Brasil Observer #53 - EN

OU VIRE PARA LER EM PORTUGUÊS

LONDON EDITION

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ISSN 2055-4826

SEPTEMBER/2017

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

Contents LONDON EDITION Is a montlhy publication of ANAGU UK UM LIMITED founded by

Ana Toledo Operational Director ana@brasilobserver.co.uk Guilherme Reis Editorial Director guilherme@brasilobserver.co.uk Roberta Schwambach Financial Director roberta@brasilobserver.co.uk English Editor Shaun Cumming shaun@investwrite.co.uk Layout and Graphic Design Jean Peixe ultrapeixe@gmail.com Contributors Antonio Veiga, Aquiles Reis, Christian Taylor, Daniela Barone Soares, Franko Figueiredo, Gabriela Lobianco, Heloisa Righetto, Márcio Apolinário, Nathália Braga Bannister , Wagner de Alcântara Aragão Printer St Clements press (1988 ) Ltd, Stratford, London mohammed.faqir@stclementspress.com 10.000 copies Distribution Emblem Group Ltd. To advertise comercial@brasilobserver.co.uk 020 3015 5043

September/2017

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GUEST COLUMNIST

Fabiana Lopes da Cunha on cultural heritage

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INTERVIEW

Gaël Le Cornec, a Brazilian actress, writer and director

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REPORT

Political reform in Brazil: for whose benefit?

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REPORT

Temer government pays back the ruralists

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CONECTANDO

A story of love and dedication to animals

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CULT

A Brazilian online bookstore in the UK

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CULTURAL TIPS

Theatre, literature, music…

To subscribe contato@brasiloberver.co.uk

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To suggest an article and contribute editor@brasilobserver.co.uk

Franko Figueiredo on theatre and life Heloisa Righetto on feminism Cilene Tanaka on literature Daniela Barone on human behaviour

Online 074 4529 4660 brasilobserver.co.uk issuu.com/brasilobserver facebook.com/brasilobserver twitter.com/brasilobserver Brasil Observer is a monthly publication of the ANAGU UK MARKETING E JORNAIS UN LIMITED (company number: 08621487) and is not responsible for the concepts expressed in signed articles. People who do not appear in this expedient are not authorized to speak on behalf of this publication. The contents published in this newspaper may be reproduced if properly credited to the author and to the Brasil Observer.

COLUMNISTS

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

Cover art Personal archive

My main goal as an artist is to create expressive works that can inspire people to find within themselves new ways of seeing the world, redefining ideas and values

Alfredo Maffei alfredomaffei.com instagram.com/alfredomaffeiart Alfredo Maffei was born in São Carlos, Brazil and holds a degree in Visual Arts from the Faculty of Fine Arts of São Paulo. The artist presents a series of creations where he uses the street as a support to convey his ideas and create expressive works to give visibility to homeless people.

The works of the ‘Olhares Invisíveis’ series (or Invisible Looks) consist of urban interventions where the artist portrays, through large murals, homeless people he meets in his expeditions around the world. The works are painted on walls of precarious and abandoned places, explicitly illustrating the condition of the homeless. His paintings carry a strong political and social significance and have already been exhibited in several countries, where the artist seeks to translate his experiences through the paints and walls.

Making clear the rigid situation faced by the homeless, Maffei seeks to sensitize an audience that has become insensitive to this reality. In addition to his artistic production, he develops research exploring the potential of artistic practices as a means of shortening social and cultural distances and stimulating new positive connections between people of different realities and cultures, using art as a tool.

The cover art of this edition, titled ‘Guardião da Mata’ (or Forest Guardian), “was created to illustrate the current situation that we are living in relation to the demarcation of indigenous lands in the Amazon.” “These territories encompass our almost extinct cultural roots, and in recent days there have been several demonstrations where indigenous people from all over Brazil have joined in favour of repealing these decrees, struggling to defend their rights.”

The cover art for this edition was produced by Alfredo Maffei for the Mostra BO project developed by the Brasil Observer in partnership with Pigment and with institutional support from the Embassy of Brazil. Each of the 11 editions of this newspaper in 2017 is featuring art on its cover produced by Brazilian artists selected through open call. In February 2018, all of the pieces will be displayed at the Embassy of Brazil.

SUPPORT:

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

GUEST

Places of samba and perceptions on cultural heritage in Brazil and Argentina Among the categories of heritage, human heritage must always permeate all others, writes Fabiana Lopes da Cunha

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When I began my research on samba in Rio de Janeiro, still as an undergraduate student, my intention was to analyse how music, its melody, rhythm, and lyrics influenced the listener and to what extent the composer, intellectuals, and the State itself would relate and have knowledge of the type of “feeling” or sensation that the listener would have toward certain genres, rhythms, or melodies.

As Carnival was the biggest of our festivities, I decided to face the challenge of trying to understand the genre that was consecrated in the festivities of Momo: samba. I confess that, for a person of my generation, who grew up listening to Elis Regina, Chico Buarque, and Milton Nascimento and matured with Cazuza, Raul Seixas, and Legião Urbana (musical genre better known as Brazilian popular music and Brazilian rock), entering this musical universe, hitherto unheard by me, was extremely rich and at the same time thought-provoking.

In order to carry out this work, I was fortunate enough to know, personally or through telephone contact, several 78 rpm record collectors who told me stories about the radio, their lives and in what state of conservation their collection was. They also told me that they met annually in a contest to know who had better memory and more data on Brazilian popular music from the 20s to the 40s of the twentieth century. All those with whom I had the opportunity to speak more freely had in common the same opinion: Brazilian popular music would have ended in the 1940s.

From then on nothing new had been done again or nothing of quality.

Collectors are extremely interesting people. At first, they are a little suspicious and afraid that you do not understand or do not value their collection, but, with a little more talking, they realize that your interest is sincere and then, they open their bookshelves and turntables and tell stories for hours on end, about composers, performers, and songs.

The first encounter I had with Mr. Alcino Santos, the collector with whom I had most contact throughout this phase of my research, was extremely bizarre. At first, he almost kicked me out, saying that I was too young to care for those “oldies.” After some time of conversation in the doorway, I convinced him of my desire to know more about his collection and his stories. When I entered his library and disco, I came upon a true sanctuary: besides the sofa and amidst the shelves with the disks catalogued and arranged in extremely organized form, there was a small altar with a green lamp that never went out, an Our Lady and the photo of Francisco Alves. That revealed to me the importance of that place and the interpreter and composer to the life not only of Mr. Alcino, but of thousands of people from his generation. I asked him if he had any personal relationship with the “King of the Voice” and he told me, excitedly, that he heard the singer’s car crash into the President Dutra Highway (Mr. Alcino lived in Taubaté, in the region where Francisco Alves suffered the accident that led to his death) and everyone rushed to the scene. He managed to get a car wheel as a souvenir of that fateful day.

This was just one of the many stories I heard during the many times I visited him in his city. I am narrating these facts, not only to g

show how the researcher gets involved with his research object, but because I believe it was on this day that I understood, in a way, the importance of what many call the “Golden Age of Radio” in Brazil. It was in this period that I began to wonder why samba, a genre negatively view at the beginning of the century, would have become one of the symbols of Brazilianness. To this question other questions aroused: what was the place of samba, who composed it, who interpreted it, who listened to it and danced to it, how and where it was divulged. In the course of my work, I was capturing the various voices and sounds that permeated the city of Rio de Janeiro during the 20s and 40s. In that period, the city was transformed, with new technologies, avenues and spaces of leisure and entertainment. And in the same way, the samba was also modifying until arriving at its maximum sophistication regarding timbre with the samba-exaltação. In the meantime, several modalities emerged within the genre such as samba-canção, samba-choro, samba-enredo, among others.

Among these various modalities of samba, only three were chosen to become official records as the main arrays of samba in Rio as intangible heritage: partido- alto samba, samba de terreiro, and samba-enredo. The selection made by the team that compiled the “Dossier” took into account several criteria that are discussed in more depth in the first chapter of the book “Latin American Heritage: Interdisciplinary Dialogues on Brazilian and Argentine Case Studies”, published by Springer.

The book, organized by Marcilene dos Santos, Jorge Rabassa and I, had the contribution of specialists in cultural heritage and was launched on August 31, 2017. The event, sponsored by King’s College London and organized by Professor David Treece and I, had the special participation of the Paraíso Samba School and the Quintal do Samba group.

The book is the result of the 1st International Symposium on Heritage: Culture and Society in the 21st Century, and has 14 chapters divided into four thematic sessions: Traditions, Knowledge and Intangible Heritage, Archaeological Heritage, Natural and Landscape Heritage, and Railway and Industrial Heritage.

It is possible to see how, in the last decades, the discussion about heritage has expanded. To discuss “Heritage” and its meaning, today, transcend not only a dimension of the historical or architectural, but also the artistic, archaeological, landscape, ethnological, biological or natural, industrial and immaterial or intangible. The objective is to show readers the debates that are being carried out in Brazil and in Argentina on the subject, through several looks, perceptions and senses in analyses that go from the global to the particular.

The results of this dialogue allow us to believe, with this book, that we are able to show and give more prominence to a pluralistic, rich and diverse Latin America.

In the end, we expect the reader to conclude that among several categories of heritage, human heritage must always permeate all others. There is nothing to be valued and preserved if the human is not valued. This is the value we should leave to future generations.

Dra. Fabiana Lopes da Cunha is a History Professor at UNESP/Brazil and Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

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advertorial

ASPECT PLUS

Divulgation

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Restructuring troubled companies through financial, legal and administrative consulting. This is the work developed by Aspect Plus in London for the past eight years, with innovative and feasible solutions, financial follow-up, professional and impartial advice for executives who seek technical assistance.

The flagship of the company is the insolvency law, which deals with private companies or individuals in a situation of financial crisis. Two of the four partners specialize in personal insolvency and the others in the corporate one.

