Climbing Is Not a Meritocracy
Chapada Diamantina National Park is a 375,000 km park in Bahia state in northeast Brazil. It was home to the Maracas and Cariri people for thousands of years prior to the arrival of white settlers (bandeirantes). The park is known for its long indigenous history, beautiful table-top mesas, towering rock formations known as tepuy, underground lakes, waterfalls, climbing spots, hiking trails and more. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
Rafah Rebello
Rafah Rebello is a 35-year-old Afro-Brazilian climber and tour guide at Chapada Diamantina National Park in northeast Brazil. (Photo credit: Hury Ahmadi)
Try and think of a well-known Black Brazilian climber? Anyone come to mind? No one, right? As a matter of fact there aren’t that many of us.
There aren’t many role models for aspiring Black climbers and we take much longer to receive support as athletes. After 19 years of experience as a climber, Buffalo Wax is the first brand that has offered me support.
When I started out, there weren’t very many Black athletes. In Rio de Janeiro, the most famous was Paulo Bastos, who ended up accepting the nickname “Paulo Macaco,” or “Paulo the Monkey.” Even today, it is hard to see Black athletes achieve national recognition. Why?
Climbing can be an elitist and exclusive sport. It took me at least two years, working hard, to save enough money to be able to have some lessons and to buy all the gear to get it started. This explains why the majority of athletes are white, male, mostly heterosexual, and affluent. Women, of all races, are also underrepresented – and it is not due to their lack of potential or competence.
I was lucky to grow up walking in Rio’s woodlands and hiking with my family. We would go to Morro da Urca (the first peak of what we know as Sugar Loaf), and my mum would always take me up a small rock slope – later I found out that it was the base of several climbing routes. I loved to go up that rock face and enjoyed the feeling of being there, admiring the view. I think that was when my passion for climbing began, even without me knowing.
As soon as it was possible, I began to hike a lot and then a friend took me to climb. My first climbing experience was on a very easy multi-pitch route at Morro da Babilônia (another climbing spot in Rio de Janeiro close to Sugar Loaf). I faced some tricky situations at the beginning, but every experience was so motivating and a reminder that it was possible to go further.
I took part in some competitions as a non professional athlete, and won some titles: first place in the second stage in Rio’s state Championship, in 2010; second place at the event São Paulo Open Boulder, in 2011; second place in the Brazilian Championship , in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. But unfortunately, competing without support was not an option. Without resources I needed to let go of my dream to be a professional athlete.
Did you know, 4.9 million people were enslaved and brought to Brazil from West Africa between 1501 to 1866—that’s 40% of the total number of enslaved Africans who were brought to the Americas. The average life span for an African slave living in Brazil was 23 years. Bahia is the oldest state in Brazil and its capital, Salvador, was a major hub for the African slave trade. Today, fifteen percent of Bahia’s residents identify as Black and a staggering 80% identify as either Black or mixed race. Bahia is well known for its rich Afro-Brazilian culture, writers, language, religion and cuisine. Chapada Diamantina National Park is located in Bahia, some 400 km inland from the state capital of Salvador. (Photo credit: Hury Ahmadi)
Despite the “no”s that I received along the way, my motivation to continue spoke louder. The sensation of looking at a challenging route, to doubt for a split second my capacity and then overcome the limits of my mind, is unique.
With a lot of training and persistence, I did some difficult routes, such as v10 bouldering project and 5.13a climbing route. Of course, things don’t always come out like we want them to. During this time I injured myself, and had to use a wheelchair for several months. I came to understand that these moments were important learning experiences and part of my journey.
It is important to emphasize that it is difficult to achieve high performance without financial support. Like our society, in climbing, meritocracy does not exist without equal opportunities. With this in mind, I do what I can to welcome young Black people into the sport by organizing climbing trips with local children and teenagers of the city where I live.
Climbing had a big influence on my choice to live in Chapada Diamantina four years ago. No different to Rio, the daily struggle of facing racism within the sport persists here in Bahia. Racist attitudes reveal themselves in the subtleties of everyday life, and to be honest it isn’t always easy to keep my head up.
I am really grateful to Buffalo Wax for being my first sponsor, for putting their antiracist principles into practice and for trusting me, a Black (and proud!) rock climber as an athlete. Climbing needs more diversity and more inclusivity. We will continue in this struggle to make climbing a less elitist and more equitable sport.