Brazzil - Year 15 - Number 206 - July 2003

Fuego de Qulitels.

They put le tN mep Year 15 - No.206

POLITICS: LULA NEEDS A ROADMAP

NATION BRAZIL IS READY TO CHANGE j

ECONOMY: GOING NOWHERE FAST

BEHAVIOR: THE BLOODY ART Of CHURRASCO

SPORTS: A LOVE AFFAIR WITH CAR RACING

JOBS NOTHING 10 00

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According to the labor-union institute Dieese (Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Stud ies) two million Paul istas from the Greater Sd'o Paulo were without a job at the end of May. That means that 1,958 million or 20.6 percent of the economic active population in the most dynamic region of Brazil do not have work. In the same period, one year ago, the situation was already severe, but there were then 104,000 people more people working for a living.

Sure, new employment was created. The 66,000 positions that appeared in the job market, though, weren't enough even to guarantee a job to the 84,000 youngsters who just entered the job market. During this period, 25,000 positions disappeared in the private sector. As for the new jobs, most ofthem are being offered under the table, without formal contract or medical and social benefits.

Other studies show that across the nation the middle class has lost 30 percent of its buying power in the last five years. Numbers from the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) reveal that Brazil's unemployment rate has reached 12.8 percent in May or approximately 10 million people. Joblessness has increased 42 percent in the last decade. So, those foreigners thinking about going to Brazil for an extended period of time should weight well their arguments before taking the plunge. As our man in Brazil, John Fitzpatrick says in the cover story, "Do not assume that you will find casual work as easily as in Europe or the US." RM Send mail to: P.O. Box 50536 - Los Angeles, CA

90050-0536

Ads/Editorial: (323) 255-8062 Info: (323) 255-8062 Fax: (323) 257-3487 Brazzil on line: http://www.brazzil.com E-mail: brazzil@brazzil.com Publisher and Editor: Rodney Mello Assistant Editor: Leda Bittencourt Book Review: Bondo Wyszpolski Music Editor: Bruce Gilman

With the help of volunteer writers around the world Sorr);,

TIME TO RENEW? don't send reminders. Look at the label to know when your subscription ends.

10

Cover Braziil is not the place to get a job these days Cover by Laz-Lee Anderson

Contents BB 0/ 01 11 18 18 20 21 22 24 20 21 28 31 33 34 31 42 44 52

Life in the Big City Postcards from Sao Paulo Culture pint of the Amazon, a comic book from Brazil Impressions Almir Chediak, PMDB, Embu, Veja magazine Politics Lula's lost in Brasilia Government Some urgent reforms We need someone to mind the store Presidency Politics Lula needs Communication 101 International Comparing Lula to Tony Blair Politics Government can't please anyone Foreign Relations Brazil and Cuba: too cozy for comfort Nation The tension between landowners and landless Economy More bureaucracy in Brasilia Behavior The cruelty of rodeos and churrascos Nation Brazilians don't respect Alordestinos Opinion Why Brazil is not as Western as the US In Portuguese "0 Caleidoscopio Quebrado" AUtoracing Boys from Brazil shine at Indy 500 Travel Mystery and history in Vila Velha Music Fundo de Quintal, 23 years of pagode Blacks All the racism I found in Brazil - Part II

Departments 08 Rapidinhas

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BRAllIL (ISSN 1091-868X) is published monthly by Brazzil 2039 N. Ave. 52, Los Angeles, CA, 90042-1024.Periodicals Postage rate paid at Los Angeles, CA. Single copy sold for $2.

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BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

5

Impressions Postcards from Sio Paulo A little vanity saves a higher-up on Lula's party from being kidnapped.

Capoeira without Bahianos is something else. In Sao Paulo, driving through red lights, the wrong way up one-way streets, and parking on the pavement is the norm. Still you can taste a piece of paradise in Sampa.

JOHN FITZPATRICK Mere Coincidence?

Last week. the PT president, Jose Genoino, one of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's righthand men, was due to be driven to a TV station for an interview. He forgot his comb and went back to his apartment to get it. During his absence, three gaintnen hijacked the car and held two of Genoino s staffhostage for an hour betbre releasing them and escaping \N ith the car, bank cards and cellular phones. Police believe it was just a routine robbery and the chin'ices are that it was, but cases like this always make one wonder. A year ago the PT mayor °Nara° Andri.:. in the Greater Sao Paulo. was robbed in similar fashion although he w as shot dead by his assailants, a crime that has Iles er been solved. What would have happened had Genoino not Ibrgotten hi. comb?

Capoeira Paulistano-style A couple ofyears ago I seem to recall a film was released called somethinglike' White Men Can't Dance". I am not so sure of this, but I can tell \you one thing--Paulistanos can't perform capoeira.

I saw a display by some local clubs last week. in Ibirapuera Park, \\ hich was so bad that even the performers mothers would have refused to applaud. Although there was a huge park full ofgreenery to choose from, in typical Sao Paulo native style. the performers held their show in a car park. (A uching tribute to the Pau I istano' s love affair with the motor car. See Traffic Trolls.)

It was strange to see a group of about 30 capoeira performers, virtually all of whom were white Two of them (descendants of \\ andering Celts?) even had red hair. There were also no bare chests. Perhaps the performers were afraid of catching a chill in the Sao Paulo winter when temperatures plunge as low as 20 degrees centigrade (68° F) sometimes.

Rippling muscles were also in short supply since these locals are cosseted from the cradle to the grave by dotill2 mothers girlfriends, wives and maids and have never done a bit of physical labor in their lives. Instead of flashing displays combining -martial menace and artistic choreography we could almost hear the joints creak as these would-be Bahianos lumbered around. The accompanying -music- m, as so bad that one jogger approached a park warden and complained about it.

When I made these comments to a local the reply was typical: "These Bahianos are only good at capoefra because they are lazy and have nothing better to do than hang around the beach all clay dancing and drinking." Lucky Bahianos!

Traffic Trolls Most of us unfortunates who inhabit this monstrous megalopolis would probably cite the traffic as the main problem facing us in our daily' lives Millions of cars and trucks clog the streets and highways polluting the air, spewing out noxious gases crunching gears making noise and generally causing stress to drivers and pedestrians alike. Gridlock is the name of the game and there are no longer any traditional rush hours.

You can confront a massive traffic jam at virtually anytime, even on Sunday mornings.

The authorities have tried to a little, but they are not serious about tackling the problem. Neither are most motorists who love their cars more than their wives.

For example. a system known as the rodizio—by which cars with certain letters in their license plates are baaned from the roads between certain hours once a week is reluctantly accepted by most people and ignored by a significant minority. Not only will these selfish drivers set out in the know ledge that they are unlikely to be caught, but some will blatantly cover their license plates with a piece of' cardboard.

There are also a large number ()fears and trucks which are unfit to be on the road and are a danger to everyone. I h's are bashed and dented, with the lights falling off and bearing no plates. Every evening, large numbers of wrecks like these trawl the streets to pick up paper refuse. I have never seen one with lights on, nor seen a policeman or employee of the CET traffic security service stop one.

Driving through red lights, the wrong way up one-way streets, parking on the pavement, stopping on pedestrians crossings, meeting any complaint with abuse is the norm. Non-motorists (like me) are non-existent and have no rights. In fact we are invisible to most motorists who would literally.' knock us down and drive off* if we were not eternally vigilant.

People like us rely on public transport which is another stressful experience. Attempts are being made to i inprove the traffic flow on amain highway in my neighborhood by restricting two lanes to public buses. is would reduce the traffic ow enormously and help.tens of thousands people (most of them poor who do not have cars and causea little discomfort to the motorists. However, a big campaign is underway to try and have the plan dropped. e fat cat drivers don't give a damn about their fellow citizens and feel they have the God-given right to have the roads to themselves.

Light in the Darkness If you are in Sampa, take a tip from me and visit an exhibition in the Pinacoteca art gallery . It is called "Viva a Vida- and presents 56 marvellous drawings and paintings be the Pernanibucana artist GuitaChariflc-er. She specializes in watercolors o f Brazi I 's exuberant plant life.

Some of them are just wonderful and' make you feel you are sitting in the midst of Paradise. I prefer those \\ hich concentrate on the plants and flowers, but the exhibition also shows works with a more mystical element showing figures and faces emerging from the trees and landscapes.

In a strange way', some of these mystical paintings are reminiscent of an artist from a completely different climate and era—Giovanni Segantini (1858-1899) whose paintings of the Alpine landscape and lives of the peasantry in the Engadine Valley of Switzerland are simply inspiring.

It is such a pity' that Chari -er's sparkling works are on exhibition in an underground corridor next to a collection of revolting virtual lj pornographic photographs. There is no catalogue, but you can buy a book which, although pricy' at R$ 7 (US$ 3), is well worth it. lam planning to have some of the paintings framed and once they are on the wall, sit in front ofthem with acaipirinha, the color of the lime and cachaca reflecting the paintings, and listen to some music, perhaps Toquinho's lovely song -Aquarela".

You can access some of the paintings at vejinha.com.br. There are also a number of sites about Segantini including segantini. it and segantini-museum.ch.

Guess who might-be coming to Brazil?

Ooh la la. Top frock designer Jean Paul Gaultier might come and visit us. Zut alors! According to the gossip column of the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper, any visit will depend on whether the catwalk king can reorganize his agenda. which is apparently overloaded because of all those important fashion shows in Europe. However, a person who has spoken personally to Monsieur Gaultier says the Great Man will do the impossible and come here because he -adores- Brazil. We cannot wait.

John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish journalist who first visited Brazil in 1987 and has lived in Sao Paulo since 1995. He writes on politics and finance and runs his own company, Celtic Comunicacoes-- vvww.celt.com.br, which specializes in editorial and translation services for Brazilian and foreign clients. You can reach him at if*celt.com.br 6

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

Brazilian Spirit of the Amazon is very similar to modern American comics. Its content, however, is highly charged with political substance, which gives it a dimension that is unique. Also, the book offers readers a chance to be immediately involved in real-life social action by helping S.O.S. Amaz6nia.

MICHAEL DOBRAN "Let the Green War begin!" announces Vinicius Tavares, VP of New Business for NW Studios of USA. Tavares is an Art Warrior: he's using the pages of a politically-bent comic book Spirit of the Amazon to fight the good fight against corporate greed and the reckless ' destruction of Brazil's Amazon Rainforest. Spirit ofthe.4mazon was originally launched in Brazil in 1998 and it was a phenomenal succesV it was only outsold nationwide by the X-,i4en— not bad, for an independent comic being sold primarily by word of mouth because it so amazing and original.

In May of this year, Spirit of the Amazon hit the comic book stands here in the USA and has received loads of positive reaction in the media This version of the original Brazilian title is not simply a reprint with English slapped into the pages as text--the entire comic book has been re worked expanded and polished for the past four years, Tavares said.

Another i ineresting, aspect is that each issue is increased from 22 pages of art up to 28 pages, -these past four y ears have been dedicated o giving this American version our most extensive creative efforts... we want Brazilian comics to have a place in the American market, because it is the largest, most influential and diverse in the world,- he said.

Apparently, this effort is already paying off. Spirit of the Amazon is about six extraterrestrials in the guise of"spiri ts" who are on a secret mission to protect planet earth's fragile eco-system from the evil greed and corruption of our planet's most cruel and destructively reckless corporations. The natives of Brazi l's Amazon call on these spirits in time ofdistress, thinking of them as the -Spirits" of the forest, not knowing that they are from other worlds.

In terms of artistic style, it is very similar to modern American comics. It easily fits in with Marvel Comics I /inmates and the work of Michael Turner, for example. However, the content of this comic book is highly charged with political content, which gives it a dimension that is unique. Also, the book offers readers a chance to be immediately involved in real-life social action since a portion ofthe book's sales goes directly to S.O.S. AmazOnia, a Brazilian organization dedicated to saving the Amazon Rainforest, which is one of the planet's most vital concerns, in particular.

This comic details an impending -Green War" and it mirrors a fight th at goes on nowhere in the world more dramatically as in Brazil—where the Amazon Rain forest is being systematically devastated by tycoons, landowners, greedy corporations, and even the nati ves themselves who are sometimes compelled to make -deals with the devil"—pacts that sell of their land in order to receive desperately needed money, at the cost of seeing their entire villages annihilated in the name of mining. logging, and other corporate uses.

Spirit ofthe Amazon is written by Orlando Paes Fi I ho. Rodrigo Pereira does the pencils with assistance from Roger Cruz. Orlando developed the idea for Spirit ofthe Amazon when he was 16 years old. "He was terrified by man's violent actions toward nature and wrote a fictional story called "Blue Planet" (Planeta Azul) which was the inspiration for Spirit of the Amazon," Tavares said, Spirit ofthe Amazon is no longer published in Brazil. After only four issues it was forced to halt publication. "Production and distribution of comics in Brazil are controlled by one company, who after seeing the enormous success of Spirit ofthe Amazon made an offer to acquire the property." When their offer was refused. the distributor refused to distribute the comic in Brazil. As a result, NW Studios was forced to stop production. Tavares said. This major distributor was, of course, Editora Abril. Now, it is four years later, and NW Studios has a brand-new USA division and 'Tavares is pleased to be -sending this trouble-maker title into the US market.Why the US? "Because our objective is to contribute to the variety and depth of the US comic market,- he said.

NW Studios in Brazil is a creative agency that creates and develops characters for imaging. In the past nine years they have worke for companies like Warner Bros. and Disney, creating characters for Nestle and McDonald's, visuals for Hopi Hari (Brazil's largest theme park) and for Latin America's beverage king AMBEV. Now, NW Studios USA. located in Miami, is expanding to the US market.

Spirit of the Amazon is available at local comic book shops on sale each month at $495. "Spirit of the Amazon is just the first shot of many to come!" Tavares said. He said that NW Studios USA is already in development stages of several new projects including an American version ofthe currently best-sel ling Brazilian comic Jungle Kids, which is being distributed as a spec ial promotional item through McDonald's of Brazil.

Jungle Kids has already sold more than 8 million copies in Brazil. Also in the planning stages are the futuristic Human Resources, and GutiGut-., which is about two young girls who are bounty hunters, who also have a Weakness: they are compulsive shoppers! There is also a three-part graphic novel entitled Angus, which has a story line about a family that has the responsibility thrust on them to protect the world from dark forces. All of these projects, including Spirit of the Amazon, are recdiving intense interest from various Hollywood film studios.

Spirit of the Amazon will also be released in England and the rest of Europe in the coming months, "It is time for the US market to see more of the Brazilian comic book scene, and Brazil has as much passion and potential for this art form as our counterparts to the North in the US," Tavares added.

Michael Dobran lives in Milwaukee, WI, and works for a local literacy campaign. He is also a freelance journalist and is pursuing a graduate degree. He has lived previously in Brazil for two years and is "functionally" fluent in Portuguese. You may contact him in either English or Portuguese at moonshade4*.hotmail.com — however, please make mention to Brazzil in the subject line.

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

A beloved music producer is murdered in cold blood; the opposition becomes the government's ally; and dirty, dangerous Sao Paulo still hides some charm. Amid all of this, Chico Buarque's silence is a hit and Veja magazine puts on its own gr sly act profiling a mortuary attendant accompanied by a picture of him with the tools of his trade, extracting instTuments included.

Impressiens

Almost love! Brazil

JOHN FITZPATRICK The Day the Music Died...

Violence is fact of life here and the crime pages of the local press make depressing and horrific reading. Most violent crime is rarely reported and the endless killings in the favelas, known as chacirtas, which cause scores of deaths every week are routine page fillers. These generally arise from the drugs trade. The sheer pernicious o f drugs has been highlighted in two recent cases in whicn fathers actually killed their own sons who had attacked them demanding money to buy more drugs. In one case, the father himself died of grief in prison shortly afterwards.

Occasionally, more high-profile murders hit the headlines, usually if the victim is a member of the middle class, a politician, judge or personality. This was the case this week when a music producer and writer called Alm ir Chediak was murdered in Petropolis, near Rio de Janeiro. During his career, Chediak had worked with almost every musician associated with Ii the Brazilian popular movement known as the MPI3. He edited the songbooks of Dorival Cayrnmi, Caetano Veloso, Joao Bosco and Tom Job In,amongst others.

These were not just rehashes of "famous hits" but academic works involvi c research and co a ora o with the songwriters. Tom Jobim said of the Bossa Nova Songbook, "I regard the work of Almir Chediak as a piece of patriotism since it has to do with the memory of Brazil.' Chediak was shot down in cold blood, with his arms tied, by a murderer who pumped four bullets into lim.

Want to Be an Ambassador? Join the PMDB As expected, that broad church known as the PMDB (Partido do Movimento Democratico Brasi le iro Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement) is about to enter the government, giving President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva an even broader power base. The PSDB of ex-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso and the PFL are now the main opposition parties although do not be surprised if the PFL sneaks back in too.

As to the PSDB, some of its members have already E-witcl- ed to pro-government parties. According to the local press, the price for the PMDB's support was an ambassadorship for a former senator from Goias state (Spain or Chile), the presidency of Transpetro for another and seats on the board of directors of Banco do Brasil and Banco da Amazonia for others. Whether any of those chosen few have the experience to undertake their new challenges is not known but the PT leadership obviously feels the price is worth the PMDB's support in gett: ng the government's pension and tax reforms through Congress. Quite a prornotion. One day a senator from a farming area in the Mid West, the next day Your Excellency.

Embu â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Great Place to Visit if You Can Find b Every so often some report is published showing that Sao Paulo is a great tourist center with millions of visitors from Brazil and abroad. You can always rely on some city official to say how much tourists like the place and how tourism contributes to the economy. The fact is that the overwhelmingrnajority of the foreign tourists come here on business and certainly not for pleasure.

Polls have shown that foreign tourists do not Ike the dirt, poverty, poor infrastructure, lack of English speakers and the feeling of insecurity. There are some tourist booths scattered around the city but these are poky tittle boxes, staffed by students who get 10 out of 10 for friendliness bu: 0 out of. ' I() for professionalism. The resources consist of inadequate maps and lists of events, sometimes outdated. These booths are more often closed than open and the entrances are often used as sleeping laces by beggars and alcoholics.

Besides this, there is virtually nothing for the tourist to see in Sao Paulo. One of the "attractions" is the snake farm at Butanta where you can look down at a pit and watch snakes devour live white mice. Local schools even take children to this grisly spectacle. I admit it is not as bloody as a Spanish bull fight but harcll hat most foreigners would regard as a tourist attraction.

Another place the tourist is generally taker to is the town of Embu, about 25 kilometers from the city. The highway to Embu and the entranze are grimy and ugly but the centre is pleasant and offe

8

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

a popular arts and handicrafts fair on Sundays. However, there are no signs to the centre, so the tourist has a good chance of getting lost.

I went there recently and shortly after entering what I thought was Embu found myself back on the highway to Sao Paulo, thanks to the confusing layout. Later when I was trying to get back to Sao Paulo I got lost again and this time found myself back in the centre. If you are thinking of going there, take a tipâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;take a guide. a compass and a map or go by helicopter. toncricano Veja Magazine Needs Surgical Treatment www"it:1.m,, imento h,112.,C11 When it comes to bad taste, Brazilian television is usually in a league of its own compared with the printed media. Trashy novelas with laughable scripts and dreadful acting are followed by inane "entertainment" shows in which you can see everything from graves being robbed, midgets being chased round studios by transvestites and staged fights as angry women attempt to beat up former boy friends who have cheated on them. However, this week's Veja magazine has given the television a run for its money. It has prestuted a feature on the biggest hospital in Sao Paulo called Hospital das Chnicas, showing how this enormous place operates and presenting profiles of some of its 10,000 employees.

One of the profiles is of a mortuary attendant accompanied by a picture of him with the tools of his tradeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a hammer, ladle, knife, scissors, thread and some extracting instruments. Every day this employee removes the organs from 30 bodies.

The article says that with these crude instruments the assistant spends 15 minutes on ,.E 60 ANOS AOS 30, 40, 50â&#x20AC;&#x201D; each cadaver. Considering that a large number of readers have probably had some A, contact with the Hospital das Clinicas, which attends 10 million patients a year, the chances are that some of them have had relatives who have died there and undergone some kind of post mortem operation.

The assistant even mentions the name of a person whose body he cut open. As Veja puts it: As an actor in his spare time, his (the assistant's) greatest emotion occurred on the day when he received the body of the playwright Dias Gomes. 'I never had the pleasure ofknowing him when he was alive but it was an honor to take care o fhim here." Maybe this was just incompetent editing rather than bad taste but some questions need answering and some surgery is in order at Veja.

Plus Ca Change...

Spain. seized Cuba seized Guess who said this: "... the American government is imperialist it went to Puerto Rico, made Panama independent in order to construct the Canal, seized the Philippines, seized the other islands in the Pacific, grabbed most of Mexico. The whole of California was Mexican! Texas! What did it do with Texas? When it discovered that Texas had oil, the American government promoted a movement within Texas to make it independent and, a short time ater the people "accepted" its annexation by the United States."

Some lefty outraged at the American attack on Iraq? No. It was Brazilian president General Ernesto Geisel in 1977 criticizing a US State Department report on the human rights situation in Brazil.1 Almost another decade was to pass before the soldiers went back to their barracks and let Brazilians themselves choose who should be their rulers rather than having army officers like Geisel decide for them.

The Sound of Silence by Chico Bowline Poor Chico Buarque. He really is top of the Brazilian hit parade at the moment thanks to his silence over Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. While other intellectuals, who have previously supported Castro, have started to back off or even condemn him, Buarque has kept quiet. At the same time, he is reported to have refused to sign a pro-Castro statement. The result is that he is being attacked by the right and left. Still, at least, he has been consistent, unlike Caetano Veloso who stated during last year's election campaign that he would vote for either Lula, Serra or Gomes. Considering that there were only four serious candidates, this shows that while he might be a great singer and songwriter, decisiveness is not one of Veloso's strengths.

HistOria Indiscreta do Ditadura e do Abertura by Ronaldo Costa Couto, 1998.

0 OIL

0 1,11,a1

John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish journalist who first visited Brazil in 1987 and has lived in SAo Paulo since 1995. He writes on politics and finance and runs his own company, Celtic Comunicacfies-- www.celt.com.br, which specializes in editorial and translation services for Brazilian and foreign clients. You can reach him at jf(&celt.com.br

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

9

For Job Seekers Brazil Is No Eldorado Thinking of moving to Brazil? If the aim is to make a lot of money then think again. Do not assume that you will find casual work as easily as in Europe or the US. Not only is the unemployment rate high, but the pay for this kind of work is so low that almost no European or American would accept it.

JOHN FITZPATRICK

Since I became a regular contributor to Brazzil, a number of readers have contacted me seeking advice on living conditions in Brazil. While some of these readers have been thinking of moving here indefinitely, others were considering spending only a few months.

The only practical advice I have been able to give is that, while man does not live by bread alone, he certainly does need money to survive.

If you do not have money in the form of savings when you arrive, you will have to find a source of income here. If you are lucky enough to have been transferred by your employer on an expatriate contract then you have nothing to worry about. Not only will your employer look after you like a baby, providing a house or apartment, maid, free schooling for your children, medical insurance for your family and so on, but probably part of your salary will be paid back home, far from the hands of the greedy Brazilian taxman. This article is not 10

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

written for these fortunate few. Nor is it meant to be any kind of tourist guide.

Let us consider two cases: a) the single person who just wants to spend, say, a year either in one place or traveling around; and b) the skilled foreigner, perhaps with a returning Brazilian wife, who arrives here with no job.

Living on the cheap If you are in the first category then you are in a more fortunate position.

Brazil can be a cheap place if you are prepared to rough it a bit. In the last year the real has lost about 50 percent of its value against the dollar and, at the time of writing, is trading at around R$3.05/ US$1. Life can be ridiculously cheap for someone with a fistful of dollars. For example, in Sao Paulo you can buy a wholesome meal in a simple restaurant for R$5 or $6. It will consist of a big helping ofrice, beans, chips (that's French fries to American readers), chicken, beef or fish, plus a huge salad with lettuce, tomatoes, peas, onions etc. With that under your belt you should not need to eat for the rest of the day. From a street stall you can get a hot dog with an enormous amount of additives—cheese, chili sauce, crisps etc—for R$1.50 or less. If this kind of bulk is not to your taste there are places everywhere in which you choose what you want and pay by weight.

These places always have good selection of lighter fare, including salad and fruit.

Since most Brazilians are poor by European or American standards, cheap eating places are the norm and often they are very good. Outside big cities like sao Paulo the prices will be slower.

You can find rooms in simple hotels for about R$30 a day or even less. Travelling by bus, rather than air, is time consuming but the difference in price is amazing. For example, to fly from Sao Paulo to Rio costs around R$300, whereas by bus it costs R$55 for a seat which folds down into a kind of bed or R$33 for normal seat. I reckon that with about US$3,000 you could easily spend three to four months in Brazil and even stretch it to six months if you tried.

One point worth making, though, is that if your money does start to run out do not assume that you will find casual work as easily as in Europe or the US. Not only is the unemployment rate high, but the pay for this kind of work is so low, that almost no European or American would accept it. This does not mean there are no opportunities. Teaching English, or being a tourist guide, are some ways of making some money.

Teaching English is the most common. The pay is low but if you are young BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

and fancy free this could help you oiit financially. The Brazzil forum has extensive correspondence on teachi g English, where a lot of useful inform tion can be found. The forum also has useful advice for those who want to wo k but have entered on a tourist visa. 0 e final point though which I cannot stre s enough: if you are planning to spe d some time here then learn Portugue e.

Do not think that some basic Spanish w 11 do—it won't.

Professionals, Be Prepared!

If you are a professional you ill have a tougher time. Unless you are m rried to a Brazilian or have some spec at skill you are unlikely to get a residen 's permit, known as a visto permanen e.

Even with this permit, which contains your foreign registration number (RN ) you will need to get a tax registrati n number (CPF). My advice is to get e residence permit at a Brazilian consul te abroad, if possible. Without these t o documents it is virtually impossible to o anything—from renting an apartmen to renting a video at the local Blockbuster.

On top of these two essential bits of paper, you will also need a work permit known as a carteira de trabalho.

It took me six miserable months to get my work permit and even now I can hardly bear to thin of the bureaucracy and bungling invol ed.

This did not stop me from working, but was a sword of Damocles hanging ver my head the whole time. Fortunately my Brazilian employers were used to the bureaucracy and, with a patience I n ver had, just assumed it would get sortea out some day or other. It did, but only because I took the initiative, not them.

When I first arrived most of this egistration was done by hand and eve in the main labor ministry and immigr ion departments in Sao Paulo, there wa not a computer in sight. About a year I er I had to go through the whole pro ess again when the system was comp terized. Even then, my RNE was sti 1 an interim one and consisted of a fl msy piece of paper containing my pictu e, a smudged stamp and a scrawled si nature.

It took almost two years to ge the new RNE and during this time my a acu-

ment started to fall to pieces quite literally. As I did quite a lot oftraveling in this period, I was constantly questioned by the immigration police on entering and leaving the country. In the end I hired a fixer, called a despachante, to sort the whole thing out for me. I had to pay him but it was worth it.

Low Wage Country If you can put up with all this hassle, the next step is finding a job. Sending résumés to employment agencies and chasing up newspaper adverts is, in my experience, almost a waste of time. Brazilian companies treat people like dirt, especially job seekers, and being a foreigner will make no difference. Others have written about this in Brazzilsol will not go over the same ground, but be warned.

If you do get offered a job you will probably be disappointed at the salary.

The first time I was offered a salary to take up a position with a lot of responsibility I assumed the amount was for a week and not a month. Do not forget that

the minimum wage here is R$240 and pay is often calculated as a multiple of it.

Many people, including professionals, cannot get by on their salaries and have to take on extra work.

I know two people who have both recently been offered responsible managerial positions by multinationals, one in the services industry and the other in manufacturing industry. In the first case, the salary was much more than her existing salary but, in my opinion, still about 25 percent less than the position merited.

In the other case, the company expected this person to make a difference to its bottom line results in Brazil yet was only prepared to offer 10 percent above her existing salary. Since these were both foreign companies, which have a reputation of being better employers in terms of pay and conditions, one can imagine how a Brazilian company would behave.

