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Here's your chance to see the Brazilian women sizzle in the exciting, seductive, & fascinating way that only they cant BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Brazilian literature has been badly underrepresented in the US and around the globe. Aside from novelist Jorge Amado and new-age guru Paulo Coelho, both worldwide best sellers, publication of Brazilian writers is few and far between. As for women writers they are but totally ignored. Try to name a Brazilian woman writer. Isabel Allende? Nice try. She is from Chile though. Laura Esquivel? This one is from Mexico. Not that Brazil has a dearth of
8 Cover
talented female authors. Au contrairO, the country has some women wordsmiths on a par with the world's bet fiction writers and poets. Three of them have even loosened the grip male have on the 40-seat Academia Brasileira 6 Letras (Brazilian Academy of Letters) and have been admitted to that tradi 7 tional though somewhat stale institution. In this issue we are presenting a quartet of our best 20-century women writers. On purpose, we limited the offering to prose writers even though', our poet Cecilia Meirelles is a recognized towering talent in versification. II We are bringing you Nelida Lygia Fagundes Telles, Rachel de Queiroz and Clarice Lispector whose
CONTENTS
http://www.brazzil.com Selected Cronicas has just been released in the US. You will be able to know these women first hand through excerpts from their own work. We hope this will serve as encouragement for you to go out there and read the few books by these writers that have been translated. If you don't read Portuguese that might give you some incentive to learn it. See you on the foreign books' shelf of your library or bookstore. R.M.
29
A quartet of our best women writers
Short story
16
Lygia Fagundes Telles's Misterios
Racism
35
Discrimination out in the open
Travel
18
Rio de Janeiro for beginners - Part I
Yankees
Leaning to survive and thrive in Brazil
22 Book
Fausto Wolff brings out A Mao Esquerda
24 Book review
The Stone Raft is the good old Jose Saramago
25 Profile
Maria Rubinstein's & her Chamber of Commerce
biazzo
Cover by Aylan Mello
DEPARTMENTS 6 Rapidin 14
Lette 46 The Cultura 47 Por al 49 Classifieds 50 U.S.A. Calendar 52 That's Brazilian
40 Film
Director Jose Joffily on Who killed Pixote?
42 Music
Lula, from Olodum to Hollywood
54 Special
Collor de Mello four years after the fall Part II TIME TO RENEW?
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Publisher and Editor: Rodney Mello / Editorial Assistant: Graciela Castellanos / Entertainment !ditors: Sam & Harriet Robbins / Book Review: Bondo Wyszpolski / Music Editor: Bruce Gilman / Representatives: MIAMI : Nosso Guia (305) 972-3427 - WASHINGTON, DC: Wilson Velloso (Correspondent) (301) 585-6549 - BRAZIL: Celso Sawaia (011) 885-9288 E-mail: csa aia@brhomeshopping.com.br BRAZZIL is published monthly by Brazzil -2039 N. Ave. 52, Los Angeles, CA, 90042-1024. Application to all at Periodicals Postage rate is pending at Los Angeles, CA. Single copy sold for $2. One year subscription for 12 issues is $3 (three dollars) in t e U.S., $15 in Canada and Mexico, and $18 (surface mail) in all other countries. No back issues sold. Allow 5 to 7 weeks to receive your first is sue. You may quote from or reprint any of the contents with proper copyright credit. Editorial submissions are welcome. Include a SASE (self addr ssed and stamped envelope) if you want your material mailed back. Brazzi/ assumes no responsibility for any claims made by its advertisers. POST MASTER : Please, send address changes to: BRAZZIL - P.O. Box 42536 - os Angeles, CA - 90050-0536 BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996 5
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1\111 W1111111-8 Not by the book? According to the Cam Brasileira de Livros i (Brazilian Chamber of Books), the organizers of Sdo Paulo's recently concluded 14" Biennial o, " Books, the latest book fair) was the biggest, the best and the most lucrative ever. That was expected. There were 811 stands and 3.000 new books launched, 76% more than two years ago. And 1.5 million visitors bought 17.5 mil4+6,n+ooks representing $84.2 million. But many publishers interviewed revealed 30% to 40% lower sales when compared to the prior book fair. Weekly newsmagazine Veja citing only "reserved conversation" with unnamed participating exhibitors, says that the Chamber fabricated the upbeat numbers and mounted a farce since it wants to transform the biennial event into an annual one. For the Chamber people, who charge up-front fees and keep the income from all admission tickets sold, the fair will always be a financial success.
