Gary Duffy's BBC article about the poverty and lack of opportunity still suffered by Afro Brazilians in Salvador, Bahia, looks at how the racial identity is both seen -- and yet not recognized -- in the country. These facts help to deprive Brazil's Blacks of the full enjoyment of their lives:

"Jutahy Magalhaes Junior [who] represents Bahia in the Brazilian Congress... ..also argues that racial prejudice is not a factor behind inequality in Salvador.

" 'Everyone, whether they are white, mixed race, black or indigenous, that doesn't have money, will struggle with transport, public health, and education,' he says.

" 'The discrimination is social, it is not racial.

"A vibrant expression of the cultural legacy of Africa is evident everywhere in Bahia and seems highly valued.

"But here in Salvador, there seems less consensus on whether Brazilian society is doing as much as it should be for those of its citizens who are of African descent."