To be fair to companies, it should be pointed out that they face heavy overheads 11

under Brazil's labor laws, such as prov idinghealth insurance, travel costs, holiday payments and even food baskets, which are generally said to double the cost of the actual salary. They are also heavily taxed and, as interest rates are frighteningly high, are unable to get access to credit. At the same time. Brazil's pool of cheap labor and enormous market makes it a tempting place for multinationals.

Doing it Your Own Way An alternative is to work for yourself, officially or unofficially, although I would not recommend the latter course. The black economy here is estimated at around 35 percent of the official economy. You just have to walk down a street to see it at work in the shape of stalls selling everything from food to CDs. Setting up a company is expensive and extremely bureaucratic. However, it is a possibility for the foreigner who has a winning product or service and is prepared to take a risk.

Brazil has one of the highest rates of self-employed people in the world and companies are used to dealing with them.

Not only do these smaller companies offer tailor-made services but they save the client company the cost of employing extra labor. The main foreign immigrants who have arrived here in recent years have been Koreans, Chinese, Bolivians and even Argentineans and Chileans.

The Koreans have cornered much of the textiles market while the Chinese are still at the stage of running cheap restaurants and shops selling knickknacks to hawking running shoes in the streets. The Bolivians often work as sweated labor for the Koreans while-the Argentineans tend to be found working as Spanish teachers, real estate agents or waiters. All these people are learning for themselves that the streets ofSao Paulo are not paved with gold. Don't forget there are hundreds of thousands of Brazilian working abroadâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;mainly in Japan and the USâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; simply because they cannot earn enough here to make a decent living.

These are just a few hints which I hope may help anyone, particularly a professional, who is thinking of coming here. As wages and prices change all the time I have deliberately not given many specific figures. However, if you are interested in checking our current salary levels, both the Estado de S. Paulo and the Folhu de S. Paulo newspapers publish detailed tables covering a wide range of jobs in their Sunday issues. You can also get more information on official government and industrial sites. Another source is the labor research body, which can be found at www.dieese.com.br.

12

REPORTAGE M

ESPECIAL

A ATRAcA0 PELO RISCO ,

A economia do pals esti parada e nap haven o "espeticuto do crescimento" tab cedo. Mas ĂŠ possivel reacender a chama do desenvolvhnent Veja como

Which Part of Poor You Didn't Understand?

The current minimum salary in Brazil is R$ 240 (US$ 80).

Official unemployment is 12 percent and nobody knows the real numbers. In Rio, 30,000 people queued up for two days to apply for 1,500 positions as municipal street cleaners.

To help, Lula has announced a people's bank.

JOHN FITZPATRICK

A couple of months ago I wrote an article for Brazzil in which I tried to give some advice to foreigners thinking of coming to live here. I stressed the low wages and high rates of unemployment, not to put people off but to give them a realistic idea of life in Brazil. I got quite a big postbag and of those who wrote, only one said he had been dissuaded from BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

coming here by my article. So, if these other readers carry out their plans Brazil will be welcoming a number of foreign residents in the near future. One of them confessed that he was looking for a wife as well as a new life, so female readers watch out.

Job Desperation Since it is difficult to get Americans and Europeans to understand that Brazil is an extremely poor country it might be worth quoting a few figures to let them know what they are in for. The current minimum salary is R$ 240 (around US$ 80). That is for a month, not a week. The average family gets by on between three and four minimum salaries. Many get by on less.

The official unemployment rate is just over 12 percent but the real rate is well above this, since many workers are not registered or earn their living from the black economy. People are desperate to find work. In Rio de Janeiro this week an estimated 30,000 people queued up to apply for 1,500 positions as municipal street cleaners, paying around R$ 600 (US$ 200) a month.

Chaos broke out when the usual incompetent organization led to those who had just arrived being linked up with applicants at the front of the queue, some of whom had been waiting for two days.

Police used tear gas and clubs to restore order.

Performing for a Pittance A couple of other examples show how insultingly low pay is here and how the poor and gullible are exploited. Veja magazine recently reported that a television station had featured a young couple on a prime time scandal show and paid them less than R$ 100 (US$ 30) for their participation. The same magazine also presented a feature on a popular TV talk show personality called Jo Soares who it said earns R$ 800,000 (US$ 270,000) a month from TV Globo.

Just talking to people will show how poorly paid workers are. About a year ago I had a long-running feud with ,a motorcyclist who used to ride up and down the street where I live blowing a whistle all night long. He was supposed to be "protecting" us although, of course, the sound of his whistle would have warned any thieves in advance. During one of our heated discussions I asked him who had contracted him and how much he received. He said the owner of a shop paid him R$ 40.

Can you imagine working six nights a week for US$ 13 a month? I offered him R$ 50 to go home and stop keeping me awake all night with his damned whistle.

Not realizing a bargain when he saw it, he BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

refused. 1 am pleased to say that he I er quit and his replacement either ha a quieter whistle or is too lazy to blow i as loudly.

Lula Turns Banker To try and help the worse off, Pr sident Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has *ust announced plans to set up a new bank for the majority of the population which as no credit and is, therefore, excluded f om the banking system. The aim is that, the new bank—Banco Popular—will hive one million clients by next year. he state-owned Caixa Economica Fed ral bank has been running a similar sch me in which clients need not even prove ey receive income but only need to pro ide their CPF tax number. In just three mo ths, 200,000 people have signed up nd 10,000 are opening accounts every iay.

Credit is essential for the poorer pa of the population and installment pay ent is the norm even for the middle cla ses.

Some stores even offer part payme t on items costing as little as R$1.

The Price of Violence Can you put a price on violence? The Brazilian Justice Minister, Ma cio Thomaz Bastos, thinks so. He has just announced that the costs of violen e in Sao Paulo in 1999 came to R$ 9.4 bi lion (US$ 3.1 billion), equivalent to 3 pe cent of the city's GDP. For the country as a whole, he estimated the cost of viol nce and crime at 5 percent of GDP. I the case of sao Paulo, around 60 percei t of the costs go on private security meas res.

Don't forget that this is on top o the official police forces.

Anyone who lives here is used • the sight of private security forces, ra ging from well-dressed, gun-toting goon with ear pieces and cool shades guardi g the brand-name junkies shopping i the Jardins district to the ragged rogue who slip on a greasy, plastic bib with "Seguranca" or "Vigilante" on i and stand in the street allegedly prot cting your car or keeping an area on your house. Most of the latter are us less.

About two years ago, two your* men were shot dead round the corner from where I was living. What did t e socalled security guards do? Yes, thy ran away. Who can blame them but if his is the way they behave why pay them in the first place?

Many policemen work as s urity guards on their days off and are to b seen dozing in front of big houses and sffices all over the city. Hiring a policema is, at times, the same as setting thief to atch a thief since they are often no more onest than the criminals. Inside jobs re the norm, with thieves using informati rnn supplied by insiders to enter buildin s and

rob.

A report published this week showed that almost 20 percent of the security men guarding prisons in Sao Paulo state had a criminal record. These crimes included murder, theft, drug trafficking, rape, corrupting minors and torture.

How the Mighty Have Fallen This time a year ago we were celebrating Brazil's triumph in the World Cup football finals. Who can forget Ronaldo Gaucho's brilliant goal from a free trick against England in the qualifying rounds or Ronaldo's two goals in the final against Germany? Those were the days. However, the nation is currently in mourning after Brazil's dismal performance in the Founders Cup competition in France where the team could only manage one victory—a 1-0 defeat of the US. They were beaten by Cameroon and held to a draw by Turkey. The team only had a few ofthe players Who triumphed in the World Cup but, nevertheless, it was a pathetic performance. We are now pinning out hopes on Santos who have reached the finals of the South American Liberators Cup and face the fearsome Boca Juniors of Argentina.

Chinese Puzzle The people of Sao Paulo never fail to amaze me. Often they are noisy and vulgar, with no apparent intellectual curiosity and show only the lowest taste in culture. Yet at other times, they are transformed and become virtual culture vultures. Recently, for example, there was an exhibition in Ibirapuera Park of lifesized model soldiers from the Xian dynasty, which was so popular that it was extended by several weeks.

The interest in these terracotta figures was so great that it was impossible to get in without standing in a queue which, at times, was a kilometer in length. The exhibition ran for just over three months and was attended by 817,782 people.

This is an astonishing turn out for an exhibition from a country with which Brazil has had little ties. What next? Will the Paulistanos start drinking tea instead of cafezinho.

John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish journalist who first visited Brazil in 1987 and has lived in Sao Paulo since 1995. He writes on politics and finance and runs his own company, Celtic Comunicactoes— www.celt.com.br, which specializes in editorial and translation services for Brazilian and foreign clients. You can reach him at if(&,celt.com.br

13

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LET'S LOWER THE VOICE I like your webpage and articles and I read them often. However, articles like the ones by Ricardo Amaral (all of them ) are showing an increasingly anti-US stance based upon ignorance. Wile few admire George Bush. I don't think it's Brazil's or even this literary endeavor's best interest to increase the level of rabid anti US stupidityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;see -Brazil should have Nukes'

by Amaral! Irresponsible at best and dangerous at worst. We all should be open and not be puppets of the extreme left (or any other for the matter). Cheers from Italy.

Joseph Walker Italy, Via Internet It ON THE FAST TRACK

You are invited to participate ri thisdialogue Write to Letters to the Publisher P 0 BQX 50536

Los Angeles, CA 90050.0536 or send E-mail to brazzil@brazzil.com

AN HONEST RAG Hi, everybody at Bra zzil! First of all I want to congratulate you all for the success of this great source of information and opinion. The only other time I feel happy as if I was reading one of your issues, is when I am watching De Poetry Jam. What both have in common? Honesty! Brazzil is one of those things that now that we have it, we ask ourselves how could we have lived without it for so lone It makes me feel like asking you if there's anything I can do to help?

Let me know!

I am a reader since 2001, and one of my dreams is write something good enough to be published in your magazine. Because, that's one of the things that make this magazine great: that IS possible! So, who knows in the next issue! Keep up the good work! Haissam Safie (Brazuca living in Jersey, despite the name!)

Haissam Salle Harrison, New Jersey A LESSON ON ARGENTINA Dear John Fitzpatrick, I came across your article entitled "Will Argentina Roar Again" http ://www. bra77 1 com/2003/html/news/articIes/jun03/p112jun03.htm - and I have several disputes with it. I found it to be overly general in its presentation of reasons why things are in their present state, as well as what that state is exactly. For example: "Brazil paid a high price for the end of the decade-long system, which linked the Argentinean peso to the U.S. dollar. There was a spillover effect, as nervous foreign investors tarred other emerging economies with the Argentinean brush.'

I believe this is entirely, if not very close to false. No mention is made about how Brazil benefited tremendously over time from the peg of the peso to the dollar, both in exporting to Argentina and competing with Argentine exports on the international market. Long before the dollar/peso m was detached it is clear that "nervous foreign investors" had already sucked everything out of Argentina and had begun in Brazil.

Watching Lula dance to the IMF and World Bank drum is not surprisingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as he is simultaneously dancing to assuage centers of power within Brazil.

Thomas Hutton Buenos Aires, Argentina

For the last couple of weeks. I have had the pleasure of reading your publication mostly online. This past week, I was very pleased to find an article about the Brazilian Indy Car drivers and the unique flavor they bring to the sport. As someone who follows these things quite closely, it was refreshing to find a publication that took this concept beyond that of driving cars.

Brazzil Magazine seems to pride itself in bringing to its readers all about Brazil, and this coverage is right up there with soccer and Carnaval. We are talking about history in the making where Brazilians are making a difference along with a name for themselves. It all started with a young man by the name of Fittipaldi who opened the doors to what we are seeing today... Seven Brazilian drivers in last year's race with two finishing in the top 5 and 6 competing in this year's race with the first, second and third place 2oing to Brazilians.

This is an incredile feat and one that promises to make Brazil a prominent nation in this revival of what is known as Formula Indy.

I can't wait for be Brickyard 400 to get here (along with lots of Brazilians from all over the world) so I can see Christian Fittipaldi prove himself as worthy as those who precede him in NASCAR none-the-less.

Enrique Barreto Via Internet GOD SAVE US FROM THEM Re: "Lan God Save Rio?' by Norman Madarasz - http ://brazzi I . coin/2003 /html/news/ articles/may03/p II 9may03.htm Fantastic article. The Garotinhos are a truly frightening pair of low-life bible-thumping thieves who deserve to be run out of the country. Today's papers: Garotinho's arm around Luis Eduardo Soares in a gesture of reconcili-

ation. What's that? Makes me want to scream!

How can this be happening?! I just can't help it but I don't trust chubby hubby with R$40 milhOes

Michelle Peria Anthropologist UFRJ THAT'S GIL'S TRIBUTE Dear, John Fitzpatrick, In your most recent article in Brazzil, you wonder -Why someone as talented as Gil should waste time on something as trite, repetitive and monotonous as reggae...". While I must agree with you on the quality of Gil's most recent product, I must inform you that reggae music has influenced Gil's music greatly over the course of his career. I encourage you to become familiar with some of his most well-known songs, which are very reggae-ish, e.g.: "Vamos Fugir.

In sum, while it is possible that he was trying to reach out to a younger audience with his reggae effort, I think it would probably be more accurate to say he was paying tribute to one ofhis (and a great number ofother Brazilian artists', e.g. Caetano. Djavan, etc.) major musical influences.

Tank Gause Via Internet SHOULD I SAY I DO? I am an American black. I have been engaged to a white Brazilian woman whom I intend to marriage, but lately I have been questioning the attitude of her family towards me.

Their lukewarm attitude sparks a sense of uneasiness, but they hid through the shared sense of me not being able to speak Portuguese and therefore not understanding the way they feel about me.

As an African-born American who has experienced my share of racism in the States, I do not want to become a part of people whom I have so far respected as being much more homogenized and therefore will be more understanding and accepting of my African roots. I very much admire the similarity of the communal, -non-materialistic attitude" and closeness of the Brazilian life-style to my African root, but 1 am still weary. I rather get married to someone who shares my values than be part of a family which hypocritically accepts me for some obvious reasons they deny.

Please, help me understand by giving me a clear perspective ofwhat Brazilians think about black and most importantly the Brazilian women attitude to marriage commitments.

Kofi Amponsah Via Internet

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BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

We may well be living the hora da virada (turning point), however slowly and gradually, with the lowering of interest rates, highertaxes on bank profits, funds approved for important infrastructure works and the first results of the Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) Program. However—and I'm not trying to talk like the Joliozinho of the joke (the man who only thinks of one thing)—I must say this: the Lula administration took power without the benefit of a roadmap for action.

While acknowledging that the administration chose to start off by following the previous economic model, avoiding thus any possible 'earthquakes', the government still lacks an action script, now that neoliberalism seenis to be fading out. The PT (Workers Party) should have started drafting one 12 years ago, when Luiz black) Lula da Silva ran for President for the first time.

Between then and now, a plan could have been drafted which would'have been an alternative to globalizing interests, containing concrete proposals about what to do to reduce unemployment, expand the domestic market, multiply production and socially integrate the country.

Just generic enunciations Taking into consideration the optimistic perspective of abandoningthe economic policy which made our lives hell for so many years, the conclusion may be that there was nothing to do besides generic enunci at ions, Something about what to do, but nothing about how to do it.

Of course time goes on, realities change and new conditions demand constant alterations and improvements, but things could be different now ifthere had been, since the beginning of the campaign, some alternative basic plan. Some kind of textbook, permanently perfected and adapted, arid ready to be implemented by the PT. Maybe not right on January 1", so as not to traumatize conservative segments, but at least ready to be announced at an opportunity such as the one coming up now. Let's consider unemployment and the need to lower it, for example. What will president Lula do? Should the government be talking about how to do it?

Okay, we should help small and medium size companies with easier-to-obtain credit, but on what terms? In what parts of the country? Which credit institutions will be involved? Government-sponsored labor fronts able to rebuild and even implement roads, yes, but which fronts?

How to finance them? On what terms?

Covering what kinds of workers?

Expanding the domestic market— BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

We Have No Roadmap The Lula administration s ill lacks an action script. T President's Workers Party sho Id have started drafting one 12 ye rs ago, when Luiz Inacio Lula a Silva ran for President for first time. What we hear is that must resume growth. But remain generic. We need a t ue Action Plan.

CARLOS CHAGAS

another example. What mechani ms should be used? Wage increases? •wering production costs by decreasin the tax burden? Or should we hit only the richest Brazilians, starting with the uge fortunes, the inheritance tax and the igh salaries? Direct incentives to local overnments? How are we to channe the necessary funds? Larger subsidies ti agriculture? Which products? Limit on superfluous imports, yes, but which o es?

Multiplication of agricultural produ 'tion by advancing on big lands in the inte ior?

Or improvements in productivity?

Agrarian reform? Further dis u ibu-

tion of land with no detriment of the concentration into huge estates? Easy credit for the interior? Should we adopt transgenics or commit to a new and massive attempt with wheat? What about subsidies for cattle raising?

Should we explore biomass as a cleaner and cheaper source of energy? What about the overall social integration of the country—should we do with welfare planning cnly? Or get all programs together into a single one?

Should we give incentives to domestic savings? Using which alternatives?

Again the question is where, how and when. Because the truth is that no program, not even an incomplete one, has been put forward by the PT, with all its economists. What we hear is that we must resume growth. But we remain generic.

We are missing, it's very clear now, a true Action Plan from the government.

Two faces of the same coin Congresswoman Jandira Fhegalli, of the PC do B (Brazilian Communist Party) did not run in defense of Fidel Castro, with the big buzz in the press still going on about the death conviction of two Cubans who tried to escape to Miami.

She reminds everyone, though, that they were convicted in accordance with the laws of that country. And she asks why do newspapers and newscasts not give the same treatment to the hundreds of death convictions taking place in the United States, also in accordance with those laws. After all, the death penalty doesn't exist only in Cuba...

And he even flew in the presidential A comment overheard in the more orthodox segments of the administration and the PT who don't accept the possibility of any dialogue or understanding between Lula and Jose Alencar, after last Thursday, in Salvador, when the vicepresident restated in public the criticism made to the financial system: "And he even used the presidential plane at his disposal..."

Carlos Chagas writes for the Carioca daily Tribuna da Imprensa (Rio) and is a representative of the Brazilian Press Association, in Brasilia.

He welcomes your comments at carloschaeasAhotmail.com

Tereza Braga is a freelance Portuguese translator and interpreter based in Dallas. Accredited member of the American Translators Association and licensed court interpreter.

Contact: tbragalinge,cs.com 17

gulling to the Ione A Brazilian senator wants to drastically reduce the number of Brazil's congressmen, both senators and representatives. He also wants to create new states and eliminate ministries and departments. The purpose is undoing the strategy of the neo-liberals, who for eight years have been trying to demoralize the state by swelling it.

CARLOS CHAGAS

Let's decrease the number of Representatives in Congress from 513 to 394, reduce from three to two the number of Senators per state, cut 25 percent of state representatives in each State Assembly and limit to five, not nine, the number ofcounci 1 members in cities with population of less than 200 thousand.

Enough? Not in your dreams. Let's divide Amazonas, Para, Bahia, Piaui, Minas, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul up into smaller states. Not without outlawing Tribunais de Contas (Audit Courts) and limiting the number of desembargadores (associate justices) to five. And let's establish that no local or state government can have more than five departments. The federal government itself can only have up to nine departments.

These proposals are part of the constitutional amendment proposed recently by Senator Almeida Lima, PDT- Sergipe, whose aim is to trim the fat of public administration and reinforce it at the same time. The magic trick has the purpose of undoing the strategy of the neo-liberals, who for eight years have been trying to demoralize the state by swelling it. For the Senator and former mayor of Aracaju, the priority is to remodel the federation, making it more agile and less expensive, but ready to intervene in the economy and to act in defense of the interests of the population, not the elites.

Making Enemies For Almeida Lima, this is the macropolitical reform that Brazil needs, but there are other changes, too, such as decentralization. Brazil is a continental country. Albeit one and indivisible, it is a mosaic of cultural, economic, political and social realities. What may be a solution for southern and southeastern states may have nothing to do with what happens in the ones up north and in the northeast.

18

Therefore, the Senator moves forward and talks about the possibility of a diversity of penal and civil legislation for the country. A law may be essential for some and innocuous for others, even in matters of public safety. His fundamental proposal is to reinforce the Federation and eliminate the farce that makes us a single state, with

rules and provisions dictated by Brasilia and valid for the whole land.

What may be good for Rio Grande do Sul and Sao Paulo may not be good for Amazonas or Pernambuco. Why not adapt each group of states to its own reality? The idea is not national fragmentation, not even by a long shot. To the contrary, it would serve to amalgamate our unity even further.

Despite having obtained more signatures than he needed for submitting the constitutional amendments, Almeida Lima is aware that he is stirring up a hornet's nest. He knows he will provoke reaction from Senators themselves.

Reducing from three to two the representation of each state in the High Chamber means displeasing and dismantling an array of oligarchical and partisan schemes.

Decreasing the number of federal representatives in Congress may mean increased representation powers for each one ofthem, but what will be the reaction of the Sao Paulo block, for example, which has 74 representatives today, while Piaui has only eight? The reduction will be proportional to the number.

The Senator is aware that he is making a reasonable number of adversaries, but he sustains that the moment has arrived for the grand reformulation of public power, one that will prevent its final disaggregation and complete surrender to the economic and financial forces which have already been weakening it.

Off-field and Out on the Field

The main lesson to be learned with the

rally oftwenty thousand union leaders held recently at the Esplanada (main mall in Brasilia with all Federal Department buildings) is that the government will approve

the tax and welfare reforms as it pleases.

The fact that only 16 of the 92 PT representatives made it to the rally on the Congress lawn is itself proof of how the Palcicio do Planalto (seat of the Executive) dominates the majority in Congress. Few dared to challenge the ban from Jose Dirceu, the President's Chief of Staff, which means that no one wanted to lose the benefits and favors of the government in exchange for the chance to voice their principles. In this case, the victory was off-field, but the winner was the administration. In the field, howeverâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which is the Brazilian streetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the holders of power lost big time.

There is no other explanation for the phenomenon of such a big crowd, who had voted in huge numbers for Lula, now rising up against the welfare reform bill and showing its disagreement in such a large rally. If anyone could have imagined, just six months ago, the biggest and most solid base of the PT administration parading against its own directives, that person would have been detained as a mental case. The conclusion is that the government will win off-field, in the House and Senate sessions, but it will lose on the field, ifit continues to follow the neo-liberal guidelines and economic model of the Fernando Henrique administration.

Carlos Chagas writes for the Rio's daily Tribuna da Imprensa and is a representative of the Brazilian Press Association, in Brasilia. He welcomes your comments at carloschagashotmail.com

Tereza Braga is a freelance Portuguese translator and interpreter based in Dallas. She is an accredited member of the American Translators Association. Contact: tbragaling@cs.com BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

No One's Minding the Store hief of Staff Jose Dirceu commands the political tractor to get reforms passed. Finance Minister Antonio Palo ci chains himself to the fiscal calculator. And Lula does what he loves to do,—campaigning—happily this time, followed by constant applause, free from superegos, absolutely loose.

ALBERTO DINES

The old speech from the throne, solemn and rare, gets new formats and new frequencies. FHC (President Fernando Henrique Cardoso) converted the little presidential ceremonies into opportunities for conviviality between the government and the people. In his periodic pronouncements, he assumed the role of narrator in the play of the country's life.

Fabulous fabulist, Lula has enriched the formula by replacing the rational model, permeated with ironies, with the rhetoric of common sense. He exchanged what the Americans call opening jokes (to disarm the spirits) for a climate of casual chat among friends--j ocular and colloquial, with the affectionate allusion to the "patroa" (the boss), the indefatigable Dona Marisa.

He has rendered grammar irrelevant and, with the help of metaphors taken from the world ofthe smal I-bourgeoisie (mainly from sports) and appropriate doses of emotion, established an irresistible formula for communication.

"I haven't changed, it's life itself that changes", last Tuesday's eloquent 'pearl', has disconcerted those critics less inclined to sophism and left the radicals (at vyinem it was aimed) with the ingtoriou§ task of explaining the intricate meanings ofcoher: ence in detail. "All of us have had our moments of madness", he proclaimed the following day, at the signing of the new mental health program. The President ignored the possible relationship between one statement and the other: on Thursday he was ready to unveil his musical side to the nation of whistlers and batucada makers, asking for patience, because the orchestra is tuning up: the spectacle ofgrowth will soon begin.

It' s a strictly correct strategy, actually.

Jose Dirceu commands the political tractor to get reforms passed. Palocci chains himself to the fiscal calculator. And Lula does BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

what he loves to do—campaign ing—h Ppity this time, followed by constant Pplause, free from superegos, absolut ly loose.

But someone has to mind the store: he blunders are evident. We are missinL a manager to bang on the table and spell ut that the "present" from Boeing is an ins It: the country is not broke and can pay for he chartering of a passenger plane from on of our large domestic companies. Even m• re serious: the jet embellished with the co of arms of the Presidency to take Lula to he G-8 Summit comes from a direct and os nsive competitor of Embraer, an objec of pride for the Brazilian industry.

The "Zero Hunger" program alre dy has its likes in the rest of the world, suc as Hanbre C'ero. However, we must a mit that it has not taken off; actually, it ha n't even arrived to the head ofthe runway. he absurdity of the multiplication of fed ral departments to console defeated comra es, with the resulting increase in expenses d inevitable ego clashes, was foreseen but minimized. The solution found now is en more absurd: a superdepartment for the social area, which will obviously irri ate with extra mon ies the budget and the v ity of all the discontented.

The crusade against regulating a encies is pure nonsense and a step back i the old style of tabula rasa and disconti ity that have always characterized govern ent changes and contributed so much to our backwardness. Instead of a fix, what w ; see now is the dismantling of one of the ost effective and legitimate institutions in odem democracies. eSomeone forgot to check that the work ofthe just-created Special Secret: iat for Fishing is incomparably larger thai the framework of the National Secretari for Public Safety, a key piece in the ight against organized crime. It is exactl this

issue of safety that shows most clearly how the illusion ofmetaphors and the crudeness of reality are out of step. And the culprit is not the Ministry of Justice, which does not hide the need to federalize the fight against narcoterrorism.

It's been 10 days and all the troika from Brasilia does is to explain why the interest rates are the same, forgetting that it is a consummated, irrefutable fact and there's no use kicking our legs. The government is concerned with the PT radicals, the Shiites from Fiesp (Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo State) and the guerillas from Coteminas (a textile company), forgetting that any possible changes can only occur within three weeks, at the next meeting of Copom (Monetary Policy Committee).

Meanwhile, the situation in Rio de Janeiro becomes more and more radical and alarming. Anxious and humiliated, the country watches the triumphs of the coalition between ineptitude and corruption and criminality.

Jose Dirceu was sensitive to the jeers of government workers—well, he would better get accustomed to them. At some point, the country may start referring to the metaphors from upstairs as idle chatter.

Alberto Dines, the author, is a journalist, founder and researcher at LABJOR—Laboratorio de Estudos Avancados em Jornalismo (Laboratory for Advanced Studies in Journalism) at UNICAMP (University of Campinas) and editor of the Observatorio da Imprensa. He also writes a column on cultural issues for the Rio daily Jornal do Brasil. You can reach him by email at obsimpAig.com.br Translated by Tereza Braga, email: tbragaling@cs.com

19

enues; in retaliation, they may be getting harsher.

Believe it or not, chances are that the administration was unable to take advantage of the protocolar truce (added with two months of euphoria between election and inauguration). The skirmishes with the so-called -radicals" (starting with the introduction of the new legislature and the election of Jose Sarney as Senate Pres ident) may have unduly absorbed the government's attention, but the media The government's major did not invent or magnify such skirmishes.

They happened in the course of pubstrategist, Duda Mendonca, is an lic meetings, for everyone to see. During extraordinary talent in political previous presidencies, violent confrontations between ACM (Antonio Carlos marketing, but he is not a Magalhaes) and the FHC (Fernando Henrique Cardoso) administration also communicator of administration attracted the media's attention. This is platforms. Zero Hunger is politics. To ignore it would constitute manipulation. sloshing because it was plucked The theory that this newly started critical wave is a way of indirectly defrom a presidential speech and mandingthe open ing ofgovernmentspigturned into a finished product ots does not hold water. The newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, which is back in before the product was even recent days playing its favorite sportâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; spin doctoring the news , can well live made.

