Brasil Observer #11 - English Version

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LONDON EDITIONMAY 22 – JUN 4

DISLOCATION OF HAITIANS FROM ACRE TO SAO PAULO

GENERATES POLITICAL TENSION, HIGHLIGHTING WIDER ISSUES

WITH THE INCREASING NUMBER OF REQUESTS FOR REF-UGE IN

BRAZIL HAVE DOUBLED IN A YEAR. HOW SHOULD THE COUNTRY

ADDRESS THIS ISSUE? >> Pages 10 and 11

BEAUTY MYTH Why plastic surgery is so common in Brazil >> Pages 4 and 5

WORLD LITERATURE FlipSide announces its schedule for the 2014 festival >> Page 6

FOTO: REPRODUÇÃO FOTO: DIVULGAÇÃO

LONDON EDITION

EDITOR IN CHIEFAna [email protected]

EDITORSGuilherme Reis [email protected] Kate Rintoul [email protected]

PUBLIC RELATIONS Roberta Schwambach [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Bianca Brunow Dalla, Bruja Leal, Clarice Valente, Deise Fields, Gabriela Lobianco, Luciane Sorrino, Marielle Machado, Michael Landon, Nathália Braga, Ricardo Somera, Rômulo Seitenfus, Rosa Bittencourt, Shaun Cumming, Wagner de Alcântara Aragão

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FRONT PAGE REPORT

CONECTANDO

BRASIL OBSERVER GUIDE

PROFILE

2014 WORLD CUP

Brazil and the new immigrants

Host-cities: Cuiabá

The ‘Folia de Reis’ tradition in Paraná

Brazilian heritage and much more…

Ricardo Pereira: Life dedicated to dance

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IN FOCUS

BRAZIL IN UK

BRASILIANCE

Important news from last two weeks

razil: Plastic surgery superpower

lipSide 2014 launched

This newspaper will be on the streets on 22 May, the date of elections for the European parliament. This has been one of the most prominent debates in the UK over the last few months. The story dominating the local and international me-dia has been the ascendancy of the ultra-conservative party, UKIP, who are accused of xenophobic and racist dis-course. At this time, immigration issues are firmly on the agenda of dis-cussions in the UK, with many calling for crucial deci-sions to be made after the elections.In Brazil now is also a historic moment on the same topic. With economic progress making the country a land of op-portunity, Brazil has become a haven for immigrants from vulnerable areas of the world. Now experts and politicians need to address this issue in a diplomatic manner. The Brazilian government has adopted measures to facilitate the legal inclu-sion of immigrants in the country, including initiatives that promote the participation of society. They

have also made attempts to open discus-sions on this topic, including organising the first National Conference on Mi-gration and Refuge (Comigar), which takes place between day 30 May and 1 June 2014. You can read more about this on pages 10 and 11.Migration has also proved a rich topic for culture and in Brasil Observer Guide, from page 15, you can learn about Brasiliance - a festival cele-brating the stories of Brazilian migrants who arrived in the UK since the 1960s and has been organised by the StoneCrabs Theatre Company.With less than a month to go until the World Cup, we look at what’s on offer in the host city of Cuiabá (pages 12 and 13). If you are headed to the opening game in São Paulo instead, Ricardo’s Nineteen Eighty Four column has some tips on the best places to party in the city.So whether you like to discuss politics, travel or party, we hope to have something for you. Stay in touch!

E D I T O R I A L

IMMIGRANTS: HERE AND THEREBy Ana Toledo – [email protected]

16 - 17 18 2419 22 - 23

16|17 GUIDE COVER STORY

18 NINETEEN EIGHT-FOUR

19 GOING OUT

22|23 NEW CANVAS OVER OLD

24 MUSIC TO WEAR

3brasilobserver.co.uk

IN FOCUS

The UK HE International Unit (IU) announced that over 2,700 Brazilian undergraduate students will be coming to the UK in September 2014 under the Bra-zilian government’s Science without Borders (SwB) pro-gramme. This takes the total number of students who have come to the UK since the programme launched, including PhDs and post-docs, to over 8,500. The numbers have grown significantly from 519 students placed in the first cohort (September 2012), demonstrating the increas-ing popularity of the UK as a destination. The SwB programme is man--aged by the UK Higher Education International Unit (IU) on behalf of Universities UK (UUK). Vivienne Stern, Director of the UK HE IU said;

“Were delighted that so many talented Brazilian stu-dents have chosen to study in the UK - and that the UK remains the second most popular destination. These stu-dents make an enormous contribution to the international character of our universities, and therefore to the education of UK students through opportunities to learn from each other and form las-ting friendships. The SwB programme is also playing an important role in forming strong rela-tionships

between universities in the UK and Brazil, and we see it as a springboard to increasing collaboration in research and innovation, as well as education.”Universities and Science Minister David Willetts

said: “The UK is the most popular destination after the USA under the Science without Borders program-me - demonstrating the global appeal of our univer-sities. Re-searchers in Britain recognise the benefits of working with Brazil, and are developing more projects in collaboration with its scientists. I hope to see the UK build on these relationships, particularly through the new-ly announced Newton Fund, in sup-port of scientific excellence and Brazil’s sustainable economic development.”Over 85 UK institutions regularly participate in

the scheme in all four nations, which aims to send 101,000 students from Brazil overseas (of which up to 10,000 will come to study in the UK) on under-graduate sandwich courses, PhD sandwich courses, full PhDs, and post-docs. The subject areas covered by the programme are science, technology, engi--neering, mathematics and creative industries that focus on technological and innovative development.

PRE-WORLD CUP PROTESTS ON THE WAY

Activists’ organizations are staging a series of demonstrations since May 8 all the way to the start of the World Cup competi-tions on June 12. They are claiming social rights and questioning lavish public spending of the government in hosting the event. The first day of demonstrations had three rallies in São Paulo.“We’re launching the ‘Copa sem Povo, Tô na Rua de Novo’

[‘World Cup for the Elites, People on the Streets’] campaign to stand up against abusive polices in staging the World Cup that are detrimental to the local populations,” explained Guilherme Boulos, a member of the Homeless Workers’ Movement (MTST). Besides MTST, Urban Resistance (Coletivo Resistência Urba-

na), the People’s Movement for Housing (Movimento Popular por Moradia) and the People’s Struggle Movement (Movimento de Luta Popular) are taking part in the protests. Other partici-pants include over a thou-sand activists of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST). The grievances of the activist organizations focus on six

primary are-as. In housing, they are calling for legislation to control rental prices, urging the creation of a National Com-mission to Prevent Forced Evic-tions, and recommending chan-ges to the Minha Casa, Minha Vida (“My House, My Life”) affordable housing program. In healthcare, the activists are coming out against privati-

zation and subsidies to health plans, and demanding the allo-cation of a 10% share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for public healthcare.In transport, demands revolve around fare reductions and the

crea-tion of a federal fund to support annual decreases. Proposals for edu-cation are expanding existing day care units and building new ones beginning immediately, allocating 10% of GDP for the public educa-tion system, and making affirmative action quotas (for access to higher education) and student aids permanent.For the legal system, activists are recommending the creation

of a national commission to deal with state abuses against outskirt popula-tions, supporting police demilitarization, and opposing anti-protest legislation and special courts. Finally, in the context of sovereignty, they are opposing

restrictions on informal jobs during the World Cup, effective protection policies against sexual exploitation and lifelong pen-sions for the families of World Cup stadium casualties.

DICTATORSHIP MILITARY OFFICERS CHARGED

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) has filed char-ges against five retired military officers on Monday May 19 for murdering and concealing the body of former Congressman Rubens Paiva. The crime took place within Army premises in Tijuca, North Rio de Janeiro city, in January 1971, in the context of Brazil’s military dictatorship.A former commander of the Information Operations Department,

General José Antônio Nogueira Belham, and a former member of the Army’s Information Center, Colonel Rubens Paim Sampaio were charged with murder with three aggravating circumstances, conceal--ment of corpse, and armed criminal conspiracy. Retired Colonel Ray-mundo Ronaldo Campos and military officers Jurandyr Ochsen-dorf and Jacy Ochsendorf were accused of concealment of corpse, proce-dural fraud, and armed criminal conspiracy.Federal Prosecutor Sérgio Suiama explained that the actions

leading up to Rubens Paiva’s arrest and death are state crimes committed systematically and broadly against the population and thus can be classified as crimes against humanity. As such, he went on to argue, these violations do not become time--barred, and the perpetrators are not eligible to benefit from the Amnesty Act of 1979.Speaking in a press conference at MPF, Rubens Paiva’s daugher,

Vera Paiva, expressed gratitude at the outcome. “I appreciate the honor of setting a milestone in the way Brazil has dealt with state violence,” she said, mentioning the case of bricklayer Amarildo Souza as an ex-ample of persistent violence against civilians. The MPF investigations have taken about three years of

studying ex-tensive files and hearing testimonies of 27 people.

UK-BRAZIL LINKS: SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS IN-TAKE FOR SEPTEMBER 2014 ANNOUNCED

PHOTO: REPRODUCTION

Brazilian students at the Brunel University London

4 brasilobserver.co.uk

BRASILIANCE

COULD BRAZIL’S PLASTIC SURGERY BOOM STEAL THE SHOW AT THE WORLD CUP?

