Decolonizing History in Brazilian SFF
by Lívian Bonato
Editor’s note: This piece is part of a rolling series, Writing from History, in which creators share professional insights related to the work of using historical elements in fictional prose.
Despite many recent additions to global science fiction and fantasy (SFF), Eurocentrism is still a challenge in many fictional universes. In post-colonial countries like Brazil, even national authors often replicate narratives that intentionally or unintentionally exclude voices and experiences of marginalized communities, portraying the dominant perspective instead.
The Need for Authentic Representation
Today, SFF demands authentic representation.
Fortunately, this colonialist narrative has been deconstructed in recent years, yielding fictional tales that do not ridicule rich local cultures to elevate the ideals of Portuguese colonialism.
Brazil stands out for its linguistic richness (there are more than 200 Indigenous languages) and a legacy of regional diversity.
A bias toward using only “correct” Portuguese (brought from Portugal) is finally being overcome, to accommodate Brazil’s blend of dialects.
Indigenous expressions show up in Rogério Pietro’s Amazofuturismo (2021), which depicts the arrival of European invaders to a technologically advanced people in the Amazon jungle.
In northern Brazil, dialect is marked by expressions derived from Guarani, especially when referring to nature, such as the words Tambaqui and Pirarucu (types of fish) and Cacau (fruit). Additionally, the accent is more closed and guttural compared to the rest of the country.
In the South, due to European colonization, many expressions originate from Italian, German, and Portuguese. In this region, the pronunciation includes a “sh” sound similar to English, with a more prolonged intonation.
In the past, the northern dialect was satirized, associated with poverty and cultural inferiority, while southern characteristics were eurocentrically exalted as symbols of superiority and urban organization.
It is essential to avoid stereotypes, rejecting linguistic exaggerations in character development. Character traits should be naturally integrated into the narrative, without associating them with inferior qualities or reducing them to regional caricatures. Linguistic diversity should be extended to all characters within their communities, respecting cultural plurality.
The Importance of Local Mythology
Elements of Indigenous beliefs are more often incorporated in contemporary Brazilian SFF: for instance, the story of Saci, a one-legged boy who can be trapped in a bottle to fulfill wishes if his hat is captured. There is also the Curupira, a small man with red hair and backward-facing feet, who makes hunters lose their way in the forest with his footprints. Other iconic figures include the Boitatá, a massive fire-serpent, the headless mule, a woman cursed for marrying a priest, and the Boto-Cor-De-Rosa, a river dolphin who transforms into a man to seduce women and then escapes back to the sea.
Centering South American Indigenous beliefs elevates the cultural richness of such narratives. Using pagan and Afro-Brazilian deities that rarely appear in mainstream media creates a contrast with saturated classic symbols of horror and fantasy, like werewolves, vampires, or zombies.
If done with care and respect, incorporating local cultural elements can make the work more intimate and break free from the monotony of predictable narratives.
A great example of this is SAIFERS Volume 1: Folclore, Lendas Urbanas e Ficção Científica (2021 ): a story collection that portrays folkloric elements, making them more menacing, while seeking a rational logic behind the legends.
Beyond Eurocentrism
Independent publishers such as Patuá, Jujuba, Elo, Tinta Negra, Companhia das Letras, Editora Malê, Ninguém Nos Mandou, and Editora Voz are promoting authors from Indigenous, Black, and other minority ethnic backgrounds. The prestigious Pachamama publisher exclusively works with Indigenous women, aiming to dismantle misogynistic legacies of literary representation.
Although these are great alternatives for exploring Brazilian literature, unfortunately, very few native works have been translated into English.
One recommendation written in Guarani (an Indigenous language of South America) is O Presente de JaxyJaterê (2018), a work of children’s fiction with folkloric elements. It’s important to emphasize that this work involves a profound spiritual context for the Guarani people and should not be interpreted as a mere element of Western fantasy.
A perspective that contemporary authors are increasingly adopting is deconstructing the idea of “the human” and “the other,” by recognizing a plurality of cultural and ethnic experiences instead of subjugating non-human entities to a unified lens of oppression. This can be seen in Fábio Kabral’s O Caçador Cibernético (2017), where hybrid beings appear as analogies for identity, belonging, and humanity, and also represent disability and mental health in non-human entities.
Another work in line with current discussions is O Último Ancestral (2021) by Ale Santos, which tackles issues of class and racism, using the favela as a microcosm to represent socioeconomic and criminal issues in the country. While the work is fictional, the dynamics it represents are not. Around 16.4 million Brazilians live in favelas and high-risk communities, with 72% of them being Black or mixed-race, an undeniable colonial legacy.
A New Era for Brazilian Fiction
In contemporary Brazilian SFF, there is a remarkable effort by writers to reconcile fictional elements with regional contexts. Although the intersection between fiction and reality is still tenuous, it doesn’t make sense to silence minority voices in these narratives.
Modern authors strongly avoid anachronisms and historical injustices. For example, enslavement is no longer ignored in stories set in the 18th century, when the practice was still common in Brazil. This can be seen in O Escravo da Capela (2017) by Marcos De Brito, a fictional story set on a plantation during that era. It includes explicit descriptions of injustice and revenge, using elements of Brazilian folklore in a visceral plot that exposes the cruelty of enslavement and its legacy.
Writing is finally being used as a tool to deconstruct structural oppressions, rather than replicate them. While isolated examples have existed for decades, anti-colonialism is no longer a niche theme. Rather, it is becoming a unifying element in Brazilian literature.
L.M. Bonato is a Brazilian writer featured in several literary anthologies, including New Beats, Microcontos, Chegamos (Editora Persona), Lua Gibosa do Bosque da Solidão (Triumpus), and the 1st Edition of Esparama magazine. For more, see Writer Portfolio.