ALBERTO DINES without government appropriations.

Same thing with G/obo and Estado de S. Last week we got the evidence: the Paulo, which have been featuring the press is abandoning its complaisance and blunders of the administration very vishitting harder in its reviews of the Lula ibly in recent editions.

The continuation ofhigh interest rates administration. Conspiracy theory buffs will no doubt proclaim that this change is cannot be the cause of this bad mood of the result of fiscal policies turning off the the media. As interested as it may be in spigots of the largest advertiser in the participating in the "spectacle ofgrowth", country. Newspaper companies have their the press, as an institution and by vocatongues hanging out, in want of rev- tion, is in general a defender of monetary

The Trouble with lula

20

and fiscal policy. It gets terror-stricken with recession ghosts, but it also knows that inflation termites are even more pernicious.

Communication for development The problem is of a different nature: the communicators of the new administration were forced to bet higher than they needed to in the so-called "symbols" and stretched the pop/festive mood of the inauguration too thin.

This is because major strategist Duda Mendonca is an extraordinary talent in political marketing and the equivalent of a Ph.D. in electoral rallies. He is not, however, a communicator of administration platforms, specially long term political designs.

Duda bets on appearances because Duda's origins are the laboratories of mass communication. He knows how to address the galleries and how to take advantage of the rapid and successive changes in attitudes during electoral guerillas.

This was over in October of last year. It no longer holds water in a media of reasonably well seasoned journalists and observers who are no longer impressed with the replacement of jeans with Armani suits and things of this nature. The Duda school, as well as our whole school of political marketing, for that matter, completely ignores the subject of communication for development.

It has never been to a soybean farm or sailed in a hidrovia (waterway). It doesn't know what either Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) or Fapesp (Sao Paulo State Research Foundation) are doing. Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) is sloshing precisely because it was prematurely plucked from a presidential speech and turned into a finished product before the product was even made.

Whatever the explanation, it is critical to take one thing into account: every snowball is insignificant when it first starts rolling.

Alberto Dines, the author, is a journalist, founder and researcher at LABJORâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Laboraterio de Estudos Avancados em Jornalismo (Laboratory for Advanced Studies in Journalism) at UN1CAMP (University of Campinas) and editor of the Observatorio da Imp rensa.

You can reach him by email at obsimpAig.com.br Tereza Braga is a freelance Portuguese translator and interpreter based in Dallas.

Accredited member of the American Translators Association and licensed court interpreter. She can be contacted at tbragaling@cs.com BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

Ingry for Chip Lula's transformation, from radical socialist to international statesman, has drawn lazy comparisons with Tony Blair. The two have little in common. Lula's "third way" involves a genuine attempt to make the private sector see that its interests lie with helping to address deep social problems.

RICHARD ADAMS Anyone still nurturing images of Brazil as a country of da77Iing carnivals, beaches and footballers will be in for a shock when the country's latest export is screened in British cinemas.

Carandiru, the tale of a bloody Sao Paulo prison revolt, was acclaimed by both critics at Cannes and the residents ofBrazi 1 ' s poverty-riddledfayelas, with the film breaking box-office records in places where the price of a ticket is more than the average daily wage.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the newly elected president of Brazil, who grew up in the Sao Paulo slums, was moved to tears when he saw it. The movie is a stark portrait of the problems Lula faces as the country's first leftwing president for 40 years: the violence and poverty that sit alongside Brazil's wealth and beauty.

Since taking office in January, Lula has moved quickly and controversially to tackle Brazil's biggest problem: the enormous inequality among the country's 175 million population. The gap between rich and poor is one of the widest in the world, according to UN figures, surpassed only by Swaziland and Nicaragua.

Lula's answer has been to launch the ambitious Fome Zero (zero hunger) programme, a crusade by the federal government to bring regular supplies of food and aid to at least 15 million people in the very poorest communities, funded by a combination of private sector partnership, international support and government contributions. Lula's government even put off buying fighter jets to divert funds to it.

Lula's actions are remarkable in an age when the public fully expects politicians to renege on election promises. Given the near economic collapse Brazil recently faced, the new administration could have had easy excuses for delaying the programme. Instead, in his inauguration speech. Lula underlined his commitment to Fome Zero: "If, by the end of my term of office, every Brazilian has food to eat three times a day, I shall have fulfilled my mission in life."

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

The inspiration for the scheme c e from Jose Graziano, a former agricul professor appointed by Lula as min ist in charge of Fome Zero and its associ ted social programmes. Graziano's argu ent was that while Brazil didn't suffer om famine in the manner of Ethiopia, it did suffer from weaknesses in infrastruc ure and distribution, a consequence of the country's severe inequalities, with mo t of the poor living in the rural north-east o the country.

The previous administration had e blished a successful social protection etwork, aimed at encouraging access to ducation. The incoming administration uietly set about adapting many of those policies to put Fome Zero into action. To reach the rural poor. Graziano's ministry has attempted to bypass entrenched local oliticians to create an alternative distrib tion network.

Late May, the programme began sing credit card-style food cards in nearl 200 areas in the north and north-east, with ach family receiving a monthly 50 reais US$ 16) credit. By October, Fome Zero w II be on course to reach up to 1.5 million pe ple.

Since the project was first launc d at the end of January, Lula's administ tion has received surprisingly warm su port from the World Bank and the Interna ional Monetary Fundâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;institutions that o ly a few years ago would have been host le.

The new government has been lu ky in one respect: the economic tidal way that has threatened to engulfArgentina an then Brazil within the past two years has â&#x20AC;˘ rced the World Bank and IMF to take a ofter approach compared with the enforce freemarket reforms, known as the Washi gton consensus, which were in vogue duni g the 80s and 90s.

Both the IMF and World Ban have been heartened by the new administr tion's agreement to stick to earlier econo ic reforms, which it has advanced with he establishment of an independent cen I bank and its decision to tackle Brazil's p rilous debt position and bloated state p nsion

provisions.

The result has been a queue of senior officials from the IMF praising the new administration's mix of prudent fiscal policies and leftwing social platforms, while the World Bank has lent $500m towards social programmes. The bank's director for Brazil, Vinod Thomas, even mused in a Brazilian newspaper: "What does the postWashington consensus mean in practice? It could be Lula's programme."

That possibility has moved a step closer, with Lula's invitation to address the G8 summit in Evian, where he presented a plan to use Fome Zero as the blueprint for an international zero-hunger fundâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;managed by a multilateral body and funded by wealthy nations making contributions in proportion to their military spending.

Lula's transformation, from radical socialist to international statesman, has drawn lazy comparisons with Tony Blair; Time Magazine has dubbed him "Brazil's Blair". There are some parallels, but in reality the two have little in common. Lula's "third way" involves a genuine attempt to make the private sector see that its interests lie with helping to address deep social problems.

While Blair's variety of third way involves the private sector taking over public resources. Lula's flavour sees major companies giving resources. Brazil's largest supermarket chain is assisting with distribution, while multinationals such as Unilever have pledged to donate food. ' Ford is giying around 200 tonnes of food, linked to sales of its trucks. "I won't sell any more trucks because of this campaign," Ford's Brazil director has said, "but it's certainly good for brand image." Lula and his government have made it clear that donations to Fome Zero influence them much more than contributions to party funds.

Richard Adams writes for the British daily The Guardian.

You can write him at richard.adamsAeuardian.co.uk 21

Confounding Friends and foes Lula is clearly trying to pull off a delicate balancing act. He is adhering to IMF policies to stave off capital flight and keep economic pressures from abroad at bay while carrying out some limited reforms and staking out political and trade policies that he hopes will give Brazil more independence and stimulate economic growth in the long run.

ROGER BURBACH

After nearly six months in office President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is encountering opposition from within his own party while he stakes out foreign policy positions that challenge the Bush administration. As Emir Sader, a political analyst at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, proclaims: "The government has adopted a fairly traditional economic approach that arouses the ire of some in Lula's Workers Party, while he is using Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, to confront the Bush administrations' efforts to impose its commercial agenda on the region."

Within the Workers Party some prominent members have publicly rebuked Lula for failing to break with the austerity measures imposed on Brazil by the International Monetary Fund. To comply with the IMF's demands to balance the budget and make payments on Brazil's huge international debt, Lula is maintaining a budgetary surplus that cuts into the country's ability to sustain some social programs, such as the country's social security system that is on the brink of bankruptcy.

Critical of Lula' s economic team in general, Senator He loisa Helena of the Workers Party is leading the charge against government proposals to tax the income of some of the social security pensioners to bolster the fund. As a consequence she and a handful of party congressional members are threatened with expulsion from the party.

In late May, the second highest-ranking official of the IMF, Anne Krueger, came to Brazil and praised Lula "for his sound economic policies." Prior to her arrival the government drew down part of an IMF credit negotiated last year under the previous government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Marcos Arruda of PACS, a non-governmental research center in Rio de Janeiro, declares: "Lula's economic team by pursuing IMF-imposed policies is gutting social payments not just for the retired, but also for the disabled and the poorer families as well."

The pursuance of orthodox economic policies has also pushed up official unemployment to 12 percent while domestic interest rates stand at 26.5 percent, among the highest rates in the world. In So Paulo, Brazil's largest city, unemployment has reached 20 percent.

To Lula's credit, he has stood by his comm itment to tackle the hunger and malnutrition that afflicts over 30 percent of the country's population. On his first day in office he launched the anti-hunger program, known as "Fome Zero." At the same time he cancelled military plans to buy advanced aircraft , in order to use the funds for social programs.

As ofJune, pilot projects to fight hunger are well underway throughout the country, especially in the Northeast, which is experiencing drought and has the largest proportion of poor and malnourished people in Brazil. Unlike social programs for the poor in the United States that make people jump through 22

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

bureaucratic hoops and participate in work programs to receive needed assistance, the Brazilian plan al lows the poor to fill out simple forms and receive plastic cards to go to the local supermarket to purchase a canasta of food each month.

"We promote the involvement of the poor, not their humiliation," says Frei Betto, a theologian who helped design the anti-hunger program.

Some in the Workers Party are also criticizing Lula for continuing negotiations for Brazil's entry into the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), a trade initiative pushed by Washington that is aimed at turning all of the Americas, from Alaska to Patagonia, into a huge free trade zone by 2005. However, Lula has staked out positions on trade and foreign policy that are at variance with the interests of the Bush administration.

In Latin America he is one of the most vocal critics of the Iraqi war, proclaiming that the United States "showed a total disrespect for Iraq and the rest of the world," and "it does not have the right to decide for itself what is good and what is bad for the world."

Regarding the FTAA, Lula has repeatedly made it clear that the United States itself must cease protecting its own markets if it wants Brazil to join the trade zone. As the world's largest orange juice exporter, Brazil is demanding that Bush drop the trade barriers that protect the large orange producers in Florida where his brother Jeb Bush is governor. Also a major steel exporter, Brazil is denouncing US restrictions imposed on steel imports last year by the Bush administration.

In an effort to prevent the United States from imposing its trade agenda on Latin America, Lula is insisting that

the U.S. trade representative, Ro ert Zoellick, negotiate with the Merco ur bloc comprised of Brazil, Argenti a, Uruguay and Paraguay. With the el ction of a left of center governmen in Argentina lead by Nestor Kirchner, he two largest economies in the bloc re even discussing a common monet ry union. When Lula attended the inau uration of Kirchner in late May he 'roclaimed: "If we work together we h ve good conditions to fight against the s rotectionist barriers of the rich coun es, and to struggle in international fo ms for an end to hunger." In a direct a ck on Bush's unilateralist foreign pot cy, Lula added, "we need to sup ort multilateralism" in the world com unity.

Already Lula's government ma be facing the ire of multilateral instituti ins.

The World Bank told Brazil in Jan ary it would provide $5 billion to suppo its anti-hunger program. But Franc sco Menezes, a specialist in agricultural and hunger issues at the research c ter !BASE, notes, "the World Bank has promised a lot and delivered littl . It appears to be moving in lockstep ith the Bush administration to extract oncessions from the government."

One reason for the World B ks' reticence to assist the anti-hunger 'rogram may be that Lula suspende the Land Bank set up in the 1990s b the World Bank to support "market-oni nted agrarian reform." Under the Land tank peasants were compelled to pay for lots of land at relatively high prices a d if they missed payments their lands ere confiscated. As Fernando Mou a, a spokesman for the Landless Move ent declares: "While we are hoping Lula will be more forceful in backin our demands for an accelerated agrari n re-

form program, the suspension of the Land Bank is a positive step. We can now push for agrarian reform based on cooperation, not on market competition that only favors the big landowners."

Lula is clearly trying to pull off a delicate balancing act. He is adhering to IMF policies to stave off capital flight and keep economic pressures from abroad at bay while carrying out some limited reforms and staking out political and trade policies that he hopes will give Brazil more independence and stimulate economic growth in the long run. As Menezes states: "The Workers Party won the elections but the social and economic forces affecting Brazil changed little. The government appears to have little leeway to implement profound changes for now. Our best hope is that once the economic situation is stabilized, Lula will be able to implement more radical reforms."

Marcos Arruda argues for a somewhat different tack for transforming the country's politics: "To move against anti-social policies like those of the IMF we need to mobilize. The real alternative is pressure from below, from the landless, the poor, students, workers, the unemployed and many others who are left out. The way to open up space for Lula to adopt more progressive policies is to mobilize so that domestic and international consciousness can begin to check the power of big capital and institutions like the IMF." Roger Burbach is director of the Center for the Study of the Americas (CENSA) and has written extensively on Latin America and globalization. His next book, "The Pinochet Affair: State Terrorism and Global Justice," will be released by Zed Books in the fall.

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Chief of Staff, Jose Dirceu, says that the generation who came to power with President Inacio Lula da Silva is in debt Cuba. Dirceu also reminds us th the Brazilian Left, during the yea of the military regime, c always count on Cuba—on solidarity, its "friendly hand its "strong arm". "I consider myself a Cuban Brazilian an Brazilian Cuban", he says.

Does anyone remember the 1970s, when you could be labeled an 'imperialist pig' for denouncing Cuba as the financier of the socalled 'revolutionary movements' in Brazil? The connections between Cuba and the Brazilian left--not only Cuba, by the way, but also Moscow, Beijing, Algiers and Prague—were obvious. but one was doomed and immediately blacklisted by the Left for daring to state the obvious. If you wrote for a living, publishing houses suddenly vanished.

If you were a journalist, newspapers disappeared.

A literary genre was actually born at the time Cuban travel journals.

Bookstores built special shelves to welcome it. The vein started with Fernando Morais, in 1976, with A 1/ha (The Island), a book that became the icon of the Left and quickly hit the bestseller list. Of course the book never mentioned Castro's assassinations, torture, dictatorship or the thousands of political prisoners.

Later, Fernando Morais also wrote Olga, supposedly a biography of a female officer in the Red Army who was posted in Brazil by order of Stalin. The author saw Olga as a hero and a martyr—a victim ofGetalio Vargas and the Nazis.

Morais collected a handsome profit with his literature, very much appreciated at the time. His editors, too—after all, there is no law in this country against publishing books containing lies. Now we hear that Morais is writing a biography of right-wing senator Antonio Carlos Magalhaes.

What's wrong with that, if it

pays well?

But I was talking about Cuba. It was also in very bad taste at the time to say that somebody was an agent ofthe Cuban government. Or that Cuba supplied arms and training to Brazilian guerillas. Of course that was then. Right now, however—surprise! we have a known agent of the Cuban security services, Jose

Dirceu, who took office as the president's Chief of Staff, declaring loud and clear that the generation who came to power with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is in debt with Cuba. Dirceu also reminds us that the Brazilian Left, during the years of the military regime, could always count on Cuba on its solidarity, its "friendly hand" and its "strong arm".

"I consider myselfa Cuban Brazilian and a Brazilian Cuban", he says.

To be more precise: the Chief of Staff of the Brazilian presidency admits, for the whole world to listen, that the ascension of the PT (Workers Party) to power is due to the good efforts of the oldest dictatorship in the continent. He forgot, of course—or purposefully declined to mention that even before the military took power in Brazil, Cuba was already sending arms to our guerrillas. This is actually the touchstone of the PT. One should never admit that the intervention

by Cuba happened before 1964 [year of the revolution in Brazil, when the military took power]. For the PT to admit such a fact would be to have its argument crumble to the ground that the guerilla was a reaction to the military regime. In fact, however, what happened was the exact opposite.

Nothing like power to loosen the tongue of the people holding it. The timing is tragically significant, too, with the news of the 78 Cuban "dissidents" arrested last March, now convicted and facing prison terms ranging from ten years to life. Dissidents, ofcourse, is the press's favorite euphemism to designate political opponents, human rights' militants, independent writers and journalists. (If you read newspapers, you must have noticed that dissidents exist only in socialist countries).

Diplomats and foreign journalists have tried to obtain permits to watch the proceedings in Havana, but they were denied access to the courts. This is the Cuba to which our PT owes its victory, according to our Cuba-Brazilian Jose Dirceu. The same Cuba who sends to prison any person opposed to the regime.

In Europe and in the U.S. there is protest coming from both the press and human rights' organizations against the escalation of the dictatorship. In Brazil, however, there is a deep silence.

As if it were not enough to watch the heartfelt homage rendered to the Cuban dictatorship by our Chief of Staff, the news from the Berlin film festival is that Oliver Stone has just launched the most recent hagiology to the dictator, entitled Comandante. During three days, the American filmmaker followed the dictaBRAZZIL - JULY 2003

tor—pardon me, the 'Cuban leader'— around., and the result is a 90-minute documentary. Questioned about the practice of torture in Cuba, Castro denied its existence. Would the filmmaker ever expect el Comandante to admit being a torturer?

The question should, instead, have been answered by the so-called dissidents, but these are characters that Stone did not bother to interview. As to his status as a dictator, something the Brazilian press barely dares mentioning, Castro seems ready to admit to it. "Is it that bad to be a dictator?" is the question at the end of the movie. El Comandante thinks not. "If have seen States become very good friends with some dictators". A favorite icon of the press, Castro can now permit himself the luxury of admitting to it. He is untouchable.

As if the piece from Oliver Stone—a film to be surely seen and cheered by the great friend and admirer of Castro, president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva—were not enough, the Brazilian people are about to finance Os Diarios da Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries), the new road movie from Walter Sal les. When the time comes to secure the money to produce his movies, this gentleman, who comes from a family of bankers, doesn't go to Daddy's

bank for financing—instead, he goe to the pockets of Brazilian taxpayers.

The screenplay is based on the book De Moto pela America do Sul (South America on a Motorbike), a memoir about a trip taken by Che Guevara throughout the continent at a time when the future Argentinean apparatchik under Moscow's orders, then 23 years old, could never even dream that one day he wOuld be celebrated as a saint, San Ernesto a e la Higuera. If you ever feel like readi g a compilation of failures, please re a biography of Che. This is a man ho failed in all his projects, except in Cu a— this same Cuba which, half a cen ury after its struggle, keeps sending to pr son anyone who dares to oppose the wi 1 of the island's sovereign. In other wards, Che's sole victory resulted in a col ssal disaster.

As if this homage to the collecta r of flops, which will surely be used as p dagogical materials for the Comunid des Eclesiais de Base (Grassroots Ch rch Communities) and for the Catholic uerillas of MST (the Landless Party), ere not enough, Ediouro (publishers) i releasing Outra Vez (Again), a conti uation of the journal of the man who not content with bringing an island to cFsaster, wanted to drown the whole contittent.

The journey begins in 1953, in Bolivia, and ends up in Mexico, where Che would meet Fidel Castro, in 1956. In these days ofthe PT in power, it now looks like we'll have a revival of the 70s. With African History becoming a mandatory subject in our schools, it would not be surprising to see some nostalgic widow proposing a new school subject—Cuban History—to help wash the brains of emerging generations.

Ours is a sad country. It has been 14 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and 12 years since the crumbling down of the Soviet Union. Extraneous to the history being made under their noses, our elites insist in worshiping the last petrified residues of a doctrine that caused the death of a mere hundred million people during the last century.

Janer Cristaldo—he holds a PhD from University of Paris, Sorbonne—is an author, translator, lawyer, philosopher and journalist and suffers Sao Paulo. His e-mail address is cristalAba2uete.com.br Translated by Tereza Braga, email: tbragalingAcs.com

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We are now six months into Lula's presidential term. Since his election last October, Lula's PT administration has concentrated on gaining credibility abroad both diplomatically and within the international financial community. Its performance in this regard has been more successful than Lula's detractors predicted. By not doing what he had said he would do during his last campaign and his three previous attempts to become president, as well as his time in the opposition, Lula has surprised most observers including this one. Pragmatism has reigned as creditors are opening their coffers as Lula strives to right the many wrongs that prevail in Brazil.

However, by acting in a responsible fashion, he has alienated many factions of h is own Workers' Party, the PT. These radical far-left elements are receiving a cold shoulder from Lula and the PT big shots. They may eventually be booted out of the party or leave voluntarily. It is my impression that the smart government leaders, especially Jose Dirceu and Ant6nio Palocci, are fully aware of the fact that a moderate realistic stance with regard to the IMF and foreign creditors pays off. Although Brazil is far from out of the woods and continues to need massive foreign credit to pay off maturing loans and finance the current account deficit, no one mentions a possible default on foreign debt, something that was thought of as a nearly sure thing during the months leading up to the election. It now looks as if a renewal of an IMF agreement will be quite possible when the current one expires in December, should Brazil think it useful. The primary budget surplus is ahead of target for the first five months of 2003.

This "excellent economic performance" has been accomplished by reducing governmentexpenditures for such essential services such as highway maintenance, public health and education. Tax revenues are actually down from last year due to the stagnant economy. Government payrolls have not been reduced and the social service deficit has increased, making the reforms now before Congress urgently required. Efforts to stimulate the economy are beginning to surface. It remains to be seen if these measures will be made to function or if it is just more hot air.

26

Lula is a gifted extemporaneous speaker. He grasps nearly every opportunity to make short 711111 pointed speeches at the many public events where he is invited to participate. In between his international trips, Lula manages to get all over this huge country to appear publicly. One wonders when he has time to think, plan and delegate responsibility for the execution of the many programs, such as Zero Hunger, job creation, help for small and medium sized farmers, cheap credit for the low income masses and informal business people as well as agrarian reform that have been announced.

In a more serious country, Lula's recent remarks deriding the legislative and juridical branches of the government could be a cause of grave concern. Judges 1 and congressmen took offense when he recently said that only God and not these elements could keep Brazil from reforming itself.

The projects to reform the pension and tax systems are slowly working their way through various committees in the i Chamber of Deputies. Congress will meet 1m a special session during July to in 'principle accelerate the process. Progress Imay be retarded because of the congresi isional investigation of irregular foreign mittances of over US $30 billion inlving accounts in the Banco do Estado o Parana, which has since been privaA festering situation that so ized. far seems not to have attracted i Vocal Minority The opposition to the much-needed attention internationally is that of changes in the government pension sys"land reform." Clashes between tem comes from those who will be adversely effected, a small but extremely the landless people and vocal minority of the population. Led by proprietors of farms and ranches he Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, MauriCio Correa, Brazilian magistrates that are being invaded are bound are against the reform that would diminto happen. This situation has ish significantly their cushy retirement benefits. finally attracted President Lula's One prominent judge has warned that corruption will increase ifjudges are not attention. able to retire with full pay at a relatively )oung age. The rational is that if they are RICHARD HAYES t on an equal footing with other mortals, judges will have to resort to other rOthods to insure a nest egg for when ey step down. Lula has pointed out the justice in the current system that allows 4 kjudge to retire with full pay whereas a cane cutter will be lucky if he receives $100 a month when he is 60, if he lives that long. It will be up to those in Congess to vote the necessary measures to at least begin to solve this problem that

landless Are Restless

ro

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

besides being unjust also causes huge deficits that are financed by government borrowing that in turn keeps interest rates sky high.

A festering situation that so far seems not to have attracted attention internationally is that of "Land Reform." Clashes between the landless people that are being mobilized by extremists and proprietors of farms and ranches that are being illegally invaded are bound to happen. The most organized group, the Cuban-tutored MST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terraâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Landless Rural Workers' Movement) has invaded privately owned productive property in parts of Sao Paulo State, Parana, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais and Pernambuco.

A giant tent city with over a thousand families has sprung up on a state highway right of way in the western part of sao Paulo State in an area known as Pontal do Paranapanerna. Jose Rainha Jr., one of the most extreme leaders who has never worked on a farm and has spent some time behind bars, has promised to have 20,000 people there eventually. Their gripe is that the government is acting too slowly in doling out land. The presence of all these people has put a strain on the small towns nearby that have limited public services. Where their food is coming from is a mystery, but it may be from the Zero Hunger programs that Lutes people talk about.

More Invasions ' This potentially explosive situation has finally attracted Lula' s attention. For years the MST and other Robin Hood inspired organizations supported Lula. During the presidential campaign, their aggressive actions were suspended in order to not blemish Lula's "Love and Peace" image. But before there is more bloodshed (so far just ten people have lost their lives in scuffles) a truce would help. Joao Pedro Stedile, the national leader of MST, has said that the invasions will 'continue.

In Pernambuco, the MST led by Jaime Amorim, has begun to divide up the land of Engenho Bonito, a sugar operation occupied illegally by 80 families for seven years, claiming that the government is too slow in acting. By taking the law into their own hands, they have set a dangerous precedent that leaders in Sao Paulo have threatened to follow.

Lula has promised to meet with the leaders of these movements July 7" in order to negotiate a plan that will satisfy them.

The President has enlisted the help of his most trusted senior advisor, Jose Dirceu and another PT heavyweight Luiz Dulce to handle the matter as the man in charge, Agrarian Development Minister Miguel Rosseto, seems to have failed in his duties.

Rosseto's appointment was controversial in the first place due to his past connections with the MST. Unless they exert a firm hand against their former supporters, the PT may fail in this first major test of their true ideological convictions.

There are no pat solutions to this problem. It is a complex situation. Lula's spokesmen have stated that thcy wish to continue the land distribution program within the law and the capacity of the limited financial and human resources available. Men like Rainha and Amorim are just asking for trouble as they incite poor ignorant people to disobey law and order and create ill feeling among the social classes. It behooves the government to enforce the law and not coddle these groups whose ambitions go far beyond helping poor people have their own plot of land.

Various associations of productive land owning farmers have also asked for equal treatment and an audience with Lula. It should be kept in mind that agriculture is largely responsible for Brazil's favorable trade balance. Armed guards have been hired to look - after property in the Pontal region. Farmers are marching in Rio Grande do Sul to protest the illegal invasions. If law and order do not prevail and a truce is not worked out soon, unpleasant consequences may ensue.

Sao Paulo, June 29, 2003.

BRAZZIL -JULY 2003

Reason to Be lish on Brazil Ami talks of tax and pension reform and the measur s before Congress at the moment, Lula's govern ent has made no attempt to reduce govern ent payrolls or make the huge bureaucracy more efficient to meet the needs of the pop lation. On the contrary, he has created several ew secretariats.

RICHARD HAYES

Brazi 's second sovereign risk bond issue thus far in 2003, thi one for US$ 1.2 billion, was a huge success.

Accordin to the arrangers, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, de and for the Brazilian debt paper from investors exceede â&#x20AC;˘ US$ 5 billion. This placement plus those of s and corporations, in addition to the IMF several standby acuity, make it appear that regardless of what happens om here on out, Brazil will avoid a default this year. 2013 borrowing requirements will be easy to attain.

It will be a few months at least, until interest in "emerging markets" and specifically Brazilian debt instruments drop off.

Tow at can be attributed this change of heart in the last ten mon s, is a topic for lively discussion. The Brazil risk as meas ed by the JP Morgan Chase index has fallen to around 710 base points from over 2000 in the period before Lula and his economic team began to look like neo liberals.

Brazili C bonds reached their peak last week of over 27

.11111re. $0.92 to the dollar. The real has strengthened to its highest level against the US$ since July of 2002 before the fear of the consequences of Lula's possibly becoming president became obvious. Fitch, one of the three big agencies that rate bonds, recently upgraded Brazil's classification.