By Alec Herron

With all eyes on Brazil in June, some worry that the cameras might be too focussed on the bodies of Brazilian women. Here we report

on the country’s plastic surgery boom and try and find out why so many woman are placing their faith in plastic surgeons

The number of cosmetic operations in Brazil has grown by more than 130% over the last five years. The country now has the world’s highest rate of procedures per head and is second only to the United States in the total number of operations conducted. Last year more than 1.5 million procedures were carried out in Brazil. Liposuction was the most popular follo-

wed by tummy tucks and breast enlarge-ments. Though an increasing number of Brazilian woman are seeking to accentu-ate other assists - the country’s surgeons carry out the highest number of opera-tions to implant silicone to the buttocks than any other nation in other world. While in recent years the average cost

of most cosmetic procedures has decre-ased and the number of Brazilians with economic means to afford the surgery has grown, many still choose to spread their payments over several instalments, just as use the same method of paying for clothing and electric appliances. The Brazilian market has diversified

and the practice of smaller cosmetic pro-cedures is no longer the exclusive remit of the plastic surgeon. According to the vice-president of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Medicine, Doctor Eduardo Costa Teixeira, “There are more people entering into the market now, there are dentists doing botox and physiotherapists doing laser surgery and liposuction, because the demand exists.”The demand that Mr. Teixeira describes

represents the increasingly common search for a certain model of beauty that many Brazilian women feel they must strive to achieve. The leading surgeon believes it may not be an image conceived solely in Brazil as the country has seen a rise in new cosmetic trends in the last few decades. “I don’t know if it comes from North Ame-rican culture, I’m not really sure what it’s like in Europe, but the fact is that 20 years ago for every four breast reductions we did one enlargement. Now, for every five or six enlargements we do one reduction.”

ECONOMIES OF BEAUTY The result of the Brazilian plastic sur-

gery boom can be seen in the curvy bo-dies on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro’s South Zone. Speaking to some sunba-thers, it is revealed that in Brazil, beauty isn’t just in the eye of the beholder, but also the employer: “A woman in Brazil has a much greater opportunity to have a better life when she’s more beautiful,” said Bruna, a local Rio resident. “Employers really take account of the

woman’s looks: they’re more likely to hire a beautiful woman”, Bruna added. Her friend Juliana added, “You can say you look at a woman fairly, but in the end it’s her beauty that matters most. Cosmetic surgery can be seen as an in-vestment, towards getting a better job or a man with a better pay.”Speaking to Cynthia who was sitting

at one of the many kiosks that line the sand, she listed the lengths that some Brazilian women take in the name of fitting to the subscribed model of beau-ty. “It’s not just aesthetic surgery, there are crazy diets, gyms just for women and a lot of beauty salons.” Cynthia insists that this isn’t based on stereo-types and that she sees the results of Brazil’s surgery boom around her each day and says that, “Those who haven’t [had surgery] want to”. Cynthia thinks that the highly sexu-

alised image of women in Brazilian culture is a result of the marketing of Brazil as a holiday destination. “Tou-rism uses images to sell, particularly images of Brazilian women’s bodies. I think they market sexuality. The per-vasive image of highly sexual women isn’t just because Brazilian woman is beautiful, it’s because she’s represented this way in marketing.”

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Adidas was forced to pull the production of two controversial World Cup-inspired t-shirts after public outcry


This hyper-sexualised image of Bra-zilian women outside of Brazil was highlighted in February when Adidas was forced to pull the production of two controversial World Cup-inspired t-shirts after public outcry. The designs featured a bikini-clad woman with open arms under the word-play “Looking to Score.” The other said “I love Brazil” with the heart resembling the upside--down buttocks of a woman wearing a thong bikini bottom. Unsurprisingly Adidas were accused of objectifying Brazilian women and for promoting sex tourism, which is a major concern for this summer’s tournament.Feminist blogger and freelance jour-

nalist Nicole Froio writes regularly on the difficulties women face in Brazil. She deplored Adidas’ failure to resear-ch the country hosting the FIFA World Cup, “They failed in every aspect. They were trying to sell products on the backs of Brazilian women when this country is built on the backs of Bra-zilian women in so many other ways. Women here are such hard workers because of the sexist society.” Froio fears that during the World Cup

the cameras of Brazil’s and global press may pay too much attention to the bo-dies many women in Brazil are placing their faith in plastic surgeons to attain. “During carnival [the press] mostly focus on women’s bits.” She also has concerns about the image of Brazilian women that is conveyed beyond its borders, “outside of Brazil all that matters is our butts.”Brazil is a diverse country, full of

countless beauties, cultural and natural in addition to its well known beautiful female population. Whether the world is shown the full diversity of Brazil during the tournament remains to be seen. The media outlets travelling to the Brazil World Cup can opt for the easy option of showing beach bums and stadium beauties, or look a little deeper into the rich culture of the host country.

BRAZIL: PLASTIC SURGERY SUPERPOWER

World ranking

1st United States – 1,094,1462nd Brazil – 905,1243rd China – 415,1404th Japan – 372,7735th Italy – 316,4706th Mexico – 299,8357th South Korea – 258,3508th India – 207,0499th France – 191,43910th Germany – 187,193

Most popularsurgeries in Brazil

g Liposuction – 211,000g Increase tits – 148,000g Abdominoplasty (removal of fat from

the abdomen) – 95,000g Blepharoplasty (removal of eyelid

skin) – 90,000g Reduction of tits – 66,000

Distribution of plastic surgeons in the world

g U.S. - 5,950 (21%)g Brazil - 5,024 (15.8%)g China - 2,000 (6.3%)g Japan - 1,831 (5.7%)g Mexico - 1,518 (4.8%)

*Data: International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (2011)


BRAZIL IN UK

Schedule announced for FlipSide 2014

On 15 May the Embassy of Brazil in London hosted an event to announce the schedule and writers involved in the second edition of FlipSide, the English partner to the famous Literary Festival of Paraty (FLIP). FlipSide will place between 3-5 Oc-

tober at Snape Maltings in Suffolk and once again the event will promote Bra-zilian culture, literature, art, music, food and drink. The schedule includes spe-eches from prestigious writers, events for children, musical performances and cooking demonstrations. Groups will also be showcasing their capoeira and foot-ball skills during the festival.“This is a milestone in the promotion of

Brazilian culture in the UK”, said Roberto Jaguaribe, Brazilian Ambassador in the UK when speaking at the launch event.Authors from Brazil, including Ana

Maria Machado, Daniel Galera, Michel Laub, Tatiana Salem Levy and Paulo Scott will join Margaret Atwood, Mi-chael Ondaatje, Kamila Shamsie, Lio-nel Shriver, Colm Tóibínand and many others in an exchange of Anglo-Brazi-lian experiences, casting illuminations on their work and delighting their readers. Translation Duels conducted by Daniel

Hahn of the British Centre for Literary Translation will once again be a central feature of the programme.This year’s adult programme is being

curated by Ángel Gurría-Quintana, a his-torian, translator and International Strategy Officer at the University of Cambridge. A new aspect of the event will be the

dedicated programme for children cura-ted by Sarah Odedina, managing director of Hot Key Books. So far this section will include Sally Gardner, Benjamin Ze-phaniah, Socorro Acioli and Ellie Taylor, illustrator of the new series of books by Emma Thompson that are based on Beatrix Potter’s beloved stories.

FlipSide literary festival celebrating the exchange between Brazilian and other international writers hosts a launch party and reveals plans for this year’s event

A CULTURAL ODYSSEY

The Essex Collection of Art from La-tin America - Escala will also be cura-ting an exhibition of wonderful Brazilian visual art. Once again music will play a leading

part in the festival, with choro and forro bands performing throughout the evenin-gs of the festival.On the evening of Friday 3 October,

top artists will provide the music for a grand opening gala, and on the evening of Saturday 4 October the world-renow-ned Snape Maltings Concert Hall will be the venue for a concert by a top-billing Brazilian artiste whose identity will be revealed closer to the event. Throughout the weekend a Brazilian

street market will offer delicious food, drink, crafts, art work and others pieces that will tempt the crowds.

POLITICAL CONTENT

With Brazil’s general election taking pla-ce during the festival, on 5 October, orga-nisers have scheduled a panel discussion with experts talking about the present po-litical scenario and future of the country.“There will be many eyes on Brazil

this year, and not just for the football. It’s a presidential election year, the ou-tcome of which will provide pointers to the political and economic future of the once styled ‘Country of the future’, and with the election falling during the FlipSide 2014, we’re assembling a team of highly informed commentators to help the visitors to this year’s festival get a better grip on what to expect”, said Liz Calder, FLIP and FlipSide co-founder.

