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During the night of this Tuesday, December 8, a video of a practice at the University of Minho began to be published on social networks. In it, a group of students from the Biology and Geology course were filmed in the frame of Latada, wearing black clothes, straw skirts, tin necklaces and faces painted black.
What stands out is the face painting, known as black face”. In recent years, painting one’s face in black has become synonymous with racist attitude, seen as a way to satirize the black community. Several world leaders have publicly apologized after their photographs appeared in disguise that implied the use of black face.
Through the video, it is not possible to see if all the students were together at the same time, but several have the same scenario around them. Throughout the video, the “freshmen” shout hymns of course, customary songs and greetings to hierarchical superiors in practice; it is not noticeable if the use of black face is associated with a message, so it may have been used to try to hide the identification of students.
The video was made to celebrate Latada, but this year there were no events. It began to spread through the Praxis Commission’s YouTube channel (which, meanwhile, is no longer active). The video was also removed, but many users posted short excerpts on social media and accused the actors of racism.
The University of Minho has already responded to this. In a statement to which P3 had access, the institution confessed “surprised by the information transmitted on social networks” and showed “deep discontent and vehement condemnation of this type of initiative, offensive to human dignity.”
In addition, the university promised that “it will immediately activate its internal mechanisms, with a view to knowing the contours of the initiative and those responsible, and will proceed in accordance with the provisions of its disciplinary regulations.”
The practice within fields from the University of Minho, in Guimarães and Braga, is prohibited, but praxis activities continued outside their areas, often in areas around university facilities. UMinho recalls that “regardless of the place where the praxis is developed”, the activities are for the institution “incompatible with the principles and values that guide higher education”.
“The times of physical distance cannot, in any case, mean that the students distance themselves from the values, principles and mission of the University of Minho,” the statement concludes.
The Academic Quarantine, a support platform for Higher Education students created in May 2020, accused the video of being “extremely racist.” “We repudiate this situation, as well as make a call to the Rectory of the University of Miño and other competent entities to investigate this situation, taking all the necessary measures,” said the platform in a statement, which also recalled that in 2017 a student from the same university with a swastika as usual.
