Belgian Brazilian ( pt, bélgico-brasileiro, belga brasileiro) is a Brazilian person of full, partial, or predominantly Belgian ancestry, or a Belgian-born person immigrant in Brazil.
History
Belgians have been in Brazil since colonial times. Some of the early settlers and
bandeirantes from São Paulo were Belgians or had Belgian forefathers (most of them were
flemings
The Flemish or Flemings ( nl, Vlamingen ) are a Germanic peoples, Germanic ethnic group native to Flanders, Belgium, who speak Dutch language, Dutch. Flemish people make up the majority of Belgians, at about 60%.
"''Flemish''" was historically ...
), like Cornélio de Arzam, Pedro Taques (his father was a merchant from
Brabant), Fernão Dias Pais Leme (the Leme family established itself in Portugal in the late 15th century through a merchant named Martim Leme; his descendants came to
São Vicente in the beginning of the colonization of Brazil), and probably Jacques Félix (it is likely that his father was also named Jacques Félix, nicknamed "the Flemish", who was from Flanders and established himself in
Santos in the early 16th century). All these settlers and their relatives had huge descent, spreading throughout the southern and central parts of Brazil. Today it is still common to find these surnames (Leme, Taques etc.) in the interior of
São Paulo state
SAO or Sao may refer to:
Places
* Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD
* Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso
* Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...
and neighboring states, through people who are descendants of those settlers.
With the independence of the country in 1822, Belgians kept coming through immigration. Many colonies were founded during the 19th century, especially in
Southern Brazil, but also in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.
Belgian Colonies
*
Botucatu
Botucatu is a city in the southeastern region of Brazil and is located from São Paulo, the capital of the state of São Paulo. It has an estimated population of 148,130 (as of 2020) in an area of . It lies on the top of a plateau ( high). Botuca ...
(
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
- 1960);
*
Taubaté
Taubaté is a medium-sized city in the State of São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil.
Location
Its strategic location between the two most important Brazilian cities (São Paulo away, and Rio de Janeiro away), connected to both by the President ...
(
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
– 1889);
[DI LORENZO, Ana Lúcia. "Os italianos em Taubaté: o núcleo colonial do Quiririm – 1890/1920", Tese, São Paulo, 2002. p. 34]
*
Porto Feliz
Porto Feliz ( pt, Happy Haven) is a municipality in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Sorocaba. The population is 53,402 (2020 est.) in an area of 556.69 km2. The elevation is 523 m. The largest factor ...
(
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
- 1888)
*
Ilhota (
Santa Catarina - 1845);
Notable Belgian Brazilians
*
Matheus Nachtergaele
Matheus Nachtergaele (born 3 January 1968) is a Brazilian actor, director, and screenwriter.
Career
He has starred in numerous Brazilian films, best known for his appearances in the 1997 film ''Four Days in September'' and the 2002 film '' City ...
, actor
*
Eric Maleson
Eric Leme Walther Maleson is Brazil’s first Olympic Bobsled pilot and considered the father of ice sports in Brazil. He is also the founder and former President of the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation (CBDG). He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Bra ...
, Bobsleigh athlete, 2002 Olympian
*
Fernanda Paes Leme, actress
*
Gregório Duvivier, actor, comediant and poet
*Antônio Rodrigues Arzão, bandeirante from São Paulo who found gold in what is today Minas Gerais, in 1693.
*
João Havelange
Jean-Marie Faustin Godefroid "João" de Havelange (, ; 8 May 1916 – 16 August 2016) was a Brazilian lawyer, businessman, athlete and centenarian who served as the seventh president of FIFA from 1974 to 1998. His tenure as president is the ...
former president of
FIFA
*
José Maria Eymael
José Maria Eymael (born 2 November 1939) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, businessman, and founder of the Democracia Cristã (DC), known in English as the Christian Democracy.
Political Biography
Eymael joined the Christian Democratic Part ...
politician
*
Igor de Camargo
Igor Alberto Rinck de Diver Camargo (born 12 May 1983), known as Igor de Camargo, is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
He is also a former Belgium international.
Club career Early career
Born in Porto Feliz, São Pau ...
*
Daniel Henrique Hostin bishop of
Lages
Lages is a Brazilian municipality located in the central part of the state of Santa Catarina, in the region known in Portuguese as "Planalto Serrano".
It is located in the mountain region of the state and is the largest municipality of it. It ...
See also
*
Immigration to Brazil
Immigration to Brazil is the movement to Brazil of foreign peoples to reside permanently. It should not be confused with the colonization of the country by the Portuguese, or with the forcible bringing of people from Africa as slaves. Latin ...
*
White Brazilians
White Brazilians ( pt, brasileiros brancos ) refers to Brazilian citizens who are considered or self-identify as "white", typically because of European or Levantine descent.
The main ancestry of current white Brazilians is Portuguese. Histori ...
*
Belgian Americans
Belgian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to people from Belgium who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, the majority of Belgian immi ...
*
Flemish people
The Flemish or Flemings ( nl, Vlamingen ) are a Germanic ethnic group native to Flanders, Belgium, who speak Dutch. Flemish people make up the majority of Belgians, at about 60%.
"''Flemish''" was historically a geographical term, as all inh ...
References
{{Belgian diaspora
European Brazilian
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...