It could be that the analysts, bankers, fund managers, investors, brokers and investment bankers have thoroughly examined the political and economic situation in Brazil. They may have determined that the government is making the necessary adjustments that will lead to sound, lasting economic growth that will enable Brazil to increase its trade balance and FDI (Foreign Direct Investment), the only real sources of funds to enable the eventual payment of hard currency obligations, other than new loans.

However, the real reason for this sudden display of confidence in Brazil is yield. With interest rates in the US their lowest since the Depression of the '30's and about to be lowered when the Fed next meets and those in Europe and Japan still unattractive, it is no wonder that Brazilian paper at around 10 percent has appeal.

The real economy is worsening. Unemployment in the greater Sao Paulo region is over 20 percent, according to some reports. The automotive industry is in a major slump that has rippling effects with suppliers of parts, tires, glass, and steel along with causing problems for dealers. Inventories of new cars are high and layoffs are common. Retail sales are down as industrial activity contracts.

Astronomical interest rates and excessive taxation means that most Brazilians work to support their government and the , banks.

Amid talks of tax and pension reform VI and the measures before Congress at the moment, Lula' s government has made no attempt to reduce government payrolls or make the huge bureaucracy more efficient to meet the needs of the population. â&#x20AC;˘ On the contrary, he has created several new secretariats. These include Economic and Social Development, Fishing, Women, Human Rights, Racial Equality, Personal Advisory to the President, Press and Publicity and Personal Spokesman to the Presidency. Also a couple of new Ministries were inaugurated. These organs help to provide jobs for politicians of the PT and some of the other parties that compose the fragile ruling alliance who were defeated in last years elections.

Foreign investment needed for infrastructure is apt to remain reluctant to come in. The experience so far in electricity generating, transmission, and distribution has not been positive. The regulatory agencies that were established during former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso '5 privatization period are being weakened by the government's wishes to control the sector. ANEEL, which regulates the electrical field, was 28

set up to protect the consumer and assure investors a reasonable return on their investment. The experience of foreigners who ventured into Brazil in the mid to late nineties is not apt to serve as examples that will encourage others to do so. Consequently power shortages similar to those which necessitated rationing two years ago are sure to appear when and if the economy picks up.

Changing rules have made it difficult for mobile phone operators.

Petrobras is doing little to encourage further investment from overseas in petroleum exploration, refining and distribution. After several years of rational professional management, the company, Brazil's largest, seems to be slipping back into its nationalistic habits of the past. Brazil Watch, perhaps the most interesting newsletter about this country, had an excellent commentary about Petrobras in its June 6th edition.

Overseas investors are rarely interested in owning highways or port facilities in unstable countries like Brazil.

Therefore improved infrastructure will have to come from local sources, as has been the case so far in highway privatizations. The story of the railroads is mixed, but foreign participation in those operating the privatized rail lines seems to be working out. Replacement and refurbishing of rolling stock move at a snail's pace, however.

So far the government has not become actively involved, which is a good thing. Efficiency is better although there is plenty of room for improvement.

Ferronorte recently inaugurated a new stretch in the southern part of Mato Grosso state that will save money for producers of soybeans who can use rail rather than trucks to reach the port of Santos. The same goes for sugar millers in Sao Paulo state who are doing their best to take advantage of freight savings as well.

Exports have kept the economic situation from being worse than it is. The trade surplus, which may reach US$ 20 billion this year, is in no small part due to exports of agricultural products, pulp and minerals. The government announced an ambitious agricultural financing program recently that, if actually implemented, should provide ample funding for planting, harvesting, fertilizers, farm equipment, and the commercialization and storage of ethanol, corn, rice and other grains. Imports continue weak as a result of the slump. The trade surplus alone is not enough to balance the current account, which hopefully can be plugged by inflows of dollars even though they may be short term and speculative in nature. Time will be gained.

The clamor over high interest rates and the government's economic policies continues. Wednesday COPOM (Comite de Politica Monetariaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Mon-

etary Policy Committee), the central bank's ;committee that determines interest rates, will probably lower the SELIC or basic .rate from its current 26.5 percent level. A slight reduction will by no means kick:start the economy but it may take some 'pressure off Lula and his economic team.

There are enough technical justifica'tions, mainly a reduction in the rate of inflation, that COPOM can use to avoid being accused of capitulating to political pressure. Foreign analysts, who seem to be in no hurry to point out anything negative about the conduct of Brazi l's economy, will no doubt gloss over this.

As a matter of fact, combating inflation with such high interest rates makes no sense at all since Brazilian inflation is not demand driven. The true reason behind such high interest rates is that if lowered too much, speculative capital taking advantage of interest arbitrage opportunities might disappear causing problems in covering the current account deficit.

EMBRAER's sale of over 100 new passenger jets to American Jet Blue will bring in over US$ I billion in a couple of years. The head of Jet Blue is from a Mormon missionary family and spent years in Brazil as a youth. This may have helped tip the balance toward EMBRA ER away from Canada's Bombardier.

Lula and Bush will meet again in Washington on Friday. Lula will be the first head of state that opposed the Iraqi invasion to be invited for luncheon at the White House. The US is aware of Brazil's itaportance in the hemisphere and seems t! be going out of its way to be nice to ' la. They do not want another Fidel astro or Hugo Chavez on their hands.

With luck the Latin American Free Trade Agreement can be pushed ahead from its standstill.

Finally, Lula had his first real taste of viical opposition to the proposed Social Security and Pension reforms as 20,00030,000 noisy government workers protested in Brasilia this past week. It was only five years ago that Lula led a similar protest against Cardoso's proposals to do more or less what Lula's government is trying to accomplish now. A strike has been threatened for July. In general, the pablic is not sympathetic to the demands oftgovernment workers to maintain their privileged status. Lula's personal populatity remains high and will be needed as he grapples with the many challenges ahead.

Sao Paulo, 16 June 2003 Richard Edward Hayes first came to Brazil in 1964 as an employee of Chase Manhattan Bank. Since then, Hayes has worked directly and as an advisor for a number of Brazilian and international banks and companies. Currently he is a free lance consultant and can be contacted at 192Iouvre(&,uol.com.br

BRAZZIL -JULY 2003

WrFs

The Cruel Rite of

nurrasco The Brazilian tradition of churrasco is a lamentable example of mere human selfish gluttony. Some Brazilian rodeos are sadistically perverse, as onlookers and rodeo participants stick broken-glass into an animals' anus to make it buck more fiercely, and then beat and literally torture the oxen until they die.

Recently there has been a wortâ&#x20AC;˘ cup rodeo in the Pioneer Valley in We tern Massachusetts, USA. Cowboys from Brazil, the USA and other countries" ompetal" in rodeo events, amongst other' family-fun" activities, the famous Braz lianstyle barbeque, the churrasco, and B azilian and North American country usic.

The event was advertised as a benign vent and as a "family-fun" event.

As a Brazilian national who was ised on a staunchly red-meat diet, I hay- only recently really thought about the ha It of the national pastime, the churrasco, ing place almost on every weekend in B il. I have also come to deconstruct the co cept behind rodeos and those eating habit , and the outcome has been revealingly ho ific.

The habit of the churrasco to razilians (and barbeque to North Amer cans) carries no association in popular c Iture with the "idea" behind the consume content itself, or ofthe process of"produ tion" and slaughter of the content itsel The content, in this case is animal meat.

The Cruelty of Factory F rms, Churrascos and Rodeos The concept behindconveyor-be -style factory farming is not really well kn iwn to most people. Most of all, the ass lation between animal cruelty and facto farming is heavily veiled under the neatl meat packages purchased in comfortab e airconditioned supermarkets. The fac is that farm animals suffer one of the wors cases of animal abuse.

There is a sense of the romanticized pastoral image of the small "farm" and that meats come from this imaginary small farm. However, the farms that are the biggest producers of meats are no longer the "old-Mac Donald-had-a-farm"-type farms, they are corporate-owned modernday huge animal farm-factories, whose bottom-line is simply profit and also to keep the stocks in good shape for the shareholders.

There is absolutely no regard to the well being of animals. The semantics involved in the way consumers "think" of certain foods soften the "idea" behind consumers' purchases, since in the English language "cows" become "beef', "pigs" become "pork", and soon. It is easier to eat an imaginary item called "beef' than it is to eat a cow. The same "softening" effect occurs in Portuguese semantics, as"vaca" ("cow") becomes "big' ("beer).

The Brazilian tradition of churrasco is a lamentable example of mere human selfish gluttony. The rodeos that promote Brazilian churrasco, are just as lamentable in their treatment of animals, and some Brazilian rodeos such as the farra do boi (the party of the ox) in the South of Brazil, are sadistically perverse, as onlookers and rodeo participants stick broken-glass into an animals' anus to make it buck more fiercely, and then beat and literally torture the oxen until they die.

The farra do boi is one of the most brutal and despicable human engagements

ALAN P MARCUS BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

29

in animal cruelty today. Albeit it has been outlawed since 1997, the governor of the state of Santa Catarina, where the festival occurs, refuses to denounce the festival, defending it as a "tradition", and the farra do boi continues to take place under silent watch.

(For more information see website: http ://ww w.farradoboi.org/farra/ whatis.shtml) Brazilians will promote and defend the churrasco as a national and cultural tradition with absolutely no regard to an animal's well-being, and the only interest is "how good the meat tastes". Churrascos are part of Brazilian social entertaining and as such is self-serving and does not take place for human survival, hence, this is precisely the issue that is most disturbing, since the entertaining aspect can very easily replace meat with other types of food. Particularly since Brazil has such a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables available. The equivalent of churrascos in the USA are "barbeques". North Americans tend to respond politically and emotionally when confronted with animal treatment and consumption issues.

The issue of animal cruelty is even more controversial; and is often dismissed as being "exaggerated" or pertaining to a particular political or religious agenda.

Nevertheless, both Brazilians and North Americans rarely deconstruct or correlate the "idea" behind meat-eating and factoryfarming, rodeos, circuses with animal cruelty.

Organizations in the USA involved in the prevention of animal cruelty such as PETA and MSPCA often are also dismissed as organizations that have either become too "radicalized" or "inflammatory", or too "soft" in the popular mind.

Too often, certain counter-arguments for animal liberation profess that the animal cruelty rhetoric comes from "tree-huggingearthy-crunchy-granola-touchy-feely"types, and fail to understand that most of the central arguments come from rational ethicists and philosophers who tend to be far removed from such stereotypes.

Counter-arguments to animal cruelty prevention are almost always based on emotional and political rhetoric, and as such are mostly misguided and oversimplified.

Rodeos do not occur for human survival, they are held only for human entertainment. The deconstruction ofthis entertainment is very simple: rodeos (and also circuses and dog-racing) are cruel and should not be considered a "family-fun" activity or a "fun" activity at all, especially for the animals involved.

Rodeos teach and perpetuate the idea that animals can be exploited for the sole purpose of human entertainment, in addition to desensitizing viewers to grotesque animal cruelty and humiliation. The message is imbued in an archaic -type of "machismo" as the male-cowboy becomes and is perceived by viewers as the ultimate "dominator-of-the-beast". Rodeos are simply a promotional entertainment gimmick.

30

The only ones who gain are the rodeo , ring the judgment of Brazi 1 ian ethical ratiopromoters and the so-called modern-day nale.

There seems to be a coexisting relation"cowboys" (vaqueiros) with their cash1 ship between social disenfranchisement and prizes. animal cruelty. And wherever churrascos, The Brazilian Feira and Ethics The counter arguments to animal cru- 1:. rodeos, circuses, dog-racing, cock-fightelty prevention often claim that animals are ing and animal cruelty are common, the worst off in the wild. These arguments wider and more acute the social gap and merely reflect static situations that are one- t income disparity exists.

The "myth" and notion of beef as a dimensional. If animals are worst off inthe wild, why should humans, exacerbate the single source of protein in Brazil, is also in situation by contributing to their suffering, need of debunking. Low-income populaparticularly because humans claim to know tions in Brazil are the ones most affected by such "myths" and they are most likely to better?

Furthermore this kind of discourse is f- "buy into" such outdated and untrue "oldsimilar to slave-owners who claimed that wife-tales". For example, in non-vegetartheir slaves were worst off in Africa, and ian southeast India there are severe cases of that they as slave-owners were actually lack of nutrition among the human popula"providing" Africans with a "better" life. tion.

However, in west India, where the maAnimal cruelty receives similar popular and political attention that African slavery jority of the population is vegetarian, seand women suffrage movements received vere lack ofnutrition is non-existent. Therefore, meat eating is not necessarily linked to in the past.

Some will argue that the situation is nutrition, and similarly; nor is the lack of different because Africans, Amerindians meat eating linked to poor nutrition.

Conclusion and women are humans, and animals are There seems to be a correlation benot; however, some hundred and fifty years ago, many did not consider them humans tween the way humans treat animals and the way humans treat other humans (i.e.; those either.

People of African and Amerindian an- who commit homicide and rape often have cestry and women have long struggled for a history of being offenders of animal crupast 500 years for enfranchisement and elty). According to a Veja magazine article their status as "humans" on the American published in May 2003, there were over continent. As the 18th century philosopher ,30,000 homicides in Brazil in 2000, almost Jeremy Bentham noted about animals: "The double the number of homicides that oci question is not, Can they reason? nor Can curred in Brazil in 1990.

Those stunning figures should help to they talk? but, Can they suffer?". And ifthe answer is "yes" then ultimately humans Illustrate the correlation between the treathave an ethical Obligation to not intention- Intent of humans and animals in Brazil.

Amnesty International has also indicated ally inflict pain on animals.

Humans possess reason and therefore through a press release in May 2003, that humans may reason about animal cruelty i3razil is in violation of human rights, and and choose options to avoid inflicting pain According to Timothy Cahill, Amnesty Inon animals. Living beings that possess a ternational Brazilian investigations leader, central nervous system are capable of suf- the statistics on violence in Rio de Janeiro fering and feeling pain, and therefore, why ond Sao Paulo are reminiscent ofwar statisinflict pain intentionally when there are so tics.

The saying learned from Mahatma many options available in avoiding to do so? This is a question that Brazilians need Gandhi, should be reiterated in this case: to start asking themselves, particularly since "one should judge a nation by the way it the rich variety of fruit and vegetable op- treats its animals". Some will argue that this tions available in a feira (Brazilian street saying denotes that animals should receive market) are multifold and unlike anywhere better treatment than humans, but actually it means something entirely different. The else in the world.

Any observer may notice that in afeira message is simple, wise and powerful, that there are different types of each fruit avail- is; humans who treat animals with dignity able, for example, for bananas: banana- will most likely treat other humans siminanica, banana-ouro, banana-prata, ba- larly. nana-macd. There are different types of Works cited: lemons, limes, oranges, among other fruits Veja Magazine. May, 2003. that thefeirante (street-market vendor) will shout-out to announce his or her produce.

Singer, Peter. 1975. "Animal The varieties and shapes of each fruit are Liberation". HarperCollins Publishing, New York NY. staggering and wonderfully "Brazilian" and like the Brazilian population itself,' Alan P. Marcus is Brazilian uniquely colorful and sensual. currently pursuing a Masters of Brazil is one of the few countries in the Science in Geography world that offer such a wide variety of fruit at the University of and vegetables in both urban and rural regional markets. These varieties and rich Massachusetts, Amherst.

Contact e-mail: sources offood and nutrition are seemingly taken for granted in Brazil, and the national amarcus@geo.umass.edu lust for churrasco is intoxicating and blur-

The terms "ethnicity" and -race" have become widely misunderstood and ambiguous in the realm of world political and cultural discourse. I agree with Melissa Nobles (2000), who states that "race" is fundamentally a political process. The geographic and regional dimensions of Brazil, are practically inexistent and are largely overlooked in current discussions on "race" and ethnicity. This oversight is particularly significant given the geographical ethnic identities and migrations (both internal and external) that forge the shaping of complex identities outside of, but not excluding the "black-white" paradigm (i.e.; Africa-Europe).

Although the literature written on Brazil by both Brazilian and foreign scholars has focused on a "black-white" ethnic axis, the regional and geographic dimensions are more often than not tlisregarded. This is particularly significant given the geographical ethnicities that predominate or dominate in certain regions. The "backlands" of the Northeast of Brazil (the sertiies), have been the region where "racial" miscegenation has historically developed into a particular regional ethnicity.

Undoubtedly African, most Europeans and North Americans would qualify the population with an -oversimplified term such as "black-. For numerous economic, social and political reasons this regional ethnicity has thus evolved into a rich and complex identity that transcend, without excluding the simple "blackwhite" axis. The complexities of such identities are oversimplified when viewed through North American or European paradigms.

The Northeasterners The Northeasterners are called: Nordestinos (literally "Northeasterners").

The connection of the plight of the Nordestino to economic and environmental distress is one that is strongly tied to the history of sugarcane plantations and African slavery. Amidst historical dexelopments, such as the abolishrtient of slavery, the displacement of Amerindians, the invasions of the French and the Dutch, and, Portuguese colonialism; the region and the population has been literally and figuratively violated. The desolate land of serrdo looks as if someone had claimed it, chewed it and spat it out, leaving the chewed-on land in its opiatestate of oblivious abandonment.

The Northeast region of Brazil sends the highest number of inter-regional migrants out to other regions. In 1987, 10 out of every 20 Latin Americans who died of infant mortality, were Brazilian, and out of those ten, five were from tlae Northeast of Brazil. That is: the Northeast of Brazil suffered 25 percent of all Latin American infant mortality in 1987.

According to the Brazilian 2000 BRAZZ1L - JULY 2003

FIND Get No Respect Brazilian TV viewers may associate what is deemed as Successful attributes with urban or. North American lifestyles.

Perceptions acquired from television, US movies and popular music, affect attitudes leading to ethnic and "racial" self-doubt pertaining to Brazil's African and Amerindian ancestry.

ALAN P MA CUS (IBGE) Census, 70 percent o the Nordestino population who mig ated, headed towards the Southeast of razil.

The plight of the Nordestinois sim lar in content, but different in form, fro the plight of the blacks and Amerindi ns in Brazil, in that they have long lived nder historical abandonment, political oi pression, and social marginalization. rid in addition, the ethnicity or "racial" a pects of the Nordestinos are often shrou sed in confusion.

The Nordestinos, who mostl selfdescribe themselves as black, mid itlo or other "mixture" categories su h as: cafuso, mameluco or mestico, (al .o see the Brazilian Census 2000 IBGE); so not escape the stigma of simply bei g reduced to a single term: Nordestino They are prone to social and economic mmo-

IP" bility due to their discriminatory status in the Southeast regions merely by nature of being ethnically Nordestino.

The Nordestino has long lived in a region under severe environmental stress, with harsh droughts, desertification, and hunger that ultimately provoke the "push" effect in the inter-regional migrations. They have left the sera) searching for employment opportunities in Brazil's industrial hubs such as Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, where they are subsequently and overtly mocked and informally segregated because of their accent, their food, their music and their culture. In the above-cited cities, the Nordestinos become naĂŻve targets of pejorative slurs such as"Baianos"( from the state of Bahia), "Cabeca-chata(-Flat-head") or -Paraiba" (from the state of Paraiba). , The Nordeste ("Northeast") and the sertdo ("back lands") hold a prime sense of place, identity and significance to the Nordestino. When the Nordestino migrates to the big cities, he or she is brutally reduced to being a Nordestino (or a matuto: -hillbilly"). The identity of place transcends the identity of ancestry:and hence also transcends the "blackwhite" paradigm, albeit not completely excluding it, but simply adds another complex dimension to Brazilian social, political and cultural dynamics.

The Power of Telecommunications The political context of "racial" and ethnic semantics in Brazil can be observed as constantly shifting. Brazil's black populations, maybe dwindling due to a number of reasons ranging from cultural stigmatization, to Brazilian "Negrophobia" and h igh-mortality/lowferti I ity rates. Nevertheless, were one to look at these figures at face value, as misleading and deceptive as they are, the perception of Brazil is that froin 1822 to 2000 the population has shifted from a black majority to a white majority, from a rural to an urban population, and internal migrations have occurred from the Northeast to the Southeast regions.

The variables attributed to causing these perpetual shifts are imbued with complexities tied into various Brazilian identities. The advent of telecommunications ought to be placed as a significant variable in a country such as Brazil, which is perceived globally as a "developing" and "poor". According to Veja magazine (2001) approximately 80 percent of the Brazilian population possess a television set. This figure represents a powerful form of mass communication on several dimensions, mostly political, social and cultural. To say that the magnitude of such a powerful form of communication in Brazil is certainly ex31

ploited and utilized politically is an understatement.

The advent of the television in Brazil has induced the learning of social and cultural movements from national urban regions from within and outside of Brazil, particularly from the USA. The exposure to telecommunications, including access to the Internet, and the information that is thereupon disseminated, affect notions of ethnic, cultural and social identities.

Now Brazilian TV viewers may associate and recognize what is deemed as successful attributes with urban or North American lifestyles, and attemptto mimic these lifestyles, in an effort to replicate this perceived economic and social success. This perception may affect attitudes and practices detrimental to the environment, where particularly the Amazon region and the Northeast regions are considered as "backward" and "undeveloped".

These regions are also perceived as a detriment to the fashionable and historical notions of national "progress", globalization and industrialization. In a poster from 1970 "Enough of Legends: Let's Profit!" ("Chega de Lendas! Vamos Faturar! ") produced during the military dictatorship, where the government agency overseeing Amazonian development, SUDAM, refers to the Amazonian land that is "undeveloped yet profitable to invest...a gold mine". Thus, urging people to invest in road projects through a deduction in their income tax.

Clearly suggesting financial profits were qualifiers for national "progress" yet with absolute disregard for the local Amerindian population and the fragile Amazonian environment. The importance or even the mere presence of a Brazilian "identity" and a Brazilian sense of place, hold little, ifnot any, value in the realm of a "modern" world. And in this particular case, render the Nordestino valueless once again, in regards to their sense of place, their accent, their food, their music and their culture.

Perceptions acquired from absorbing ideas from television programs and North American movies and popular music, affect attitudes leading to ethnic and "racial" self-doubt pertaining to Brazil's undeniable African and Amerindian cultural and genetic ancestry. The popular correlation hypothetically follows, for example: "If the USA are an industrial and economic success, it is precisely because they are all lily-white', they have dislocated and excluded 'Amerindians', marginalized blacks; and replaced their forests with profitable industries and urban cities; then Brazil should do the same... and why should we not be allowed to do the same, since it appears this is what makes Brazil different from the USA?"

These notions of foreign "Eco-colonialism" need to be addressed and included in international human rights and environmental discourse that involve cooperative efforts to protect the environment and local cultures; and to better understand the Brazilian perspective. This Brazilian perspective, contained in a universe of self-doubt is what propitiates ethnic and racial stereotypes, in this case of the Nordestino, pervasive in the national subconscious.

Brazilian "Cordial Racism" Traditional Brazilian rhetoric claims that it was "class rather than prejudice" that marked cultural separations in Brazil, and this argument is still reiterated in popular Brazilian "white" middle-class discourse. However, the machinery of "racial democracy" that propels Brazilian sub-conscious cannot separate "color" from social and economic status, which suggests that there is a deeper force behind Brazilian "racial" and ethnic dynamics.

The collective and individual notions of ethnic identities in and of Brazil, and the confusing implications, only exacerbate, as some scholars would suggest the masquerading of a national identity well known for its ubiquitous "racial democracy", its joie-de-vivre and charismatic docility; to a subterranean culture deeprooted in a slavist legacy that is violently patriarchal, racist and sexist.

A poll research sponsored by the Sao Paulo newspaper Folha de S. Paulo and Datafolha published in 1995 a report called: "Racismo Cordial: A Mais Completa Ancilise sobre Preconceito de Cor no Brasil" ("Cordial Racism: The Most Complete Analysis on Prejudice of Color in Brazil"). The results of the poll revealed that 89 percent of Brazilians admitted that there was prejudice of color of blacks, only 10 percent admitted to having prejudice themselves and 87 percent revealed some form of underhanded prejudice of blacks.

The static "color" dichotomy that is used in the US is far too pluralistic to apply such a neat Euro-North American "racial" pigeonhole categorizations, which have been absorbed from abroad.

Therefore, to superimpose allorth American or European paradigm to analyze and examine "racial" figures in Brazil is over simplistic and may create misguided representations. However, the fact that superimposing "racial" paradigms is over simplistic, certainly does not mean that there is no correlation between "skincolor" and disenfranchisement. There is much academic evidence to suggest the contrary.

The rapid and shifting contemporary transformations, given the advent of modern tele-communications are changing the notions of ethnic and geographic identities. A radical shift in the political

realm is currently takingplace, as Brazil's newly elect president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva ("Lula") has taken office in January, 2003. Lula himself a migrante and a Nordestino.

Changes are taking place at a rapid pace. Brazil is a place where the haunting history cannot be easily "swept under the rug", nor can it easily fade away. However; the current waves of social, political and cultural shifts are rapidly changingthe human landscape and subsequently of the Nordestinos in Brazil.

Bibliography: Degler, Carl N. 1971. Neither Black Nor White: Slavery and Race Relations in Brazil and the United States. The Macmillan Company, New York Freyre, Gilberto. 1938. Nordeste: Aspectos da Influencia da Canna Sobre a Vida e a Paizagem do Nordeste do Brasil. Livraria Jose Olympio ,Editora; Rio de Janeiro, Brasil . 1968. Sobrados e Mucambos: Decadencia do Patriarcado Rural e Desenvolvimento do Urban°.

Livraria Jose Olympio Editora; Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. . 1986. The Masters and the Slaves: A Study in the Development of Brazilian Civilization. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. (Translation of 1933 CasaGrande e Senzala. Rio de Janeiro: Maia and Schmidt).

Nascimento, Abdias do. 1978. 0 Genocidio do Negro Bras ile iro: Processo de Racismo Mascarado. Editora Paz e Terra, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. . 1989. Brazil: Mixture or Massacre? Essays in the Genocide of a Black People. Second Edition (Translated by Elisa Larkin Nascimento from 1979). The Majority Press, Dover, Massachusetts.

Nobles, Melissa. 2000. Shades of Citizenship: Race and the Census in Modern Politics. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.

Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. 1994. Death Without Weeping: The Violence of Everyday Life in Brazil. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. Sheriff, Robin E. 2001. Dreaming Equality: Color, Race and Racism in Urban Brazil. Rutgers University Press, New Jersey.

Skidmore, Thomas E.. 1974. Black Into White: Race and Nationality in Brazilian Thought. Oxford University Press.

Recihmann, Rebecca. 1999. From Indifference to Inequality: Race in Contemporary Brazil. The Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, Pennsylvania. i0t4 Alan P. Marcus is pursuing a Masters of Geography at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Contact Email: amarcus(&,geo.umass.edu BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

azil an Their Civilized Neighbors to the While geographically located ir 1he "western" hemisphere, Brazil does not fully qualify as a western nation. The terms "west" or "westernized" have become euphemisms for "civilized", "white" and "English-speaking."

It is time the world learns that America is not a country, but an entire continent.

ALAN P. MARCUS

that exists in movies, perpetuated by the mass media, and in popular and science fiction, that is; a textbook case of a stereotype. When the word "westernized" is used to mean "civilized" the deconstruction of such semantics is in order, particularly since these terms are entirely relative and subjective terms.

The myth of the "west" is perpetuated by the semantics of the general public and ofscholarlyculture, accustomed to hearing that anyone Who is perceived as "nonwhite" or non-English-speaking is automatically considered "non-western". Brazil is a perfect example of these misconstrued terms.

Brazil is geographically located in the American continent, more precisely "South America", therefore located in the so-called "western" hemisphere. But that still does not seem to fully qualify Brazil to fit the definition of "west".

The popular and scholarly imagery of Brazil is construed within the realm of a "non-western-world", also conveying the idea of an imaginary population that is very much imbued m the gross stereotype of the "rain-forest-Amerindian-uneducatedSpanish-speaking-rural-immigrant". Nothing far from the truth could describe a typical Portuguese-speaking-urban-middleclass Brazilian immigrant found in Massachusetts or New Yes& City.

The appropriation of the word "America" used to refer to the country United States ofAmerica, has also become part of popular culture and in serious need of examination. The interchangeable use of the words "America" and "USA", is ubiquitous and can be heard all over the world. This appropriation carries a loaded political and cultural subtext. Geographically Brazil is act-daily larger than continental USA, and ought to put political size into perspective. However, this appropriation also leads to subconscious ramifications and conveys a false sense of entitlement of size equated to political and cultural power.

