Under military dictatorship until 1985, the country's parliament remains unrepresentative of marginalised social groups, while hundreds of senators and deputies defend the interests of the wealthy. Brazil has never had a left-wing government. The legacy of slavery is still alive in the treatment of the Afro-Brazilian community. Half of the 160 million Brazilians are black or mixed race, but officialdom in Brazil is white, and TV is positively Scandinavian. Legislation against racism exists, but cases of racial discrimination rarely ever get to court and if they do, are invariably held up.
Discrimination is commonplace.
Most black people driving are taxi-drivers, chauffeurs or bus drivers. Few are car owners. The majority of street children, prostitutes, prisoners, unemployed and victims of police violence are black. Although officially abolished in 1888, bonded labour continues in many parts of Brazil today. At the time of the Portuguese arrival, there were approximately 6 million indigenous people, in 1,400 different groups, living in Brazil.