Zoe Saldana Covers 'Essence' Magazine April 2010

The Middle East, Asian Minor and parts of African as well as Israel were also once a part of the HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE but that was thousands of years ago and they too practiced the Roman culture but not today. The French are different from the Spanish and the Spanish are different from the Portuguese and none of them are like the ancient Roman Empire of modern times. Romania was once a part of the ancient Roman Empire as well but their was a divergence many years ago that does not apply in today’s world.

Looks good! Not sure if I agree with her view of sexuality and education-

@blah: I am Dominican and I am not black. Dominicans are very mixed ethnically since we are a Caribbean country so we come in all shades of color.

I am a Black Dominican like Zoe and I love her. Many Dominicans think they are mulatto but that is not accurate since a mulatto has to have one white parent and one black parent.

That’s the problem with former slave societies. They leave a lot of messed up, color-toned people behind.

Dear Rio or whatever you r name is this post: NO ONE said Brazil was Hispanic!!!!!!!!!!!! Why are you backpeddling ow? Read the posts above I wrote. We are stating a fact: Brazil is a Latin American country!!!!! I NEVER said Condomble was Puerto Rican. Condomble is a Yoruban tradition and I mentioned the Yorubans in my post. BUT the Yoruban tradition (religious tradition) influenced Santeria in the Spanish speaking Caribbean (Cuba and Puerto Rico), Vodun in Haiti, and Condoomble in Brazil. The idea of using White Catholic Saints to represent African spirits is a tradition that BRAZIL, Puerto Rico, HAITI, Dominican Republic have in common!!!!!! The cuisine, music, dance, religion of all these countries have something in common: a coomon influence from Africa and Europe. Slaves brought to Brazil did not just stay in Brazil. They migrated. Their traditions were spread out throughout different cultures in Latin America and the Caribbean as were the traditions of the Europeans. I have been to Portugual AND Spain: the two countries have MANY similarities – so why would their colonies not share similarities?????? Just like we and the Canadians have many things in common given our British common ancestry. You clearly have issues about having Brazil associated with other Latin American countries. I don’t know where your issue comes from but that is for you to figure out. Like I said, my rich girlfriend in Brazil is very nice but she has a lot of issues with other Latins – she likes to associate with her European ancestry and does not like indiginous people from Peru, for example. So I don’t know what that is about but to say that Brazil has no similarities to other Latin American countries is ludicrous and COMPLETELY inaccurate. Read a history book and get over your issues about other Latin Americans. Besides, if you were to come to the states, you could be confused for Columbian, Argentinian or you name it. Get over your issues. Brazil is Latin American. But I know Brazil has some of the most ridiculous racial hang-ups. There are like 10 subnames of racial identity. People who are more European looking are often richer there and often the ones on TV and in fashion magazines. I noticed this through the Brazilians I met there. So I know Brazil has a lot of issues but you cannot get away from the fact that you are a Latin American country with many similarities to SPAIN, Africa, Indigenous cultures AND other Latin America countries. Ethnicity is fluid. Throughout history, customs get exchanged from one geographic area to another. Yet in your little head, Brazil managed to stay an island and did not exchange or get influences from its neighbors in Latin America? Are you serious??? Get over yourself. Read a book. You have issues.

ZOE IS 100% DOMINICAN, NOT DAMN CUBAN OR PR. BOTH OF HER PARENTS ARE DOMINICANS

America and Canada have similar features so what? So does Ireland and Scotland but they are still distinguishable from its neighbors. Stop trying to make Brazil like Peru or some other country there because it isn’t. Even the Portuguese influence in Brazil has waned in favor of other Europeans who aren’t remotely Spanish. Spain may be your savior but it certainly isn’t Brazil’s. If you want to know about Brazil here people and culture you can read the facts on the internet. Try going to reparable sites for the right information.

Rios DNA or whoever you are this second: Ethnicity is not race, dingbat. The slaves brought to Brazil, for example, were sometimes introduced there and sometimes sold to other parts of the slaveowning countries as were many slaves in America, the Caribbean, etc. Slavery was not just a process of buying slaves in Africa and then selling them to ONE place in the Americas and that is where they stayed. As new colonies sprung up or new needs arose, slave children were taken from their parents, owners, etc and re-sold to new areas. They were considered property so wherever they were needed is where they were sold – some were sold several times in their lives. That is why certain African traditions began to intermingle with other throughout the slaveowning Americas. Seriously, you make no sense. Brazil’s ethnic make-up has the same ingredients as any other colony regardless of where each of those ethnicities came from: part indigenous, part african, part european, and even some asian, etc. You clearly have not been to Portugual and Spain like I have. Yes, very distinctly different countries but they have MANY similarities. How could they not? They are in the same geographic area! Human beings have passed on traditions and customs to their neighbors and even to non-neighbors as long as the world existed! The Mayans have certain representations of African Gods. Why? Because even before the Middle Passage, there were Africans who visited that area and they left their imprint. The Spaniards have Moor influence. The Native Americans have Asian influence. It happens. People leave their imprint whereever they pass. But in your mind, somehow Brazil is the ONLY country in the world that failed to do this. They managed, in your little head, to remain singular without any influence from their neighbors. This is beyond lack of logic and historical fact, it borders on ethnic paranoia. Wake up call: Brazil influences many countries and many countries influenced Brazil. This is what happens when human beings share a planet. We are all distinguishable as we are all connected. I don’t see why I have to explain this 1st Grade concept to you because you will never accept it for you want to believe Brazil is somewhat exempt from the ethnic blending model of EVERY SINGLE geographic spot on Planet Earth. I suppose the only funny thing in all of this is you are trying to hold on to some historical fairy tale that did not happen and that is superbly hilarious. And be curageous enough to keep one name as your username and stop trying to pretend like there are 10 people on this thread who are as vacant and misinformed as you. Give people more credit than that.

Cultura Afro Brasileira!

You couldn’t be any more wrong about this! Haha. She, like I am, is from the Dominican Republic. This makes her Latina. Dominican Republic had native Tainos in their land, than the Spanish came, killed off a lot of the natives, then they brought slaves over from African to work the sugar fields. So OVER 400 years ago there was a mixture of indigenous people, the Spanish, and the Africans. Because this was so long ago and impossible to trace we simply call ourselved DOMINICAN.

Black is almost always commonly used to refer to an African American in which case, she is not black. You can say she has African Ancestry but if you do that you also have to include the Spanish and Indigenous too. So Black=NO. African/Spanish/Indigenous mixture over a 400 yr period = YES.

god*amn her race is clearly black
her ethnicity is something else
who gives a fu*k shes awesome!

happy girl is smart :-)

I love this country. I love the fact that we have the right to debate this issue so strongly.