The support is important not only for companies going bankrupt, but also for those in need to be restored or just aim to avoid the problem in the first place. “There is a denomination here in England, which is when the company goes into administration, which does not necessarily mean is going bankrupt, but that it can be readmitted,” explains the company’s Brazilian partner Bianca Edwards.

The procedure usually divides in stages: first, an audit is performed to identify the cause of the problem; then comes the relief time per se, which is to put into practice the rescue of the company through a new administrative view or even by selling some of the business’ shares; and, finally, a guided consultancy for a new management. “A lot of people start a business with a good idea, but without knowing anything about the administrative area, with no consulting, so we also offer this service,” she adds.

The insolvency service in the UK is different from the one practiced currently in Brazil. While here, the work is regulated and professionals in the field study exclusively to deal with this, in Brazil, insolvency is usually done by lawyers from other areas or by foreign companies operating in the country, leading the person who will decree bankruptcy to spend more than needed with the consultancy.

Insolvency is not the only service offered by Aspect Plus. The initial idea was for the company to deal exclusively with financial issues. However, after the international department got into place, led by Bianca, the range of services goes much further. “Today, if you need a translator, an immigration lawyer, an accountant who speaks Portuguese, Spanish or Italian, we can help,” Bianca explains.

Solutions and tips to restructure your business

Bianca Edwards, in black clothes, and Juliana Lima, one of the beneficiaries of the internship program offered

by Aspect Plus

OPPORTUNITIES Bianca confesses to have the dream of turning the company into a “One Stop Shop”, directing different types of services in one place. With this in mind, the company decided to invest in the market of opportunities for new professionals, offering internships of up to four weeks in various areas of activity, such as administration, finance and communication.

Juliana Lima, a recent graduate in accounting, was one of the beneficiaries of the program. Brazilian but living in London for three years, she had the opportunity to intern for two weeks at Aspect Plus, finally entering the job market in London. The offer came while she was working the cashier of a downtown store.

“Bianca came to the cashier, and as good Brazilians, we began to talk and I told her that I had just graduated. She gave me her card, I called her a few days later, and then I started the internship. The opportunity was incredible because, in addition to having learned a lot, I am leaving with a job offer in another company,” Juliana says.

Although this is not something entirely new in Aspect Plus – the company has had 12 trainees so far – Bianca intends to receive more trainees from now on. “We are the only company in the community that openly offers this internship program. With this project, we want to help new professionals to achieve

the required experience in job interviews,” Bianca explains.

The internship is not usually paid for, but Aspect Plus offers a help costing of £100 per week, paid at the end of the period. Those interested in applying for a position should send their resumes to info@aspectplus.co.uk.

Aspect Plus also offers seminars and workshops for Brazilian entrepreneurs in the UK or those aspiring future entrepreneurships. Aiming at providing tools for the Brazilian community to inform and educate, the events collaborate to strengthen Brazilian companies in the United Kingdom. The last one, held on April 24 of this year, attracted more than 60 people.

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

Interview

GaĂŤl Le Cornec They do not accept the strength of women who reports abuse

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

Divulgation

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Gaël Le Cornec is a Brazilian actress, writer and director based in London. Born to a French father and Brazilian mother in Belém, capital of Brazil’s Northern State of Pará, Gaël moved to the British capital in 2002, where she is now preparing another play, ‘Efêmera’, from 5-7 October at Southwark Playhouse, part of CASA Latin American Theatre Festival.

The show is the result of a partnership CASA Festival made with Queen Mary’s University London and People Palace Projects, which are conducting a study on violence against Brazilian women in London and Rio de Janeiro. Based on the testimony of 30 interviewees, Gaël wrote the play featuring two women. They may have the courage to share their stories with you, they may not. It’s about holding on when life falls apart.

In this exclusive interview with the Brasil Observer, Gaël Le Cornec talks about her trajectory, gives details about the new play and shares her opinions about feminism.

“Life,” as she puts it, “is ephemeral.”

Tell us a little bit about your story, how did you end up in London?

I came to study English. I arrived in 2002 speaking three words. I was supposed to stay six months to a year, but I ended up staying.

I’m from Belém, but I lived in São Paulo, where I got a degree in Biology. I came here because I wanted to do a master’s degree and I needed English.

My father is French and my mother Brazilian. They live in Brazil, in Macapá. As a child I spent time in France with my grandparents.

When I arrived in London, I wanted to do zooarchaeology, a specialization course. But in Brazil, I already worked in the area with more than 100 species in the laboratory, here there were only three, so I got bored, I had a crisis and I gave up. That’s when I got involved with theatre to perfect my English. I had done theatre in Belém, where I got to perform at the Teatro Margarida Schivasappa aged 10-12. I started and I didn’t stop. It was something I had always wanted, since I was a child.

How is your relationship with Brazil; how does it affect your work?

Brazilian actress, writer and director prepares ‘Efêmera’, which opens in October at the CASA Festival

By Guilherme Reis

I have a very strong relationship with Brazil, even stronger with the Amazon. My work is very influenced by something more ritualistic. I actually want to explore it more. I am, and we Brazilians are, a mixture of various cultural identities. I’m proud of that, I feel all these influences. I follow what happens in Brazil and feel very involved. My father left France with 18 years and passed through the United States and the Caribbean before reaching the Amazon, which had always been his dream. He was always on exile. And I am now on exile here, like him. When I researched my ancestry, I discovered that I am so mixed up that my ancestors all must have done this, gone elsewhere. Interestingly, my work reflects this. It is always about exile, identity, about being away from home and looking for connections between people, cultural and crosscultural connections. It’s something that happens naturally, it’s inside me.

Do you think Brazilian artists, or of another nationality, who live abroad have

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a certain obligation with their country of origin?

Not necessarily, but I think it’s important.

Not necessarily because art is free, you can talk what you want. There are people who do not want to fit into one thing. It is important to expand. I feel like I’m exploring a lot more Brazilian themes now than when I started, maybe because of a desire to connect more to the themes, because I’ve been away so long.

‘Efêmera’ is a bit of that. Queen Mary’s research with Brazilian women in London has found that many have suffered domestic violence, so I want to understand why this happens. We still do not understand why this number of women coming to support organizations reporting cases of domestic violence is growing. Maybe before women did not have the courage to talk.

This project made me rediscover my ghosts, look at my past and see how we organize and survive in the patriarchal system.

About this new play, how is it developing?

We started talking about the play in January and will start rehearsing in September. The idea is to build on the research conducted by Queen Mary University. But, of course, I need to make artistic decisions, so I decided, instead of telling the story of 30 women, to mix them all into one.

And because of Brexit, all these cultural tensions, I also want to tell the story of an Englishwoman, to say that violence against women does not happen only in Brazil. I do not want the public to come and think “how terrible what is happening in the Brazilian community”. So I decided to tell the story of an Englishwoman too, and the two stories fit together.

Why did you choose the title ‘Efêmera’?

‘Feme’ refers to what is feminine, to women, and I think women fit the theme of ephemerality. There’s something very feminine about that word. And the word ‘efêmera’ or ‘ephemeral’ has poetry too.

It is a topic of extreme relevance not only in Brazil, as you said. How do you see this and the feminist struggle?

In the last hundred years women have taken a position we had never taken before.

We are living a somewhat more gender-egalitarian time, but the rates of violence against women are increasing. Why is this happening?

It is an issue I have, both in Brazil and England. Fifteen women die each day in Brazil victims of violence. And more than a million cases of violence against women were recorded in England last year.

In fact, in the Queen Mary University survey, some Brazilian women report that there is a stereotype on the part of the British police that we are very passionate, very emotional and overreacting. We have to break it, violence is violence. There is also the notion that if you are a victim, you have to behave like a victim.

They do not accept the strength of women who reports abuse.

I see that I was a victim of several cases when I look back to my past. And that is precisely the theme of ‘Efêmera’. A woman looks back and sees everything that happened to her, how she did not see things as abuse. You are so accustomed you end up accepting. We can’t accept.

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

REPORT

It can get worse than it is

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When this edition went to press, Brazil’s National Congress was expected to vote a reform in the country electoral rules. Much of the proposed changes, however, wouldn’t bring any improvement. The proposals signal the continuity of an exhausted and discredited model, but very useful for the current holders of elective positions.

The mobilization of part of the political class around at least two proposals gives evidence to the logic of “change to keep everything as it is.”

One of them is in a more advanced stage, with chances of being approved by the Chamber of Deputies and then endorsed by the Senate: the implementation of a majority system for the election of federal deputies, state deputies and local councillors (the so-called “distritão”, or “big district”). The other is the replacement of the presidential regime by the parliamentarianism. The latest is not yet formally in progress, but has been defended by the ruling class.

‘BIG DISTRICT’ The majority system for the election of legislative positions was proposed by the federal deputy Miro Teixeira (Sustainability Network Party).

Although his party opposes the go-

vernment of President Michel Temer, the proposal coincides with what Temer and his political coalition defend.

Under this system, Brazil would be divided into districts (for example, the federation units), with each district electing a specified number of seats in the parliament. The most voted candidates would be elected.

Under the current system, which is proportional, to be elect to the legislature a candidate must reach a certain number of votes, which varies from party to party (or coalition to coalition), the result of a calculation that involves the number of voters of the respective district (State, Municipality) and the representativeness of the party/coalition of this candidate.

Miro Teixeira justifies his proposition by claiming that the proportional system currently in force is “apparently exhausted”. In fact, in addition to being more complex, the current system allows candidates to be elected with very few votes, benefited by the election of coreligionists who have obtained enough votes to open more seats to members of the same party/coalition. “With the majority vote, the political parties are exempted from reaching the electoral quotient to elect a representative, remedying the injustice of seeing someone with a large vote staying out of office.”