In addition, and more importantly,

Modernity has provided the ge eral public in this so-called "globalized" â&#x20AC;˘rld, with mass media, television, and wi the perpetuation of ambiguous termin logy disseminated to the general public. C m terminology has created a tmiversal " â&#x20AC;˘ finding" effect on political, geographic and cultural issues. For example the erms "west" or "westernized" and "Ameri a" in modern contemporary parlance have ade headway into popular and scholarly c lture all over the world.

What do these terms really m ? If one deconstructs the concept of est", one should ask: "west" ofwhat? Wh is the "Middle East" not called the " iddle West", or why is the "Near East" not ailed "Near West", since this region woul also be "west" of India, China or Japan? Cultural relativism is the obvious answer That is; the view of contemporary geo phy, and popular culture "sees" the rest if the world relatively through the lens of geographic Northern America or Grea I Britain. But more importantly and mo disturbingly, the terms "west" or "w tern- America is not a country: it is an entire ized" have become in popular par ance, continent. The United Stated of America, euphemisms for "civilized", "whi and Canada and Mexico are part of North "English-speaking", and the contin nt of America in the northern part of the Ameri"America", translates to.a single co try. cas. The American continent comprises a Take for example, a comments ch as: plurality of nations, languages, cultures "Rio de Janeiro is actually a very and ethnickies, and to appropriate the term 'westernized'ciry". In this context what "America" entirely as a single country is exactly does "westernized city" mean Does geographically inaccurate and wrong.

The terms "west" or "westernized" this imply that Rio was previously ought and "America", represent inaccurate and i to be "non-westernized"n and if so, again e need r the monolithic ways ofperceivingand looking what does that mean? Th qualification "westernized", points to an at the world, and are grossly misused terms interesting phenomenon with a dee r sig- perpetuated by popular and scholarly culnificance. Logic illustrates that thi quali- ture. fication is equivalent to saying, sr exAlan P. Marcus (Master's of Science ample: "John Smith is black, but a malt), in Human Geography, in progress) is a very honest".

Brazilian living in the USA. The implication here is distress g and ethnocentric, since the reverse deno es that He has also written other articles on everything that is not "western" or 'westBrazilian issues on identity, "race", ernized" is euphemistically "non-E glishethnicity, and animal ethics for Brazzil speaking" and therefore "uncivil' d" or magazine, available online: "wild" and thus pertaining to an im ginapt www.brazzil.com - E-mail contact: world. This imaginary world does n stexist amarcusAgeo.umass.edu in reality; it is only a part of popular ulture 33

issu ne nada nao, a buniteza e di mais valiaque um oio bao.

Marcos perplexo, refletiu sobre o que dizia o velho fogueteiro.

Mas como apreciar o belo, se o senhor rid° enxerga?

Mais gargalhadas, mas explosoes coloridas no ar. Januario, depois de muito sacudir-se de tanto rir, dirigiu seu olhar para o ceu e tateando seus fogos de artificios, soltou urn alp& outro. Fazendo inveja a Deus de tanta beleza.

—Eu so cunsigu ye buniteza, essa bun iteza dus crardo dus fogu, que alumia meus oio e tambem o ceu.

A festa chegava ao final. Um Januário despediu-se de urn Marcos deprimido por enxergar, pela primeira vez, o tamanho de sua cegueira.

PRIM [IRO 0 Fogueteiro

Para Januario, o fogueteiro, a grande festa junina de Mato Seco era sempre uma emocao, tambern pudera era fogueteiro desde de sempre Para Marcos, o rep6rter. cobrir essa festa era urn castigo. Questa() de so-brevivencia. 0 jornal mandava, ele Ia. Entrevistando toda aquela gente, que ao seu ver. parecia-se corn tantas outras por esse Brasil a fora, Marcos acabou descobrindo a major atracao da festa: o fogueteiro...um fogueteiro cego.

Foi ao seu encontro. Uma pequena multidao assistia a explosao colorida no ceu corn tanta reverencia como a urn ritual sagrado.

As cores desmanchavam se na escuridao alta c novamente o fogueteiro fazia seu milagre e acendia o ceu corn muitas cores.

Marcos cumprimentou o fogueteiro Januario. Virando-se para o reporter, SEGUNDO Januario sorriu corn seus poucos Zum...de Zumbi dentes e corn seus olhos vazados.

—Entao o senhor é o famoso Maria acordou encharcada. La fogueteiro? fora uma tempestade invadia o Januario da a suagargalhada tdo barraco. Ainda sonada, tateou na famosa quanto a sua histOria. escuriddo, a possivel goteira sobre —A fama nao vem de se a cama, quando percebeu de onde fugueteru nao, mas de se fugueteru vinha tanta agua. A bolsa havia cegu, cegu por se desdi mininu estourado. Logo as contracOes fugueteru. comecaram. Assim nasceu Beto: Januario ergue a cabeca para o num barraco alagado, numa noite alto. Por uns instantes, Marcos tern The first Ana opened the swollen orquestrada por raios e trovOes. a impressao que aqueles olhos Beto chorou alto quando chegou mortos podiam ver a beleza de um eyes. It was a new day. She opened her nessa vida, arrepiando Maria que show pirotecnico. Riu de si mesmo arms in an attempt not to bring to mind ainda sem folego, permitiu a e sem entendermuito bem a resposta invasao de urn pensamento pessido fogueteiro, riu como Januario, so much absence, filled up all the space mista. olhando os fogos, agora espetaculo on the mattresss and for a moment felt Talvez a crianca pressentisse o de outro fogueteiro que se enconmundo-cao que a aguardava. Maria trava mais distante. a sense of wholeness. The door opened. fez o sinal da cruz, arrependida do —Entaro o senhor perdeu a visao She close her eyes while her heart pensamento, e o abencoou: "Meu soltando fogos? E continuou sendo filho vai te a forca de lansa." fogueteiro?Nao tern medo de outro pounded strongly as she pretended to Beto se criou no morro e no acidente? be sleeping. asfalto. Nos dias de semana, ele Januario ri da confusao do estudava no colegio, onde Maria repOrter, que corn outra visao do LUCIENE PINHEIRO era faxineira. Beto detestava. Nao mundo, estava cego para o seu. Nao lhe era mais insuportavel porque era para ele grande novidade, os tinha urn amigo corn o mesmo estudados nunca tinham pensamento apelido, sa que os outros meninos para sua pr6pria ignorancia. chamavam-no de BB (Beto Branco).

—Faze o que? Eu s6 sei se fugueteru,

Broken Kaleidoscope

34

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

Logicamente, ele era BP (Beto Preto).

BB ndo suportava as implicancias corn Beto, o instigava a reagir, mas o menino sO chorava diante da crueldade das outras criancas. Sabia muito bem quais seriam as conseqiiencias se reagisse. A mde poderia ate perder o emprego. Esta submissdo durou ate o dia em que a professora falou em Zumbi. Beto entdo se descobriu. No mesmo dia, ele o unico negro da classe, ganhou novo apelido: Zum...de Zumbi. Beto ficaria orgulhoso se nao fosse mais uma chacota.

Um dia BB ficou doente. Beto sozinho num canto do patio, comia seu lanche sossegado, quando alguns meninos comecaram a implicar. Beto calado, ndo conteve as lagrimas. Isso sO fez sua situacdo piorar.

Quando se deu conta, seu lanche estava no chdo e os meninos, alem dos empurrifies, beliscavam e Ihe davam chutes. A professora nada viu ate entdo, mas quando Beto ouviu a palavra Zumbi dentro da sua cabeca e resolveu revidar, a professora logo prestou atencao e correu para apartar os meninos. Mas era o dia da revanche. Beto bateu em todos ate rid° poder mais. Precisou de mais duas professoras para leva-lo a diretoria.

Beto aos oito anos ganhou a primeira e Unica suspensao de sua vida escolar.

Porque a partir dai, ele era Zum. Zum....de Zumbi.

TERCEIRO Memeirias de um Quase Inexistente.

Quando eu me lembro de toda a historia, me pego olhando para o ceu.

Meu pensamento nesse instante é sempre o mesmo: Por que eu tinha que estar aui naque le momento? Cinco minutos antes ou depois, teria feito muita diferenca.

Tinha que ser eu? Eu, nos meus dez anos?

Nem sabia o que via direito... entendi apenas que algo de muito errado acontecia. Eu vi, mas ninguem me reparou. Quando contei, foi um pouco por susto e tambem para aparecer.

Apareci. Logo depois, contra a minha vontade, sumi.

Dez anos se passaram e eu continuo por al, sumido. Sem saber a grande resposta: por que eu? Lembro dos homens, do sangue, das criancas gritando... alias, foi o que mais marcou.

Nem os zunidos das balas, nem a maldade e covardia dos homens, nem o apelo das mulheres me chocaram tanto, quanto o desespero das criancinhas. Pois 6, os meus dez anos fizeram corn que revelasse, exatamente, para a eltima pessoa que podia saber. Como eu ia adivinhar? Logo urn policial... naquela epoca, a policia BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

para mim era protecdo. Minha (mica oportunidade desperdicei, o silencio. Eu, crianca, queria contar, excitado, terneroso, tudo o que havia presenciado. Deu no que deu! Dez anos de peruca, Oculos escuros, enchimentos, documentos falsos... urn andarilho, sem nome, s4em lugar, sem raizes. Anos sem ficar uma semana no mesmo lugar. Ninguem me conhece, tdo pouco sou amigo de alguem.

Nos primeiros tempos, mal dorrnia.

Me protegia entre os mendigos, ate desconfiar. Entdo veio o desassossego.

Apaguei o meu passado e nunca nais partilhei minha vida corn ninguem. ivo as escondidas. Melhorou urn pouc a paranoia depois que atravessei a front ira, mas sera mais perigoso? Eles fazem eu pago. Triste desconfiar de tudo. Ab so, ndo haver protecdo, ndo ter segura ca.

SO por estar na hora e no I gar errado...fora ter contado...ndo me conformo, urn policial! Agora que s i do pals, eu tido you parar ate encontra um lugar que possa viver. Aprendi a ter ma cara tao igual a de todo mundo, qu eu posso ser qualquer urn. Menos eu. Ivo na multiddo, isolado, continuo presa cil.

E pensar que a ultima noticia que i na TV, foi a corj a toda no gove no.

Arrotando condutas morais, morand em mansbes, viajando o mundo inteirs as custas de impotentes como eu. uita gente suspeita, mas sO eu sei. Tive 'orte de nao contar sobre a foto. Ainda oje ndo sei. Talvez, independente do eu ceticismo, tenha sido coisa do meu njo da guarda. Sou testemunha ocular. P • dia ser herefi, mas sou fugitivo. Podi ser respeitado se existisse. Vivo invis'vel.

Talvez morto valesse mais a pena. Um dossie, um jornal importante, 6 issa que eu preciso. Assim resolvi me lib rtar.

Encontrei o jornal, fiz o dossi . A cambada do govern° caiu.. A fot foi vista pelo mundo inteiro. Virei herO sem nome, nem rosto. Tinha prot cdo, dinheiro e muito mais medo. A so iddo continuava. Cansei. Fui a televisao me expus. Apareci, para logo depois mir para sempre. A nacao comovida, c orou por mim. Ao menos agora tenhs urn nome, urn rosto, uma histOria.

QUARTO Paz Demais Quando nao bebe ele e um amo . Me trata feito rainha. Adora fazer agra os: é uma florzinha aqui; uma cervejin a sO para mim; urn quilo de came de rice e ate aqueles docinhos cor de rosa da p aria do seu Ze. Mas quando esta pos uido pela branquinha, e ela que manda. anda nele, que manda em mim. Mas co o eu

ndo presto, dei de botar remedio de dormir na pinga dele. Foi Juvencio da farmacia que md arrumou. Agora em vez de ficar bravo, ele dorme.

Nao tern mais tempo de ficar briguento. Tres &oles e cai roncando em qualquer lugar. E uma paz. As vezes me dá urn tantinho de remorso, mas compensa. Ele esta cada dia melhor: bebe menos, bate menos...eu estou muito feliz, so quase nao vejo o meu marido...uma pena, agora que ele esta tdo born! Igual um anjo de quermesse. Uma vida calma, essa minha. Ndo tern mais grito, nem pancadaria. A casa esta sempre arrumada e ele ndo fede a bebida. Alias, hoje em dia ele tido cheira e nem fede. SO dorme. E eu aqui nessa paz, nessa felicidade...sem nenhum arranhdozinho. Tudo culpa de Juvencio.

QUINTO Alem da Chuva Faltava pouco, ndo sabia quanto, os relogios rodopiavam sem cessar e nada acontecia. Eu de qualquer maneira pressentia, faltava pouco, muito pouco.

A angustia provocava uma ponta de prazer. Enquanto este era como todos sdo, aflitivos, sO solucionados mediante a descarga desta emocdo vibrante, porem contida. 0 prazer sonha corn seu apice e sO se revela inerte, quando já ndo o é mais. Badaladas. Ponteiros gigantescos nao paravam um sO minuto. Olhava o ceu, quem sabe nao era coisa de la. Em volta suspeitava de todos, a cada nova cara que irrompia na esquina, meu coracdo subia e descia, desde que comecou corn isso, mais parecia um elevador e eu que sempre fui acostumado a ter os pes no chdo, tinha agora urn coracdo ora elevado, ora submerso no meu proprio sangue, me provocando enjoos. 0 que restava era a espera corn sabor de tragedia e divertida como o avanco do carrinho namontanha russa. A sensacdo aumentava. Demoraria horas ou apenas minutos?Na verdade ndo tinha importancia, a etema espera de quern aguarda o conhecido ja é suficiente sem urn, imagina para alguern, como eu, que ndo sabe. Sera urn acontecimento, uma pessoa, o que? Giravam os relogios, invertiam as ampulhetas e o meu corpo entorpecido sO sentia o vai e vem do coracdo; quando chegava a boca eu instintivamente a abria, talvez corn intencdo de me livrar daquele saltitante.

Vontade de dizer quando descia: terreo.

0 sol apagando e os brilhos notumos acordando e as sombras dos meus pressagios me envolvendo. Seria mais uma noite de espera. Nao tinha olhos 35

para dorm ir, nem imaginacao para sonhar.

Talvez isto fosse um sonho, o da espera, o vital, reconhecivel para quem sabe que independente de tudo algo vai acontecer.

Nao sairia dali, nao voltaria para casa enquanto tudo nao estivesse terminado.

Varios transeuntes passaram, sentaram ao meu lado e foram embora corn a vida.

Uns me viram, outros nem me notaram... e dai? s6 tinha concentracao para o que viria. Nem massagem no peito, nem o sorriso undo da mulher que me olhou, nem o tombo da velhinha, que eu nab ajudei a levantar, nem o nariz escorrendo da crianca maltrapilha, nada, nada disso me desorientou, fazendo corn que eu me esquecesse que algo eminente estava preste a acontecer. Entao urn homem qualquer sentou do meu lado e comecou a me encarar. Num estado normal isso me irritaria, contudo a necessidade de nao me entreter corn mais nada, a nao ser corn a sensacao do estar por vir, me fazia anestesiado de tat provocacao. Nada, nem ninguern me despejaria do meu lugar, onde a visao do grande relogio nao era interrompida por predios e out-doors. A vista era limpa, clara e eu sO sabia que precisava estar au. Mais horas e o tat homem nada de ir embora. De rabo de olho reparei que tambem ele tinha um coracao-elevador. Podia ate ouvir a sineta toda vez que sua boca abria. Seria pelo mesmo motivo? Alguern mais tinha consciencia de que algo estava para acontecer? Entao me dei conta que seu olhar para mim era por suspeitar de que eu tambem estava suspenso. Alivio! Podia novamente me ausentar e me dedicar exclusivamente a espera. Senti seu corpo ao meu lado, relaxar. Olhei nos ponteiros da minha mente, olhei os graozinhos de areia escorregarem pelos meus olhos alertas e vermelhos, conseqiiencia das longas horas de vigil ia. 0 sentimento da emergencia do que nao podia supor, agora era galopante. Sentia-me como uma bomba ou urn foguete, pronto para disparar. Reparei numa mulher mat ajambrada, sentada no meio fio, alheia aos demais, fitando o relOgio... era agora, era chegada a hora. Meu companheiro de banco tremia, o que me deu certeza que era exatamente o momento. Pressenti olhos furtivos encarando o relOgio. Urn pequeno grupo se formou na praca, hipnotizados pelos grandes ponteiros.

Minha cabeca estourava de tanto dizer silenciosamente: e agora, e agora. 0 dia virou uma noite mais escura do que de costume e o relOgio atingido por urn raio e a arvore que me protegeu do sot, foi arrancada do solo. Eu sabia que estava ocorrendo. Nao era aquela tempestade... no meio dos pingos grossos, dos trovOes

e relampagos, algo maior acontecia, mas a chuva me itnpedia a visao. Senti o meu coracao parar corn o vai-vem, minhas pupilas cansadas de se arregalar. penderem e uma grande calma reinar em mim. Sabia que tinha acontecido, o

pressentimento saciado escorreu junto corn a chuva. Insatisfeito, mas conformado fui andando para casa sem me dar ao trabalho de imaginar o que foi. SO sei dizer que foi extraordinario.

SEXTO Sob a Ponte , Os amantes debaixodaponte sorriam bebados de suas condicOes. Riam sem dentes. Gargalhadas interrompidas por fluxos de tosse. 0 foguinho na lata iluminava os fantasmas-dancarinos nog pilares. Urn filme ocasional de sotribras e luzes que tal como na penumbra do cinema colorem e desbotam os rostos na plateia. Ali sob a ponte, eram eles os espectadores. Um public() de do is apreciadores do Indic° acende-apaga no concreto da ponte. De maos dadas assistiam aos seus proprios delirios, esquecidos do frio e de suas roupas rotas; da dureza do asfalto e dos coraci3es de expressao repugnada. Protegidos pela ponte, se alienavam da ilusoria seguranca dos ignorantes. All existia vida e nao apenas um mundo. Suas vidas ilk, se contentavam corn apenas essa real idade.

Mexiam as maos alterando o rote iro dos contrastes. Inventavam formas de risos corn seus prOprios corpos. Quando a chama se extinguia, o embrulho de almas apertava-se explodindo o amor, agarravam-se um ao outro sem ar ou folegopara tanto desejo. Emendavam num sono de sonhos cinzentos, diferente da vigilia colorida sob a ponte. A manhaos flagrava e de novo aquele mundo sem vida... nem sombras, nem luzes. Para os amantes sO ha escuridao sobre a ponte.

SETIMO

Uma Questa(' de Vida e Morte Foram seis as vezes. Deveriam ser apenas duas, mas acabou sendo seis. Ele mesmo falou: you perguntar so uma vez.

Eu nao respondi. entao etc insistiu, é a ultima vez que pergunto... quern é voce?

Senti uma pena danada dele.

Como poderia responder tal pergunta?

Enfim, veio a terceira, a quarta, a quinta e a sexta. Finalmente indaguei: voce nao disse que a segunda era a altima? 0 homem bufou, suou de pingar o char).

Esbofeteou o meu rosto, chutou a cadeira e foi embora batendo a porta. Me deu um acesso de riso. Os outros homens ao meu redor, indignados, me socaram impedindo as minhas gargalhadas incontidas.

Desistiram. Fiquei todo ensanguentado.

Intimamente admiti: era uma excelente pergunta, a questa° de toda uma vida.

Fazer o que? Eu nao sabia a resposta.

Passei dias jogado no chao, sem enxergar. devido ao inchaco dos olhos.

Intercalei crises ex istenciais corn ataques de riso. No fundo a situacao era irOnica.

Procurei por toda parte, durante urn bom , tempo, a resposta e quando me dei por vencido, apareceu essa gente me perguntando o que jã tinha desistido de saber. Estava ciente da impossibilidade de uma resposta unica, concreta. Sempre pensei que a questao era indiferente para outras pessoas. Por que se importariam corn quern eu sou? Por isso eu na. Pela primeira vez nao me senti sO. Tempos depois apareceu alguern e me levou para urn grande patio. Lembro que os raios de sot machucaram os meus olhos. No patio. outros homens e me laguardavam. Urn deles insistiu: quem e voce? E eu pensei: que gente maluca. sera que enquanto eu estava corn o nariz enfiado nos livros, nao ter concluido quern !sou eu, virou crime? Novamente: quem é voce? De qualquer forma a pergunta me Fencheu de emocao. A taram minhas maos, ivendaram meus olhos. Nada disso me limportou, o que me feriu foi a voz kstridente de urn terceiro homem: quem é voce? qual o seu nome? E antes do clicar Oos ferros, pensei: eles nao se importam, nunca se importaram, era so catilinaria.

Iritei o meu nome. Uma voz ordenou o Icancelamento da acao. Tarde demais, urn unido atravessou minha cabeca, meu corpo desabou e minhas animas palavras foram: era s6 meu nome, apenas urn nome...Uma so lagrima secou no meu olho inexpressivo.

OITAVO Os Santos —SO SE1 MOO QUE FOI A BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

MAJOR VERGONHEIRA DA VIDA. DA MINHA VIDA ! IMAGINE EU MURCHA, TODA A VIDA SECA...

EMBUCHA DA ! Num consigui nem olha pru doto...parecia sem vergonhice...

UMA VIELHA COMO EU, DE BUCHO CHEIO. Ate porque quando a gente quis, eu e o meu Ze, uma doutora falou que A GENTE ERA HISTERICO...

—Histerico nao, minha senhora esteril.

—E ISSU MESMO ! Esteri...

(Talvez ela tenharazao... pelo menos no momento ela esta histerica e certamente jamais foi esteril. 0 Ze dela, sem cluvida ). issu mesmo,.ESTERIU. Entao o Ze morreu, coitado do meu Ze... eu vhiva ha mais de sete anos...sem h6mi, EMBUCHADA ! ( Nem Santa Isabel ).

—A senhora tern certeza?

—0 dote, passou tudo na televisao.

Eu mesma vi UMA MANCHA SE MEXENDO DENTRO DE MIM. PENSEI QUE FOSSE ATE DOENCA. —Minha senhora ninguem engravida sozinha.

—Nlas moco, DEPOIS DO MEU ZE EU NUM TIVE MA1S HOMI. ( Nem Santa Isabel ).

—Psiu. Filho nao se faz sozinha, minha senhora.

—Hum... teve seu Joaquim. La da padaria. VELHO SAFADO...

—Psiu! Minha senhora por favor...

—TA certo moco, mas que ele é, ele é!

ROUBOU UM BEIJO DE MIM. Me levo pra ve o forno novo, no fundo da padaria e me roubou urn beijo. BEM FEITO! LEV() COM UM PAOZINHO NA CA,RA. Beijo nao embucha. Embucha? ( Nem Santa Isabel ).

—NAo, a senhora sabe disso. foi o que aconteceu com Maria Madalena?

—NAo minha senhora. Corn ISABEL, Santa Isabel ! ( Coitada da santa, ser confundida corn a outra. Perdoa Meu Deus..."Nao julgueis para nab ser julgado").

—Tudo é possivel. 0 mais certo é que a senhora esteja esquecendo de alguma coisa...

—Issue... Ando esquecida... memOria ruinzinha, ruinzinha. Já deve de se' a idade. Que eu me alembro... Ai meu Santo Antonio, nao me alembro...

SANTO ANTONIO! E ISSO. ETA SANTINHO DANADO! —Psssiu! Minha senhora, por favor...o que é que o Santo tern a ver corn isso?

—Dispois da quermesse de Santo BFtAZZIL -JULY 2003

Antonio, se alembra moco? Tava cheio de gente... eu conheci urn sinho muito distinto... era primo da minha prima Marcelina. MARCEL1NA! ELA ME PAGA. TUDO CULPA DE MARCELINA E DE SANTO ANTONIO! —Minha senhora!

—Disculpa. Dispois da quermesse, Marcelina invento de faze quentao la ern casa. Marcelina sempre foi assanhadal ( E eu nao sei ).

—Ela tava de olho no amigo de seu Nicolau, é esse o nome do tal sinho.

Nicolau num e nome de santo?

—E Sao Nicolau, o santo...

— Entao, comecamos a bebe quentao.

Conversa vai, quentao vem, e o coita o do seu Nicolau que num tinha uma saOJe boa, era muito fraco pra bebida,caiu to sonopesado bem no meu sofa. Marceli na e o outro resolveu volta pra qi.rermesse o forro iacomeca... ME LARGO AQUE E WWI DISTRUIDO RONCANDO 1O MEU SOFA. EU JA NUM ME AGUENTAVA. As pratelera estavam bamba. E QUANDO AS PRATELERA COMECA A MEXE, TA NA HORA DE DORMIR, foi o meu Ze que mim ensino. ALEM DISSU EU TAVA POR CONTA COM MARCEL1NA QUE NUM TINHA NADA QUE DEIXA 0 POBRE VEL 0 DESAMPARADO, NA MINHA CAA. Eu falei assim: MARC ELINA, EU S U VIOVA DIRE1TA, MOCA, N M QUERO FICA FALADA. Marcelina iu e disse que ele era BROCHA. —MINHA SENHOORA. —TA, TA NUM PREC1SA FICA NERVOSO. Entao... onde eu estava?

AH SIM, o moco esta me atrapalhando!

Esse meu esquecimento... é que eu tenho nervu, E sistema nervosu... FIQUE1 10 DISPOIS DA EMBUCHADA. Ent o, AH! Caiu aquele aguacero. Me cont ro

dispois que Marcelina e o talzinho icO dancandoforro... IMAGINE, NAQU LE AGUACERO E SEM MOS1CA. M RCELINA SUA DESAVERGONHA A! —Minha senhora mais respeito!

—E que eu num to acostumada. E muita coisa s6, prumacabeca fraca como a minha. Entao no meio da noite, por causa dessa minha cabeca, eu esqueci a janela aberta e acordei toda molhada e dei de cara corn quem? SAO NICOLAU DORMINDO DO MEU LA DO. —SAO NICOLAU NAO. Seu Nicolau.

—Me embaralho, NESSA HISTORIA TEM MUITO SANTO! Sao Nicolau, Santo Antonio, Santa Isa...

—Continua minha senhora e por favor deixa os santos em PAZ! 0 moco divia ward urn chazinho, to achando que o moco tambern tern sistema nervosu...

—Todo mundo tern minha senhora.

--E POR ISSU QUE SO TEM DESGRACEIRA. Entao, seu Nicolau tava la roncando do meu lado e eu toda encharcada. Minha cama fica embaixo da janela. Eu deixei 0 VELHO SAFADO...

—Minha senhora...

DISPOIS DE TUDU 0 MOO NUM QUEQUEU XINGUEO VELHO? Entao fui pru banheiro me seed e tird a ropa, na hora nao reparei, eu ainda tava zonza de quentao, mas agora to me alembrando... tinha urn troco meio grudento...

—Minha senhora, evite os detalhes.

—E PRA EU CONTA TUDO OU NAO? Entao troquei de ropa e fui pru sofa. No dia seguinte nao tinha seu Nicolau e nem o talzinho, so Marcelina roncando na minha cama...AH, AGORA TO me alembrando... eu sonhei corn o meu Ze fazendo sem versonhice comigo...NUM ERA 0 ZE. ERA SEU NICOLAU! BROCHA QUE NADA, TREMENDO SAFADAO...

—MINHA SENHORA, MINHA SENHORA TENHA RESPEITO. —E que eu nunca fiz isso antes... pensava que era pra rata tudu, tudinhu !

Marcelina disse que eu podia... MARCELINA AQUELA VA...DESTRAMBELHADA. 0 QUE VAI SE DE MIM? NUM SEI DAQUELE SAFA... ta bao, ta bao...

— Peca conselho para o Senhor... ja num disse que eu nunca mais vi o seu Nicolau?

—Minha senhora nab é desse senhor que eu estou falando, e de Deus.

—AH...

—Reze, reze muito que Ele iluminara o seu cam inho.

—Entao Marcelina, o mop disse que podia se milagre de Santa Isabel, se Santo Ant6nio e Sao Nicolau não tivesse se metido.

