47]But the women were okay with you coming up to them. They liked a man talking to them. It wasn't like, you know how America can get sometimes. Some American women what what What are you What are you looking at? It's like it So I was like, "Oh." They're like, "No, it's okay. Come again." You're like, "What?

[00:03:03]Oh." You felt like a king. When [clears throat] I got back from Brazil Hm. and I showed people footage, you know how many of my friends went to Brazil 10 times after that? I was like >> and uh Snoop and all the other Who else did that beautiful song? Remember that video?

[00:03:19]>> Oh, yeah, yeah, with um with Pharrell.

[00:03:21]Yeah. Everybody saw that and we Beautiful. Oh, you're my favorite. You're my favorite.

[00:03:27]To get like and I had another guy who sold his um um apartments there. He was from DC, brother from DC. He we we hooked up with him. He got you an apartment on Copacabana Street and he go I go, "You from DC?" He goes, "Yeah, man. You know, I'm DC, but I got here and I never got I never came back. I called my people said I'm not coming back." Yeah. He said, "Look at my wife." I was like He goes, "Yeah.

[00:03:51]I ain't coming back to America. I'm good. I and I speak Portuguese now. I'm good.

[00:03:55]>> [laughter] >> That That beach scene, which which beach scene you you prefer? American beach scene or or Brazilian beach scene?

[00:04:02]>> Oh, I'll take a Brazil.

[00:04:03]>> Brazilian. Brazil any day.

[00:04:05]>> Yeah, what why?

[00:04:06]For you. Um because you can buy things and it's fun and people are playing, you know, games and volleyball and football and you can buy a snack or acai bowl and they'll just Real acai. Real acai. Yeah.

[00:04:24]Um people are interacting and having fun together or helping each other. It's just open and beautiful and it and yeah, you can just it's normal to be out there all day. In Bahia is the first time that I was around black people that just wanted to get blacker and blacker and blacker and blacker. They had this oil that they would put on before we went to the beach. It was this dark red. I don't know what was in it, but all the women and they would be like, "Mhm, okay, come and come and then they would just help me rub rub it all over, rub it on my back, whatever." And we would just lay out in the sun for hours.

[00:04:59]>> [laughter] >> Right on. Right on. Hell yeah. Yeah, you know, the colorism thing is is pretty big out there, too. So, it's when you say that >> It is, but It didn't stop the women from putting that red thing on >> beauty?

[00:05:12]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:05:14]>> [laughter] >> Yeah. What do you mean?

[00:05:18]>> [laughter] >> You You talked about this before and I thought it was interesting cuz even you know, because we're going to start talking about your career, but you know, you mentioned how like especially in Hollywood that the you know, the colorism from Brazil and how it reflects like Latinos that it doesn't necessarily represent Afro-Latinas or Latinos in in a way that shows people the diversity of Latinos like it's just you know, the Jennifer Lopez type imagery of what a Latina looks like.

[00:05:50]Um, how have you fought against that? I have not.

[00:05:53]>> Yeah. In fact, it's only recently that the Afro-Latino community has even considered me.

[00:06:03]I don't or the Latino community. I think it wasn't a concern. It's, you know, I have four grandparents.

[00:06:10]One of them is from there. I wasn't born in there.

[00:06:13]All good. I don't need to be a part of the club. But, um, I think when I got on The Lincoln Lawyer, which, you know, the lead actor of the show is Mexican and there's a lot of Spanish being spoken onset and in front of the camera.

[00:06:29]They kind of bring it in now and then.

[00:06:32]And it has a huge Latin American fan base.

[00:06:35]And so, they were like, "Hold on. Her last name's De Costa. Why?" Oh, "Well, where is she Oh, she's part Brazilian."

[00:06:42]Oh, okay. "Well, let's have her come and host the, you know, Latin American something something awards or And like, things started happening, but I was like, "Wow, I've I've been here a long time and this is the first that I'm hearing people really talk And it's not just me.

[00:06:57]>> Yeah.

[00:06:58]>> There are a lot of, um, Afro-Latina actresses and and actors who are kind of getting more comfortable and just You know, just like people are talking about it more. But, >> Laz Alonso >> right.

[00:07:12]>> Laz, Cuban >> Yeah.

[00:07:14]>> Yeah. But, I think you know, my issue with that is that it's an it's an excuse for more division. Like, if you are in Brazil, if if I am in Dominican Republic, where I also stayed I spent 3 months there as a teenager, if I'm in a a lot of places, the black people will know they're black and call It's they don't cease being black because they speak a different colonizer language. It's the same history. So, I don't really care to latch on to another identity that separates me from my people.

[00:07:56]Like, it doesn't matter where you got dropped off.

[00:07:59]And yes, some of us were here. You know, I also have indigenous ancestry here, and they also were black. And still I don't find a need to You know what I mean? Yeah, to So, like I love Brazil, and I love the culture, and I love the food, and I love the dance, and I And also I love hip-hop, and I love jazz, and I love like I love all the things. I don't I don't I don't I don't have to choose.

[00:08:28]Why I got to choose?

[00:08:29]It's like all our people, man. It's all our Yeah. That's how I feel. I mean, I I grew up. I was indoctrinated to be a Garveyite in a sense. So, I really don't Yeah.

[00:08:43]And when I travel, I see myself. I see my mother's face. I see my father's face in all these different places.

[00:08:52]You know, like it's just so affirming. I have people coming like that's growing up in Harlem. People coming up to me speaking a language I don't know.

[00:08:59]Speaking Amharic cuz they thought I was Ethiopian.

[00:09:03]How many languages do you speak? Um I'm I'm fluent in three and then conversational in three more, and then I'm learning the two that I told you about.

[00:09:13]Fluent in three.

[00:09:15]It could be >> [laughter] >> English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

[00:09:20]And then I get around in French. I was fluent in French 20 years ago, but I don't practice. So, I watch to brush up, I just watch, you know, really good >> [laughter] >> Why you interpreting for me?

[00:09:41]>> You can't you can't count to 10 though.

[00:09:43]What what's that really? Yeah.

[00:09:49]Okay.

[00:09:54]See he didn't think I knew.

[00:09:57]Okay. Don't stop at 18 and think you're better than me. You can't count to 10.

[00:10:01]What other language you can count to 10 in?

[00:10:04]Whatever it is.

[00:10:06]Yeah, that's it. Come on now. That's That's Swahili. That's Swahili. Give me another That's Korean.

[00:10:24]E sun that's just Chinese.

[00:10:27]You know Japanese? Ichi ni san Yeah, san shi Give me another one. Hold on. She's going to make it up to nine. She's been to nine African countries.

[00:10:40]>> [laughter] >> Give me another one.

[00:10:44]I don't think you're an actress. I I think you're a spy.

[00:10:47]>> [laughter] >> I THINK YOU'RE A SPY. I THAT'S WHAT I ACTUALLY THINK. You are a spy for the CIA. [laughter] No no you work for like like She was sent to like >> Cuz you don't you're telling stories.

[00:11:00]>> You're telling stories when you spent time I was in school in the Dominican Republic. I was in school in Brazil and You're faking. And all of a sudden I'm speaking all [laughter] these and she the way she did it to I'm casual and I don't want to put it out there because you're asking me questions they're going to know I'm a spy. You're a spy. I I already know you're a spy. Who am I spying for? Who am I spying for? I don't know. You're taking out some people though.

[00:11:25]>> [laughter] >> 154 we all connected baby you already [music] know.

[00:11:30]I'm talking 154 we're breaking that for cold round the whole [music] globe.

[00:11:36]Ain't no place like Ain't no place like >> [singing and music] >> Ain't no place like home.