RIO DE JANEIRO -- A study released on Monday showed that Africa's Central Western region mostly contributed to the genetic formation of African Brazilians.

According to research carried out by the geneticist Sergio Danilo Pena, who teaches biochemistry at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), 44.5 percent of the samples of genetic material studied, indicated that the individuals were related to ancestors from the region, which currently includes Angola, Congo and Cameroon.

Another 43 percent had roots in Western Africa, where countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Cote d'Ivoire are located, and 12.3 percent had ancestors in Southeast Africa, in the region of Mozambique.

The study analyzed the mitochondrial DNA, which remains the same over centuries, unless some genetic mutation takes place at some point. This determines an individual's ancestors on the mother's side, while the chromosome Y reveals ancestry on the
father's side.

Professor Pena's team believes that the results represent Brazil's African origins as a whole, because they took into consideration a group of 120 African descendants living in Sao Paulo. The city is regarded as the best display of the country's genetic mixture, due to the internal migrations that occurred before and after slavery was eradicated in 1888.

It is estimated that around 3.6 million to 4 million Africans were brought to Brazil as slaves in the 1550-1830 period. However, there are few documents stating their origins, especially after 1830, when African slave trade to the country was outlawed, but continued to exist illegally up to 1888.

Xinhua, May 28, 2007