PROBLEMS The major problem of the majority system is it damages the principle of the legislative power, which is to be a house that brings together representatives of the most diverse segments of society, not territorial ones. Parliament must mirror the diversity of voters – relying on representatives of rural, urban, teachers, liberal professionals, advocates for certain causes, business leaders – in proportion to the size of each segment in society.

The legislature loses in ideological consistency with the model called “distritão”, according to opponents of this model.

The majority system for election to the legislature also tends to favour those candidates with greater economic and political power – supported by local holders of elected office, or financed by companies. It inhibits the emergence of new class leaders, for example. Coincidence or not, the fact is that precisely the parliamentarians of the situation are the most enthusiastic of the proposal. Both the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia and the Senate, Eunício Oliveira defend the idea.

Another proposal is to change the duration of the mandates – both the executive (President of the Republic,

governors, mayors) and the legislature (senators, federal deputies, state deputies and local councillors). Instead of four years, each term would become five years (that of senator would increase from eight to ten years). The proposal also concentrates the municipal and state elections in the same year. Another idea is to ban coalitions in proportional elections.

WHAT ABOUT DEMOCRACY? One sign that the “big district” system is far from an ideal is that very few countries in the world adopt the system: Afghanistan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Vanuatu.

In no moderately consolidated democracy the model is applied. The main democracies of the planet opted for the mixed-member proportional representation, which combines majority and proportional votes.

According to federal deputy Vicente Candido (Workers Party), the negotiations seek to weaken the “distritão” in favour of the approval of the mixed system, similar to the German model.

According to the political scientist Marcus Ianoni, a professor in the Department of Political Science at the Federal Fluminense University, the “big district system will ruin political parties”, which will make debates

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

Days later, in statements to the press, Michel Temer supported the adoption of a parliamentary regime.

Parliamentarianism, in just over 50 years, has already been rejected twice by the Brazilian population. The first was in a plebiscite in 1963. The regime had been implemented two years earlier when an attempted coup d’état in 1961 almost prevented vice -president João Goulart from taking office after the resignation of Janio Quadros. Goulart’s inauguration was only feasible because the adoption of a parliamentary system that was imposed as a condition by those who attempted the coup. In another plebiscite, in 1993, the system was rejected once again by voters.

The return of this issue to the agenda is being considered by the opposition to the Temer government as a vaccine against former president Lula, who leads the polls for the 2018 presidential election. When the political reform was about to be voted in the last two weeks of August, Lula was campaigning in the Northeast region. Parliamentarianism would be a way, in case of a new election of Lula, to transfer the power to a prime minister elected by the legislature.

The political reform underway in Brazil’s National Congress shows the crisis of representation may be even greater

By Wagner de Alcântara Aragão

OPPORTUNISM Reprodução

void of ideas. “The ‘distritão’ is based on a personalist contest of candidates, from which the most voted deputies are elected without any transfer of votes from parties and coalitions, which will become, in case of their approval, mere legal entities necessary only for the inscription of politicians in the elections,” he wrote in an article for the Brasil Debate website, warning of the risk to democracy that the model represents: “After the criminalization of politics by media sensationalism, the right-wing parties want the destruction of democracy by taking the leading role of the parties and replacing it with pure and simple personalism.”

PARLIAMENTARIANISM Another party that supports the Temer government, the PSDB (Social Democracy Party) back both the “big district” and the mixed system, provided that either model is adopted as a transition to the implementation of parliamentarianism in Brazil. In a broadcast on radio and television on August 18, the PSDB, claiming to make a mea culpa, said that the party “failed” to abandon the defence of a parliamentary system, and announced that it was coupling this theme to its platform.

For the researchers Valter Carvalho, PhD in Political Science and professor at the Federal University of Piauí and Uninassau, and Fábio Kerche, from the Casa de Rui Barbosa Foundation and also a PhD in Political Science, ‘the proposal [of parliamentarianism] is born with the stamp of the opportunism,” as they wrote in an article on Carta Capital website. “It reminds the manoeuvre against João Goulart, and history repeats itself as a farce and tragedy,” they pointed out. “It seems that part of the political class is insecure with the outcome of the 2018 elections and is looking for alternatives to secure conservative agendas that would not survive the victory of progressive candidates such as former President Lula.”

Ambassador Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães, who was General Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then Minister of Strategic Affairs in the Lula Government, identified in the rescue of the proposal a way of restricting popular participation in the direction of the nation. In his blog on the website of the Carta Capital magazine, Guimarães recalls that in a parliamentary system, the people don’t choose the head of the Executive. This empties the presidential campaign, which “is a rare moment of debate and confrontation of projects and ideas for the state and society, while campaigns for the election of parliamentarians are parochial and even more subject to the influence of economic power.”

CASA festival presents

OSMO

by Movicena

03 -07 October at Southwark Playhouse

performed in Portuguese with English Surtitles

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

Hydro/Halvor Molland

Bauxite mines in Paragominas, Brazil

Temer pays back ruralists In a victory for transnational and Brazilian mining companies, President Michel Temer this decreed the opening of a vast national reserve in the Amazon to mining.

The region contains large conserved areas as well as indigenous communities

By Zoe Sullivan

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This article was first published on Mongabay (www.mongabay.com)

What does it cost to hang onto the office of President? In Brazil, President Michel Temer paid for that privilege with R$13.2 billion worth of measures – decrees and amendments aimed at securing sufficient votes in the Lower House of Congress to avoid a criminal investigation by the Supreme Court into the president’s alleged corruption. The August 2nd House of Deputies vote allowed Temer to keep his position, for now.

The president’s costly promises and pay-outs, made one after another in the weeks before the crucial vote, and unveiled in the weeks since, came in the form of a rapid flurry of budget amendments, the refinancing of agribusiness debt, a decree opening a vast Amazonian region larger than Denmark to mining, and a decree announcing a new national mining code.

On August 23rd, Temer issued a new presidential decree abolishing a gigantic national reserve that had been established in 1984, opening up 4.6 million hectares (17,800 square miles) between the Amazonian states of Pará and Amapá to mining.

His decree abolished protection of the National Copper and Associated Reserve (Renca), an area originally created during the Brazilian dictatorship to provide mineral wealth for the nation, plans that were never executed. The region is reportedly rich in gold, iron, nickel, manganese and other minerals, but also includes nine conservation and indigenous areas.

While the decree says those preserves will continue to be protected, critics worry that adjacent mines, roads, transmission lines and other infrastructure will greatly compromise the region’s forests and impact its indigenous people. Senator Randolfe Rodrigues denounced Temer’s move as “the biggest attack on the Amazon of the last 50 years.”

World Wildlife Fund Brazil Executive Director Maurício Voivodic said that opening the region to mining would result in a “demographic explosion, deforestation, the destruction of water resources, the loss of biodiversity and the creation of land conflict,” repercussions seen in other parts of Brazil opened to rapid mining and infrastructure expansion.

The new mining code decreed by the president will also likely have sweeping social and environmental impacts, not just on the Amazon, but across Brazil, a nation rich in minerals. While the revised code includes higher royalty rates that will benefit the government and cost the private sector more, the new mining “revitalization plan” also guts existing industry environmental monitoring, say critics.

The plan, issued by Temer as a temporary decree, takes effect immediately, but will ultimately require congressional approval to become law.

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

Daniel Beltra/Greenpeace

VOTES AND BENEFITS Brazil has been considering changes to its mining code for a few years now, and the industry has backed legislators to help assure those changes would benefit them. The Brazilian NGO, IBASE analysed industry influence when the mining code came up for review in 2014. The study found that the bulk of the congressional committee members responsible for drafting the new code had received substantial campaign donations from mining-related companies. One representative, Leonardo Quintão, a member of President Temer’s PMDB party, hails from Minas Gerais, a state with major mining interests, and received 42% of his 2014 campaign funds from the mining sector.

The Intercept Brasil published an interactive graphic showing how each member of Brazil’s lower house voted on the August 2nd Supreme Court criminal investigation, along with the funds the president approved potentially benefiting representatives and their interests. Slightly more than half the members of the mining-code commission, 29 in total, voted against investigating President Temer.

While some of these votes were arguably bought with the new mining code and large budget amendments awarded by Temer, there were also deputies who received largesse but voted instead to proceed with the criminal investigation. Gabriel Guimarães, the mining code commission chair, is an example. He represents Minas Gerais, and his father, Virgílio, received R$8 million from Brazilian investors to extract gold from tailings near Pará’s Serra Pelada region. Guimarães is, however, a member of former President Dilma Rousseff ’s Workers Party, so likely no friend to Temer. Even though his political interests received R$2.4 million in amendments from Temer between June and July, Guimarães still voted for a Supreme Court investigation of the president.

The two Brazilian states best known for their mining industries are Minas Gerais and Pará, the latter located in the Amazon. But Deputy Mauro Lopes of Minas Gerais said that the new mining code decree had no influence on the way his state’s delegation voted on the investigation. The Temer vote largely followed party lines, with 33 out of 53 total Minas Gerais deputies, and 11 out of 17 members of the Pará delegation, voting against proceeding with the presidential investigation.

The Intercept Brasil analysis of the Temer vote shows that deputies considered part of the bancada ruralista – the powerful ruralist lobby representing wealthy elite agribusiness and mining interests – voted largely against Temer’s investigation. Temer lunched with members of the rural caucus, including 52 deputies, the day prior to the vote. At the lunch, he announced two financially beneficial measures for the agricultural sector.

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Critics fear the Renca reserve could suffer a similar fate as this land near the Parque Nacional Motanhas do Tumucumaque, Brazil, now home to a gold and iron mine

ENVIRONMENTAL HARM The new mining royalty rates imposed by the just-decreed mining code are expected to bring in 80% more mining revenue for the Brazilian government at the federal, state and city level. Last year, the government earned roughly R$1.6 billion. The increase occurs in part because the government will now begin taxing companies’ gross income instead of net revenue.

