Brazil-Africa relations: from the caravels to the 21st century

Abstract

AfricaAt the beginning of the 21st Century, marked by globalization and multilateralism, there is a new geopolitical and geoeconomic configuration, a result of the current economic crisis, with a consequent reduction in First World country consumption and foreign investment capacity. With the decline in the financial flow between the North and South, South-South trade relations prove to be an important tool for the development of emerging countries. For this reason, Brazilian diplomacy has strengthened in recent years commercial and political relations with non-traditional partners. Among South-South relations, the relationship between Brazil and African countries has been given special attention to by Brazilian diplomacy during the last decade. As shown, ties between Brazil and Africa have deep historical roots, but in recent years this relationship has undergone a significant increase. In order to better interpret this phenomenon, this article aims to describe, in general terms and from the Brazilian perspective, the history of the ties between Brazil and Africa and to identify the main aspects of their contemporary relationship and the possible alternatives for the future of this partnership based on commercial, cooperation, political and humanitarian interests.