FlipSide edition 2014 banner

PHOTO: DIVULGATION

PHOTO: JOHN TIPPING

g For more information please visit www.fl ipsidefestival .co.uk

FLIP and FlipSide founder Liz Calder at the launch of FlipSide 2014 at the Brazilian Embassy in

London 15 May, with Roberto Jagauaribe, Brazilian Ambassador to the UK


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PROFILE

RicardoPereira

and the art the body in motion


The Portuguese dancer has lived in London of the last three years, winning over audiences and setting up his own dance company. As he prepares to perform on English TV for the first time and his company’s first full scale show, he spares

some time to talk about the steps that led him here

Text and photo by Rômulo Seitenfus

To be honest, I try to find inspiration in everything and everyone, especially my family, who have helped me a lot throughout my life

So you think you can dance? Ricardo Pereira certainly thinks he can. Having participated in the Portuguese version of the popular dance show, Ricardo won high praise from judges and was among the eight finalists in 2010. Now living in London since 2011, Ricardo

is founder and choreographer at New Genera-tion Ballet and is preparing for his debut on English TV in the coming months. He is also rehearsing for a show called EU-

PHORIA, which debuts in 2015, but found time to chat to Brasil Observer. Between one meeting and another, I met the dancer at a studio deep in the labyrinth of streets around Brick Lane to find out more about his own creative journey.“I have loved dance since, forever! I re-

member being very little and watching TV programs about ballroom dancing. I was en-chanted by the movement and how the body was transformed. A few years later, with permission from my mother, I started going with my brothers to typically Portuguese po-pular dance halls and started to have my first contact and experience with dance. I had a girlfriend and we started participating in dan-ce competitions in these places, going on to win most of them.”Despite these experiences of success, Ricar-

do had not considered becoming a professional dancer until a teacher encouraged him. “I had always been fascinated by movement on stage but it was only when I was 13 years old, that one of my school teachers, who was also a dan-ce teacher discovered that I enjoyed dancing and invited me to take some classes. When I was invited to audition for dance school in Lisbon, I accepted the invitation, but never really believed that I would pass the audition stage, because I didn’t have any professional experience and only a week or two to prepare”.“I started going to the dance studio to practi-

ce and realised how passionate I was and how much I wanted to make dance part of my futu-re. A few days later I found out that I had been approved to join the School of Dance at the National Conservatory of Lisbon, one of the best educational institutions of dancers in Portugal.”Having completed studies, Ricardo was in-

vited to be part of a dance company in Ire-land and seized the opportunity, along with the many others that came after. “I was offe-red a contract to dance in the company Ballet Ireland, I decided to accept and to start my international career. At the end of this con-tract I returned to Portugal, where I danced by the company CIRANDA. I worked with choreographer Benvindo Fonseca and later appeared in musicals like Fame, High Scho-ol Musical 1 & 2 and Peter Pan. Here in London, I have worked with several classical dance companies of including Ballet Theatre UK, Vienna Festival Ballet, Peter Schaufuss Ballet and Pasodos Dance Company.”

When asked about the things and people that inspire him as an artist, Ricardo reveals a more sensitive side to his character. “To be honest, I try to find inspiration in everything and everyone, especially my family, who have helped me a lot throughout my life. It is for them that I live to dance. Most of the time I am also inspired by emotions, events, facts and real life experiences, which makes my performance more honest for those who see me dance, or who witnesses this through my choreography.”Ricardo also cites Ana Lacerda as a pro-

fessional he looks up to. “When I started dancing, she was the dancer who I loved and admired. She was the Prima Ballerina for the National Ballet of Portugal. I think it was her who really made me decide to pursue a ca-reer in ballet. The way she expressed herself on stage was something from another world. Unfortunately Ana doesn’t dance as much as before, but I would love the opportunity to work with her.“At the moment I have no idols or artists

who I follow as an example, because each dancer has their own style, depending on their physicality and techniques. Instead I choose to admire any performers who bring talent and soul to the stage. I try to learn the most from these artists who always end up teaching me something I didn’t know about myself.”I wanted to know what dance brings to

Ricardo’s life. “It gives me the chance to know myself and to grow personally and pro-fessionally. I have good reasons to feel grateful for all the experiences I have had”.When asked about the variety of styles that

permeate his work, he elaborates: “The fact that I started my career as a classical dancer, and over the years have tried different styles, has made very interested in learning new thin-gs and in becoming a versatile dancer. I’m still very attached to classical and contemporary dance, but I do a bit of everything, like jazz and hip hop. I feel more complete as a dancer by mastering all these styles but there is much more to explore.”As a choreographer and artistic director of

the dance company New Generation Ballet, Ricardo says he tries to pass on this knowled-ge and regard for all styles onto his students. “NGB follows the concepts of various styles from ballet to contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and commercial pop, we aim to give our dancers even more knowledge of other styles.”As mentioned earlier, Ricardo is currently

very busy dividing his time preparing for the company’s first appearance on British tele-vision and the company’s first major show, EUPHORIA. “I want the show to recreate the feeling concert, involving about 12 dancers, five musicians and two singers. I can say that will be full of energy and excitement”.

g Information: www.newgenerationballet.com


FRONT PAGE

Brazil is experiencing an

intense inflow of foreigners in search of

opportunities. This wave of migration

has exposed contradictions that exist in the country

and highlights the need for new

strategies

By Wagner de Alcântara Aragão

The Memorial of Curitiba received wide audience for the celebration of Flag Day on May 18. The event organized by the Cultural Foundation of Curitiba, the Association of Haitians in Curitiba and the NGO Casa

Latino Americana gathered about 400 people

PHOTO: CIDO MARQUES/FCC

Economic growth of the last decade, the expansion of the labour mar-ket, a reduction in social inequality, the developments in education and the re-positioning of Brazil in global geopo-litics have made the country a land of opportunities once again. These factors combined with the eco-

nomic and political problems in Latin American, African, Asian and the Midd-le Eastern countries have in-creased the number of foreigners who come to Brazil to build a new life. However, this recent intensification of migration has exposed the lack of preparation and experience of both the authorities and Brazilian society to handle this process.These pertinence of these issues is

well illustrated by the hosting of the country’s first National Conference on Migration and Refugees (Comi-grar, in Portugeuse), scheduled for the end of May in São Paulo. Over the last year, 200 preparatory

conferences, organized by civil soci-ety and government, have been held in five regions of the country and abroad (in England). The National Justice Secre-tary, Paulo Abrão said, “This allowed

us to do something unprecedented: to hear the voices that have hitherto been silent, those of the migrants and refu-gees in the country. Now is the time to systematise the ideas and present them at the national level.”Many will be looking to the conferen-

ce to discuss and explain the recent epi-sode in which large numbers of Haitians were sent from Acre to Sao Paulo.

LEGISLATION

The need for a new regulatory fra-mework for migration is at the heart of discussions at the Comigrar. For some years, as the current wave of immigra-tion has grown, human rights experts and organisations have advocated for the revision of legislation. The Statute of Fo-reign Policy created in the early 1980s is the only instrument governing the issue today and it has proved to be inadequate to deal with the modern social reality.Created during the military dictator-

ship (1964-1985), the two laws listed in the statute carry the prejudicial con-ceptions of the repressive regime. The legislation is more concerned with safe-

guarding the re-gime’s control, constan-tly referring to “national security”) than ensuring the basic rights of immigrants. It is argued that both laws conflict with with the basic principles of the country’s 1988 Constitution formulated with Brazil’s return to democracy.The proposals and actions to recast

these regulatory frameworks are being processed, but have been stalled in the House of Representatives for the last five years. Written by the executive branch, the bill has been with the Com-mittee on External Affairs and National Defence since 2012. Slow progress is being made, during the second half of last year two public hearings were held to discuss the proposal.For Perpétua Almeida, the reporter of

the bill in the House, the new regulatory framework should aim to ensure that the country correctly “hosts” immigrants. Es-tablishing exactly how this will happen is the chal-lenge. “How do we accommoda-te these new groups? People are coming here, officially or not, or attracted by the prospects of companies or job opportuni-ties. We have to define how they will be welcomed here,” she said.


INTEGRATION

This concern voiced by Almeida is simi-lar to those of human rights ex-perts and organizations. It is assumed that any new legal framework will consist of rules to en-sure basic rights such as that of becoming a citizen and integrating into society.This is the goal of thousands of Latin

Americans and Africans, who arrive in Brazil to rebuild their lives. Generally co-ming from countries experi-encing political and economic crises, they see Brazil as a land of possibili-ties to work and study, with decent living conditions. The benefits work both ways, those who have come to Brazil have been very useful and produc-tive in Brazil’s economy.The construction sector has taken great

advantage of this new wave of migration. In recent years, it has seemed like Brazil has been one gi-gantic construction site for infrastructure projects. Huge projects have included the transposition of the São Francisco River, Santo Antônio, Jarinu and Belo Monte hydroelectric dams, the Transnordestina railway, and of course the stadiums and airport developments needed for the World Cup. In addition to this,

there have been countless smaller con--struction projects creating residential and commercial properties in ur-ban areas.It is unsurprising that the provision of in-

ternal labour has been insuffi-cient to meet the demands generated by all these works. In addition to other economic factors, an increasing number of young Brazilians are opting to enter the job market later and seek professional placements. The expan-sion of the public school system, coupled with funding and scholarship programs allow young Brazilians to gain a higher level of professional skills. As household incomes have improved in recent years and there is less pressure on family budgets, young people no longer need to leave their education early for unskilled work.An over qualified workforce can be

seen as a problem for some devel-oped counties when there are not enough jobs for educated young peo-ple. In Brazil the situation has been presented as a strategic asset, by the authorities who have said it paves the way for foreigners to come to the country and attain the “Brazilian Dream”. Though some might argue that a lack of resources makes the experience more of a nightmare for many immigrants.