Importantly, Temer’s temporary decree shifts all of the responsibility for monitoring environmental standards away from government and to the mining companies themselves. Critics point to disasters such as the collapse of the Fundão dam in Minas Gerais to highlight the perils of the industry policing itself.

Another change: the creation of a new regulatory agency, the National Mining Agency, which will take over from the National Department of Mineral Production. The new agency, however, lacks the teeth and personnel to effectively do the job, say critics. Deputy Lopes boasted that the Minas Gerais delegation would play a major role in selecting the new mining agency’s leadership.

“Just changing the name isn’t going to resolve the problems we have in mining,” Dr. Mario de Lima Filho said of the new regulatory agency. Dr. de Lima Filho teaches geology at the Federal University of Pernambuco and is a former head of the state’s mining agency.

De Lima Filho contends that the new mining regulations “definitely privilege a certain class,” and will benefit large companies most. “You need to have the capital to undertake the [bidding, permitting and mining] process, and you have [to possess the capacity] to be detailed. So, it seems like this was done to please one of the big companies because our small

companies… are going to be left out because they don’t have the means to participate in a bidding process, for example.”

The new mining code represents a serious blow to the protections offered to indigenous and traditional communities, as well as nature reserves, according to the Committee to Defend Territories Against Mining (CDTAM). In a statement, CDTAM wrote that “the government seems unwilling to make investments in inspections” since it created the new mining agency without going through the civil service hiring process required to bring on qualified staff. Currently, for example, “the entire state of Minas Gerais has only four staff to inspect more than 700 [mining related] dams,” the statement said. “The creation of an agency without a significant increase in the workforce does not guarantee greater state control upon the mining sector.”

The relevance and critical importance of dam inspectors is best understood in light of events in 2015. That year, Minas Gerais experienced Brazil’s largest-ever environmental disaster when the Fundão iron-ore tailings dam collapsed and emptied approximately 50 million tons of toxic waste into the Doce River. The catastrophe killed nineteen and dumped heavy metals into the drinking water supply of approximately 1.6 million people.

Others share CDTAM’s concerns.

Prof. de Lima Filho told that the true cost of the new mining law will only become clear once it has been implemented. “We’re going to see some problems related to identifying the boundaries for indigenous areas, for [environmentally preserved] areas,” De Lima Filho told Mongabay. “You buy an area that has a good reserve of some essential mineral, but later you can’t mine because the mining plan wasn’t approved in the environmental permit.” This, he speculated,

could lead to large mining companies applying “pressure to break some [protections for] riverside areas, indigenous areas, forest areas, etc. Unfortunately, all kinds of things happen in this country.”

Days before the new mining code was released, the Temer government approved a recommendation limiting indigenous land claims to ancestral lands occupied as of 1988, a legal manoeuvre supported by agribusiness and mining companies known as the “marco temporal,” heralding a significant weakening of indigenous territory rights that could strengthen new mining claims. But in mid-August, Brazil’s Supreme Court indirectly ruled against Temer’s arbitrary 1988 cut-off date.

Further governmental actions on the marco temporal are expected.

For the moment, it remains illegal for private companies to mine on indigenous land, though a 1996 bill to undo that law (PL 160/1996) is said to be back on the congressional agenda.

Eduardo Costa, a member of the Pará state assembly said he welcomes the increased income for states and municipalities the new mining code will bring. Costa also praised how the new code decreased the bureaucracy mining companies would have to face to obtain permits.

Nonetheless, he also agreed with one of CDTAM’s critiques. Both Costa and CDTAM have called on the government to draft regulations for the Kandir Law, which would allow states to significantly tax unfinished goods, especially ore and electricity for export – a tax that would likely impact large transnational mining companies. Costa didn’t comment on the social or environmental impacts that may result from the new mining code, but he pointed to Pará’s efforts to tax mining companies, efforts that have been challenged in court.

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

CONECTANDO

JoÃO PESSoA, PARAÍba

The protector and the rejected A story of dedication and love for animals

By Tiago Eloy Zaidan From João Pessoa, Paraíba g

O

On November 16 last year, Andreia Medeiros, 37, was cleaning her home, in the northern region of João Pessoa, state of Paraíba, when she was interrupted by her mobile phone. She had been tagged on a photo of a bloodied Pitbull tied to a pole in the suburb of the city. The dog had been shot twice: one on the head and one on the chest.

Andreia left her house and contacted the activist Michele Cristina Oliveira, 35. They agreed to go rescue the dog. Without delay, they left by car.

At the scene, Michele rescued the dog from the chain. Andreia pulled him through the guide. The dog got up and walked slowly, beside the protector, to the vehicle. “I asked him to get in the car. He put the paw up and I pulled the back. He obeyed. They feel when they will be helped,” she recalls.

Issues involving animal care have always caught Andreia’s attention, since early childhood, while still living in his homeland, Santa Luzia, in the hinterland of the state. At that time, without her parents knowing, she rescued abandoned animals on the street and took them home. In December 2015, already

in João Pessoa, she formed a group and began to articulate the foundation of the NGO Missão Patinhas Felizes, entity she leads until today.

The rescued Pitbull was taken at to a veterinary clinic with which Andreia maintains a partnership. The bullet in the head was removed. The projectile from the shot in the palette was not removed, because there was a risk that the animal would lose the movements with the surgery. Andreia, however, guarantees: “Today he is perfectly well.” By now, the battered dog already had a name. He began to answer for Lenin.

Lenin, after surviving the treatment and being discharged from the clinic, was adopted by an environmental police officer. In addition to the Pitbull, the agent had six more dogs. Unfortunately, all of them contracted leishmaniosis. Five needed to be sacrificed. Lenin escaped death once more; although contaminated, still remained asymptomatic.

Leishmaniosis is considered an endemic disease in many neighbourhoods of Joao Pessoa and the metropolitan region. It is transmitted by a mosquito that has as habitat the coastal region of Mata

g

Atlântica, explains the professor and coordinator of the Environmental Management course of the João Pessoa campus of the Federal Institute of Paraíba (IFPB), Arilde Franco Alves.

It is not by chance that leishmaniosis has become one of Andreia’s biggest concerns, who currently houses about 40 dogs in her home. Besides these, another 20 animals are under his tutelage, sheltered temporarily in residences of volunteers of the NGO Missão Patinhas Felizes.

In view of the new context, Lenin returned to Andreia. The Pitbull is currently housed at the home of Hanni Melo, 37, the NGO’s vice president.

Over time, the Patinhas Felizes has specialized in the rescue and shelter of animals near death. Cases like that of Lenin. Accustomed to extreme situations, Andreia decided not to give up the Pitbull. The protector is campaigning to try to make financially feasible a clinical treatment for the dog, with a new drug in Brazil, Milteforan, which is already used in other countries.

All those who work in the NGO are volunteers. Some go beyond, and give up personal life. It can be said that it is

Tiago Eloy Zaidan is a professor at the Federal Institute of Paraíba (IFPB) and coordinates the Articulation Research, Extension and Society at the João Pessoa campus of the IFPB

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

Missão Patinhas Felizes

Andreia Medeiros and Lenin, the Pitbull

the case of Andreia. The activist, who is divorced, assures the end of her marriage has nothing to do with her work with animals. The house rented in Cabedelo, a municipality next to the capital, where she lives since June 2017, is also the headquarters of the NGO. There are 40 dogs under her direct care. “I live in the house.

It is not they who live with me. It’s me who lives with them,” she says, referring to the animals.

The move to Cabedelo was rushed.

Before that, Andreia lived and run the NGO in a rented house in the neighbourhood of Manaíra, in João Pessoa. But she was reported to the Public Ministry by a neighbour, dissatisfied with the noise the dogs made. As there was a risk that the animals would be collected by the Zoonoses Centre, some of whom were being treated for chronic diseases, Andreia needed to expedite her “escape” from João Pessoa to a sparsely populated area in the contiguous municipality.

Andreia dedicates herself full time to the Missão Patinhas Felizes. Her personal income comes from investments made in the past. Part of her resources is destined to the NGO. She also counts

on the help of her mother, who now lives with her. She recently had to borrow money to provide the kennel structure for the new headquarters. A small portfolio of donors and thrift stores help complement the income. The NGO also promotes adoption fairs, an opportunity in which dogs and cats are castrated and dewormed to potential tutors.

Only during the first half of 2017, for example, the Missão Patinhas Felizes went twice on the IFPB’s João Pessoa campus at events held by the Extension Coordination. Hanni Melo, the vice-president of the NGO, said that about 20 animals, including dogs and cats, were adopted.

These 20 animals had big luck. They came out of a situation of vulnerability and found a home. Meanwhile, with a wet muzzle, with a huge tongue out, it will not be this time that Lenin will fulfil the mission of being the companion of someone. After the diagnosis of leishmaniosis, its adoption became practically impossible. But it does not mean the Pitbull is not into toil. Even sick, the survivor Lenin is on another mission. To inspire activists like Andreia.

CONECTANDO is an editorial project developed by the Brasil Observer to enhance experiences of ‘glocal’ communication. With universities, social movements and independent journalists, our goal is to bring local content for a global audience. To participate, write to contato@brasilobserver.co.uk

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

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advertorial

Lucene Duarte thrives with gastronomy, fashion and travel photos on Instagram

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By Priscilla Castro

Instagrammer, blogger, digital influencer. No matter the label, Lucene Duarte, 38, from Guarapuava, Brazil is a big hit in the social media. Being fashion her flagship, Lucene entertains her almost 40,000 followers with photos of the outfits she uses in travels, work and leisure time.

Clothes, shoes and handbags are the blogger’s biggest passions, and she often collects limited edition products whenever possible.

Places and good food also enter the list of special moments. In other words, she is ‘all in one’, a mixture of travel, fashion and gastronomy.

