A política Africana do Brasil como parte do pragmatismo ecumênico e responsável (1974-1979)

Abstract

Brazil's foreign policy during the Geisel government (1974-1979), entitled Ecumenical and Responsible Pragmatism, took as one of its priorities the strengthening of ties with friendly nations overseas. The interest in Black Africa was not a surprise since, during the Médici government (1969-1974), the Minister of Foreign Affairs Gibson Barboza carried out an important mission to the African continent with the aim of evaluating the nations that until then were fighting for independence. In the 1970s, on the international scene, there was a strengthening of the Third World movement, the immersion of a narrative in favor of human rights, the Carnation Revolution (1975) and the first two Oil Crises (1973 and 1979). Domestically, the Brazilian military dictatorial regime (1964-1985) was heading towards its transition period, and there was a need to expand new markets, strengthen Brazil's image as a relevant international player, and secure oil supplies, among other priorities. Consequently, turning to the African continent (especially Southern Africa) became not only a priority but a necessity on the Brazilian foreign policy agenda. The objective of this dissertation is to analyze Brazil's African policy during the Geisel government and understand the elements that originated the formation and implementation of the strategy used under the command of Foreign Minister Azeredo da Silveira. As a methodology, this work uses analysis of primary sources from historical archives from CPDOC (Center for Research and Documentation of Contemporary Brazilian History) in parallel with a bibliographic review of the period in question, with the aim of establishing a dialogue between the authors on the subject and the vision of Itamaraty.