In October 2016, hundreds of thousands of people in Southern Brazil voted to break off
and form their own country.
The unofficial referendum had no legal bearing, but why do Southern Brazilians want independence?
Well, those who voted in favor of secession are part of a separatist movement called “The
South Is My Country”.
It’s made up of individuals in Brazil’s three southernmost states, who argue that
these states are culturally distinct and economically autonomous enough to be completely independent
from the rest of Brazil.
Separatist movements in Southern Brazil gained momentum in the early 1990’s.
Revolutionaries argued that Brazil’s Southern state of Rio de Grande Do Sul was funneling
billions of tax dollars into the Brazilian economy but only seeing about 63 percent returned.
And this persisted, they said, because the regions that benefitted from it - namely the
Northeast and the Amazon - had unfairly secured a majority in Congress.
More than two decades later, the root of their argument is largely the same, that is, that
the region is paying a large proportion of federal taxes with little return or representation.
For instance, Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia pays less than half the federal taxes
of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, even though its population is considerably
larger.
The South’s ill-feelings toward the central government have intensified in the wake of
widespread corruption and economic recession.
In recent years, inflation and unemployment have increased dramatically, while many politicians,
including recently impeached President Dilma Rousseff and her replacement, Michel Temer,
have been embroiled in corruption scandals.
But the movement is more than just political and economic.
It’s also cultural.
Brazil’s southern region was colonized by not only Portuguese but Italian and German
immigrants, and today, nearly 80 percent of its population is ethnically European.
This is in stark contrast to the rest of Brazil, which is a dynamic melting pot of African,
Asian, European and Indigenous populations.
There are some cities in the South where German is still the primary language, that even hold
their own version of Oktoberfest.
Southern Brazilians also tend to be wealthier.
Southern Brazil’s recent unofficial referendum carried no legal weight, and the prospect
of full independence continues to be fairly dubious.
That said, there has been talk of using the movement to push for more state autonomy,
and leaders have even cited the U.S. as a model.
With another referendum planned for 2017, the message is clear: hundreds of thousands
of Southern Brazilians are ready to go it alone.
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One of the big reasons Southern Brazilians are looking to split off is due to a total
lack of confidence in the former and current president.
So, what exactly is going on with the Brazilian head of state?
Find out in this video.
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