In addition, she works occasionally as a model and says she loves being photographed. “I like the sex appeal, glamor, lust, and love to spend time making myself beautiful,” admits Lucene.

In partnership with some stores in Brazil, Lucene receives the products directly from there to promote them on Instagram. “I get a lot of direct messages, people comment that they want to wear the clothes that I used in a certain events, they ask me for clothes style ideas for their bodies, among other things,” she says.

When she was 21, Lucene decided to take some time off her studies in Brazil and came to London to improve her English. During this period, Lucene met her ex -husband, with whom she had her son Leonardo, now 15 years old.

Pregnant, she decided to return to

Brazil to have her son close to her family and finish the last semester of college. When Leozinho, as she calls her son, completed three months, she returned to England and never left again.

At the time, there was no internet as we know it today. However, she says that since she was a child she likes to share the things she does, the clothes she wore, and she already had this fascination with advertising. “I took pictures of everything and showed them to people. In fact, I have always been a blogger and did not even know it,” she jokes.

It was only when Instagram became popular that Lucene entered the blogger’s life. She says she began by sharing photos from day to day, at work, with her family, on trips; but ended up focusing exclusively on her social profile when she saw that she had the potential to grow. In four months producing, editing, and putting together possible looks for the photos – not just clothing but also scenery – she has accumulated more than 30,000 followers, a figure she had not even expected to reach so quickly.

Soon, pleasure became a business. She attributes success in the social network mainly to the way she organizes her posts, which always try to tell a story through each clothe that is dressed. Wherever she goes, Lucene brings along her photographer, makeup artist and personal trainer, to ensure the satisfactory flow of ‘likes’ on her

Instagram. “I always post three photos that show my style, and that turns my profile into a beautiful thing to see,” she reveals.

FOR ALL TASTES Showing that slimness is not synonymous with happiness is a very clear goal in Lucene’s Instagram.

Dreaming of becoming a great digital influencer, she says she wants to end the unbridled search for the perfect body, so advertised by other successful bloggers.

Lucene uses colorful and tight outfits, in the most different dream scenarios, like Milan, London, Switzerland, among others. Bikini poses are also on the list of photos shared. With bold looks and always well produced, necklines, legs and a lot of skin on display confirm that a more shapely body also has its value. “I like to show that it is not necessary to be thin to be sexy and beautiful,” she explains.

Lucene makes a point of emphasizing the importance of a healthy life. Fan of the gym and a balanced diet, the fashion blogger emphasizes the necessity of the balance. “After I learnt that you can be happy with curves and can control your weight without stopping eating, I have become happier. I always show my food when I travel and usually there is a sweet snack at breakfast, yes. Why not?”

Follow Lucene Duarte on Instagram: www.instagram.com/luceneduarte divulgation

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

Reproduction

Nara Vidal

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A Brazilian bookstore in the UK Capitolina Books, idealized by Brazilian writer Nara Vidal, will be officially launched in London on September 30

By Priscilla Castro

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“

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” The quote of the British writer and poet Oscar Wilde fits right into the initiative Capitolina Books, idealized by the Brazilian writer Nara Vidal. Aiming mostly at disseminating the contemporary Brazilian literature, the digital bookstore intends to be a showcase of modern authors and independent publishers in the European market.

The idea is new, but the need is old.

The lack of an exclusive space in Europe that offers good quality literature from Brazil, launching names still unknown in the foreign market that would probably not be found in the biggest bookshops, provoked in the writer the idea of building this bridge.

In order to democratize contemporary literature abroad, Capitolina Books emerged to make available the literary titles abroad at the same time they are launched in Brazil for those who are in

hurry and hungry for contemporary Brazilian literature.

At first, the plans are modest: to reach universities and the Brazilian community in Europe. But not just that. Capitolina Books will make available, in English, excerpts from the pieces and interviews with the authors who are in the catalogue to draw attention of the local publishing market.

“I have no ambition that we will sell thousands of titles because I know it’s a very specific niche and most of the books will be in Portuguese. We will try to reach universities and the Brazilian community, which is very vast, but very heterogeneous, with people of different interests,” explains Nara.

Graduated in the University of Rio de Janeiro, Nara wrote her first works while still in college, prioritizing children’s and bilingual books, because of her daughter’s bilingual learning process. From there, she began to publish also juveniles’ books and two years ago, entered in the

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

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advertorial

STEP BY STEP The catalogue was set up by the writer herself, in partnership with authors and publishers who made available their works to be commercialized abroad. Despite being a modest start, the online store will have novels, short stories, and poems by authors in which the small publishers chose to invest.

This collaboration, by the way, is the business’ holder. Nara believes that the emergence of small publishers needs to be valued for bringing high-quality works from authors who would not have the opportunity to be published by other means. “This euphoria of new talents is due specifically to these independent publishers, who are doing a good job – with very little circulation, sometimes 700 books – but making our literary art pulsate,” she believes.

The availability of the books has already been selected and, for the time being, there is no room for new authors due to the limited condition of stocking. “We must first experiment, go slow, after all it is a very homely project. As we progress, we renew the inventory, opening space for new authors, but always with a pre-selection to keep the quality of contemporary Brazilian literature,” explains Nara.

When it comes to the literature market, Nara believes that there is more supply than demand. “We have authors and we need readers, we need publicity, we rely on the media, with the universities, with the Consulate, because there is no point in having the bookstore if nobody knows about it,” concludes the writer.

BRAZILIAN LITERATURE WORLDWIDE The initiative to promote a meeting between Brazilian literature and the European market, both editorial and readers, comes at a moment of anguish for the Brazilian culture, since, in Brazil, investment in the cultural area is still small, especially when compared to European countries.

The news has been received with enthusiasm in the country. The international relations manager of the Brazilian Chamber of Books (CBL), Luiz Álvaro, believes that the launch of a digital bookstore abroad represents a channel for disseminating Brazilian authors with strong space for the contemporary art. “Capitolina will have

the opportunity to be a point of reference for all those who wish to acquire or know a little more about Brazilian books,” he added.

According to CBL, in recent years Brazil has experienced a leading role in the global publishing market that has not been seen for some time, with honours in Bogotá (2012), Frankfurt (2013), Bologna and Gothenburg (2014), Paris (2015) and Medellin (2017). For Luiz, promoting the Brazilian books abroad has to be an agenda of the Brazilian government. “This promotion has to be done strategically and focusing on the long term because only then will our country become a culture supplier to the rest of the world,” he concluded.

Non-profit initiatives such as the CBL encourage reading through actions aimed at democratizing access to books, not only in Brazil, but also abroad. The partnership signed in 2008 with Apex-Brazil (Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments) gave birth to the Brazilian Publishers Project, whose main objective is to strengthen exports of Brazilian editorial content.

The British market, on the other hand, still needs to open up more room for foreign literature. According to a survey made by publisher Jasmine Donahaye in 2012, only 3% of the entire volume of literature in the UK is translated. “It would not be surprising to see a drop in subsequent years, given the financial crisis of 2008 and consequent cuts in public funding for publishers, and the increased cautiousness of the publishing world,” she wrote at the conclusion of her research.

INTERNAL PROMOTION The lack of investment in knowledge and culture hinders the professionalization of its cultural agents in all spheres. “Culture is exactly what defines us and differentiates us; its dissemination abroad must be a state flag, with strategic planning and constant presence in order to reap the best fruits in the medium and long term,” believes Luiz Alvaro.

However, it is no use investing outside and not strengthening the internal market. Luiz believes that an important step in this process is also to enable entrepreneurs to internationalize and ensure that Brazilian authors and publishing production are well exposed in the target markets.

“Our cultural background has been, and still is, impacted by our entire colonial history, by migratory waves, by religious variety, by geographical extension, by our tropical climate, and by our borders with almost every South American country. Brazil is today one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and our literature reflects just that. I often say that Brazil has read the world so that the world can now read Brazil,” he concludes.

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adult literature. Now, Nara has published two short story books and prepares to launch the first novel of her career.

The bookstore will be officially launched on September 30 at an inaugural party. The event will take place at the Baldwin Gallery, in Blackheath, London, and will feature live music, food and drinks, and authors’ readings. Tickets are available for sale for £25. For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/2wiiHqK.

Favela Arts is the new project of Made in Brasil Boteco Favela Arts is a space dedicated to host art exhibitions, interesting workshops, music classes, talks and other events. Born to be an Art Hub for artists in North London, the space will be available for artists to show their work, share their art with others, organise talks, workshops and other creative ideas. Made in Brasil Boteco is starting to work on this project alongside with the curator Clara Rocha, who has years of background in arts here in the UK and also in Brazil. Opening on September 14th the launch of this new project is welcoming the artist Sylvia Morgado to show her artworks made in the last five years.

EXHIBITION ‘Sylvia Morgado – In Between’ is an art exhibition that will show an outcome of wider research the artist has been doing on writing and visual art. Curated

by Clara Rocha, it will bring together the experiences of imaginary landscapes, memories, fiction, interpretation and archive – very present in Morgado’s work – through writing, drawing, painting, video and other media.

The exhibition aims to integrate the audience with the experience of art and exchange knowledge. In addition to this, they will provide a Public Programme using workshops about artists’ books for children and discussions on contemporary art. Designed for all levels of knowledge on the subject it also aims to reach a diverse number of individuals independent of their age and background.

When: September 14th to October 15th Where: Made in Brasil Boteco (48 Chalk Farm Rd, London, NW1 8AJ) Open daily from 5pm until late, Saturdays Sundays from 12pm until late Info: https://goo.gl/y6rbny Workshops: The workshops Art in the Centre (for adults) and Artists’ books for children (5-9 years old) will be running at Tuesdays and Thursdays during the exhibition in the afternoons and evenings, booking is suggested once it is limited places available, for more information, please contact by email favelaarts@madeinbrasil.co.uk.