37

NONO Anas A primeira Ana abriu os olhos inchados. Era mais urn dia. Abriu bem os bracos na tentativa de nao evocar a lembranca de tanta ausencia, preencheu todo Q espaco do colchao. sentiu-se momentaneamente completa. A porta abriu. Eta rapidamente fechou os olhos, O coracao batia forte enquanto fingia ressonar. 0 cheiro de bebida invadiu o quarto e ele caiu pesado e roncando. Ana corn a alma enxuta queria pelo menos chorar. Levantou-se sem a preocupacao de nao fazer barulho. Olhou aquele estranho de boca aberta, babando e pensou que era isso que the restava: a baba da bebida apodrecendo a sua vida.

A segunda Ana acordou mas seus olhos insistiam em nao abrir, talvez fosse o inchaco.

Suas palpebras coladas imobilizavam tambem o seu corpo. Hoje eta nao queria ve-lo, mas a porta abriu trazendo urn odor ocre. Eta imOvel, na secretamente por desprezo e tristeza. 0 consolo era saber de sua inexistencia para o outro.

Sem se dignar the dirigir um olhar, desabou na cama de sapatos e gravata.

Seus roncos lembravam os de urn urso hibernado.

Ana decidiu. Ana decidiu.

Pensavam as duas, cada uma de um lado da cidade: chega dessa vida esquecida, das noites insones e das lagrimas ressequidas nos cantos dos olhos. Chega de roncos, do cheiro de bebida. da espera infinita e dos amanheceres agourentos. Chega. Chega.

A primeira fez as trouxas. Pegou a imagem de Sao Jorge e a foto do filho morto e foi embora a pd. A segunda arrumou suas roupas Armani dentro da suas malas Versati e corn o seu passaporte sempre em dia. rumou para aeroporto em seu Mercedes.

Ana chorou. Ana chorou. Chorou molhando o volante do carro. Chorou corn a cara colada na janela ensebada do 6nibus. Nao agiientaram. Ana largou Mercedes, Versati e Armani. Sufocada, mergulhou na multidao.

Ana impulsivamente, desceu do anibus, deixando para traz, sua trouxa, sao Jorge e a foto do filho. Arremessouse contra a multidao. As ruas sempre iguais acabaram por fundir-se e as Anas se esbarraram. Corpo a corpo. A Ana da mansao, do Mercedes, consumidora de Versati, e Armani chorava sem ver as lagrimas da outra. Pensou: para essas pessoas é mais facil, estao acostumadas ao sofrimento. A Ana do barraco, de Sao Jorge, do filho morto, corn seus olhos 38

embacados pelas lagrimas nao reparou que a outra tambem chorava. Inas notou suas roupas caras e pensou: essa. a vida nao abandona. nao sabe o que e solidao, nao tern marido bebado babando em seus travesseiros de linho.

Ana se enganou. Ana se enganou.

DECIMO Banquete de Flores —Sal! —Nao saio! Sai daqui... Já disse que nao saio! Todos os dias o inferno instala-se, deflagrando a mesma discussao. Eu a expulsava mas eta continuava rodopiando pela cozinha.

Onde eu ia la vinha eta atras. Para onde olhava me deparava corn o mesmo olhar pidao. Os inevitaveis esbarrOes floresclam meus nervos. Eu me silenciava, seu peito estufava, as veias do pescoco tremiam, entao era eta que gritava: --Eu quero aprender! Teimosa. teiinosa e sO tinha sete anos. Nao conseguia nem

Vai brincar alcancar as panelas! menina! —Naaao! —Faz de conta...

—De faz de conta eu nao quero; minha boneca nao quer corner coisa de Plastic° e nem aquela porcaria de misturinha de mentira... eta quer lasanha, macarrao, arroz, bite, bata... •—Sai nao me amole menina, olha que o chinelo voa!

De tanto insistir, aporrinhar, acabei ensinando. Eta aprendeu. Enquanto as panelas entediavam-me, eta aos nove anos tateava apaixonada perfumes e sabores.

Nascera corn o Dom. Saltitava entre as panelas, perita, mas pequena ao meu ver para entregar-se perdidamente ao forno e o fogao.

Retornando de mais urn dia de trabalho, impregnada de problemas e buzinas, flagrei urn banquete. Meia dtizia de mendigos fartavam-se corn iguarias feitas por eta. Uma ladra, de onze anos, assaltando a despensa da prOpria casa para brindar vagabundos. 0 meu sangue

ferveu cozinhando o meu cerebro. Meu sapato voador desviou-se dela, acertando urn dos coitados. Minha bolsa rota, desgastada pela inSistente friccao procura da Ultima moeda, sinalizava: aquela obsessao culinaria tinha chegado ao meu limite. Del fim a festa derrubando pratos e trazendo-a pela orelha para a dura realidade dos fundos das bolsas e despensas vazias. Ao inves de trancafiala entre bonecas, condenei todos os armarios, distribuindo cadeados por toda a casa. Gritei para o mundo ouvir; — Quando voce tiver a sua casa, seu dinheiro, voce pode dar um banquete por dia. Eu me matando para p6r comida dentro de casa e voce regalando essa corja. Eta nada disse, parecia nao se importar coin o vexame.

Dormi mat naquela noite. Urn pesadelo sobre um an jo assando-me numa grande fogueira, enquanto eta e seus amigos mendigos riam e aplaudiam a minha sina, despertou-me corn fome de perdao. A cu pa atordoava-me. 0 que eta fazia era bonito. Bonito nos livros, na novela das oito... tudo tern limite. 0 remorso desarticulava a leveza da cabeca, do coracao pesado. Insuportavel! Em resolueao intima decidi: reconheceria a beleza do seu gesto, o seu talent°, porem ponderaria os limites impostos nao por mim, mas pela realidade.

0 quarto vazio picou minha confianca. 0 medo invadiu minha alma disrritimando meu peito: Fugiu, me abandonou, virou mendiga, nunca mais hei de ve-la. Era o cutelo do meu pensamento fendendo minha crenea de dias melhores.

Desatinada, sal sem ao menos me trocar, gritando desesperada por eta. Ao abrir a porta. vi uma mesa improvisada.

Uma faixa erguida sobre a mesa, agradecia a minha ex istencia. Eta radiante entre os seus amigos mendigos ofertavame urn banquete de flores. A emocao me fez deslizar pelos degraus da entrada da casa. Amoleci, tombando no chao.

Estragando irremediavelmente mais urn banquete oferecido por eta.

Pode ser que o caleidoscopio um dia possa ser consertado, enquanto isso sao os seus fragmentos a vida de cada anonimo.

In the original this shor story was called "0 Caleidoscopio Quebrado. Os Dez Fragmentos.

Luciene Pinheiro is psychologist and writes short stories, some of which were published in anthologies. She also writes movie scripts. Her email for contact: lupinheiro Jul&hotmail.com.

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

1111110""--

VISOP.*

110

On the afternoon of the day before won at Indy, with 16 of them combining qualifications for the 87th running of the for 43 of the 87 total victories.

Indianapolis 500, Helio Castroneves and De Ferran' s2003 victory, which came Gil de Ferran sat patiently in the swelteron the heels of back-to-back wins by ing heat of pit road. Castroneves in the Castroneves, marked the fifth time a cockpit of his gleaming red and white Brazilian piloted car had entered vicMarlboro Team Penske Dellara Toyota, tory circle beneath the famed and de Ferran in his identically deco'Brickyard' pagoda. But acrated Penske Panoz G Force Toyota. In knowledging the three most each case a Penske crewman shaded recent Brazilian victories the Indy-car pilot before him with a only hints at the significance red and white umbrella. of twenty-five months that The introspective De Ferran have forever altered the appeared motionless and calm, character of Brazilian but the always-spirited Castromotor-sports. neves performed a sort of choThe months of May reography with his hands, apin 2001 through 2003 parently in rhythm to the mumust now be viewed sic that emanated from speakDecades of success in Formula One, and now, through a wider lens. ers around the track. SudDe Ferran and CastroFormula Indy, supported by winning personalities, denly the air split with thunneves have punctuated der and spectators came to Brazilian successes and, are redefining Brazil's national character through life as Tony Kannan roared by doing so, have made its love affair with racing. The last three years have by in his green and white Team a lasting impression that 7-Eleven Dellara Honda. The contributes to a growing changed the face of Brazilian racing history. In air was charged with electricity; Brazilian racing mystique.

Indianapolis, Brazilians have accounted for 11 I felt it ripple through me as But they were far from Kannan screamed past. alone, and that mystique has top-ten finishes in that period.

Ifyou ask just about anyone who been built on a broader base knows anything about racing these of racing prosperity. It isn't PHILLIP WAGNER days, they can tell you that de Ferran, simply that Brazilians have won Castroneves and Kanaan are Brazilian, at Indianapolis for three consecuand two of the three have won at the tive years, and it isn't simply that legendary two and a half mile oval track the ones who won there have so conat Indianapolis in recent years. If there sistently excelled. Brazilians have acwere nothing more to be said, that would counted for 11 top-ten finishes in that seem enough. Only 60 drivers have ever three-year period. That's a whopping 37

Speed Is in The Blood

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

39

percent! But they'veaccounted for seven top-three finishes in that same period, and that's an astounding 78 percent!

Other Brazilians competing along with de Ferran and Castroneves at Indianapolis in 2001, 2002 and 2003 were Raul Boesel, Bruno Junqueira, Airton Dare, Felipe Giaffone, Tony Kanaan and Vitor Meira. Five Brazilians finished in the top-ten in 2001. Five Brazilians led the race in 2002. Junqueira and Castroneves each started once from the pole position. De Ferran might easily have won all three years, and Castroneves nearly did. Giaffone finished third in 2002. All of these drivers together have redefined what it means to achieve excellence in Brazilian motor-sports. And by so doing, they've created a kind of mystique that provides a psychological edge and enhances the likelihood that more Brazilians will be considered candidates for future opportunities in racing.

Each of the "Boys from Brazil" that have competed at Indianapolis in this period owes something to Emerson Fittipaldi, and to some non-Brazilian legendary names in racing. Let's begin with the later first. In a general sense, a mention of the legacy of Tony Hulman and the contributions of Tony George cannot be avoided. Curiously, the Brazilians were notably the first and most vocal all month (May) in 2003 to credit Hulman and George for preserving the historic venue that has provided them the opportunity to excel.

I recall that each of the six Brazilians at least once elaborated at a press conference and/or the victory banquet on the overwhelming sense of history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. De Ferran, Castroneves, Kanaan, Giaffone, Dare and Meira seemed almost astonished that the George and Hulman families had exhibited such determination to preserve that history and carry it forward. So, by Brazilian participant acclamation in 2003, Tony Hulman and Tony George must be enshrined in the collective memory of Brazilian motor-sports.

Roger Penske, in particular, has earned a blue-collar place in the pantheon of Brazilian racing history. The legendary Penske has now won thirteen Indy 500 races, that's just shy of 15 percent of the total number of winning cars. The five Penske-powered Brazilian wins have all occurred in a 15 year period, accounting for 33 percent of all Indy 500 wins in that timeframe. Another non-Brazilian name likely to be ensconced in Brazilian racing lore is Andretti. Father Mario and son Michael 40

each competed in Formula One. Each knew Ayrton Senna, and Michael was a teammate of Senna' s. Asa car-owner and teammate to Tony Kanaan, Michael has contributed to the success ofthe Brazilian speedmerchant. Kanaan led the 2002 race when his car hit the wall and finished third in the 2003 closest ever 12-3 finish in Indy 500 history. At Michael's urging Mario has also mentored Tony, not that a lot of mentoring has been necessary. The feisty Bahian nearly captured the 2003 pole with his arm in a brace. And his qualification run occurred in the face of stiff w inds well ahead of the late afternoon period most suitable for attaining higher track speeds.

Emerson Fittipaldi Paves the Way All Brazilian success at Indianapolis can be traced back to Emerson Fittipaldi.

By twice taking the checkered flag at Indy he firmly established the credibility of Brazilian drivers in the North American racing formula. But getting there was a long road that first defined Brazilian credibility in Formula One. In 1967 brothers Emerson and Wilson Fittipaldi began building go-karts in Brazil, and racing them.

Their success led Emerson to Great Britain in 1969, where the 24 year old secured an opportunity in Formula three.

In 1970 he graduated to, and through, Formula Two to Formula One. He set the Brazilian racing world on fire by winning the coveted world title in 1972 and then, according to Brazilian racing historian Oscar Valporto, by using his newly established prestige to bring Formula One to Brazil".

When Emerson earned his second Formula One title in 1974, he opened doors of opportunity for other Brazilian drivers. Among them were his brother Wilson and a young Jose Carlos Pace, whom Valporto notes "won the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1975 and was seen as a future world champion". But the growing legend .of 'Moco', as he was known, was cut short when he prematurely died in a 1977 air-crash.

In a day after the 2003 Indianapolis 500 press conference, champion de Ferran responded to a question from Brazzil magazine by saying that the "... tradition of having Brazilian drivers in the forefront of international motor-sports ... really started with Emerson. 1 think it cascaded from there. Emerson inspired a new

generation, which included Nelson Piquet, that inspired yet another generation that included Ayrton Senna".

The First "Fittipaldi Empowered" Generation Nelson Piquet emerged from Fittipaldi's shadow to become a racing presence in 1981, when he drove his Brabham to the Formula One title. Like Fittipaldi he failed to repeat as champion. But also like Fittipaldi, he won again in his third year, in 1983. Piquet won a third title in 1987, but by then "had to share Brazilian popular affection" with Senna. Senna was "the man who was to become the country's greatest ever-racing driver, and for many fans of the sport, the greatest driver of all time". He arrived in 1984 "with the reputation of a driver who had won all the European championships he had entered". He lost to Alain Prost in his rain shortened Formula One debut, and for several years had to compete against opponents with more and better resources.

Valporto notes that Senna gained in stature by "beating ... opponents (who drove) cars that were obviously faster".

That gained him an opportunity to join the famed, and well-funded, McLaren team. He won world championships in 1988, 1989 and 1991. In 1994, on a track in Italy, Ayrton Senna became the second Brazilian motor-sports superstar to BRAZ2IL -JULY 2003

perish in his prime. Formula lndy's Michael Andretti offered high praise for Senna as a man, whom he got along well with and called "the best". De Ferran said "Ayfton was certainly the most inspiring ... If you ever watched Ayrton drive, it was just an awesome sight. I certainly had the privilege to watch him drive and it was really captivating".

Senna's successes in Formula One overlapped with Fittipaldi's first appearances, and greatest success, at Indianapolis. Fittipaldi, Piquet and Senna, together, consolidated Brazilian racing credibility around the globe with the possible exception of in the United States.

Fittipaldi addressed that by winning at Indianapolis at the age of 44 in 1989 and at the age of 48 in 1993. He was driving for the same owner that Hello Castroneves and Gil de Ferran drove for while winning in 2001, 2002 and 2003, Roger Penske.

The Penske-Brazilian association doubtless opened the eyes of many Formula Indy fans and owners. There were already eight Brazilians driving in Formula Indy by 1996 when one of them, Andre Ribeiro, won the inaugural Rio 400. But by then an existing rupture in open-wheel racing had led to openly split authorities for Formula Indy in the United States. The original sanctioning body became the Indy Racing League, or IRL, and the rival faction became the Championship Auto Racing Teams, or CART. The Rio 400, doubtless founded on interest generated by Emerson Fittipaldi's success in Formula Indy, was sanctioned

by CART. The talents of Brazilian drivers remained off the radar screens of IRL fans until CART teams arrived back at Indianapolis in numbers to participate in the 851h running of the Indianapolis 500.

Brazilians have dominated the race since BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

that time. Now a n career path for raci is being established another Fittipaldi.

Another Fittipa di Opens Doors Wilson Fittip Idi's son, and Em rson's nephew, Chr stian, was already co peting in Formula° e by age of 21. His areer exploded af er winning 29 of 51 okart races between t e ages of 10 and 16. In 1988, at the age of 7, he finished second in the 1988 Braziliin Formula-Ford 200 Championships. He then became the B azi I ian and South American Formula Th ee Champion and in 1991 captured the F rmula 3000 Intercontinental crown. : etween 1992 and 1994 Christian co peted in Formula One, but unexpecte ly left it to compete in the Formula In y CART IndyCar' series.

In 2001 Christian was given an pportunity to test drive a NASCAR Bu ch Grand National (BGN) car after retu ing from a CART race in Australia. e ran as high as 10th in a BGN race later t at year and in 2003 left CART for he NASCAR Winston Cup series, a ch !lenge not previously undertaken by B azilian drivers. While it remains to be s en whether other Brazilian drivers will 1low in Christian's footsteps, his curr nt pursuit raises the intriguing possibirty that NASCAR could beat Formula I dy to the punch by gaining a foothold in he Brazilian market.

Racing-passionate Brazil might nd the novelty of stock car racing-to be especially appealing. Mega-media gi nt Globo might be more inclined to p omote a racing formula that is so differ nt from Formula One, which it covets. Gi en the influence that uncle Emerson has ad on the history of Brazilian motor-spo s, should we expect any less from the se ingly even more versatile and exceptiinally talented Christian?

Will Brazilian success and fan app al in the U.S. take IRL to Brazil?._ Most, if not all, ofthe current Way of Brazilian drivers in Formula Indy h ve advanced together, or followed one nother from go-kart racing through a ogression of international racing circ its to Formula Indy. Emerson Fittipaldi, il de Ferran and Felipe GiaffOne even r present three generations of Brazilian d ivers who started by racing slot cars.

Brazilians have been a highly visible presence in proving grounds like Formula Ford, Formula Chevy, Formula Three, Indy Lites and Formula Atlantic.

The demise of Indy Lites, which served to prepare drivers for Formula Indy competition, has been followed by the emergence of the new IRL Infiniti Pro series.

Infiniti cars are identical in size to the Formula Indy CART and IRL machines, but have fewer horsepower. Brazilian Thiago Medeiros of SAo Paulo competes in the new series.

A remarkable characteristic of Brazilians in all formulas of motorsports racing is the simple fact that so many of them remain unassuming and approachable in spite of achieving much success.

The Brazilians are in love with racing and North American fans are embracing their enthusiasm and openness with appreciation. Whether Brazil will eventually embrace these extraordinarily talented drivers, and Formula Indy, with the same level of enthusiasm remains to be seen. CART no longer competes in Brazil and IRL has yet to pursue establishing a competition there. Perhaps that will change following the extraordinary three years of Brazilian domination at Indianapolis chronicled above. One can only hope.

Sources http://www.brazil.org.uk/ page.php?cid=880 http://8w.forix.com/mrh/index.htm I http://www.netaxs.com/—ggl /race cartirl.htm http://www.autoracinghistory.com/ http://autoracing.about.com/ msubdrivermenu.htm http://www.ddavid.com/formulal/ fitti_bio.htm http://fittipaldionline.com/ current_season/history.shtm I A final note: When asked if he was aware of his growing place in, and impact on, Brazilian racing history de Ferran replied "... it's really for all of us to decide, not really for me. All I worry about is doing a good job on Sunday afternoons and, you know, let the rest follow through."

Phillip Wagner is a regular contributor to Brazzil and represented Brazzil at the 2003 Indianapolis 500.

He maintains an extensive web site on Brazil at http://www.ielnet/ —pwagner/brazilhome.htm. He may be contacted at pwagneriei.net 41

Vila Velha, with ftsfreakish:s*ndSior formations much like Monun Arizona, was where an and heir treasures and worships Tupi god. A select band of apiabas, stood guard and we to touch women in case powers.

"The Tupi name for Vila Velha is Itacueretaba," said my guide Antonio, who was driving me along the CuritibaIguacu highway. "It means the ancient city of stones."

Antonio, despite his name, had a Ukrainian-German background. Brazil's southern colonization was relatively recentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in Parana only in the last 100 years, and mostly after the Second World War. The red earth around us had been allotted to private coffee-growing homesteaders, more like the westward US expansion than the traditional Portuguese oligarchic landocracy of the previous centuries.

Until the 1960s, German was the second most widely spoken language in Curitiba's university; a whole suburb in the town, Santa Felicidade, advertises itself as little Italy; and there is a Brigadoon Ukrainian village in Upper Parana. The latter Slavic influence explains why in Curitiba I ate the stodgiest croissant I have ever had the misfortune to buy: it was a croissant that pretended it was a blinis.

Antonio was a busy man. He had just returned from driving a busload of Germans from Iguacu to Ouro Preto. Tomorrow he was taking a group ofArgentineans to Gramado in Rio Grande do Sul. His hands were bandaged.

"My wrists ache from carrying tourists' bags," he complained. "They bring so much and they need to wear so little."

"Probably all their souvenirs," I commented. "Any stone miniatures in Vila Velha?"

He shook his head. "I'm surprised you know about it," he said. "In the office we don't get many requests for the park.

It's the best-kept secret in Parana, and it's only an hour from Curitiba. Do you know the legend?'

I asked to hear it.

Vila Velha, with its freakish sandstone formations created by ancient glaciation and wind erosion (much like Ayers Rock in Australia or Monument Valley in Arizona), was where an ancient race kept their treasures and worshipped Tupa, the Tupi god. A select band of warriors, the apiabas, stood guard and were not allowed to touch women in case they lost their powers.

Their commander Dhuy was seduced

by Arace, a woman of extraordinary beauty, sent by rival tribes to bring down the apiabas. Arace's secret weapon was a chalice containing palm wine from which Dhuy drank and lost his senses. As the two lovers lay to sleep, an enraged Tupa caused an earthquake, turned the city into pinnacles of stone and buried the BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

treasure in the Golden Lake.

"There's a Golden Lake?" I jumped, thinking of El Dorado.

"You'll see," said Antonio as he parked the car by the park entrance. We started down the trail followed by a lone coati expecting food; i it could read Portuguese, it would have seen the notices from Parana Turismo—don't fish, hunt. cut trees, vandalize the rocks, leave rubbish or feed the animals—and would have left us sooner on our hike.

The rock formations of Vila Velha—the Arenitos—lie along a short 30-minute circuit devoid of vegetation, for even the ground is smoothed-out undulating rock. They have special names: the Camel, the Coca-Cola bottle, the Indian (complete with crown of feathers), the Boot, the Whale, the Bear; there's a group of round malocas next to a semblance of the Egyptian Sphinx and finally—the Chalice itself.

"There it is," said Antonio. "Araces chalice."

I looked at the chalice formation—in fact there are three, with the largest rapidly becoming the symbol of the park. The primitive cultures of yesterday needed an explanation for everything as much as we do today, but never in my life would I have constructed a Samson-like epic tale of betrayed love from this boulder spectacle. It's a Brazilian thing.

Before we returned to the car, Antonio took me on another short trail, shaded and cool. The smooth rocks were damp and slippery; I followed him carefully as we slid into an enclosure.

"Look up," he said.

The walls around us inclined inwards and were crowned by a large stone seemingly suspended in mid-air, but in truth microscopically balanced about 50 feet above us. Now that was quite a sight!

"It's always been there," said Antonio. "It may fall down one day— I just hope I'm not underneath."

So where was the Golden Lake?

"First we'll go to the Furnas," said Antonio.

The Furnas—popularly known as the Devil's Cauldrons— are three kilometers further down the BR-376, but are still part of the state park and the same ticket gets you in. They are four verticall craters filled with water, part of an underground river system, in the manner of the Mexican cenotes naturally occurring in Yukatan. The deepest one, with a diameter of 80 meters, drops 53 meters and has a small rusty elevator which takes you to the water level. Having gone so far, I had to take it, of course, although I had no idea why I should want to. I decided I had made a mistake as the lift creaked, cranked and clanged as it descended. I walked onto the bottom wooden platform, looked up, waved like a stupid tourist to Antonio, said a prayer to Tupa and entered the lift with my eyes closed.

"Do many people come here?" I asked a ranger when the elevator reached the top—or rather hit it head-on. Hey, suspension is for wimps!

"Oh yes," he said. "About one or two a day. More on Saturdays and Sundays." Allowing for Brazilian exaggeration.

I must have been the first one to use this lift for weeks.

Antonio and I trekked under the shadow of pine trees, ducking the thick green moss of barba-de-pau beard) serenaded by scores of yellow canaries. Our last stop was the Golden Lake, which is another crater like the Furnas but with a shallow bottom covered with a layer of yellow mica that sparkles golden under the rays of the sun.

"What do you think of Curitiba?" Antonio asked me as we passed fields of green interspersed with yellow and orange BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

highlights, like t e wings of a giant ttuacu butterfly spread on the ground.

I pointed at the fields. "What are those?"

"Feijdo," he said.

"In Brazil even fields of humble beans look beautiful," I whispered to myself as my neck strained to follow the expanse of color.

"Best-kept secret in Parana?" I asked ntonio rhetorically.

In all Brazil.

JohnM is a computer programmer and occasional journalist working in London, England, using his earnings to travel between contracts. A fluent Portuguese speaker, he has traversed the whole of Brazil from Manaus to Porto Alegre and from Recife to the Pantanal sampling the life and history in the course of four sep arate journeys. The author can be contacted at iohnAscroll.demon.co.uk His extensive Brazilian travelogue has been published by Summersdale. It's called Brazil: L e, Blood, Soul. Many pictures from the travelogue .ppear in http://www.scroll.demon.co.uk/brazil/ index.htm His p sonal site is in http://www.scroll.demon.co.uk/ spaver.htm Brazil can e obtained from http://www.summersdale.com price £8.99 and from Amazon at http://ww .amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1840243503/ rer/o3D e/05Faps%5Fbooks°/05F1%5F1/202-69300954763822

NEEDS A COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR He/she will be in charge of advertising and marketing reporting directly to the publisher.

Send your résumé to: Brazzil PO Box 50536 Los Angeles, CA 90050 E-mail to: brazzil@brazzil.com Or call: 323-255-8062 43

V7:1,

°"..;

-1 he term pagode," meaning festive gathering, existed long before z.:f friends from the Camaval parade group Cacique de Ramos (Indian Chiefs of Ramos) started meeting to sing, play, drink, and dance in samba jam sessions. It was the late seventies, and Camaval had grown increasingly more commercial, leaving pagodes as the sole outlet for aspiring samba composers and musicians. Without a "name" leader and without "name" players, but with a collective spirit and the potent ability to play well together, this group met regularly at the pagode in the Ramos neighbor-

Fundo de Quintal brought a new public to the samba and inspired a generation of sambistas. Their sound has emanated beyond Rio to the periphery of Brazil, and to the US and Europe. They earned numerous gold and platinum records along with ten Sharp awards as the best samba band in Brazil.

BRUCE GILMAN

hood, in Rio de Janeiro.

Impressed with what she heard after visiting the Ramos pagode, singer Beth Carvalho, a headliner with impeccable samba credentials, invited the "unknowns" to record as supporting musicians on her 1978 album De Pe no Chao. The album released a pagode tidal wave, and what had been an exclusively suburban ritual became fashionable, spreading throughout Rio. From recreational gatherings in an underprivileged area, a movement grew within samba itself, enticing all social and economic classes as the group's special blend of samba became one of the most commercially successful in Brazilian music.'

So much has been said and written about Fundo de Quintal that it is difficult to summarize their career without restating clichĂŠs that have already been digested by thousands of fans. Nevertheless, adopting a definitive name, Grupo Fundo de Quintal recorded the first of many albums two years after Carvalho's discovery, and their atmospheric sound broadcasted beyond Rio and throughout Brazil. The group's harmonic and instrumental innovations radiated so widely that just the name triggered familiar and welcome associations in the minds and ears of samba lovers.' Thus, a new group was born without a prestigious name to hang its hopes on, but with an identifying phrase that has since become a byword in the world of samba.

Fundo de Quintal brought a new public to the samba, inspired a generation of sambistas, and had an uncommonly large influence on fledgling groups, albeit many without Fundo de Quintal's traditional roots. Over the past two decades, their sound has emanated beyond Rio to the periphery of Brazil, and from there to the United States, Europe, Africa, extending even as far as Japan and earning en route numerous gold and platinum records along with ten Sharp awards (Brazil's former equivalent of the Grammy), seven of them received consecutively as and it's not difficult to understand whyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the best samba band in Brazil.

