WHITE MAN'S BURDEN?

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Gilberto Freyre's attitude toward the non-European world will arouse the indignation of any Asiatic, African or Latin American aware of the value of his non-European heritage. Freyre's "cultural model to combat the new racist patterns," as the CRIMSON calls it, can only be called an extension of the traditional "white man's burden."

True, Brazil today, along with most of Latin America, belongs to the Hispanic world--its peoples speak Portuguese or Spanish, call themselves Roman Catholics and bear the imprint of various aspects of Hispanic culture. This is a reality with which we must live, and Freyre's explanation of it on the basis of a "Messianic invitation to expand and complement their civilizations" does indeed point out the nature of Hispanic expansion. But to promote this kind of crusading in the twentieth century reeks of neocolonialism, and shows Freyre's basic misunderstanding of and lack of respect for the indigenous cultures of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Some such cultures still exist, notably in Africa, where Lusotropicalism, Spanish-tropicalism or any other kind of Eurotropicalism has not completely extinguished or debased the non-European culture.

Although Freyre claims natives were free to accept or discard Portuguese culture at will as it was presented to them, this was not, in fact, the case. The Portuguese conquerors subdued them with the sword, baptized them by force and divided them up among themselves as slaves. Intermarriage occurred because the conquerors brought no women with them. It is essential to realize that "Lusotropicalism" did not accept intermarriage between Portuguese women and Indians.

Freyre's recommendations show his basic contempt for native civilizations. Intermarriage is necessary, in his view, to raise the level of the natives. Such an attitude can only lead to a further polarization of the world between white and non-white. If Asian and African leaders make racial appeals, it is precisely because of this racist attitude on the part of the Europeans. Let the white man stop imposing his various schemes of "tropicalism" on the non-white world and give them a real freedom of choice. Rogelle Reyes   GSAS