Brazil-Africa Relations: From Boom to Bust?

Abstract

Chapter 9 argues that post-Cold War relations between Africa and Brazil plummeted after the Workers’ Party-led government of Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva (2003–10). The post-Lula regimes have been characterised by a loss of momentum in Africa-Brazil ties, due to Brazil’s current economic doldrums and political contestation. Africa has been an important focus of the Brazilian South-South diplomacy in the post-Cold War era, with a focus on Portuguese-speaking African countries, Nigeria, and South Africa. The author notes that Lula’s successor, Dilma Rousseff (2011–16), displayed a lack of interest in foreign policy, budget restrictions, growing competition from other external players in Africa, and other factors, which meant a decrease of Brazilian pursuit of South-South ties, including in Africa.