By Alec Herron*

In February the River Madeira in the Brazilian Amazon state of Rondônia burst its banks, flooding the BR-364 motorway, the only road connect-ing the remote state of Acre to the rest of the country. The consequenc-es have been devastating and have revealed the shortfalls of Brazil’s infrastructure for migrants as thousands have been forced into over-crowded and under--resourced shelters.Brasileia, a town with little over

20,000 residents located on Brazil’s bor-der with Bolivia, has been receiving Hai-tian migrants since Brazil started offe-ring working visas to Haitians in 2010, following the coun-try’s devastating ear-thquake. With the cost of air travel too expensive for most of the migrants, they are unable reach their final destinations in Brazil’s economic hubs to the south and southeast.Four years later, the shelter constructed

to hold 500 migrants was over-flowing with almost three times the number of inhabitants when I visited in late March to see how this vulnerable community had been affected by floods in the re-gion. Living in such close confines and amongst pollut-ed water, most were su-ffering from diarrhoea and flu.Just one week after telling me of his

plans to build a new facility for mi--grants arriving to Brasileia, State Secre-tary for Human Rights in Acre, Nilson Mourão, visited the squalid shelter, an-nouncing that it was closed with imme-

diate effect. The migrants were moved to a new shelter in the state’s capital Rio Branco.With shelters in Acre overflowing once

again and transportation of food and re-sources still blocked by floods, at the end of April, the Acre state government funded the use of Brazilian air force pla-nes to transport 500 Haitians from Rio Branco to São Paulo. This flux had been preceded by another wave that arrived to São Paulo, after the Acre government provided flights to neighbouring Rondô-nia, from where hundreds decid-ed to make the long journey by bus.This movement of Haitian migrants

has caused tension between the two state governments. Key figures in São Paulo’s city hall have blamed Acre of negligence, having not advised São Paulo officials of the expected ar-rival of such a large number of migrants. Acre’s Governor, Tião Viana, respon-sible for funding the flights, accused São Paulo officials of “racial prejudi-ce” and being “scared of the Haitians”.In three years (2011, 2012 and 2013),

the Ministry of Justice has granted 30,000 residence visas to Haitian immi-grants. A sharp increase occurred from 2012 to 2013 when the number tripled. So far in 2014, the flows have remai-ned high and Brazil’s lack of prepara-tion is becom-ing increasingly evident.

THE HAITIANS CASE: THE FLOOD THAT CAUSED THE EXODUS

Haitians found in the construction of 895 houses in the northern region of Curitiba the job opportunity they were seeking in Brazil; altogether there are 21 workers from Haiti

PHOTO: RAFAEL SILVA/COHAB

*This article has been made possible by the journalistic training pro-gram-

me Beyond Your World

DESTINY: BRASIL

The number of people who sought refuge in Brazil in 2013 more than doubled compared to 2012. Last year, 5,256 people sought asylum in the country, up from just over 2,000 in the previous year and repre-senting an 800% increase since 2010. So far to May this year, there 684 people were granted refuge in Brazil. It is estimated that the number of requests could reach 12,000 by the end of 2014. Today, there are 5,208 refugees in the country, representing 80 nation-alities of which 90% are aged between 18 and 30 years and 66% are men.

From the 16th to the 19th Century, about 5 million black slaves were brought from Africa to Brazil by colonising forces

From the mid 19th Century to the mid-20th, Brazil saw intense immi-gration from Europe, with Italians, Spaniards, Germans, Poles, Ukraini-ans and Dutch seeking new lives. High numbers of Japanese workers also arrived seeking work in the growing agriculture and industry sec-tors

1990s: A rise in the number of Asian immigrants (in particular Koreans and Chinese)

Post 2000: High immigration from other Latin-American countries and Africa. In the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, a high number of Haitians seek asylum in Brazil

2010: 459 | 2011: 2,600 | 2012: 4,600 | 2013: 13,700

MAJOR WAVES OF IMMIGRATION

VISAS GRANTED TO HAITIANS

MAIN NATIONALITIES OF ASYLUM SEEKERS


2014 WORLD CUP

W O R L D C U P 2 0 1 4

By Nathália Braga

The capital of Mato Grosso state will be hosting four World Cup matches. Tourists visiting the city will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the region’s exuberant and enjoy them-selves in

the specially built Pantanal Arena

TO THE WEST: CUIABÁWith its hot climate and friendly popu-

lation, Cuiabá, the capital of Mato Gros-so, in the Midwest of Brazil, promises to give a warm welcome to football fans during the World Cup in Brazil. With beautiful weather all year long,

this is a great place to discover bre-athtaking scenery and enjoy a variety of activities related to nature. Cuiabá is also the entrance to three of Brazil’s most stunning biomes: Amazon, Cerra-do and Pantanal.Just over 60 miles from the capital, you

can experience one of the greatest havens of wildlife on the planet: the Pantanal. The magic of this area is so strong that the get to the place that region’s new arena pur-pose built for the World Cup has been named after it to celebrate its glories. Nearby you can also see the in-credible cliffs of Chapada dos Guimarães.In the urban setting, you can have more

contact with the warm and party-spirit of the 600,000 inhabitants of the city. The Cuiabá and Coxipó rivers are part of the city’s unique scenery and the bridges crossing the first river determine the boun-dary of the city with the town of Várzea

Grande. The historic centre of the city is almost 300 years old and is listed as a site of National Historical and Artistic He-ritage. Here the first streets of the capital are preserved, giving you a glimpse into the capital’s past since it was developed during Brazil’s gold rush in the 1700s.Although gold is still found around

Cuiabá, today the region’s economic de-velopment has been aided mainly by agri-cultural activities, with an emphasis on the production of soybeans, cotton and corn.Other tourist attractions that tell the

story of the city is the Rondon Mu-seum, which has a collection of artefacts from the various indigenous groups that have inhabited the region for centuries, and the Museum of Stones Ramis Bucair, which gathers rocks, precious and semi-precious stones found in the region.

FOOTBALL FEVER

While it does have the support of the largest fan base in the region, Cu-iabá’s biggest team, Mixto Esporte Clube has not play in Brazil’s first di-vision of the Brazilian Championship for 30 years.

This has led some to question the state’s football tradition and suitability as a host for the World Cup.José Fragelli Stadium has historically

been the official venue for football ma-tches in Mato Grosso, having hosted four friendly matches of the Brazilian squad. But the city will enter sporting history with the new specially built Pantanal Arena hosting four games in the group phase. On 13 June, Chile and Australia will

inaugurate the lawns of the arena. This will be followed by Russia vs. South Korea (17 June), Nigeria vs. Bosnia and Herzegovinia (21 June). The last match in the stadium will be between Japan and Colombia, on 24 June.The Pantanal Arena differs in design

from other stadiums and with re-spect for the region’s natural beauty, sustainability has been a focus. It is the only arena that has not completely closed, providing ventilation within its structure, which has ‘living walls’ planted with lush foliage to aid thermal comfort. The project also includes other sustainable measures such as the use of certified wood, recycling

and reuse of con-struction waste from work and monitoring soil quality and air. The total construction area reaches

300,000 square meters with a ter-race measuring 93 square meters. After the sporting event it is hoped that the arena will receive events, in addition to being a place of leisure and enter-tainment.The stands, which are flexible, have

the capacity for just over 41,000 fans. These multipurpose features are seen as a means of compensating for the R$570 million (around £150 million) invested in the stadium’s construction.After the World Cup, it is expected

that the arena will be used in differ-ent ways, including having a reduction to its structure to create conven-tion rooms for different types of events. But the government of Mato Grosso

and the Cuiabá hope that the World Cup will leave more than a physical legacy after all the investment. They hope that the event will promote the region and will continue to attract tourists interested in experiencing the life and the ecologi-cal natural beauty of the region.

13brasilobserver.co.ukW O R L D C U P 2 0 1 4

(1) Pantanal Arena; (2) Cuiabá’s historic centre; (3) Handcraft House; (4) Scubadiving in Nobres

POSITIVE:PARALLEL PROJECTS

Another highlight for the cons-truction of the Pantanal Arena is that the project was developed with the support from the Ministry of Labour. During construction, seven workers who had formerly worked in slave labour conditions on other construction sites were made formal employ-ees and, in addition to receiving food and accommodation were also giv-en literacy classes.

In late April, the General Secre-tary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, Ronal-do, who is a member of the Local Organising Committee, and Sports Minis-ter Aldo Rebelo were in the city of Cuiabá to visit the Panta-nal Arena and the schools that are part of the ’11 For Health Project’. In addition to praising the way the project has progressed in Cuiaba, the group also had many compli-ments to the Pantanal Arena.

Valcke talked about the good con-ditions of the Arena and said he was not concerned about the city’s abi-lity to host the event. The secretary did have to assure reporters that im-provements to the city’s urban mo--bility would be ready in time.

NEGATIVE:LACK OF SPORT EVENTS

Although the Pantanal Arena has a great lawn, sporting events won’t be taking place with great frequency after the World Cup as the local sports scene is weak and not part of elite Brazilian football. Even if local teams did play in the stadium this would be inadequate use of the arena as it would be hi-ghly undersubscribed as numbers of supports are small.

In early May, the Minister of Tourism, Vinicius Lages, said the fact that Cuiabá does not have a football team in the first division will not affect the legacy of the World Cup and that the building will be sustainable.

To try to circumvent this factor, the Pantanal Arena includes mo-bile stands and even part of the structure is removable. The sta-dium should be able to be trans-formed to host concerts and events to offset the in-vestment.