Possessed of an unassailable esprit de corps and a personal as well as empirical style, Fundo de Quintal seems unable to play without inspiraBRA7_ZIL - JULY 2003

44

tion; performances are guaranteed to raise the spirits. Theirs is music designed to be played in asocial context, not listened to in hushed reverence. On July 26, 2003, Brazilian Nites Productions--having just completed a decade ofproviding Southern California with the finest in Brazilian music— brings to Hollywood's John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, the rootsy euphoria of the group whose name is synonymous with pagode, Rio de Janeiro's backyard samba band—Grupo Fundo de Quintal. , The group's interaction and enthusiasm is unmistakable on their latest CD, Ao Vivo no Cacique de Ramos, which finds Fundo de Quintal back on their home turf, the rehearsal area of Cacique de Ramos.

Aside from serving as a musicaUhistorical reference point, this exuberant music is a celebration of the culture from which it derives, Nothing could be further from the earnest incompetence of the many that passed as players of "pagode" than this ceaseless ensemble's poise, balance, and irresistible swing—mightily impressive.

They almost breathe as one man; their sense of timing is all but clairvoyant. Just a look at the sidemen—it's teeming with samba and choro luminaries—may be all you need to ascertain that this disc, full of good taste and thoughtful musicality, must be heard.

Founding member Sombrinha, a composer with credits for literally hundreds of songs in his résumé, is their first special guest on "Vein pra Mim" / "Oitava Cor," a medley in which Rildo Hora's harmonica evokes an immediately infectious atmosphere. Delivering a second dose, Sombrinha returns on the vibrantly arranged medley "Papo de Samba" / "Nascente da Paz," this time with the exotically shimmering colors of Ze da Velha on trombone and Silveri° Pontes on fltigelhorn. This is a duo that is utterly in control ofwhat they are executing. Their lines, however simple, however oblique, are lucid and perfectly weighted.

Showing reverence for one of samba's masters, Zeca Pagodinho creates a sensual and exciting mix with three gems from the canon of Candeia: "Samba da Antiga," "Olha o Samba, Sinha," and "A Flor e o Samba." Whatever the lyrics, Pagodinho lets listeners know he's having a good time.

Pagodinho has an impressive empathy with the chosen material, molding it at will into the mode of expression he requires and invariably sounding like he's smiling.

Fundo de Quintal's godmother, Beth Carvalho, takes the medley "Bate na Viola" /"Cacique de Ramos" to expressive heights.

With both instinct and technique, she is one of samba's most sensitive, intuitive, and tasteful interpreters, always outgoing and BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

ebullient. Interestingly, the first tune oft is medley appeared on an album that Carva revealing her considerable foresight, h d enthusiastically recommended—Fundo e Quintal's first. But as ever, the mater al doesn't matter since everything is tr sformed by the Carvalho touch. The grou 's interplay is a marvel, but the spotlight sta s, as it should, with Carvalho.

The rightful King of Pagode, one of e founders of Grupo Fundo de Quintal, d the man responsible for the popularizati in ofthe banjo in samba, Almir Guineto, le is an air ofgrace to "Gamacao Danada" fr m the group's (already cited) first album d "Boca Sem Dente," a hit he co-wrote t at appeared on Fundo de Quintal's third:1bum, Nos Padodes da Vida. Super ly crafted and scintillatingly executed b a group ofmusicians exhibiting real cam • aderie, these tunes illustrate how buin to helped to give the group a personal identi , ultimately making them the standard-be ers of pagode.

The poet of samba, Jorge Aragao, I ft Fundo de Quintal to pursue a solo car er after their first album, but returns here to accent the melodic character "Min as Andancas," a tune he wrote in partners ip with Cleber Augusto that appeared in Fundo de Quintal's fourth album. Edu Neves, a player of consummate instrum ntal ability, inherent rhythmic dash, and 11 emotional commitment furnishes wo dwind supportwhi le Rildo Hora's harmon ca adds inventiveness and sophistication.

The title track from that same alb , "Seja Sambista Tambern," is coupled th "Canto de Rainha," an inspired tribute to Dona Ivone Lara, which cites her "So I o Meu," "Alvorecer," and "Prea Come If Again, the dynamic duo of Silveri° Po es (trumpet) and Ze da Velha (trombo , whose instantly apparent rapport achie es 'telepathic elegance, proves they can dri e, invigorate, and expand the scope of ny samba. Theirs is a devoutly ensemble pproach.

When Jorge Aragao followed an vidual path, Arlindo Cruz was called to take his place on banjo. Cruz sings e afoxe medley "Forca, Fe e Raiz" / "B o de Fe," as the alto flute of Eduardo Ne es (in devastating form throughout) decor es a track drenched with a Bahian ambi ce that seems to float on a steady but deli te current, showing Fundo de Quintal's ppreciation for distinctive Brazilian ge es without ever losing their samba roots. S Iflessness typifies Cruz's interpretive styl insightful, reverent, and ultimately rev aling—on "Quantos Mon-os Já Subi" fr m the 1991 album E AIque Quebra a Ro a "Cambono de Artista" features the cl net of Grammy-winning Paulo Mo ra,

whose warm-toned playing goes from strength to strength in all contexts. Dudu Nobre, an admirer and celebrated representative of pagode' s new generation, sings "Fases do Amor" also from Nos Pagodes da Vida. Sounding especially surprising is "Segura Peao," its rural accent and the easy fluidity of Henrique Cazes's acoustic guitar delivering a rhythmic, melodic, and dynamic contrast often absent in pagode.

With their characteristically relaxed intensity, these samba all-stars clarify on the penultimate track, "Batuque no Quintal," why they have been the bedrock on which so many outstanding groups have been founded.

Winner of the Premio Caras, Ao Vivo no Cacique de Ramos is a delightful aural experience with so many layers and textures created that one is tempted to luxuriate in its richness. I asked the group's imaginative vocalist and cavaquinho player, Mario Sergio, about the recording, their audience, and, ofcourse, the term"pagode."

His sensitivity, perceptiveness, and, above all, his recall are remarkable and afford illuminating insights into the world of pagode as well as his own innovative way of playing.

Brazzil—The term pagode meant one thing in the eighties and something different in the nineties. Can you talk a little about its original meaning, how it changed, and what it means today?

Mario Sergio—Actually, the meaning hasn't changed. In the eighties, Fundo de Quintal was playing what came to be called pagode. After a lot of media exposure, many groups started to imitate us. The difference was in the way they played, but nothing changed. Pagode was, and still is, the same thing.

Brazzil—How did Fundo de Quintal stay afloat in the marketplace when record companies promoted groups playing the diluted style of pagode?

Mario Sergio--In the nineties, you could count a hundred samba groups that played electric guitars and keyboards, and, at the same time, attributed their inspiration to Fundo de Quintal. Many also played sertanej a, but the media had found a new bi 177word and was calling almost anything, pagode. If you looked closely, you would have seen that there were few true pagode groups. Ninety percent of those groups, even the most commercially successful, have disappeared. But the roots, the essence--Fundo de Quintal, Zeca Pagodinho, Beth Carvalho, Jorge Agagao, Almir Guineto—are still very much alive and happening. Fundo de Quintal has contin45

ued on the scene and in the media's eye because of our traditional and authentic way of writing, performing, and playing.

Brazzil—Did the others disappear because they were mimics?

Mario Sergio—To be marketable, many of them built their shows and repertoire to target a particular audience. They used unnecessary effects that were calculated to please crowds, but had little to do with real pagode. Some ofthose groups sold 500,000 units their first year, but almost nothing the second, and by the third had disappeared altogether. Their audience had outgrown them and looked for something deeper. It's difficult for a sophisticated urban person to play real pagode. It's like an Italian opera diva singing the blues. The emotion that is lived, the heart, the soul, the love, and the pain, the essence of pagode lies in the individual treatment given the material by the performer. Experience, in its purest, densest, and most poignant form brings a composite, which can't be imitated or substituted. This is the perfect way that God has ofgiving to those who are really deserving. God knows; the record industry doesn't.

Brazzil—The music industry and marketplace have changed radically over that past 23 years, and I'm wondering if Fundo de Quintal is finding any new obstacles to overcome.

Mario Sergio—Thank God we're not governed by marketplace pressure. Our fans guarantee our livelihood, so it doesn't matter what others are doing with the latest technology. We are primarily a percussion group whose originality and authenticity has remained a warranty for our fans. We're lucky because our record company understands this and doesn't interfere with our repertoire. After so many years, albums, and tours, we've become a tradition. We have discussed this with the company's board of directors, who always say, "Let them do what they're doing. It's selling." That kind of back-up is a privilege with which few groups can identify.

Brazzi/—Young people are burning, rather than buying CD's. Has this pirating trend affected your record sales?

Mario Sergio—This kind of thing is also happening in Brazil. Before Jorge 46

Aragao released his CD, burned copies were available on every street corner. But I can't blame the people who are doing the selling, only whoever made the information available in the first place. This gets very political. Pirates are everywhere. I really like jazz and was looking for the new CD by American guitarist Norman Brown, but I couldn't find it in the stores, so I bought a pirated copy on the street. Sometimes, it's easier. Fortunately, Fundo de Quintal doesn't have this preoccupation with sales. We have maintained a sales average for each album, a certain number of units that sell without promotion and without pressure, whether or not the tunes make the hit parades. So we're comfortable.

Brazzil—Are you doing anything to attract the younger Brazilian audience that is listening to drum 'n' bass, rap, and hip-hop?

Mario Sergio—Our audience spans three or four generations. Fans from ten to ninety sing our music, and we believe that maintaining our sound is most important. It reaches the young people. We don't want to invent or fix or change anything. Our fans are happy with pur honesty. We don't have to use foul language to sell records, and we're selective with the imagery that we do use. That's tradition. Seeing very young and very old people at our shows singing and dancing and crying is an emotional experience.

Brazzil—Bira is said to have created a new "swing" in the way the pandeiro is played. In the U.S. the word "swing" usually refers to the thirties style of big band music. What does it mean to you?

Mario Sergio—Swing is that mysterious ingredient in pagode. It's the way the pandeiro player controls the complicated rhythmic patterns generated by the entire

group, connecting what the repique an tan-tan are playing while at the same time expressing himself. It's the rhythmic and coloristic dexterity he uses to complement the information being fed to him by the cavaquinho and banjo, an adding of fee I ing to build a quality groove.

Brazzil—W ould you say that over the past 23 years Fundo de Quintal's songs have expressed one particular theme more than others?

Mario Sergio—We have four composers in Fundo de Quintal who appreciate our philosophy and write what we need, but we don't specifically write to a theme, like . fcrvelalife, love, drugs, or samba. Although it happens occasionally. Our music can talk about the soap operas, what happens when the ccrvaco string breaks, football, samba, everything that happens in life. We do keep romantic songs in our repertoire, however, because many ofthe married couples in our audience met at one of our concerts.

Brazzil—The tune "Nascente da Paz" says that samba is a philosophy. Does the group have a philosophy?

•Mario Sergio—We do. Respect the great composers, the masters, from whose fountains you drink, and never change your essence. Fundo de Quintal may have revolutionized samba with a new instrumentation and by singing the phrase metrically and clearly, yet we observe the lessons we learned from the masters: Nelson Cava' quinho, Cartola, Monarco, Candeia, Heitor dos Prazeres, the Velha Guarda.

Brazzil—If you were going to a desert • island and could take only three Fundo de Quintal recordings, which would you choose? ; Mario Sergio Could I take three women ;.instead? That would be an easier decision.

If I could bring three women and three I would bring Chega pra Sam bar, Samba e no Fundo de Quintal—Vol. 2, 0 Show Tern Que Continuar, and the three women, of course.

Brazzil—Fundo de Quintal won the Premio Ca ras as the Best Samba Group for Cacique de Ramos. How complicated was the final mixing process?

Mario Sergio—When we record live, microphones pick up those "real atmosphere" sounds that need to be cleaned up, like talking or equipment BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

being moved or positioned. But the cleaning up job, a kind of repair work, takes less than two weeks. We plan ahead so everything is set, and we only use sound engineers who are familiar with our sound.

Brazzil--Since most of your fans already have these tunes, I'm wondering if the disc was released just to fulfill a contractual agreement with BMG? Mario Sergio—In a certain way is was a commercial necessity, but it was also to let young people know the Fundo de Quintal story. Our challenge was how to tell the whole story with one CD. Because we have so many songs, our idea was to combine tunes (twenty-three tunes in fourteen tracks) that highlight, like newspaper headlines, our full Cacique de Ramos history, and we invited specific guests because of their part in our history. Once we had decided which tunes to record, Rildo Hora decided the order they would appear on the CD. So although it was BMG's idea, Cacique de Ramos has the same integrity as all of our albums.

Brazzil--"Segura Pao" has an unconventional accent. Could you comment on that tune?

Mario Sergio—We have a few composers who contribute songs to our repertoire, and "Segura Pedo" is a tune that was written by one of them. We recorded this one because we perform many shows at rodeos and wanted a song connected with that kind of ambiance.

Brazzil—"Quantos Morros Já Subi" talks about the good things in favela life, and I'm wondering if sambistas are removed from favela violence?

Mario Sergio—What is happening in the favelas today, is no different from what has been happening fora longtime. Only now, it's on a much greater scale. But this is the same violence we find on inner-city streets in the United States. We wanted a song about the good things that take place in those same surroundings. When someone has a feijoada and there's a party and everyone brings instruments and plays samba, those are the good things that happen. Aside from all the violence, you do have good things happening there, fortunately.

Brazzil—Has the recent violence in Rio had any impact on your performance schedule?

Mario Sergio—We're not working too often in Rio, however, the general samba calendar has been severely damaged. The traditional Wednesday pagode in Cacique de Ramos is growing weak because the quadra is between two. favelas that are fighting; this warring damages live music, whether or not it's business.

Brazzil—Artists are always asked to play certain tunes because fans request them. Which ones have to be included in the U.S. tour?

Mario Sergio—We'll perform songs from each album, hits our fans love to sing, like "Menina da Colina" (Simplicidade), "Parabens pra Voce" (Fundo de Quintal e Convidados), "0 Show Tern Que Continuar" (0 ShowTtem Que Continuar), "Chega pra Sambar," and "Nosso Grito" (Chega pra Sambar).

And Bira, who, as you know, is an unbelievable dancer, will come on stage early, maybe with his brother, Ubirany, who also loves to dance, and samba don't say anything.

Brazzil—What about the future?

Mario Sergio—The future for Fundo de Quintal is the present.

Everything is wonderful; soon we'll be celebrating our boda de prata (silver anniversary). We are writing what we really feel, singing in a simple and direct way, doing what we love the most.

BRAZZIL. - JULY 2003

Our plan for the ture is to continue doing exactly that. New ideas continue to corn , but our way of singing and playing will stay the same. What we want now is 10 percent of the Chinese market (laughs).

Brazzi/—Any essage for your fans in the United States?

I want to thank all the Brazilian people who live Mario Sergi in the United S tes for bringing the Fundo de Quintal sound to others. With thi new tour, we'll have an opportunity to visit many cities in the Uni d States, and for this, we're thankful. You know, I have a snealcy uspicion that Fundo de Quintal will rouse the U.S. to samba. ' Today the term agode is used almost derogatorily, as a more diluted, romantic, pop-ro k version with electronic instrumentation and overblown arrangem nts appeared in the early nineties, which was created assembly lineion by professional "hit makers." ' In addition to t eir elaborate vocal harmonies, the group's harmonic and instrumental innovations include introducing into samba the banjo (an instrument th t combines the guitar and drum, is of proven African origin, and was a mainstay of American plantation music-making), the light and versatil repique de mao (a tiny tambourine-like instrument without rattles th t is played with a plastic stick), and the conical tan-tan as a replacement or the unwieldy surdo. * Many thanks ti Sonia Santos of Yellow Green Productions for her invaluable techn cal support.

Bruce Gilman, music editor for Brazzil magazine, re dived his Masters degree in music from California Institute of the Arts. He is the recipient of three go ernment grants that have allowed him to research traditional music in China, India, and Brazil.

His articles on Brazilian music have been transi ted and published in Dutch, German, Portuguese, Serbian, a d Spanish. You can reach him through his e-mail: cuicainterworld.net 47

uantos Morros Já Subi Sergro/Pedrinho da Flat Quantos MOMS já subi Desci sem vet b que falarn pot ai, me faz terrier Essa gente vive assim, sem reclamar inguem é tao ruim, Ia tambem se gibe Omar Tudo mundo é irmAo, todo mundo 6 compartheiro La no mono da Formiga, do Bore e do Salgueiro La tern samba pi no chao, poesia verdadmra o mon-o de Serrinha, la no MOM de Mangueira Desci sem v ujvrthuiia alegha, muita gente a sornr No mono do Juramento, Pavitozinho, Tuitti Eu já vi felicidade, muita gente ser feliz No alto do AndaraLe no motto da Matriz Desci sem vet...

I've Climbed so Many Hills I've climbed so many hill And came down without seeing What they say happens up there, things that make me shake That's their way of life, they don't complain Nobody's that bad there, they also know how.*) love They're all brothers, they're all friends Up on the hills of Formiga, Borel, and Salgueiro There's samba and true poetry there Up on the hill of Serrinha, up on the hill of Mangueira came down without seein I've seen so much joy, so many smiling people Up on the hills ofiuramento, Pavaozinho, and Tumti I've seen happiness, Iota of happy people Up on the hills of Andarai and Matriz came down without seein

Essa gente vive em paz, essa gente faz o bem Seja no Pau da Bandeira, seja na Vila Vintem Esse povo que a cidade, chama de fora-da-lei Vive corn dignidade, sem levar vida de tel

These people live in peace, doing good In Panda Bandeira, in Vila Vintem These people the city calls outlaws They don't have the life of a king, but they live wi

Na morro que a sociedade nao quer enxergar Como en enxerguei Vive corn dignidade, sem levar vida de tel Chacrinha, Turano, R• inha e outrOS legates Que eu nAG contei

The hill that society doesn't want to The way I see They don't have the life of a king, but they live wi Chacrinha, Threat), Rocinha, and other places That I didn't sing in my song

Vive coin dignidade, sem levar vida de rei Vive corn dignidade, sem levar vida de rdi Vive corn dignidade, sem levar vtda de ret

They don't have the lifebf a king, but they live with dignity They don't have the life of aldng, but they live with dignity The don't have the life of a king, but they live with dignity

uniofic Quintal Vern pra Mim (Acyr Marques Pode set um falso amor ode ser que sO me traga dot Pode ate meu peito machucar Que mesmo assim eu you te amar Eu you te amar, viu e querer me faz sonhar Te olhei e quis me entregar E me entreguei medo de me arrepender urn se existe o carinho que vem de voce E me entreguei Sern medo de me arrepender mum so existe o carinho que vem de voce Vern pra mum Que en quero ser feliz Te fazer viver em paz Eu quero ser teu protetor 'Fe dar calor e muito mais SO quero poder te dar calor Te fitzer &nor coma ninguem faz Beijar teus cabelos, teus labios de mel E nos ineus carinhos te entregar o ceu Ilala, laia, la Rai& laiA, laid Bala, laia, laid

love Itriui7be a That'll only bring me That'll break my heart hive you an But love you.'

My desire for you makes me dream When I saw you, I wanted to give myself to you And I did ithout fearing regret o me there's only one love: the one comes from you I gave myself to you ithout fearing regret To me there's only one love: the that comes from you erne to me want to be happy o help you live in peace ant to be your protector ()give you warmth and much rn only want to give you warmth 'Make love to you like nobody Kiss your hair, your honey lips And give, y caresses Ilala, laia, I Bala, laia, tali Ilala, laid, laid

PeAo (Luizirtho S2.) o touro no rodeio gura peao, segura peao é na padroeira, pede protecao icao brasileira par todo essc interiorzito Num grande cowboy de primeim Corpo, alma e voraerlo

Bold Tight, cow Release thebull, it's rodeo ties Hold tight cowboy, hold tigh Have faith in your patron sain ask for protection It's already become a tradr the interior of Brazil .

All great cowboys do Body, soul, and heart

Solta o touro no rodeio Segura pear', segura pap

Release the bull, it's rodeo time Hold tight cowboy, hold tight ;

Oh, sobe poeira, nao pock beijar o chao Vai equilibrando na sela, segura corn uma se mao vai no grito da galena: "Esse 6 o nosso campeae Salta o touro no rodeio egura Peau, segura Pe&

Oh, the dilstiUp, he can't fal down Balanced on the saddle, holding tight with one hand And the crowd shouts champion!"

Release the bull, it's rodeo t' Hold tight cowboy, hold tight BRAZZIL -JULY 2003

(Bishop)—The tortured life of schizo-paranoid popular artist Arthur Bi po do Rosario (1911-1989) who created st of his art using trash and old material fr the Rio psychiatric hospital where he Ii d.

Written by Joao Miguel and Edg rd Navarro, directed by Edgard Navarro, ith Joao Miguel.

Bispo

Nercessian. Castrinho, Hugo Carvana.

Dois Perdidos Numa Noite Suja (Two

Lost Souls in a Dirty Night)—Brazil/ 2002—Two undocumented Brazucas, a shy man and a promising singer, are roommates in New York. Directed by JoseJoffily, with Debora Falabella and Roberto Bomtempo.

JUT-RELEASEI R IL-RELEASER MEM[ANGUS' MOVIES:

III Batalha de Arroz num Ri ngue para Dois

(Rice Battle in a Rink for Two) Written by Mauro Rasi Directed by Miguel Falabella, with Miguel Falabella and ClaudiaJimenez.

Playwright Rasi, who died in April, wrote the play for Falabella and Jimenez in 1985, but this was the first time they staged it.

The story of marriage of Nell° and Angela, which brings lots of laughs to the public.

Capitanias Hereditdrias (Hereditary Captaincies)—After embezzling a huge amount of money, a trio composed by an unscrupulous banker, his partner, plus the sister-inlaw try to leave the country. Written and directed by Miguel Falabella, co-written

by Maria Carmem Barbosa, with Jose Wilker, Ney Latorraca and Natalia do Valle.

Sem Vergonhas (No Shames)—Based on Anthony McCarten and Stephen Sinclair's play Ladies 'Night. The New Zealand story about down on their luck men who decide to put a strip-tease show was moved with success to the Lapa neighborhood. Written

by Daniel Botti, translated by Liane Lazoski and Gabriela Morales, with Jandir Ferrari, Leandro Hassum, Jayme Del Cueto, Marcelo Mello, Pedro Neschling, and Marcelo Escorel.

SAI PAULO

Quarta-Feira, Sem Falta, La Em Casa

(Don't Miss It •This Wednesday at My House)—Comedy. Two friends, both widows—one a hypocrite, the other foul mouthed—meet every Wednesday .to exchange gossips and their own past extraconjugal sexual adventures. Written by Mauro Brasini, directed by Alexandre Reinecke. with Beatriz Segall and Myrian Pires.

Novas Diretrizes ern Tempos de Paz (Peace

Time New Guidelines)—The 1945 dramacharged real story about Polish Clausewitz, who needs a permit to stay in Brazil and the man who can give him this document.

Written by Bosco Brasil, directed by Ariela Goldmann, with Tony Ramos e Dan Stulbach.

BRA7_ZIL - JULY 2003

+ Velozes + Purtosos (2 Fast 2 Furious, A Creche do Papai (Daddy Day Care), A F sta Nunca Termina (24 Hour Party People, A Ultima Noite (The 25th Hour), A Nage de Chihiro (Spirited Away), As Horas (The Ho s), Blush (Hong/en), Canguru Jack (Kangi oo Jack), Carmen de Godard (Prenom Carm n), Como Cdes e Gatos (Cats and Dogs), C. mo Perder urn Homem em 10 Dias (How to 1..•.e a Guy in 10 Days), Embriagado de Amor (Pu hDrunk Love), Foi SO um Beijo (Just a K'ss), Frida(Frida), HistdriaProibidas(Storytelh g), Kamchatka (Kamchatka), left& - 0 F Ime (Piglet's Big Movie), Matrix Reloaded he Matrix Reloaded), 0 Bastardo (Jan Dar , 0 Filho (Le Fils), 0 Filho da Noiva (El H(jo e là Novia), 0 Homem Sem Passado (The an Without a Past), 0 Pianista (Le Pianiste , 0 Que Fazer em Caso de lnce radio? (What1 Do in Case of Fire?), Por Um Fio (Phone Both), Premonicdo 2 (Final Destination 2), R ma (Roma), Taurus (Telets), Tiros em Co/urn' the (Bowling for Columbine), Todo Pode oso (Bruce Almighty), Uma Mu/her E uma M her (Une Femme Est une Femme), Uma Re eita para a Mafia (Dinner Rush), Voltando A iver - Antwone Fisher (Antwone Fisher), X- n 2 (X-Men 2)

(The Man ho Used to Copy)—Brazil/2003—W ile working at a Porto Alegre (state of Rio Grande do Sul) stationery store and r ading the material he copies, a young an dreams of of a new and rich life. Dire ted

by Jorge Furtado, with Lazaro Ra os, Leandra Leal, Pedro Cardoso and L ana Piovanni.

Carandiru (Carandiru Penitentiary)— razi1/2003—Based on Estaciio Caran iru (Carandiru Station) written by Dra zio Varella. A doctor trying to prevent IDS in Brazil's largest prison becomes ci nfidant to several inmates. Directed by I-1 ctor Babenco, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, M Iton Got-waives, Ivan de Almeida, Ai Iton G aca, Maria Luisa Mendonca, and Rod igo Santoro.

Cidade de Deus (City of God)—Br zil/ 2002—Based on Paulo Lins's nov 1 of same name. An inside picture of • io's favela Cidade de Deus. How Dadin o e Buscape grow up in world of drugs and crime. Directed by Fernando Meirel le and Katia Lund, with unknown actors, in luding Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Fir ino da Hora, Seu Jorge, MatheusNachterg ele, and Phcllipe Haagensen.

Deus E Brasileiro (God Is Brazili )— Brazil/2002—God decides to take a acation, but before leaving his post. He h s to find someone to take over during the b eak.

Comedy directed by Caca Diegues, with Antonio Fagundes, Paloma Duarte, W gner Moura, Bruce Gomlevsky, Stepan 0 Homem Que Copiava

best sellers FICTION I. Onze Minutos, Paulo Coelho 2. Uma Vida Interrompida: Memorias de u rn Anjo Assassinado, Alicc

roily

Coplhe Al" 4.N•

Sebold 3.

Erros Irreversiveis,

Scott Turow 4. Banquete corn os Deuses, Luis Fernando

Verissimo Rosamunde

5. Um Encontro Inesperado,

Filcher 6. Angus: o Primeiro Guerreiro -

Livro

1, Orlando Paes Filho 7. Melancia, Marian Keyes 8. As Mentiras Que os Homens

Contam,

Luis Fernando Verissimo 9. A Princesa Apaixonada, Meg Cabot 10. Harry Potter e a Pedra Filosofal Vol. I, J.K. Rowling

-

NINFICTIIN 1. Abusado, Caco Barcellos 2. Stupid White Men: uma Nacao de Idiotas, Michael Moore 3. Mulheres Alteradas - 1, Maitena 4. Estacao Carandiru, Drauzio Varella 5. Fora de Controle: Como o Acaso e a Estupidez Mudaram a Historia do Mundo, Eric Durschmied 6. As Boas Mulheres da China, X inran 7. Mulheres Alteradas - 2, Maitena 8. A Ditadura Envergonhada - Vol. 1,

Elio Gaspari 9. Vinho e Guerra, Petie

Kladstrup & Don

Kladstrup 10. Prenda-me Se For

Capaz, Frank W.

Abagnale

IELF IELP EIIIIIICISI 1. Quem Ama, Educa!, Icami Tiba 2. Criando Meninos, Steve Biddulph 3. 0 Poder da Solucio, Roberto Shi-

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Zibia M.

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Spen-

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James Clavell 8. Pai Rico, Pai Pobre, Robert

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How Is Brazil Racist?

Let Me Count the Ways.

Part II Brazil managed to develop a socially unequal society according to race without implementing the legally sanctioned racism of the US or South Africa.

Black and white people eating, dancing or even having sex together are not the applicable factors that determine whether racism is an active ingredient in multiracial societies.

MARK WELLS

7. "In Brazil we never had any laws denying blacks any rights.This argument is also flat. Official laws and signs saying "no blacks allowed" are not necessary if the rules are socially enforced, which is what happened in Brazil during America's infamous "Jim Crow" years. I have read as well as heard from several black Brazilians who remember when they were denied entrance into certain establishments because they were black.

