Diaspora Realities: Afrodescendants in the Americas according to the 2000 Census Round Prof. Marcelo Paixão

Objective  To provide an overview on the production of demographic indicators on Afrodescendant population, in the American countries, during the 2000 Census Round

Source of information  National Census  National Sample Household Survey (Encuestas) were used, when the national Census did not contain information on Afrodescendants, but the Survey did

Afrodescendant population  Sub-Saharan African ancestry  Sub-Saharan African ancestry  Mostly originated by the African Diaspora during the period of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade  Mestizos or Mixed, who can be culturally or physically identified with this demographic group, were included

The use of demographic data collection system  Can be considered a recent fact (20 th century)  Both in academic researches or policy formulation

Data on Afrodescendant population Morning (2005:6-7), based on Rallu, Piche & Simon, appointed 4 reasons for collecting or not ethnic and racial dimension in demographic surveys: 1. Collecting for political control; 2. Not collecting in the name of national integration; 3. Strengthening of the discourse of Miscegenation (Mestizaje) within the population (in this case either collecting or not); and 4. Collecting for adopting Anti Discrimination or Affirmative Action Policies

During the 19th century  Just a few national Census included information on ethnic/racial dimension or on social condition (free or enslaved):  Uruguay in 1852;  Peru in 1876;  Argentina in 1887;  Brazil in 1872 and 1890;  Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1899.

In the 20th century  In Latin America, the trend was that the ethnic/racial variable simply disappeared from Census questionnaires, due to the strategies of local elites to build a project of Nation-State, ideologically linked to Europeanization or Miscegenation (Mestizaje)  According to Andrews (2007), in Latin America, just two of the national census realized in the first three decades of the 20 th century contained ethnic/racial variables: Panama (1909); and Colombia (1912).

Since the 1980s, Latin American countries returned to incorporate ethnic / racial variable in the Census questionnaires  1980s: Brazil and Cuba  1990s: Colombia  2000s: Costa Rica; Ecuador; Guatemala; Honduras; and Nicaragua In the last three cases, just incorporating the belonging to a ethnic group (Garifuna or Creole)

In the 2000 Census Round  In the American Hemisphere, 22 national questionnaires incorporated a question on the ethnic/racial/color belonging of the respondents.  9 were Latin American countries: Brazil; Costa Rica; Colombia; Cuba; Ecuador; El Salvador; Honduras; Guatemala; Nicaragua; and Puerto Rico

Source:

American Countries incorporating an Ethnic/Race question in the National Sample Household Surveys, but not in the Census Source: -

The types of question can be summarised in 4 groups 1. Ancestry 2. Culture (including ethnic group, population group, nationality, culture) 3. Phenotypic traits (skin color, race) 4. Feeling of Belonging (without mentioning “ethnic group” or “race”)

Observing the response options  Can be identified 20 terms, according to socioeconomic characteristics, cultural background and local reality of the Diaspora  Some terms are linked to physical traits (Black, mixed, etc.)  Risk of misunderstanding (whitening of richer people) and ambiguity (pardo in Brazil)  Some are linked to ethnic characteristics, like language, with no reference to physical traits  Risk of excluding Afrodescendants not linked to a specific cultural background

Coherence between Types of Question and Response Options is not always guaranteed  In Belize, Costa Rica, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, the question makes reference to ethnic or cultural characteristics, while the response options make reference to racial definitions (physical traits): Black, African (Belize) Afrocostarricense or negra (Costa Rica) African, Negro, Black (Guyana) African, Mixed (Trinidad & Tobago)  In Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, the respondent cannot point out his/her belonging to the hegemonic group (as in the questionnaires just “minority” groups are listed)

Can the type of question affect the response options?  In 1993 Colombia Census, it was asked: “Do you belong to a ethnic group, indigenous group or a black community? If yes, which one?”  Just 1,5% declared to belong to a black community  In 2005 Census, the Afro presence in Colombia grown to 10,6% SUBESTIMATION OF AFROCOLOMBIAN IN THE FIRST CENSUS CAUSED BY THE TYPE OF QUESTION  In Uruguay, in 1997 Encuesta de Condición de Hogares (ECH), it was asked: “To which race do you believe to belong?” The response options were: Asian; White; Indigenous, Black or Mixed.  If Mixed, it was asked: “Which race do you think you “have blood”?” Some response options as before. The result was 5,9% Afro-Uruguayans  In 2006 Encuesta, the question was: “Do you believe to have ascendancy?” The result was 9,1% Afro-Uruguayans

Afrodescendant presence in the Americas according to 2000 Census Round

We can list 4 situations: 1. The Afrodescendants are the majority of the population:  Anguilla (90,1%);  Bermudas (59,7%);  Jamaica (97,4%);  Saint Lucia (82,5%); and  Turks & Caicos Islands (87,6%). 2. The Afrodescendants are a minority, but over 20% of the total population:  Belize (31,4%);  Brazil (44,7%);  Cuba (34,9%);  Guyana (29,9%);  Suriname (31%); and  Trinidad & Tobago (37,5%).

3. The presence of Afrodescendants is remarkable, but proportionally inferior to 20% of the population:  Colombia (10,6%);  Ecuador (5%);  Puerto Rico (8,3%);  USA (12,9%); and  Uruguay (9,1%). 4. Afrodescendants are less than 5% of the total population:  Costa Rica (2%);  El Salvador (0,1%);  Guatemala (0,04%);  Honduras (2%);  Nicaragua (0,5%); and  Peru (1,1%).  In this last group the form how the question was done (Belonging to a population or ethnic group) may have led to a subestimation of Afrodescendant presence in these countries

Expectation for the 2010 Census Round  The countries, which have already introduced an ethnic/racial dimension, will keep the question in the Census  The question will be introduced in the Census questionnaires of: ArgentinaBoliviaPanamaParaguay Venezuela (Rep. Bol.) Uruguay  Maybe in Bolivia, Chile and Mexico  New possibilities for reflection on Ethnic/Racial Composition of the American Hemisphere

Brazilian Sources of Information  In the past decades, Brazil has been improving the number and quality of databases and surveys capturing the racial dimension  The main source of information is the National Statistics Office: IBGE  IBGE produces many surveys containing the race/color variable: Census, National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), Monthly Employment Survey (PME), Consumer Expenditure Survey (POF), etc.

Many databases and surveys produced by other government agencies have included the race/color variable in recent years  Ministry of Health – DATASUS/MS: the Mortality Information System (SIM); the Live Birth Information System (SINASC); and the National Reporting Information System (SINAN)  Ministry of Education (MEC) – INEP/MEC: the National System for Evaluation of the Basic Education (SAEB); the National Secondary Education Examination (ENEM); and the School Census (Censo Escolar)  Ministry of Labor – MT: the Annual Report of Social Information (RAIS) and the General Register of Employment and Unemployment (CAGED)  Ministry of Social Development – MDS: Unified Databases of Social Programmes (CADUNICO)