The argument is that Cuiabá is a Brazilian region with strong featu-res for tourism including a range of services and hotels, as well as its airport and aspects of urban mo-bility that have been improved for the World Cup. All this can be used to increase the tourism and service economy, which could be the grea-test legacy to the capital.

AMAZONAS

PARÁ

AMAPÁ

ACRE

RONDÔNIA

RORAIMA

TOCANTINS

BAHIA

MINAS GERAIS

MATO GROSSO

MATO GROSSODO SUL

SÃO PAULO

PARANÁ

SANTA CATARINA

RIO GRANDEDO SUL

RIO DE JANEIRO

ESPÍRITO SANTO

SERGIPE

PERNAMBUCO

PARAÍBA

RIO GRANDEDO NORTE

PIAUÍ

MARANHÃO CEARÁAM

PA

AP

AC

RO

RR

TO

BA

MT

MS

SP

PR

SC

RS

RJ

ES

SE

PE

PB

RN

PI

MA CE

MG

AL

DF

GO

CUIABÁ – MTWeather:tropical hot and humid Annual average temperature: 24 °C Vegetation: Cerrado Altitude: 165 meters Population: 569 830 inhabitants Area: 3538 km2

PANTANAL ARENA Outside area: 300,000 m2 Investment: R$ 570 million Capacity: 41.39 million fans Field Size: 105 X 68 meters

PHOTOS: DIVULGATION (VISIT BRASIL)


CONECTANDO

By Daiane Andrade*

They sprouted from the red and fer-tile ground of Paraná’s countryside, in the confines of the Brazil’s southern state known for its bountiful har-vests. They are fruits of the mixture between heat, tradition, faith and a boost of resistance. Many are unaware of the origins of the tunes they evoke, but know they need to repeat them. They emerged from the simple life with the gift of storytelling; Wisdom is not ex-plained, but trained. And the party ha-ppens. Passed from father to son, the mission of guarding the flag resurfaces in Brazil’s small village with a foreign name that poorly translates the corner of where it is located: Paranacity.The rhymes boom from the city-

-village to make people believers. And that, a long time ago, someone came into the world to make peace be-tween God and the mankind. Forgiveness ba-thed in blood. It does not depend on how they narrate. For those men and boys who raised this almost forgotten tradition, faith is a permanent condi-tion, a result of the lives they lead. As concrete as the walls of the houses they visit. It is for them only a fai-thful retelling of the saga that trans-cends death on the cross.Dressed with hope, with the colour

of the leaves on the trees, they are the ‘Companhia Estrela Guia’, or Guide Star Company in English. Three years ago, these 15 or 20 people roam the streets of Paranacity be-tween Christ-mas and Epiphany. At each visit, they sing the songs about Jesus passing by the Earth, the difficulties of Joseph and Mary, the jour-ney of the Three Kings. And the singing starts, interspersed with rhymes. There are still lively disputes with swords that look like dancing. On the flag of the pilgrims, the illustra-tion of the Holy Family of Bal-thasar, Melchior and Gaspar and the star that guided the 11 days of travel.In the dark of the nights mission, the

Folia resurfaces and is rooted in the culture dry for almost 20 years without the celebration. On foot, dripping in different places, participants follow the verses sung by the ambassadors - the

leaders of the group, dressed with a white cap. “There is Edinho, his uncle Jurandir and Gildo”, says Joélio, one of the guitarists of the company. “Edinho is one of the most dedicated. He could be having fun but prefers the Folia”. Everyone prefers, even the bastions, co-lourful clowns who run around the ca-ravan. They represent the King Herod. “The Bible says that this king, when he discovered that the Saviour was born, sent to kill the boys in Bethlehem un-der two years of age,” Edinho explains. “An angel warned Joseph and he fled to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. Then the king, owner of the sword, failed to kill a child. So he is silly.”The widower whistle breaks the silence

of the wanderings. The wheeze an-nounces the Folia and asks permission to the house owners, the god-parents. “The bastions go ahead and talk to people to allow the compa-ny’s arri-val”, Jurandir says. “They also ask the godparent to receive the flag, which is loaded by the last resident visited: the ‘bandeireiro’”. A spectacle carved in sweat and faith,

the ambassadors lead the Guide Star tra-dition. In homes, the script follows what the eyes see. The larger is the mosaic of family devotion, the longer are the visits. “If there’s crib, we sing the crib. If there’s holy, we sing holy,” explains Joélio. What does not change is the or-der of the rite. “The company always pleases Jesus first, then the Kings and finally the godparents.”

The ‘Folia de Reis’ was born in Por-tugal and came to Brazil in the bags of the colonizers, between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Over time, the celebration absorbed new influences and imported tradition painted with the faith of the people here; local expressions in music, dances and prayers. The initiative began to take shape

in 2009, in the community radio of the city. “I was a talker and knew they were thinking about digging up our identity. I announced in my program and gradually the thing was forming”, says Jurandir. Then the musicians - tho-se that knew the rules and the songs - started to show up. After a while, the Star Guide Com-pany was born.When they arrive, the bastions are the

first after the flag and peer all around. Meanwhile, the company expects from the outside. “They are the ones who speak with the godparents,” explains Edinho. In some cases, they also have the task of asking for gifts.Peering through the door, the group

inspect the environment. The body only goes to the final diagnosis. In a wooden bookshelf, there are imag-es of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Together, the Three Kings and animals are un-der a small stable. The gift has been found. It represents the end point of the journey guided by the star. The bastions then draw the shades, leave the swords and declaim his verses. Rhymes announce the finding to the rest of the group.

Requests for visits are organized geo-graphically. “The flag cannot go back”, Joélio says. The reason is that it is the sacred journey, ever mov-ing onward. “Neither can we bring the flag home. At night, when the company terminates the mission, it stays with the last go-dfather played. The next day, the walk starts from there”. The only exception is when the godparent is the priest be-cause there is no rule to go to the house of God. The Folia has earned the respect of the people and became re--nowned invited to Sunday mass.The temple is crowded, the hearts

beat stronger. Standing in the door--way, the bastion is unmasked or sword. Visibly moved, he will not drop the usual grunts. Man blows his whistle three times. Recites the first verses of the largest nativity scene in front of the town and finally en-ters the Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Behind him, the second bastion and the rest of the company.The temple is huge, white, no saints.

On the altar sits only a thin cross. The crib is near the entrance. But before we sing it is necessary to trav-erse the environment. Announce the arrival of the entourage. The group walks through the crowded banks, rhythmic dotted by Viola. Then all stand before the bibli-cal scene. The people feel. There is a lady crying on the last bench. A girl filming the ritual. The priest himself wants a photo of him side of the Folia. Men and boys spend all their time on their knees. The presentation lasts for about one hour. “The more we sing, the thrill is even greater,” confesses Juran-dir. “You can even sorry to leave.”On the eve of Epiphany, January 5,

pilgrimage ends. “We closed the mis-sion party,” says Edinho. On day 6, the group divides the donations and pre-pares a dinner. Together, all sit at the table and celebrate. Jesus was born and the Magi found him several times. Next year there is more. Mission accompli-shed, the flag finally rests.

THE GUARDIANS OF THE FLAG

The bastions arethe first to arrive

This edition, Conectando comes from a more ethereal perspec-tive to look at how the tradition of ‘Folia de Reis’ (Feast of the Epiphany) survives and is celebrated in the countryside of Bra-zil’s southern state of Paraná

PHOTO: DAIANE ANDRADE

*Daiane Andrade is reporter at BandNews FM in Curitiba, student of postgraduate

studies in literary journalism of the Brazilian Academy of Literary Journalism


Brasil Observer

GUIDEPHOTO: DIVULGATION

As Brazil steps into the spotlight to host the biggest sporting event in the world, the cultural heritage of those Brazilians living in the

UK takes centre stage for a series of special events in London >> Read on pages 16 and 17

Enquanto o Brasil se prepara para receber o maior evento esportivo do mundo, a herança cultural dos brasileiros que vivem no Reino Unido se destaca em uma série de eventos em Londres>> Leia nas páginas 16 e 17

CELEBRATEBRASILIANCEIN LONDON


BUILDING BRAZILIAN IDENTITY IN ENGLAND

PHOTO: ANDREW WILLIAMS

By Gabriela Lobianco

The previously unknown cultural herit-age of Brazilians who have been living in the UK since the 1960s will be the main focus of Brasiliance Day, a festi-val organised by the StoneCrabs Theatre Company and sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund. To celebrate the event and the legacy

of these Brasileiros, in addition to the theatre performance there will be a num-ber of free activities including samba, capoeira and football on 7 June, at Dept-ford Lounge in south east London.The following month, the group have

organised a packed schedule of attrac-tions for Brasiliance: a Weekend of Brazilian Brilliance at Rich Mix in Shoreditch on 5 and 6 July.According to Franko Figueiredo, the

artistic director at StoneCrabs and organ-iser of the event, the idea came from his earlier involvement in a project with Bola Agbaje which a surveyed Nigerian immi-grants who came to the United Kingdom during the Biafra War of 1967-70. The work resulted in a festival titled Where are we now? which looked at Nigerian emigre experiences. Inspired by this pro-ject, Figueiredo adapted the idea to tell the story of the Brazilians who came to the UK from the 60s to 80s. “The project aims to save these stories and thus begin to create a sense of cultural heritage for Brazilians here,” the director said in an interview with Brasil Observer.According to Tanja Pagnuco, the pro-

ducer of the event, the title ‘Brasiliance’, was chosen for the sense of optimism it conveys. Walney Virgílio, the festival exhibition curator, added that the festival represents a union, “I believe that we are seeing an alliance, there are so many Brazilians, nearly 160 thousand, who have been welcomed here and made the UK and especially London, their home.”

