Latin American Forays in Africa

Nicolas grew up in Rio and has always been aware of the African contributions to the formation of Brazil. These origin stories have a mythical, faded, character, contradicted by the stark racial inequality in the Latin American country. Today, despite the cultural links between the two regions, there are very little actual diplomatic or people-to-people exchanges, with some notable exceptions.

This contrasts with China-Africa relations, where the absence of cultural links is compensated by vigorous diplomatic, commercial, and migration relations.

In the next two episodes, Nicolas will tell us about some political and cultural encounters between Africa and Latin America, followed by a broader reflection on the role of Latin America in the "Afro-Asian world" and its relevance for thinking about the Global South today.

Nicolas Lippolis is a doctoral candidate in Politics and a researcher at the Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford. His current research deals with the politics of industrial policy in Ethiopia and Angola.