African king visits Brazil

Angolan King Tchongolola Tchongonga Ekuikui VI, of Angola's Bailundo kingdom, has visited the community of Camorim in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His visit confirms the connections between the descendants from escaped slaves who formed Camorim and this ancient African kingdom.

Camorim maintains the traditional practices of dance, religion and plant medicine, which can be traced back to the African kingdom.

Tchongolola Tchongonga Ekuikui VI: "Our presence here is to say to Afro-Brazilians, to our brothers and sisters who are in the Federative Republic of Brazil, especially in this community, that we are here as living roots, roots that maintain our ancestry and our customs, and that we are together in this new stage where the great challenge of fighting racism against black people begins."

Three to five million Africans were shipped to Brazil as slaves, and Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery in 1888.

Today, people who identify as Afro-Brazilians make up 56 percent of the population.

Rural communities like Camorim are known as 'quilombos'. They were formed by escaped slaves. Quilombos are home to over 1.3 million people in Brazil.

Urban quilombos have developed to combat the rise in racism in Brazil. Although Afro-Brazilians represent over half of the population, they hold only a small minority of Congress seats and executive posts within business.

While Afro-Brazilians are the largest population of African descendants outside Africa itself, they face the highest rates of poverty and discrimination. King Ekuikui VI's visit reminded nurse Marilene Lopes de Jesus of her history and helped to boost her self-esteem.

Marilene Lopes de Jesus: "Having him back here reminds us of the intolerance we go through so much. We were kidnapped, we were brought to this country against our will, we went through so many things, so many trials and we still survived. So receiving a visit from the King boosts our self-esteem and the desire to continue fighting."

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