BUILDING AN ORAL HISTORYWith the goal of discovering true ex-

periences, a group of 14 volunteers de-veloped research for the Brasiliance Oral History Project. They selected and cata-logued information, conducted interviews and looked into historical facts provided by Brazilians who had been living and working in London for over 20 years.

Virgílio explained that he participated in the project as a collaborator, because his prior academic work had focussed on the area of plastic arts, which was an important artistic movement in Bfra-zil during this time period. “We know the work of Hélio Oiticica, Ligya Clark, Lygia Pape and Mira Schendel, but we don’t know how many Brazilians felt at the time. This was all going on in paral-lel to military dictatorship and economic crisis in Brazil. Previously we have not known people’s reasons for immigrating, because there are few records. One way of researching this is to build an under-standing of the oral history belonging to this group,” he added.All of the research from the project will

be archived at ILAS (Institute of Latin

America Studies) and the British Library, in London and available for public access. The project’s creator Franko Figueiredo,

was surprised and compelled by the sto-ries uncovered. “What interests us are the themes of ignorance, prejudice, intercul-turalism, immigration, bullying”, he said, pointing out that these topics are often shared in experiences of living abroad.Despite being a megalopolis, built by

foreigners (including Brazilians), London does not focus on this element to its his-tory. Figueiredo, however, hopes to begin to change this: “the StoneCrabs began by producing works of Brazilian artists and collaborating with other denizens. Our aim is to show, through our work, the interculturalism that exists and is es-sential in British society”.

In this spirit, the Brasiliance celebra-tions should act as a new bridge for the cultural integration between the two countries. “We are all ambassadors of Brazilian culture. The event not only recognises and celebrates this Brazilian diversity, but tries to show that there is a different Brazil from what you usu-ally see in the media. More importantly we want to record this time, save the history of our community for posterity,” Figueiredo added.For Walney Virgílio, “the Brasiliance

project is the beginning of the forma-tion of a Brazilian/English identity”, quoting the recent study Latin Ameri-cans - No more Invisibles, “this is a call to alert you that we are no longer a minority in England.”

Franko Figueiredo, StoneCrabs company ar-tistic director: “We are all ambassadors of the Brazilian culture”


CONSTRUINDO A IDENTIDADE BRASILEIRA NA INGLATERRA

PHOTO: RÔMULO SEITENFUS

Por Gabriela Lobianco

A herança cultural dos brasileiros que vivem no Reino Unido desde as décadas de 60, 70 e 80 será destaque do Brasi-liance Day, festival organizado pela com-panhia de teatro StoneCrabs com patrocínio do Heritage Lottery Fund. Como forma de celebração desse legado, haverá uma série de atividades e atrações gratuitas – samba ao vivo, roda de capoeira, competição de futebol – no dia 7 de junho, das 11 às 16 horas, no Deptford Lounge, em Londres. Além disso, os organizadores preparam

a realização do evento Brasiliance: a Weekend of Brazilian Brilliance no Rich Mix, nos dias 5 e 6 de julho, como parte integrante das comemorações.

De acordo com Franko Figueiredo, or-ganizador do evento e diretor artístico da companhia StoneCrabs, a proposta surgiu a partir de um incentivo do Her-itage Lottery Fund em meados de 2010, quando trabalhava com a escritora Bola Agbaje em uma pesquisa sobre nigeri-anos que imigraram para o Reino Unido durante a Guerra de Biafra. O trabalho resultou no festival Where are we now?, que foi realizado no teatro Albany. De-pois dessa empreitada, Franko adaptou a ideia para contar a saga dos brasileiros que vieram para o Reino Unido na mes-ma época. “O projeto visa guardar essas estórias e, assim, começar a criar um patrimônio cultural dos brasileiros em Londres”, disse o diretor em entrevista ao Brasil Observer.

O nome ‘Brasiliance’, segundo a produtora do evento, Tanja Pagnuco, foi escolhido pela sonoridade. Para Walney Virgílio, curador das exposições, o fes-tival representa a união entre os imi-grantes: “acredito que estamos buscando uma aliança, já que somos tantos na Inglaterra, principalmente Londres, com quase 160 mil brasileiros”.

HISTÓRIA ORAL

Dentro dessa perspectiva, um grupo de 14 voluntários desenvolveu pesqui-sas dentro do Brasiliance Oral His-tory Project, que selecionou e catal-ogou informações, entrevistas e fatos

históricos com brasileiros que vivem e trabalham em Londres há mais de 20 anos. Walney explicou que participa do projeto como colaborador e que está ligado à área das artes plásticas por conta de sua formação acadêmica. “Sabemos de Hélio Oiticica, Ligya

Clark, Lygia Pape e Mira Schendel den-tro do período que estamos abordando, mas com o paralelo no Brasil: Ditadura Militar e a crise econômica. Não sabe-mos a razão da imigração, pois não existem muitos registros. Uma forma de entender é fazendo esse trabalho de pes-quisa oral”, comentou Walney.Toda a pesquisa será arquivada

no ILAS (Institute of Latin America Studies) e na British Library, em Lon-dres, para acesso público. Para Franko Figueiredo, o interessante é contar os diferentes casos de imigrantes que escolheram Londres como casa. “O que nos interessa são os temas que a pesquisa traz, como ignorância, pre-conceito, interculturalidade, imigração, bullying”, revelou, contatando que es-ses tópicos representam em uníssono o que é viver no exterior. Como uma megalópole construída

por estrangeiros (brasileiros inclusive), Londres tem pouco espaço de divul-gação para esses trabalhos artísticos. Franko, porém, aposta nesse diálogo entre culturas: “foi assim que o Stone-Crabs começou a produzir trabalhos de artistas brasileiros e colaborações com outros estrangeiros naturalizados; tentamos mostrar, através de nosso trabalho, que a interculturalidade que existe na sociedade britânica”.Nessa onda, as celebrações envol-

vendo o Brasil visam à integração cultural. “Queiramos ou não, somos todos embaixadores dessa cultura bra-sileira tão diversa. O evento não só reconhece e celebra essa diversidade brasileira, como tenta mostrar a Lon-dres que existe um Brasil diferente do que normalmente se vê na mídia. Mais importante ainda é gravar este momento, guardar a história da nossa comunidade para a posteridade”, com-plementou Franko. Para Walney Virgilio, “o projeto

Brasiliance é o começo da formação de uma identidade Brasileira/Inglesa”. Ele lembrou ainda do recém-lançado estudo Latin Americans - No more Invisibles, “um apelo para alertar que nós não somos mais uma minoria na Inglaterra”.

BRASILIANCE DAY & BRASILIANCE WEEKEND

For more information please visits:http://brasiliance.com

http://www.stonecrabs.co.ukhttp://deptfordlounge.org.uk

http://www.richmix.org.uk


NINETEEN EIGHT-FOUR

WHERE TO PARTY IN SAO PAULO

ONDE CAIR NA FESTA EM SÃO PAULO

By Ricardo Somera

The World Cup is coming (how many times do we have to write that until it finally arrives?) and with it, many parties that will shake the host cities. After all, what else is there to do when the ball is not rolling? There are certainly going to be many options beyond the scheduled Fan Fest, the “official parties” organised by Fifa.Let’s talk, then, about the best parties in Sao Paulo, the biggest

city in the country, host to the opening match (Brazil vs. Croatia on 12 June) and one of England’s games in the first round of the competition (against Uruguay on 19 June). Here is my provisional list that can grow with your help: please

Tweet your suggestions to @souricardo.

ELECTRONIC

If you are looking for electronic music, the district of Barra Funda is home to D-Edge, the main club for this style. This dance hotspot is always voted highly in DJ Mag’s ranking of the best clubs in the world. Open almost every day of the week, their packed line-up that puts

clubs in London and Berlin to shame. Head there in the early hours of Sunday from 5am for ‘SuperAfter’ and experience breakfast and the sunrise while overlooking the Memorial of Latin America, desig-ned by architect Oscar Niemeyer.

UNDERGROUND

Following in the footsteps of electronic music, but with a little Brazilianness, several alternative collectives put on the best party in town: Trackers. The old city centre, more precisely a disused public office building from the ‘70s is where the young and hip crowd head for their weekly music fix. Transformed from a squat, the decaying have gradually been occupied by graffiti the party has a unique at-mosphere. Calefação Tropicaos, Venga, Venga and Trabalho Sujo are the venues best parties.

SAMBA

Don’t think that you can only enjoy Samba in Rio; Sao Paulo’s parties have their own rich tradition and style. Two sambas (where you can also enjoy feijoada another quintessential Brazilian expe-rience), that are worth visiting are Você Vai Se Quiser in Rooselvet Square and Traço de União in Pinheiros. For a more mixed and friendly environment, Samba do Bule in the northern area of the city is my favourite.