Keep in touch: @MadeInBrasil1 – @madeinbrasilboteco

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

TIPS

THEATRE CASA Festival, the place of Latin American theatre in London stay and socialize. “It’s a very exciting mix, but we keep on coming back to one question which is: is this brilliant work that pushes the boundaries of theatre? If the answer is yes, then we’re interested in bringing it here”, says Catalina Herrera, Festival Administrator.

The Festival began back in 2007 as a project led by Daniel Goldman, who’s been CASA’s Artistic Director until nowadays. For Catalina, it has found its way to grow and mutate, by appealing to different audiences, working with different venues, bringing work from different countries, and working alongside a great and diverse range of partners and friends.

She explains that the Festival started as and remains a space for Latin American theatre and culture in the UK, for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The goal is to create opportunities for UK artists and Latin American artists to meet, exchange ideas, make work and share practices.

“What started this tradition was Daniel’s desire to build a bridge between two incredible theatre cultures”, adds Catalina.

TALKING REAL In this year’s programming, CASA keeps the tradition of addressing social important issues, such as a play (‘Efeméride’) about violence against Brazilian women and girls who live in the UK, which is being devised by Gael Le Cornec based on in depth research

by Professor Vathy McIlwaine (Queen Mary’s University London and King’s College London).

‘Otelo’ uses Shakespeare to talk about femicide in Latin America; ‘Mendoza’ uses Macbeth to talk about the cycle of rural violence that is ripping Mexican society apart; ‘Osmo’ and ‘The Only Thing a Great Actress Needs is a Great Play and the Desire to Succeed’ challenge expectations of what is permissible on stage, making the public space political.

The CASA Festival runs from 3 September to 28 October. For more information visit the official website www.casafestival.org.uk.

Image of the ‘Otelo’ play

Julieth Méndez

Diversity within the unique Latin quality is the equation that solves this year’s CASA Festival’s programming. The criterion is simple: to bring and present the best theatre from Latin America to the British audiences. Adaptations, hyperrealism, new and classic theatre, besides shows in Portuguese and Spanish (with English surtitles), are the carefully selected mix to celebrate the Festival’s first decade.

One of the most expected shows is ‘Thebes Land’ – winner of Best Production at the 2016 Off West End awards –, which returns to perform in Arcola Theatre, for five weeks. The play tells the story of Martin Santos, a young man serving a life sentence for killing his father.

In addition, there are Shakespeare (‘Otelo’ and ‘Mendoza’), new verbatim work (‘Efeméride’), adaptations of short stories (‘Osmo’), puppetry (‘Otelo’), and meta-theatre (‘Thebes Land’), among others.

After selecting the central schedule, all the talks, workshops, parties, music and art are defined around it. The aim is to offer a space in which the public can

LITERATURE Considered the sister of FLIP, South America’s first and largest international literary festival, FlipSide Festival celebrates its fourth edition this year with an expanded programme, in Snape Maltings (6, 7 and 8 October) and Lowestoft (24, 25 and 26 October), offering literature, music and a range of cultural activities.

Despite being recent, FlipSide attracts more and more people every year.

The founder of the festival, Liz Calder, believes the success is due to the diversity and innovations that the programme brings each new edition.

“We think people respond to the joyous and eclectic international mix of books and literature, workshops and capoeira and dance classes, music and art with activities for all ages”.

Mexican writers Valeria Luiselli and Alvaro Enrigue will be providing vital insights from Mexico and New York. Meanwhile the historian of ideas Nadia Kerecuk will offer a Literary Travelogue and her wide experience of Brazilian literature. Artist Jelly Green will hold an exhibition of her work painted from the tree tops during her long residency in the Brazilian rainforest last year.

Besides literature, FlipSide has a special bond with music as well, and the Brazilian music is right in its core. “Monica [Vasconcelos] will be well known to listeners of BBC World Service and many other places in the country for her exciting and sophisticated interpretations of the Bossa Nova repertoire as well as her own original compositions”, Liz Calder observes.

The line-up will also present Luiz Morais, a young and talented Brazilian musician and composer who will be programming two days of music on the outside stage; the irresistible Afro-Cuban sounds of Son Yambu; the Brazil Institute and the King’s Ensemble who will be performing A Noiva Do Condutor; among others.

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FlipSide Festival, bigger than ever

CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR GROWN-UPS It is also possible to find a special programme specifically designed for the younger crowd.

For three days during the October half term, the town of Lowestoft will be host for the new Children and Young People’s events. A jungle will be created in the middle of the town, bringing capoeira, music, literature and a host of arts activities to some of the region’s most underprivileged children.

To Genevieve Christie, founder of the Festival, the family element of the festival is very important in creating an inclusive event that welcomes all ages and encourages participation. “This year we are programming workshops on dance, body percussion and graffiti art plus new ‘complete readings’ of two classic books”, she adds.

Other new characteristic is the Green theme running throughout the weekend. “We believe that it is appropriate for us to take into account in our programming the current state of the world environmentally and politically and to examine through the insights of our writers and artists, the way we live now. Ideas and much food for thought will be in the air”, says Liz Calder.

For more information visit the oficial website www.flipsideuk.org.

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

MUSIC

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EXHIBITION contrast between the hard times of military government and the beauty of the songs produced then. “I had a great event and an excellent debate, but I did not expect to get so excited about the interpretation of the songs,” recalls the professor Juliana.

In the end, David comes back to the scene, revealing if the hypotheses of the audience over the music have been confirmed or not. The first workshop discussed the songs ‘Agnus Sei’ (João Bosco and Aldir Blanc) and ‘Angélica’ (Miltinho and Chico Buarque). The audience still had their five-minute-choir moment singing ‘London London’, by Caetano Veloso, along with Mônica.

The upcoming workshops will be held on September 24 at the Horniman Museum and on October 14 at the Vortex Jazz Club. For more information, follow Mônica Vasconcelos on Facebook: facebook.com/monicavasconcelos.br.

Or write to mv@monicavasconcelos.com.

Mônica Vasconcelos

Arô Ribeiro

Understanding music is not always as obvious as it seems. During the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985), veiling the real message was not only a matter of style, but a necessity imposed by the censorship.

To unveil songs from that period the Brazilian singer Mônica Vasconcelos and translator and professor David Treece are offering the Brazilian Resistance Songs Workshops.

This series of workshops get some songs from Monica’s latest album, ‘The São Paulo Tapes’, to tell their context.

Supported by the Arts Council of England, the workshops are more a conversation than a lecture. Fabiana Lopes, a Brazilian professor who is living a period in London, attended the first of them at King’s College, in July: “The audience was formed by Brazilians but also people from all over the world, who are interested to listen to our music, and all of them took part”.

After historical context on the Brazilian dictatorship, the public has the first contact with the song, whose lyrics are read both in Portuguese and English, with no musical interpretation. Monica and David then articulate a kind of guessing game. “Who is the character of the song?” “Would someone say why two parts divide the lyrics?” “What institution does the author oppose?”

Having heard the participants, it comes the moment for Mônica to sing with Ife Tolentino on guitar, when it becomes clear the

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Brazilian Resistance Songs Workshops with Mônica Vasconcelos and David Treece

‘Diaspora’, by Rimon Guimarães Maze Gallery presents the first major London exhibition by Rimon Guimarães, the exciting Brazilian artist whose colourful murals have made him one of the most talked about new talents on the urban art scene.

This exhibition follows a project in Syria and Lebanon earlier this year which aimed to give support to Syrian refugees in the shape of street art. Following this, Rimon was invited to New York City where he was commissioned to paint a mural in Queens, NY. Along with this body of work which will include two dozen canvases, Rimon will create a mural in Shoreditch, the heart of the London

FOOD & DRINK London Caipirinha Festival launched

SECRET TIP To find out more visit www.londoncaipfest.co.uk Reproduction

The next monthly event of the Brasil Observer, on September 12 at Made in Brasil Boteco, will feature DJ Larissa Schlei (photo), from the Udigrudi project. “I started playing in Brazil in 1999.

I moved to London in 2003, where I focused on Brazilian music. I’ve been collecting vinyl for seven years and I love playing with them. I’m more selector than DJ, I like to listen and select songs for people who appreciate our culture.

I also collect Latin, African, Jamaican and American music,” explains Larissa. To listen to a set, go to soundcloud. com/larissa-schlei. For more information on the Brasil Observer event, keep an eye on our social media! divulgation

VBRATA UK (Visit Brazil Travel & Cultural Association) has announced the launch of the first edition of the annual London Caipirinha Festival in partnership with the Embassy of Brazil in London and partners. The festival will run from 5 to 17 September 2017 in participating London-based bars and restaurants.

The London Caipirinha Festival – the largest Brazilian cocktail and gastronomy competition of its type in the UK – also aims to promote cachaça, the distilled spirit used to make a caipirinha, as well as a range of participating bars and restaurants across London.

The London Caipirinha Festival 2017 summons cocktail lovers across the capital to cast their votes on a number of categories, including Caipirinha (original with lime, fruits and exotic), Caipirinha menu, Bartender, Bar deco, Brazilian food served, Cuisines fusion offered, Establishment location and Establishment services. Votes can be registered online on the festival website. Members of the public who cast their vote will also have the opportunity to win one of several exclusive prizes. A panel of experts will also judge the caipirinha entries.

street art scene to bring colour to London.

Anthropology and African art play a major role in Guimarães’ work and much of this collection explores the theme of the African diaspora reflecting the cultural mix around the world.

Guimarães’ work recalls that of the Brazilian Naïve art scene of the late 1940’s. Full of colour, music and movement, Guimarães attempts to create a dreamlike state whereby the individual loses themselves to forget their daily monotony.

The exhibition runs from 18 to 24 September. For more information visit www.mazegallery.london.

