This is a contemporary portrait of King Alphonso of Portugal. His nickname was about his exploration of Africa and it worked fine in the 15th century. Anyone who heard it did not automatically assume he was a person with black skin. They may not had known about his voyages to and domination of Africa. Perhaps weren’t even aware of where or what Africa was. But they certainly knew it had nothing to do with the color of his skin. By contrast, after four or five centuries of cultures using Race as an identifying feature, the default reaction today is to make the assumption that Africa means Black.
Today, more often than not, the primary determining feature of a person is his or her Race, a core Element of Colonization.
Return to RACE