CITY SECRETS

Two parties that are really cool, but you will only get into if you know someone in the city, are the Forró Secreto and Bar Secreto. The first one is a party where the best trios of forró play in the city and only people who are on the guest list get in. Organised by Magno Festas, if you are heading to SP you can get in touch with them and try get a ticket.Bar Secreto has a more intimate feel and a with an international

footprint, the venue has hosted after parties for Madonna and more recently Arcade Fire. It is an expensive place compared with other clubs, but cheap if compared to any English pub.I also recommend checking out the schedule of other parties like

Voodoohop, Cine Jóia and Audio Club. If you are not a fan of clubs but still like a drink, The Guardian has created a nice guide to Sao Paulo’s best Cocktail bars: http://bit.ly/1gHd6bJ.

Por Ricardo Somera

A Copa do Mundo está chegando (quantas vezes mais teremos que escrever isso até que ela finalmente chegue?) e, com ela, muitas festas que vão agitar as cidades-sede. Afinal, o que fazer quando a bola não estiver rolan-do? Certamente haverá muitas opções além das programadas Fan Fest, áreas designadas para a “festa oficial” da Fifa.Falemos, então, de São Paulo, já que a maior

cidade do país receberá a abertura do evento (Brasil X Croácia no dia 12 de junho) e um dos jogos da Inglaterra na primeira fase da competição (contra o Uruguai no dia 19 de ju-nho). Abaixo segue minha lista, que pode cres-cer com sua ajuda: basta mandar sua sugestão para @souricardo.

ELETRÔNICO

Se você está em busca de música eletrônica, o bairro da Barra Funda é onde está o principal club do estilo em São Paulo: D-Edge. Figurinha repetida no ranking da DJ Mag das melhores baladas de música eletrônica do mundo, o lugar funciona quase todos os dias da semana com uma programação que deixa muitas baladas consagradas de Londres e Berlim no chinelo. Às segundas-feiras a casa recebe a festa On The

Rocks. Aos domingos, às 5h, começa o SuperAf-ter, com café da manhã e nascer do sol da co-bertura – com vista para o Memorial da America Latina, desenhado pelo arquiteto Oscar Niemeyer.

UNDERGROUND

Na pegada eletrônica, mas com um pouqui-nho de brasilidade, vários coletivos alternativos se encontram na melhor balada da cidade: Tra-ckers. O centro velho da cidade é para onde a galera jovem e descolada se dirige semanal-

mente, mais exatamente para um prédio com cara de repartição pública dos anos 70. Trans-formado em uma squat, carrega a decadência em suas paredes que o graffiti tenta ocupar aos poucos. As festas Calefação Tropicaos, Venga, Venga e Trabalho Sujo são disputadas, você só entra com nome na lista.

SAMBA

Você não está no Rio, mas os sambas pau-listanos não devem nada às tradicionais rodas cariocas. Dois sambas com feijoada que valem a pena conhecer são 1) Você Vai se Quiser na Praça Rooselvet e 2) Traço de União em Pinheiros. Com um clima mais descontraído, misturado e “4:20 friendly”, o Samba do Bule na zona norte da cidade é minha roda favorita e vai até o amanhecer.

SECRETOS

Duas festas que são bem legais, mas que você só vai conseguir entrar se conhecer al-guém da cidade, são o Forró Secreto e o Bar Secreto. O Forró Secreto é uma festa com os melhores trios de forró da cidade e apenas pes-soas que estão numa lista restrita podem entrar. A festa é organizada pela Magno Festas – você pode entrar em contato com os organizadores e tentar a sorte. Já o Bar Secreto tem um clima mais intimista

e uma pegada mais internacional – o lugar já palco de afters da Madonna e recentemente do Arcade Fire. É um lugar caro se comparado com outras baladas, mas barato se compararmos com qualquer pub inglês.Se você não for um fã de comemorações em

festas e baladas, confira o guia de bares que Guardian preparou: http://bit.ly/1gHd6bJ. Con-fira também a programação de outras festas no site da Voodoohop, Cine Jóia e Audio Club.

PHOTO: LEANDRO GODOI

Marcio Vermelhoplaying at D-Edge club


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PHOTOS: DIVULGATION

BRAZIL DAY INTRAFALGAR SQUARE

Everyone is invited to this 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil party in the heart of London. On 12 June, the very day that the world’s largest sporting event is set in motion on the other side of the Atlantic, Londoners and visitors alike will be able to experience and enjoy a cultural feast with sounds, colours and flavours from Brazil. This FREE event will feature a line-up of main stage performances including Samba, Maracatu, Bossa Nova and Choro as well offering

interactive presentations of swaying Forró dance, Capoeira and more. At the food stalls, everyone will be able to sample a range of Brazilian authentic culinary treats. There will also be a football fan-zone offering recreational activities for all ages. BRAZIL DAY is organized by the Embassy of Brazil in London and supported by the Mayor of London. Please note that on the 12 June the Brazil X Croatia game (9 pm) will not be screened in Trafalgar Square.

Where Trafalgar Square | Tickets Free >> www.brazil.org.uk

12 June (12 – 7pm)

Since co-founding his Grupo de Rua (Street Group) as a teenager in 1996, Brazilian choreographer Bruno Beltrao has dedicated himself to transforming street dance and its place in the theatre. His new show, CRACKz, is a “piece without roots”: Beltrão asked his dancers to scour the in-ternet for movements, gestures and informal routines, and then used these as the basis for his choreography. The result is a remarkable fusion of street and contemporary dance, everyday actions and avant-garde attitude that opens up new possibilities for hip-hop and theatre alike.

Brazil has become renowned for its progressive street art and imaginative DIY art ethos. As part of Joga Bola Rich Mix has invited four urban artists from Brazil; trail-blazing stencil artist - Daniel Melim and three members of the legendary street poster art collective – SHN to create mu-rals, installations and lead DIY art workshops. They will be creating a permanent mural in Rich Mix’s main space. The artist’s will also produce a unique installation cre-ated from hundreds of silkscreen posters featuring playful graphic icons combined with stencil art.

Following on the footsteps of greats such as Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque, at only 27 Maria Gadu is widely recognised as the brightest new star to emerge in Música Popular Brasileira over the last decade. Nom-inated twice for a Latin Grammy Award – for ‘Best Artist’ and ‘Best Songwriter’ – her self-titled debut album was certified platinum in Brazil and gold in Italy. Her eclectic sound incorporates the rootsy acoustic sound of her São Paulo hometown with a brave new blend of samba, Afro-beat, and funk.

Where Sadler’s Wells Theatre | Tickets £12, £20, £27 >> www.liftfestival.com

Where Rich Mix | Tickets Free>> www.richmix.org.uk

Where Barbican Hall | Tickets £15 - £22 plus booking fee >> www.barbican.org.uk

3 – 4 June 12 June – 29 August 28 June

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NEW CANVAS OVER OLD

FOUR BRAZILIAN DESIGNERS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUTCARLOS MOTTA

DOMINGOS TÓTORA

JOSÉ ZANINE CALDAS

MANECO QUINDERÉ

Having graduated in architecture, but preferring to immerse himself in the surfing counterculture of the 70s, Carlos Motta spent a year in Cali--fornia, presumably riding the waves and studying construction tech-niques in wood and iron. In 1978 he retur-ned to Vila Madalena in Sao Paulo, started the Atelier Carlos Motta and has been designing and con-structing furniture, architecture, utilitarian ob-

jects and sculptures ever since. Motta’s work references ecology

and respect for nature. Environmental and social responsibility have always been at the core of what he does ensuring that his work causes the least possible impact on the planet and sharing the financial results with those that are part of the produc-tion chain, motivating them to exist and work in the pursuit of excel-lence.

Born and raised in Maria da Fe, a city in the mountainous region of Mi-nas Gerais, Brazil, Domingos Tó-tora returned to his hometown after studying design in Sao Paulo and chose cardboard as the source materi--al for his work that falls between art and design.

Using a certified sustainable pro-cess, recycled cardboard is broken up into small pieces and turned into a pulp that serves as the base material for furniture, objects and sculptural pieces that are moulded by hand, dried in the sun and fini-shed to perfection.

A self-taught architect and desig-ner, Caldas was one of the fathers of modernist design in Brazil and an inspiring person both in life and work. Envisaging the potential indus-trialisation in the Brazil at the end of the ‘40s, Caldas and Sebastião Pon-tes founded the company ‘Z Artistic Fur-niture’ creating affordable moder-nist furniture out of plywood. From the ‘50s Caldas worked as a model maker for architects including Oscar Niemeyer, Oswaldo Arthur Bratke, Rino Levi and Henrique Mindlan who praised his exceptional ability to highly creative solutions. During Brazil’s military coup, Cal-

das lost his position at the University of Brasilia, and travelled in South America and Africa. In 1968 Caldas took refuge in Nova Viçosa, Bahia where he got involved with envi-ronmental protection projects. Embra-cing the skills of local craftsman, he started a handcrafted production of furniture using the scraps and roots of native trees that had been felled by the pulp industry. Caldas saw this as a form of protest against the aggressive destruction of the environ-ment. Characterised by their organic, sculptural quality, Caldas’ furniture takes full advantage of the flaws and natural curves of wood.

Taking place in one of the win-dowless spaces of Caixa Cultural in Rio, the light installations and fittings of Maneco Quinderé provi-ded an es-sential source of illumi-nation and also a unique atmosphe-re to the show. This is not a surprise considering

that Quinderé worked as a theatre de-signer for many years, creating groundbreaking experiences for whi-

ch he was awarded prestigious pri-zes. Since in 2006 his lighting de-signs started to gain new applications within architecture and interior de-sign, always with traces to his earlier experiences, created with the sensi-bility of a product designer and the competence of a lighting specialist. Quinderé works with the fundamental functionality of the object to en-rich the light created.