There were no signs on the door, yet they were not allowed to enter.

In several books about Brazil, it has been reported that Afro-Brazilians were barred from entering prestigious social clubs even when they had the money for the special membership fees.

In the Frances Twine book, we find that black people were often times not allowed to walk on certain sides of the street! Again, no signs, but it was it a socially accepted and enforced custom.

Question: If one man is shot in the head six times and dies immediately and another man dies slowly from smoke inhalation, is the end result any different?

The point here is, both American and Brazilian systems of race-based discrimination achieved similar means in different ways, but with the same result. As a matter of fact, American style racism seems to have learned a few tricks from its Brazilian counterpart in the past 40 years or so! This doesn't mean that Brazil hasn't had a history of violence against its black citizens as past police repression of capoeira performances and Candomble rituals have proven.

Afro-Brazilians were frequently beaten, thrown in jail and their artifacts confiscated during police raids. fimmm...Sounds suspiciously like America of the 1950s and 60s.The difference here seems to be that the Brazilian elite was smart enough not to broadcast these images to the rest of the world on television thus keeping their racist practices hidden.

8. "In Florida, marriage between whites and blacks was forbidden..."

Inter-racial unions in the US were forbidden by many states but that didn't mean that they didn't occur. Even after slavery, white men continued their sexual abuse of black women and right into the 1970s continued to exploit black women who worked in their homes as domestic servants by threatening them with dismissal unless they gave in to their (white male) sexual desires.

Also, quiet as its kept, there have been illicit sexual affairs between blacks and whites, men and women in America's "closet". There are stories of vvh ite women who voluntarily gave up their status as "respectable" white women in order to marry and raise families with black men. I agree that race mixing was and continues to be more prevalent in Brazil, but that doesn't mean that it is accepted as much as it suggests tolerance.

Actor/singer Tony Tornado revealed how the Brazilian media banned mixed race couples from being shown on television. While inter-racial marriage may have never been outlawed in Brazil, sociologist Florestan Fernandez, in his classic study ofBrazilian race relations, The Negro in Brazilian Society, collected statistics that showed that 85-90 percent of white Brazilians disagreed with the marriage of one of their family members with apreto/a or pardo/a.

Another of Brazil's best kept secrets is that there have been incidents of black people being killed because they married someone white. Brazil also has a similar history of the sexual exploitation of black women. Young, white Brazilians boys were expected to have their first sexual experiences with black girls/women who worked in the homes of whites as domestic servants.

That doesn't sound like the good ol' US of A now does it?

9. "Blacks and whites inter-marry, drink and eat in the same restaurants, work and make friends in the same classrooms. If there are less blacks than whites at the universities, this is due to economic, but never juridical factors."

Like in America today, people don't always reveal their true feelings. If a person doesn't mind

54

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

being around a certain type of people because in his/her mind he feels that he is "above" or "better" than them, does this mean that they do not harbor racist feelings? In John Burdick's book Blessed Anastacia, he writes of how some white girls in a Rio de Janeiro church could not understand how a particular attractive, successful white guy could possibly marry a preta.

In other words, how could he marry that ugly preta when so many beautiful brancas are available? Burdick also reveals how many black girls at dances in Rio would keep to themselves because of the fear of humiliation at the hands ofwhite and even black guys (who would viciously criticize their dark skin or kinky hair) as well as the fact that none of these boys would ask them to dance.

As far as economic factors influencing college entrance, this is true. But you failed to mention how these economic differences are related to race. Let me explain, it's actually quite simple. Let's imagine that we both reply to the same job ad. Let us keep in mind the famous Brazilian job requirement of "boa aparencia" (good appearance, good looking), which. is code talk for "nO blacks allowed".

Now on the one hand, you, the white guy gets the job and! don't or on the other hand, we both get hired but you are paid significantly more than me for doing the same work.

This is a common occurance in Brazil as well as in America (SeeA cor dadesigualdade: desigualdades raciais no mercadode trabalho e aciio afirmativa no Brasil by Rosana •Heringer). These studies prove that as hard as it is for Afro-Brazilians to get into college, often times when they DO graduate, they are usually paid less money and promoted to higher employment positions slower and less frequently than their white counterparts of similar educational background.

Getting back to my example, whether I get the job earning less money than you or don't get the job and must settle for some sort of menial labor, you are now in a better economic position. Better economic position leads to better social position. Let's suppose you are paid R$800 per month and I end up in a job where 1 earn between $R250 and R$350 per month. Let's also imagine that you get promoted and earn higher salary raises than I. After 15-20 years on the job you can see how our social situations could vary.

You may marry someone, most likely a white woman, who earns about R$550 per month while I would most likely marry a black woman who faces the same type ofdiscrimination as I, and earns R$200 per month. Your family income could be as high as R$900 more than my family income. We both have kids, but while you earn enough money that your child doesn't have to work and thus can attend school and get an education (and. eventually get a good-paying job), my child must leave school before completing 5 years, and get a job in order to bring home some form of income.

Now imagine this cycle- is passed on over and over for several generations and you can now understand why the middle class stays , predominantly white while the lower class stays predominately black. Capitalism is a system that functions on inequality; men over women, white over black and young over old.

Thus, the practice of racism, sexism and age

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

discrimination actively promote social inequ . ity. Just because you cannot see it or it has 't happened to you,doesn't mean that it does 't happen!

Brazil managed to develop a socially equal society according to race without imp ementing the legally sanctioned racism oft US or South Africa. Black and white peo le eating, dancing or even having sex together not the applicable factors that determ • whether racism is an active ingredient in m 1tiracial societies. When we study the fact! rs that-do (health, socioeconomic status, edui ation), we find that race and racism fac or prominently in explaining persistent inequ. ties in life.

Edward Telles is yet another sociolo st whose studies of racism in Brazil prove at many inequalities that persist in Brazil to # ay cannot be simply explained away as a resul of social inequalities. If race was not a decis ve factor Ai most facets of Brazilian life, QU would have a more even distribution of bla. lcs and whites in MOST facets of Brazilian ssciety. Instead, Brazilian politics, media and b stness are all dominated almost exclusively by brancos.

How to Gage Racism For women who believe that racism doe. n't exist in Brazil, ask yourself this questio If men and women socialize together in soci get married and have children together, • • - S this mean that sexism doesn't exist? Be . se men and women interact everyday does is mean that it's not possible for a man to more money for doing the same job si ply because he is a man? , While questioning the influence of r ce, we must also realize that Brazilian society, ike American society, is dominated bywhite I N. If one is able to clearly see the existen ; of sexism, the same thought process mus be applied to the complexities of racism..

10. "Poor whites—and there are legio s of them—have the same difficulty to access upper level education that poor blacks have. ' •ch blacks—and they also exist—have the s ; e easiness of access that rich whites have. T ere is no reason, though, for this hatred to be exported to Brazil. In this country, fro the legal point of view, blacks were never discriminated."

Although I know that there are millio of poor white Brazilians, statistically, two-t irds of people living in poverty in Brazil are b ck.

And there is no need to import hatred to B il because racial discrimination is a matter o • fact in the daily lives of millions of Brazil ans.

Once again, legal discrimination does not m tter if everyone chooses to socially honor a r cial hierarchy that places whites first and bl Icks last.

Remember one thing. If a black man . d a white man both start off in the same s ioeconomic position and both go to college and improve their lives, the white man will fo ever be able to disassociate himsel f (or even fo et) from his poor beginnings because his skincolor will. give people the idea that he was always successful. On the other hand, Ii e in the example of Ronaldo's family, the lack man will still have to consistently prove t at he is successful because his skin color is as. I i-

ated with failure and lower class life.

II. "The word 'racism', not very frequent in the Brazilian press of past decades, now deluges the pages of newspapers."

Again, read your history! The reason why racism wasn't discussed as much in the past was because during the Brazilian military dictatorship years, to raise the issue ofracism was considered a crime! Black militants who spoke out against racism were in danger of imprisonment, torture or even death under this regime, particularly during the hardline years after 1968. Several black activists chose to go into exile during this period, the most prominent being Abdias do Nascimento. . In the years following the end of slavery, there were several Afro-Brazilian organizations that were formed to fight racism, the Frente Negra Brasileira (Brazilian Black Front) being the most prominent along with Nascimento's Teatro Experimental Negro.

There were also countless Afro-Brazilian newspapers that spoke directly to people of African descent concerning the condition of black Brazilians.

The FNB was forced to shut down by the Vargas regime in the 1930s and black organizations didn't really have another chance to organize again until the gradual abertura (the reduction of political repression) of the dictatorship in the late 1970s. Once again, you may not have been aware of these organizations because as a white Brazilian, you have never had to deal with issues of racism.

I repeat, just because you cannot see something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist!

12. "How can a poor, white kid face without animosity a black student who has taken his place in college only because the latter is black?"

I have a better question. Actually a few.

Why did the Brazilian elite choose to bring in millions of Europeans at the beginning of the 20th century and not Africans? In the 1970s, why did your Brazilian government consistently vote in favor of a racist apartheid regime in South Africa as well as voting in favor of Portuguese domination over its African colonies when casting its vote with the United Nations?

Why is it that some Portuguese slave owners set their barns full of black slaves on fire after learning of the abolition of slavery? How is it that after 500 years of white privilege, power and advantage you can even use your fingers to ask something that ridiculous? Why is it that you can so easily see when a program is set up to benefit someone black but cannot see the overwhelming benefit of white Brazilians since the Portuguese stole the land that came to be known as Brazil? With all of the evidence I have presented in this paper, I should be able to rest my case. When you do the research and learn that everything that I have written is true, feel free to write and say, "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

I DO agree that quotas in universities is not the answer to erasing racism and inequality in Brazil, but with illiteracy levels in places like Bahia being anywhere from 50-75 percent, in order for TRUE change to be made, the entire

55

racy, the fundamentals ofhuman rights, a press and freedom of the press, women with the same rights as men, and when clitoris are no longer mutilated nor women stoned to death, we can talk again."

educational system needs to be destroyed and reconstructed. Right now, with the average black Brazilian averaging only about five years of school, there aren't enough of them to take advantage of the quotas anyway. I think the government just wanted to show that they were willing to do something after so many years of doing nothing.

13. "When federal judge Bernard Friedman established the policy of affirmative action in the Law School of the University of Michigan, Americans began to realize that the quota policy was a wretched idea."

Again, in America, blacks have only really been free since 1965, so how can people begin to complain about something that has existed for less than 40 years when the previous 346 years promoted nothing but white privilege?

The last I checked, 98 percent of all businesses in the US were still white-owned, thus the power structure hasn't been shaken.

Bush and Affirmative Action So why are people so alarmed about Affirmative Action? If it weren't for Affirmative Action (white privilege), George W. wouldn't have made it through school! If it weren't for white privilege, there would be huge vacancies at schools like Yale, Princeton and Harvard. If it weren't for white privilege, most whites would not have been able to attain the wealth they enjoy today, which helps to keep our society racially divided with their communities enjoying unlimited prosperity and their being able to pass on this privilege to the next generation. Please don't start commenting about American problems when you are so uninformed about Brazilian problems!

14. "not a few whites claimed to be blacks in the last UERJ vestibular/one-drop rule" That may be true, but ifentranc,e were to be judged according to birth certi ficate racial classification and according to those who actually see the applicants, this problem could actually be solved. Again, I am not saying that quotas are the answers to the low attendance of black Brazilians in colleges and universities, but i f its going to work certain guidelines must be followed.

Socially, a person who is half black, but clearly has a European phenotype, like blonde dancer Carla Perez, in my view would not suffer from racial discrimination as a person who looks like actress Adriana Lessa would. In my view, the infamous one-drop rule is ridiculous. I remember having a white college professor who had a black grandfather although you would never know it from his appearance.

The one-drop rule would obviously not work in a country such as Brazil where racemixing has been going for so long. In many ways, physical appearance matters more in Brazil but as I stated in my essay "Where Did All the Blacks Go?", Brazilians will occasionally disqualify someone from being white if they knew that there werepretos in that person's family. Also from that article, I stated that while: "Brazil never legally adopted the infamous "one drop" of black blood rule as in the US, in the book Negroes in Brazil, author

56

Donald Pierson discovered a popular saying in Brazil that said "quem escapa de branco, negro eâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; ("who can't be a white man is a negro")."

IS. "Absurd laws are created under the pretext of fighting racism, but they end up stimulating it. Today, in Brazil, if you insult a black person, you incur in a heinous crime, with firm arrest and no bail allowed. But i f you kill a black person. the law is more lenient."

Hmtrun, this is interesting indeed! I'll tell you what. Do some research and find some names of black Brazilians who have successfully sued white Brazilians for racism and won in a court oflaw. Afro-Brazilian journalist Joni Anderson wrote that when he had a feature column in a well-known sao Paulo newspaper, his voicemail was constantly flooded by AfroBrazilians who had experienced acts of racism everyday. How many of those people do you think had the financial means to take these complaints to a court of law?

How many white Brazilians do you know (and can prove) have been actually thrown in jail for racist practices? Most likely NONE! And as far as murder, 1 can relay several stories I have been told in which a black Brazilian was killed and absolutely NOTHING was done about it! There is a well known story from 1996 about a 19-year old black kid named Luciano Soares Ribeiro who was run over while riding his bicycle by a white man driving a BMW who assumed that he had stolen the bike. The driver left Ribeiro laying in the street and when he was finally rushed to hospital, he died from his injuries. The boy had his bicycle receipt in his pocket. Do you know where this incident happened? In your beloved Porto Alegre!

Sure a law may exist against racial discrimination but that law is null and void if it is not enforced or the people don't have access to fair legal representation. Thus, in this case, racism bred both violence and social inequality, with a life taken in the balance. This is a regular part of li fe if you happen to be black and Brazilian.

16. "The history of Africa is the history of tribal warfare and slavery, stoning to death for adulterers, physical mutilation as punishment and sexual mutilation as custom. Democracy, human rights, freedom ofthe press and female emancipation are unknown institutions in that continent.

That Africa may be a tender remembrance of an immemorial past, that's all right. Today, though, it has no lesson to teach to the West.

When Africans have free elections and democ-

Now Mr. Cristaldo wants to share his biased opinions about Africa and explain why African history and culture should not be taught in Brazilian schools in order to increase the self-esteem of Afro-Brazilian children while improving Brazil's overall awareness of Africa's rich history and contribution to Brazil 's national identity. History, Mr. Cristaldo, can be told in many ways. There is an old African proverb that basically says that it is the victor who writes history from his perspective.

History's Two Sides Napoleon Bonaparte once asked "What is history but a fable agreed upon?"

As a child attending a Catholic school I once idolized the legendary American President Abraham Lincoln. I didn't learn until years later that in reference to the issue of race in America, Mr. Lincoln once said "I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race."

This reminded me of a line American rapper Ice Cube once said: "I'm sitting in history learning 'bout a sucka who didn't give a f**k about me!"

History must reveal its positive side as well as its negative side and then as the children get older they can do even more research and discover more truth. How dare you speak of African tribal warfare without speaking of Adolph Hitler's massacre of 6 million people or without speaking of King Leopold of Belgium exterminating 10 million people in the Congo in the late 19th and early 20th centuries!

Let's talk of how there were more than 20 million Natives in the Americas before the arrival of the European. Today, after mass European aggression and domination, there are probably around 2 million Natives between America and Brazil, the two largest countries of the Americas.

Let's talk about how the Germans exterminated 80 percent of the Herero tribe in Namibia in seven years from 1904-1911, Let's speak of how the French and British brought South African woman Saartje Baartman, aka the "Venus Hottentott", to Paris and London to parade her body in sideshows like a zoo animal because of the size of her huge buttocks! They later preserved her genitals and brain and placed them on display at a Parisian museum until the 1970s. The body was only returned to South African last year!

Let's speak about the incredible atrocities provoked by the Portuguese in Africa! Let's speak about the millions who have been killed in the European spread of Christianity! You want to speak of tribal warfare? Well throughout European history you fmd England vs.

France, Spain vs. Portugal, Italy vs. Greece, Christians vs. Protestants and too many other invasions, wars and episodes of mass extermination to speak of here.

You speak of physical mutilation?Do you know how women were treated and viewed during the spread of Christianity? Do the research! On the other hand, there have been many African civilizations that were matriarchal societies with the children of unions talc-

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

mg their mother's name and tracing their ancestry through the mother's family line. Sexual mutilation? There is still a debate as to whether female circumcision was a purely African custom or whether the Arabs introduced it into Africa.

Africans have killed each other, but where did they get the weapons to do so? Similar to the way the CIA dumped guns and drugs in African-American ghettos, Europeans have been giving Africans weapons for centuries also! Angola, for example, was stuck in a Cold War tug of war between America and South Africa on the one side and Cuba and Russia on the other. The result? African casualties!

Shall I even mention the 1976 Soweto riots in which the South African police opened fire and killed hundreds of defenseless black children for the crime of protesting against European domination and racism? We cannot truly know the history of African people until we separate it from centuries of European or Arab domination. Europe or European dominated countries are no place to start if we want to teach children about the value of human life!

What Democracy?

• You say, "Democracy, human rights, freedom of the press and female emancipation are unknown institutions in that continent."

Ifyou know anything about Western countries, you know that America and particularly Brazil have incredible ideals of machismo!

Countless studies have shown how Brazilian men have regularly killed Brazilian women who were suspected of infidelity while it was accepted norm among men. Democracy and human rights? Brazil's record or human rights atrocities are horrible! The mass murder of - black people and street children as well as modern day slavery in parts ofBrazil have been well documented! Where have YOU been living? Have you read any past issues of this magazine?

Have you read about the landless movements? Have you read the stat saying that less than 20 percent of the Brazilian population owns more than 80 percent of the land? How can you even speak of democracies when Brazil has endured two military dictatorships in th e 20th century and an "apartheid-era South Africa" type government that is still in power in Bahia? Have you read about the horrible methods of torture and numbers of people who disappeared during the 1964-1985 dictatorship? Have you read about the mass prison exterminations? Are you sure you are Brazilian? You could have fooled me!

You speak of free elections? Are you aware of the stolen elections ofJohn Kennedy and George W.? Apparently not. Political corruption is a worldwide thing, not just African.

And as far as democracy is concerned, former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso himself has said that Brazilians are only now beginning to learn what democracy really is.

Freedom of press? Only to a limited degree. Whenever people raise their voice against the government, they are oppressed or shut down. Why do you think Martin Luther King, Jr. was REALLY killed? Why were the Black Panthers really infiltrated and broken apart?

Why did so many people die during the Brazilian dictatorship of '64-85? Why haveso many Brazilian politicians been killed in the past 10

BRAZZIL - JULY 2003

years? Why were protestors against the WTI , IMF and World Bank repressed in Seattl a few years ago? Why have the (music grou ) Dixie Chicks been banned from Amen radio?

17. "That Africa may be a tender rem brance of an immemorial past, that's all ri t.

Today, though, it has no lesson to teach to West."

Whether you know it or not, the Egypti influence on Western society is incredib e!

Need a small reminder? Ever seen the back of an American Dollar Bill? It has Egyptians bolism all over it! Without the contributions of ancient Egyptians, many of today's te ological advances would not have been p ssible! That is PRE-ARABIC EGYPT! su don't read much history do you?

There are two main points to rectign ze here: 1) History has recorded that the Euro an has been the, perpetrator of the greatest d most horrific crimes against humanity! E er heard of Vietnam? How about the Span sh Inquisition? The Atlantic Slave Trade? Wo Id Wars I and II? That's just the tip of the icebe g!

Want current proof? Ever heard of Iraq?

If you are going to tell the history of e African and highlight the negative, you wo Id spend 20 times more time highlighting th of the European!

18. "It Wouldn't be likely for Portug ,a good Christian country, to fail to perpeu te biblical tradition" A good Christian country? Again, are ou aware of the Portuguese human rights atr ties in colonial era Africa? How about e Estado Novo military dictatorship that w as brutal as that of Brazil's? How about the re nt hate crimes against recent African itnmigr. ts?

Let's get out of fantasy and recognize real ty!

before the Arab invasion of the 8th century, what color do YOU think the Egyptians were?

Roman and Greek writers of ancient times described them as being black. The Egyptian population of today, like that of America and Brazil of today, is not of the same racial composition that it was before subsequent foreign invasions. The facial characteristics of the vast majority of Egyptian statues look like the people whom we would call black today.

Years before he died, Cheikh Anta Diop participated in a UN meeting of the world's most respected Egyptologists to determine, among other things, the racial identity of the ancient Egyptians. With skin fold deposits that he extracted from mummies, Diop proved that the melanin content in these mummies could have only been people classified by today's terms as black. When asked for rebuttals, none of the other Egyptologists could refute this evidence. Why is it so hard for so many people to fathom that the ancient Egyptians could have been black? Thoughts like these are inherently racist in themselves!

Rewriting History Also, unanimity among historians does not prove fact or fiction. Political agendas are often times behind the recording of history.

For example, in 1916, a well respected archaeologist named James Henry Breasted described the ancient Egyptians in a high school textbook as a race of "brown-skinned men., with dark hair". But after receiving valuable fmancial assistance from people such as John Rockefeller (who granted him $1.5 million), among others, in order to further his studies of the ancient world, his revised book referred to these same peoples as "members of a great race of white men".

One notices between the two books, the great lengths that Breasted took to suddenly disassociate Egypt from black Africa. Why? It's simple. In order to secure Rockefeller's generous donation, he had to change the racial classification of the ancient Egyptians. A financial reward in exchange for an alteration that benefits someone else. I know, that's IMPOSSIBLE, right?

19. "From Dhakar, one reader sends me references about Cheikh Anta Diop a Senegalese man of letters who defends the idea that ancient Egypt is part of ERG-I0 black Africa. It maybe.

But such a thesis is far from constituting unanimity among historians. Even if it were so, the argument is worthless. If a hypothetically black Egypt ever had a glorious trajectory, it is over now. The trajectory was interrupted somewhere along the way and today Egypt lives the hour of Islam nothing Asti. glorious there. Besides everything else, ancient Egyptwasslavocrat—just ask the Hebrews!—and this doesn't help the argument in favor of Africa either."

MEND ES

4.

Hmmm, let me see.. First of all, Egypt IS in Africa, right? Second,

57

Black historians and anthropologists have been recording history for many years although their work is often disregarded by the white academic establishment. But upon closer examination, the establishment must come to terms with the discoveries of these great men.

Its not about raising the position of black people in history while lowering that of white people. It's about learning truth. ' My question is, if more and more discoveries confirm the contributions of African descent people in world history, will non-black people be able to accept these facts? If they cannot, they must come to terms with their own biased attitudes! The Lemba people of southern Africa have for centuries claimed that they were Jews. The establishment refused to believe them. After DNA tests were taken, the claims of the Lemba people proved that they were indeed Jews.

Black scholars and historians have long claimed that Africans arrived in the Americas long before the European, but again, the establishment disregarded them. Well, in 1975, Brazilian archaeologists discovered the oldest known fossil found to date in the country. They called her "Luzia" and when they reconstructed her face they determined that the woman had all ofthe physical characteristics ofan African.

20. "For the time being, I repeat, Africa leans more towards Idi Amin Dada than towards Mozart."

I di Amin was definitely a cruel tyrant. But in a world economic system driven by geed and domination even the most honest people become devious. Before you start pull ing people like I di Amin out of Africa's history, you need to look into the crimes of Cecil Rhodes and King Leopold in Africa. They were definitely more Hitler than they were Desmond Tutu. I won't even start on the corruption of Brazilian politicians! That's another 100 page paper!

But I will mention a state deputy of Sao Paulo named Afanasio Jazadji who stated on his popular radio program his total agreement

58

with the assassinations of Brazil's street chil- before us and watched as these practices keep us arguing amongst ourselves as we fight dren!

Clean your own house before you start amongst ourselves for the leftover resources that the rich haven't already claimed. judging someone else's!

It is obvious that Mr. Cristaldo is another African descent people have had to view the world from the European perspective for believer ofthese fabrications that our so-called many centuries. If the tables were turned in the leaders have formulated while they continue to opposite direction, could peoples of primarily reap the benefits that they create. In concluEuropean descent view the world from an sion, I hope that the bulk of this paper gives a African perspective?! cannot answer this ques- clearer view o f the ways that racism continues tion for you. This is a question that people must to function in our society. Feel free to write to ponder for themselves. One can succeed in I me with your comments, but before you start fooling someone else but can that person fool ] flooding my e-mail box with reactionary rethemselves?! read Mr. Cristaldo's own com- sponses, please do some research on your own. ments that "some form of racism we all have, You just might start to understand what I'm or we would not be human" and then I read on talking about! as he attempted to deny the most overt and BIBLIOGRAPHY covert forms of racism that has existed since Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, by the Portuguese arrived in Africa in the late 15th century and later on with the colonization of Alex Bellos Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization Brazil.

I'm sure that there are some ofyou who are by Anthony Browder Neither Black nor White: Slavery and reading this piece who will continue to deny the influence of race in the daily lives of Race Relations in Brazil and the United States millions of people of African and Native de- by Carl Degler The Mystery of Samba: Popular Music scent in our world. But my question to you is, if your phenotype does not prominently dis- and National Identity in Brazil by Hermano play your African ancestry and you haven't Vianna â&#x20AC;˘Tropical Multiculturalism: A Comparadone any research about how race factors into one's chances of living a prosperous, healthy tive History of Race in Brazilian Cinema and life, how can you continue to deny the exist- Culture by Robert Stem Racial Politics in Contemporary Brazilby ence of something that you know nothing Michael Hanchard about?

Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian I also wish to affirm that I DO NOT view all people as racists! To the contrary,! have met Music That Seduced the World by Ruy Castro Racism in a Racial Democracy: The Mainmany people who look nothing like me whom I am convinced have not a trace of racist tenance ofWhite Supremacy in Brazilby France tendencies in their bodies. But I am also aware Winddance Twine "How the Germans Got the Land", New of the famous Brazilian (and American, for that matter) "prejudice against being preju- African. March 2003, pgs.42-47.

"Pale Perfection: White Women in Pursuit diced". The question is this: If you as a man or woman, black, white or other, Christian or of an Aryan Ideal", M. Wilson. [online] http:/ Muslim, knew for a fact that you received /condor.depaul.edu/â&#x20AC;&#x201D;mwilson/multicult/ benefits that others didn't receive simply be- white.html. (available) April 6, 2003.

"0 fim do mito", Carla Gullo Rita Moraes. cause of your race, sex or religious beliefs, would you stand up and denounce these in- /so E. [online] http://www.terra.com.br/istoeequalities or would you keep your mouth shut capa/140506.htm (available) April 6, 2003.

"Brazil Grappling With Racism". Peter and enjoy the benefits?

In an unequal society, I really couldn't Muello. Department of English, University of blame you if you DID take advantage of these California. [online] http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/ ,unearned benefits, all I ask is that you can at docs/muellol . html (available) April 6,2003.

"Bola discrimina negros, afirma estudo". least acknowledge it! Maybe then one day you Folha On line. [online] http:// WILL be ready to denounce it. Let's face facts about the true society that we live in, people. www.sapesp.com.br/noticias/outubro/ As powerful, rich countries continue to exploit racismo.html (available) April 5, 2003 "Luzia - A Primeira Brasileira". Veja. the poorer nations and disastrous levels of poverty continue to affect the lives of the [online] http://veja.abril.com.br/250899/ world'smajorityofpeople, something as openly p_009.html. (available) April 6, 2003.

Konopothanatus brasiliensis. [online] obvious as the existence of racism should not deter us from seeing the entire picture which is http: //www. i n ve ntabr as il . hp g. ig. com . br/ more important: WE ARE ALL PEOPLE jblacer.htm (available) April 3, 2003.

DJ Cliffy Presents Black Rio Brazil Soul WHO DESERVE TO BE TREATED AS Power 1971-1980 (compact disc). STRUT CD/ PEOPLE. With the wealth of resources available on LP 015 this planet, there is no excuse for the way that Mark Wells is an Anthropology major some of us are forced to live. The rich minority at the University of Michigan and has a who control who eats and who doesn't contindeep interest in Brazil and the African ues to exploit these divisions among us, the Diaspora. He can be reached at: people of the majority. They have placed obOuilombhole72(iivahoo.com stacles such as racism, sexism and inequality

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