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

Columnists FRANKO FIGUEIREDO

Finding the positive in criticism

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Franko Figueiredo is artistic director of StoneCrabs Theatre Company and artistic associate of New Theatre Royal Portsmouth

We, artists, crave to have the merits and faults of our work judged by experts. But who are those experts? What is their background? How deeply do they know the art form they are judging? And how to make the best use of the criticism one receives, whether constructive or not?

I have just returned from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where over 3,000 events were vying for audiences, hoping that their show would make it through the festival with decent audiences and good feedback.

A good review may mean good audiences, but many shows do not get reviewed, let alone hit the ‘what to see’ selective lists of the bigger publications, so reviewers and publications have grown right, left and centre to accommodate the demand. In fact, this year there was a big hoo-hah around a new online publication that was planning to charge for their reviews, protests meant it never went ahead. But still, there are hundreds of reviewers at the festival, many at the beginning of their careers and few with years of expertise.

When you go to see a show, there are a series of elements that might influence the audience’s opinion of your work, however good it may be. Audiences go to see shows carrying positive or negative expectations that will definitely influence their opinion. It is also important to highlight that it doesn’t matter if your show was created over a 2 week or 4 week rehearsal period, or if they are already an established product, the process does not count here, it is the end product that is being judged.

Dale Carnegie, author of ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ says, “any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”

We all hope to collect as many stars as we can, but what are these stars based on? Sometimes I come across a review that reads like a four or even five star review, only to find that the reviewer gave it three; or I read something that is more like a three star review and it is given five. What is the game here? Your guess is just as good as mine.

Through the course of the years I have learned to take criticism with a pinch of salt; I highly value the opinion of our audiences, but let’s face it, you cannot please everyone; and if I can be honest, some reviewers have no authority on the form they are writing about and others write

in such an abrupt manner that artists feel personally attacked; I have seen many reviews that read like petty criticism; in fact, this year, I have read some that bordered on bullying.

I realise that criticism and rejection are both part of life, but we cannot deny that it can be upsetting and may even leave a lasting bitter taste. We can end up feeling miserable, angry, hurt and so on.

We may want to retaliate, but I’d be careful with how you do it. Whatever you do, stop the endless negative thinking, it will only undermine your self-esteem and waste your valuable energy.

If I could, I would avoid reading any reviews of my own shows, but that is impossible. So I read them, and all good if they are positive; negative reviews, however, are really hard to take. What to do?

Over the years I have learned that to grow I must make sure I fully understand the person criticising me, and if I have the opportunity I ask them questions, find out more about their background and try to understand what contributed to them forming that particular opinion.

If I don’t agree with the criticism, I move on, it’s not worth lingering on it.

Conversely, if I agree with them, I try to absorb the criticism. And then take responsibility for what went wrong. Lots of people don’t own up to their mistakes.

They put the blame on someone else and that keeps them from improving. Once you own it, you can get better.

Try to find the positive in the criticism. Certainly, some may be rude and mean, but in most criticism, you can find a nugget of gold like some honest feedback and a suggestion for improvement.

Sometimes it’s just someone having a bad day, but many times there’s at least a grain of truth in the criticism.

Attitude is the key, and if you don’t push yourself to be more positive about the criticism you get, it’ll always get you down. Look at criticism as an opportunity to grow and get better; or even to outshine the person delivering the critique, or prove to them that you can do better in your next project. I have been told once, if your production stank this time around, get a better production on as soon as you can, you are only as good as your last show.

It’s easier said than done, but knowing your strengths and being ready to hear and accept your weaknesses is the most powerful thing you can do.

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

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HELOISA RIGHETTO

Good girl no more

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Heloisa Righetto is a journalist and writes about feminism (@helorighetto – facebook.com/ conexaofeminista)

Feminazi. This is how so many people call feminists activists. The result of a very wrong combination of words that is so shocking that might take some time for someone that is seeing (or hearing) it for the first time to understand. Starts well, ends badly. A jargon that oppresses, diminishes, offends and is used to silence a group of people that fights oppression itself. Many activists have decided to appropriate the word and take it away from its original meaning (as it was done with the word ‘slut’ when the Slut Walk was created worldwide), but still I find impossible to ignore the hate and insult embedded in it.

I was not called a feminazi as soon as I realised I was a feminist. It appeared in my life – or better said, in my timeline – after I got some feminist mileage and incorporated activism in my daily life.

It showed up when I realised that being a good girl wasn’t doing anything. Only when I decided to throw a rock into a window that I received the stamp on my feminist id card: feminazi!

I am tired of being a good girl. I am tired of hearing that I need to low my voice, be more discreet, more ‘feminine’.

I am tired of receiving unsolicited advice saying that I should take better care of my appearance. I am tired of reading

articles from anachronistic magazines pointing out everything that is wrong with my body. I am tired of speaking and being interrupted, I am tired to explain the fact I don’t want to have kids, I am tired of hearing how lucky I am because I have a good husband. I am tired of hiding my frustration, tired of repressing my words not to bother other people. I am tired to make myself smaller, physically and intellectually, so I won’t be known as a show off. I am tired of not discussing with prejudiced people because ‘they are from another generation and won’t change’. I am angry, I am enraged and, as I made it clear, I am tired.

I will no longer take it easy as a feminist. The idea that I need to be patient, smile and keep my cool while I deal with all the sexist bullshit I get every day only reinforces the gender stereotypes that we long to disappear. They won’t disappear by magic, and for me is not enough to be a feminist. I am a feminist determined to destroy the patriarchy. Many women before me led the way and fought so today I have rights (many of which are linked to my privileges) that they couldn’t even think of centuries (or worse, decades) ago. And they didn’t sit down and patiently waited for white, rich and old men to become decent and benevolent human

beings and decided to change traditions, laws and social rules that made these exact men very privileged people.

Mary Wollstonecraft wrote ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’ in 1791, when other women before her had been killed for saying the same thing. Emmeline Pankhurst was arrested several times and force fed in prison while doing a hunger strike, in the beginning of the 20th century, to fight for women to have the right to vote. Sojourner Truth, who was born a slave and until her death fought for abolitionism and women’s rights did the iconic ‘Ain’t I a woman’ speech in 1851. Angela Davis, one of the most important contemporary activists of black and radical feminism was once in FBI’s 10 most wanted list. I am absolutely sure that none of them thought they needed to be a good girl or to calm down to fight for their objectives.

We have been tolerating sexism and misogyny for centuries. We have been composed while dealing with injustice for centuries. I no longer want to patiently wait. What some may label as feminazi I call keep fighting, like these women that were not good girls did before me. I will knock down doors, I will be loud, I will make myself bigger, I will prioritise going after of what is owed to me. Shield your windows.

DANIELA BARONE SOARES

Leaving a mark in the world

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Daniela Barone Soares is part of the Inner Space team (www.innerspace.org.uk)

Early in the morning, I watched a man washing the floor of a temple in India. There was lightness in his gestures, and he conveyed such a sense of love to that task that I decided to ask, “How long have you been doing this work?” hoping that this enthusiasm and dedication would be due to the novelty of the task. He said “for 15 years, every day”. This happened several years ago and I can’t help but be inspired by this man and remember this story. The task of cleaning the floor did not colour the man, rather he put his mark on the task, filling it with meaning and value.

Observing him, I saw a man with great dignity and practical wisdom.

Just like this man, every gesture, action or interaction with others is an opportunity to make our mark: in others, in nature, on the planet. This mark is the result of countless impressions I make each day, each hour, at every minute. These impressions are created by actions, but not solely: I could create an impression even if by

doing nothing. These impressions are formed by the energy that I emit, consciously or unconsciously. Behind my actions and interactions with others, there are intentions, motivations and ‘filters’ (through which I see and perceive things, situations and people).

The quality of these intentions, motivations and filters will colour my actions, relationships and attitudes. We are often not conscious of the energy we send out into the world – but it goes out, regardless, attracting the same energy back to us.

So if I want to build a future where I attract positivity, good relationships and good quality of life, I must start by being aware of the energy I transmit: examining my real intentions, motivations and feelings. And becoming aware of my ‘filters’, which block the true nature of the other as s/he is (I see the other as “a pre-formed projection of her/him” and not her/him as they are right now). This projection of the other is a result of past impressions, infor-

mation, my own judgement and preconceptions, and form, within me, the ‘personality’ of the other. Through this I ‘filter’ the other and everything they do: from their physical form to their words and deeds. And I have many of these filters, the lenses through which I interpret situations, people, myself and my role and the world – my intentions, motives and energy are mostly a result of that, unless I consciously become aware and take charge of it.

To be more aware of my energy and improve its quality, I must first become aware of my intrinsic energy (I, the spiritual being) and of the energy I emit to others and to the world.

The meditation we practice helps us understand the authentic self: without ‘contamination’ by pre-conceptions, filters, judgments or negative energy.

This ‘pure’ self is the one who then interacts with others, with nature and with oneself – emitting positive energy, and attracting positivity in return, leaving a beautiful mark in the world.

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

CILENE TANAKA

Is ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ actually a masterpiece?

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Cilene Tanaka is a writer of fiction and non-fiction

Warning: It is not a pre-requisite to have read any of the works we discuss in order to follow this column. The idea here is to discuss without any fuss.

Fifty Shades of Grey, then. Yeah. We’ll talk about one of the biggest editorial successes of all times. Not by coincidence, this huge seller does not seem to compete amongst the few touched-bygod finalists for the daily literary genius awards we distribute on a daily basis online. And that very contradiction already bothers me: where is it written that mega successes cannot be written by literary geniuses? Is it on the bible, right next to “thou shall oppress the entire LGBT community”?