A couple of weeks ago I finally made

it to the touring exhibition of Bra-

zilian Furniture Design which has been celebrating

the best Brazilian tal-ents in Lisbon,

Berlin, London and Brazil over the last

two years. Com-prehensive in its size and for the

number of iconic pieces included, the

exhibition was a good retrospective of

talent over the last century. While my

favourite piece had to be Oscar Niemeyer’s

‘Easy Chair’ with its per-fect form and

functionality and I could quite easily dedicate an entire

column and then some to his work, I thought

it would be good to tell you more about just a handful of the many inspirational

Brazilian de-signers featured in the

exhibition.

By Kate Rintoul

PHOTOS: DIVULGATION


QUATRO DESIGNERS BRASILEIROS QUE VOCÊ DEVE CONHECER CARLOS MOTTA

DOMINGOS TÓTORA

JOSÉ ZANINE CALDAS

MANECO QUINDERÉ

Graduado em arquitetura, mas pre-ferindo imergir na contracultura do surfe dos anos 1970, Carlos Motta passou um ano na Califórnia, prova--velmente pegando onda e estudando técnicas de construção em madei-ra e ferro. Em 1978, ele retornou para o bairro da Vila Madalena, em São Paulo, onde inaugurou o Atelier Car-los Motta – desde então tem de-se-nhado e construído móveis, objetos

utilitários e esculturas. O trabalho de Motta faz forte reve-

rencia a ecologia e respeito com a na--tureza. A responsabilidade social e am-biental sempre esteve no centro do que ele faz, com a preocupação de causar o menor impacto possível no planeta e compartilhando os resultados financei-ros com aqueles que fazem parte da cadeia produtiva, motivando-os a existir e trabalhar em busca da excelência.

Nascido e criado em Maria da Fé, pequeno município nas monta-nhas de Minas Gerais, Domingos Tótora retornou para sua cidade natal depois de estudar design em São Paulo e escolher o papelão como material base de seu trabalho que varia entre arte e desenho.

Usando um processo sustentável, o papelão reciclável é quebrado em pequenos pedaços e que se trans-formam em uma pasta que serve como material base dos móveis, objetos e esculturas que são mo-deladas a mão, secadas ao sol e finalizadas com perfeição.

Arquiteto e designer auto de data, Caldas foi um dos pais do design modernista brasileiro e uma fonte de inspiração tanto em seu trabalho quanto na vida pessoal. Prevendo o potencial industrial do Brasil no final da década de 1940, Caldas e Sebas-tião Pontes fundaram a companhia ‘Z Artistic Furniture’, criando um mo-biliário modernista acessível de ma--deira compensada. A partir dos anos 1950, Caldas trabalhou com arqui-te-tos de renome como Oscar Niemeyer, Oswaldo Arthur Bratke, Rino Levi e

Henrique Mindlan. Com o golpe militar, Caldas per-

deu sua posição na Universidade de Bra-sília e viajou pela América do Sul e África. Em 1968 se refugiou em Nova Viçosa, na Bahia, onde se envolveu com projetos de proteção ambiental. Aprendendo as habilidades dos artesãos locais, começou a pro-duzir pe-ças com raízes de árvores nativas. Caracterizados por sua quali-dade es-cultural, os móveis de Caldas tiram o máximo das falhas e curvas natu-rais da madeira.

Posicionada em uma das salas sem janela do espaço Caixa Cultural do Rio de Janeiro, a iluminada instala-ção de Maneco Quinderé deu uma at-mosfera única para a exposição. Isso não chega a ser uma surpresa,

considerando que Quinderé traba-lhou

com teatro por muitos anos. Desde 2006 seus desenhos iluminados co-meçaram a ganhar novas aplicações dentro da arquitetura e do de-sign de interior, com a sensibilidade de cria-dor de produtos e a compe-tência de um especialista em iluminação.

Algumas semanas atrás eu finalmente visitei a exibição itinerante ‘Brazi-lian Furniture Design’, que tem celebrado o trabalho dos melhores talen-tos brasileiros da área com exposições em Lisboa, Berlim, Londres e Bra-sil. Abrangente em seu tamanho e pelo número de peças icônicas incluí-das, a mostra faz uma boa retrospectiva do um último século. Ainda que minha peça favorita tenha sido a ‘Easy Chair’ de Oscar Niemeyer, e que sua forma renda por si só uma coluna inteira, decidi que seria mais inte-ressante abordar alguns dos designers brasileiros que me deram tanta inspiração na exposição.

Por Kate Rintoul

www.brazil ianfurnituredesign.comPara ler as biografias completas e entrevistas gravadas com os desig-ners acima

Visit for full biographies, including video interviews with the designers


MUSIC TO WEAR

I DARE YOUOUR PERSONAL CHALLANGE

EU TE DESAFIO NOSSA COMPETIÇÃO PESSOAL

By Bia Bronow Dalla Translated by Marielle Machado ‘Teka’

Everyday we all suffer from a cruel pre-judgment, not from other people, but from within our own minds. Restricted by a huge list of fashion “dos and don’ts”, we someti-mes ignore our own will and curiosity. Inspired by looking at this internal dra-

ma (and maybe because I’m listening to Elvis Costello right now) I have been thinking about everyday life and remin-ding myself that breaking rules, especially the ones we set ourselves is one of the coolest things you can do in fashion.We decided to have this conversation

after realising that Teka always sends me photos of the beautiful things she buys in London, and I look at them, quickly coming up with excuses as to why they wouldn’t look good on me, but how it works for her. So we set ourselves the challenge of

trying different things. I’m not just talking about clothes, but basically everything that we refuse to give a go. It might sound silly, but giving a chance to the little things in life you’re not used to can really put a smile on your face – you’ll see.So game on! We’ll be challenging each

other to experience whatever it is that we are afraid of or simply haven’t done yet, and then we will talk about it here and on our blog.The first and probably the most difficult

challenge Teka gave me was to face my fear of the midi pencil skirt. According to some fashion experts, I wouldn’t be allo-wed in heaven if I dared to wear a midi skirt, and if it’s a tight one, then I would be sent straight to fashion hell. To give you a little context, I’m 1.58m tall (5’2”) and my butt diameter is probably half of that vertical number. But who cares, right?For the challenge I decided to wear

an amazing polka dot skirt from River Island that I got at a really good price. I styled it in three different looks and promised not to judge myself. But in the end my inner critic was unusually quiet, while the first look is my favouri-te because I liked the more casual style of the top untucked, I ended up loving all three looks. I can now say that the midi pencil skirt is new a favourite. Thanks, Teka! My challenge to you is

coming soon, just wait!

Por Bia Bronow Dalla

Somos bombardeadas o dia inteiro com um pré-julgamento muito mais cruel do que aquele que vem do outro: o nosso próprio. Influenciadas pela lista enorme de “dont’s”, a gente segue, por vezes, ignorando a nossa vontade/curiosidade. Todo esse dramalhão besta (pode ou não pode ser por estar ouvindo Elvis Cos-tello neste exato momento) é para dizer que uma das coisas mais bacanas de se fazer na vida é quebrar paradigmas, so-bretudo os nossos próprios. A ideia de falar sobre esse assunto

surgiu porque, por vezes, a Teka me mandava fotos de coisas lindas que ela tinha adquirido aí em Londres, e eu criava na cabeça motivos pelos quais aquilo não ficaria bem em mim. Não vale só para roupa, mas para basica-mente tudo o que a gente se recusa a experimentar. Parece bobo, mas dar uma chance às coisas pode te arrancar algum sorriso - vai vendo. A primeira e a mais sofrida peça para

mim foi justamente o primeiro desafio que a Teka me propôs - a saia lápis midi. Isso mesmo! Uma pode desafiar a outra a experimentar o que quer que seja, e depois a gente conta a experiên-cia por aqui e lá no nosso blog. De acordo com algum entendido de

moda por aí, eu seria proibida de in-gressar ao reino dos céus caso ousasse usar uma saia midi; se fosse justa, então, era diretamente para o inferno. Gente, tenho 1,58 metro de altura e uma bundaça que contabiliza mais ou menos metade dessa metragem vertical aí. Mas e daí, né?A que usei para encarar o desafio

foi essa saia de bolinhas maravilhosa da River Island, que comprei por um precinho bem bacanudo também. Fiz três combinações diferentes e combinei comigo mesma de não me julgar tanto. Mas nem precisou... Quando a gente está de bom humor, acaba gostando de tudo! O meu preferido é o primeiro. Gosto mais da blusa por fora, mas curti os três - e confesso que agora o mo-delo é um dos preferidos de todos os tempos da última semana. Valeu Teka! E o meu desafio para você já está che-gando, aguarde!

PHOTOS: PERSONAL ARCHIVE

g This conversation continues on www.musicaparavestir.co.uk

g Essa conversa continua lá no www.musicaparavestir.com.br

In addition to trying out the tight skirt, I decided to team it with a transparent top. Why not? | Além da saia justa, ainda mandei uma transparência. Por que não?

With huge earrings and a great t-shirt there was no way this look could go wrong | Brincão e camiseta, não tem como dar errado

A more classy look | Uma combinação mais

arrumadinha

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Brasil Observer #11 - English Version

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