You may be expecting that I conceptualize literary genius or something like that, but I won’t. The masterpiece is not ontologically (fundamentally) masterpiece. It simply becomes one because it ended up being recognised by its peers, for those who matter, or, sometimes even by the people. I don’t subscribe to the idea that a literary genius is someone special. Frankly, every time I see someone being called a genius (and that someone is usually male, straight, and white) I imagine him crying with constipation, jealous of that friend who manages to go to the toilet every-singleday. All bloated by the farts that are not only causing him chest pain but also inspiring deep thoughts. I have slowly trained myself to stop thinking that the idea of a genius was that genius of an idea. I think that such scepticism gives me a more lucid perspective on literature in particular and on arts and culture in general. More and more, I see those who believe in geniuses as I see those who believe in God: like they’re fans of science fiction.

Therefore, my premise, whenever we discuss a book from now on, is that literature is the result of the mechanical work of someone who, as all of us, knows that regardless of how good they are, > they’re either consciously making shit or they didn’t find out it is shit yet... Starting from that premise, Beethoven and Chitãozinho & Xororó are, to me, equally legitimate elements of the culture of their respective times.

Then you may begin to understand the reason why I want to speak about Fifty Shades of Grade from a more intellectual perspective. Most of those who read literature do not care about its genius but with entertaining themselves. No matter how intellectual you are, you like to have fun.

So, besides my wishful thinking, what makes Fifty Shades of Grey an interesting masterpiece? Let me begin with a short digression – it must be short, otherwise those who hate Fifty Shades’ simplicity won’t have the patience to follow, right?

I’m a certified clown. And what does that have to do with erotica literature?

My clownery teacher, Mauro Zanatta, taught us above anything else, improvisation. On his course, there’s no clownery without improvisation and improvisation involves using the emotional material you have from your own life’s history. In other words, Mauro taught us how to use our own tragedy to make comedy. In order to do that, we needed to accept the internal rubbish we really were both artistically and in life. The idea is that in due time you learn how to recycle. On the game of improvisation, the biggest difficulty was to accept that, no matter how genius you think you are, in all truthfulness you really are just a big turd adrift in an ocean of biology and culture. In improvisation, every Shakespeare discovers they’re actually Paulo Coelho.

In improvisation, we learned to speak any nonsense that came first to our minds and accept that that was us; no edition or revision; us. What comes first to the mind shows an unelaborated piece of ourselves which doesn’t come up when we have, say, a month to write a literary column, for example.

And the difficult thing about improvisation, for everybody, was precisely accepting this unelaborated, mundane, silly and slobbery little piece of ourselves.

The difficult thing about the clown course was to accept that we were the clowns, not the others.

And why on earth am I saying all this? What the hell does that have to do with one of the biggest sellers of post-modern history?

I think that many people complain about Fifty Shades because they have difficulty accepting the game of clownery.

Many people have difficulty to make peace with their inner Fifty Shades of Grey.

At the core of each and every one of us there’s a dormant Ana; a little Christianbillionaire wishing to take the tampons off of people’s vagina. Deep, deep down, everyone repeats expressions and writes simple phrases; everyone uses, deep deep down, unelaborated vocabulary – perhaps not that deep down, yes, but still.

However, we expect more from Literature. We hope it transcends us. But

then, if we really expect more from Literature, then why did Fifty Shades of Grey sold more than, say, any David Foster Wallace, for example?

We all have a Fifty Shades of Grey kept inside of us, anxious to surface and breathe the pure air of editorial market.

We all are a bit Fifty Shades of Grey with its simplicity awarded with its best-seller tag sales’ success, and its unelaborated prose being criticised by the intellectuals – jealous of its impact, but not of its content – as if this were not in itself a simpleton contradiction.

If you cannot talk about literature with a layman you don’t really like literature, you like the status.

Fifty Shades of Grey is representative of everything in our contemporary culture: our inclination to superficiality, our idealization of creativity and artistic – provided that it’s restricted to our garments, our delegitimization of certain perversions and acceptation of other, even more absurd, ones. The portrait of us that Fifty Shades provides future generations with is very faithful. Vanilla sex, inner goddess, and all.

If I’m talking about “portrait” that means I’m analysing this work from a realist/naturalist perspective. The Realism and Naturalism literary movements had precisely the premise of “representation”, “imitation”, “photograph” reality. In literary theory, this is called “mimesis” – a concept by Aristotle that we use wrongly in academia till this day, by the way – a translation and interpretation problem which has been dragging itself since the 15th century but which I cannot explore here – if you’re curious, read The Demon of Theory by Antoine Compagnon. According to the wrongfully applied concept of mimesis as imitation of reality, Fifty Shades appears to be a great picture of us; not only the book itself but also the fact of its popularity amongst the general audience as well as its utter failure amongst critics.

Do you know which other authors were realists/naturalists? Charles Dickens, Jane Eyre, Jane Austen, Machado de Assis, Jose de Alencar, Joaquim Manuel de Almeida, only to name a few Brits and Brazilians.

But there’s a lot more people from the rest of the western canon that are considered geniuses and that do little more than Fifty Shades in aesthetical terms.

In terms of literary school, Fifty Shades figures between the greats and in terms of audience too. Yet, for some reason,

brasilobserver.co.uk | September 2017

no literary critic wishes to take seriously the kind of work that is acclaimed by the public. And, well, if the critic is not taking the public seriously, then that critic does not interest me. In academia (frequently guilty of spouting out those nefarious things) we usually call those “cabinet critics”. If you’re going to remain cooped up in your little university or your little white bourgeoisie, don’t even bother coming to criticise to me. I much prefer the multiplicity of the universe which, contrary to what the cabinet critic things, is far more varied.

There has been a lot of criticism, for example, to details of the narrative: “a 21 years old virgin who’s never masturbated?”; “she loses her virginity without any pain”; “how can someone so billionaire be also so beautiful?”; I’ve even seen people criticising the amount of money Christian has, the poor rich man.

The name of such kind of detail is, in literary theory, “verisimilitude”. Verisimilitude is the characteristic of the work of fiction to resemble reality. The more it looks real, the more verisimilar; the less, the less verisimilar. Aristotle - ancient Greece, folks - considered bad the poetry that was not verisimilar. So, yes, Aristotle may dislike Fifty Shades of Grey, but then, we’re misinterpreting his concept of verisimilitude, so.

For the most part, the criticism towards Fifty Shades is based on the non-verisimilitude of the characters and events… Really? If we were to criticise the literature of Sartre, Veronica Stigger, or Machado de Assis exclusively based on verisimilitude there would be nothing left.

One more common criticism refers to the coast vocabulary and simple semantics of the work. Well, Jane Austen was a success and is acclaimed precisely for the potency with which she elaborates complexity through simple language; and don’t even mention the Cordel and Modernist poetry from Brazil whose simplicity goes as far as to changing pronunciation of some words in order to make them rhyme. All that without expanding the discussion to music, theatre, and pop culture, right? Rap, improvisation, dance, and TV have the fundamental premise of, guess what, simplicity. And I’m not seeing anyone protesting against TV. Where’s the Occupy Television I didn’t think so.

Simple semantic structure in literature, to this day, generates prejudice and not only in Brazil. We have a habit of thinking of Literature as an intellectual’s thing, hence, the misleading conclusion that one should not write as one speaks. It’s ugly, you know... My abbreviation of some verbs when writing in Portuguese has earned me some dislike amongst peers in Brazil. The curious thing is that many of the people who actively despise my informal writing also claim themselves to be Beatniks – the poetry of orality movement in the US – hilarious, right? Thou might be forgiven for speaking wrongful, as long as it resembles pomp and status…

If your speciality is not literature, be

my guest to say any nonsense you wish to, now, if you have a PhD in Literature and still don’t see the value in informal writing, people…it’s like a chef who doesn’t know how to fry an egg. A clown with allergy to red noses. A sadomasochist without a whip. A tampon without the blue cord.

As for the criticism that the characters would be “little elaborated”, I’ll pretend that the term means anything and make an argument, ok? Since it’s Ana’s perspective, a silly billy virgin, more than natural that everything looks silly billy and virgin within the book. Christian’s elegance and sophistication might as well be merely pretentious horsecrap, just not from where she’s looking at. She has never professed to be a genius – no author would put themselves in that position unless they’re writing a sitcom because, yes, the idea is laughable.

On top off all that there’s still the badly done Americanism, the feminism, and the repetitive prose. If critics were doing their job correctly, there wouldn’t be so much for me to discuss under 1,500 characters, right?

I have also read critics to the lack of arousal on the sex scenes…people… repeat the phrase out loud before posting stuff online. All my word count allows me to say is that your lack of arousal when reading any book is not a literary subject, but a sexual one. If arousal is your main quest, you might want to search for something else instead of paper and black ink.

The lack of verisimilitude, thusly, is not the problem and if the so-called intellectuals were more accepting of their inner best-sellers, the general public would most certainly be reading more Sartre. I know, this seems like a stretch. So, allow me to try and create a bridge in order to better explain myself: if literary criticism, academic or not, were more concerned about being read, perhaps it would be more read. If people who judge themselves more intelligent or educated were concerned about writing for the general public, perhaps the criticism to Fifty Shades of Grey would be more intelligent. Perhaps even Fifty Shades would have been more intelligent if the criticism were more intelligent. Now, I hate to tell you that if you don’t like Fifty Shades that means you don’t like the cultural part of you that shares Fifty Shades’ aesthetics and values. That means that if you don’t like Fifty Shades, babes, I’m sorry, but you also don’t like yourself.

So, if you, critic, wish to prevent high quality literature from dying, you will have to go deeper; simply using pretty words to wrongly apply concepts does not cut it. We need more. And while we keep bashing Fifty Shades of Grey on the basis of pure prejudice against best-sellers, the Bible continues to be the biggest-selling of all times in spite of the emergence of far more engaging authors than the Apostles and of more complex characters than Jesus. But who knows? What if I end up biting my tongue instead of my lip?

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September 2017 | brasilobserver.co.uk

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