Frederico had a good chance to win the coming November elections for Mayor of Pilar, a little town . 30 miles from Macei6, the " capital of Alagoas state. But everybody knew that it would be very hard for him to be alive for much longer to continue his campaign. He had received several threats and had been the target of a murder attemp when, during a 50-car triumphal parade promoted by his fans, Frederico's car was hit by a machine gun volley. His enemies finally got the upper hand. Frederico was found dead just before a scheduled appearance on Jo Soares Onze e Meta, a very popular interview TV show. There is suspicion that he was poisoned. The police, who are investigating the case, explained, "People were angry and afraid that Frederico would damage
The candidate, the minister, the actors, the students.
Pilar's image on national TV." But Frederico, who was only a peaceful white goat who had been found in the streets by Petrticio Maia, better known as Petrucio do Ferro Velho (Scrap Metal Petracio), was transformed into a symbol of discontent with politics as usual.
Unseemly whorehouse
Behavior
All naked Getting naked in Brazil has become a fashionable statement for men too. In the last few weeks a government official, a candidate to city council, soap opera actors and group of Blacks all exposed themselves in the buff to the cameras. Jail° Geiger, president of Funai (National Foundation for the Indian) decided to undress and join his naked hosts w hen participating in a Kuarup. an Indian ritual to celebrate the dead. Justice Minister Nelson Jobim, who also jumped in the river, guarantees that he kept his trunks. Julian Fagotti. candidate for a seat at the Curitiba (state of Parana) City Council, showed his jewels during his free time on TV in a last and desperate effort to boost his electoral chances. It earned him at least national attention. For actors Edson Branco and Goncalo Diniz. unrobing in front of the cameras is going to be like second nature AN hen they finish their participation in Xica da Silva, a period soap opera being aired by Manchete TV. As for the four black students from USP (University of S-ao Paulo). their dropping of the pants was politically motivated. They are defending affirmative action and want the establishment of quotas to guarantee that more Blacks have access to higher education.
11= Suckling star Greek playwright Euripedes, who lived between 480 and 400 BC, might be considered a modern nowadays due to the psychological insights of his tragedies, but it's doubtful he would approve of the way his Bacchants is being presented by iconoclast Brazilian director Jose Celso Martinez Correa in a tour de force that lasts five whole hours in the Rio's Teatro Armazern. The play became a mustsee when recently composersinger Caetano Veloso, who was watching the show with his wife actress Paula Lavigne, was dragged to the stage, undressed and supposedly forced to suck from the exposed breasts of actress Patricia Winceski. 25. It was
all part of a scene in which a beast is fed. For Winceski, who wants to be a movie star, it was instant fame. "We took the good and served him to the public. At the beginning, Caetano was timid," she said, "but after a little while, he really sucked." Patricia, who doesn't use soap or deodorant, also popularized the expression estracalhar (tear to pieces), meaning what she did to Veloso. As for Lavigne, Caetano's wife, she only had to say, "Next time I'll bring a gun."."Great," said Winceski, "she will suck from my breast too. Euestracalho." And she has already plans for future estracalhamentos: "I would love to meet President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. In order to estracalha-lo."
Times haven't been easy for Pedro Alvares Cabral, the Portuguese navigator believed to have discovered Brazil in 1500. Revisionists have cast a shadow over his importance in history, while festivities to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his feat are being rushed on both sides of the Atlantic. Now comes word from Portugal that the house where Cabral lived the last 30 years of his life has been converted into a cheap brothel. The rundown mansion, located in Santarem, 55 miles from Lisbon, is leased by Maria Jose Ramos, 79, who sublocates the rooms to prostitutes. The filles de joie trade their wares at Igreja da Graca steps, the church where Cabral has been buried. The city of Santarem wants to convert the place into the Center of Studies and Documentation About Cabral and the Discoveries. They are still hopeful they will be able to do this by April 22, 2000, the 500th birthday of Ilha de Vera Cruz (Island of the True Cross), the land that one day would become Brazil.
Sugarcoating Worried about the usually negative portrait about Brazil that the international press has been serving the world, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso has chosen diplomat Durval Carvalho de Barros, one of his personal aides, to deal directly with foreign correspondents. Barros is going to be using films. CD-ROMs, booklets and a lot of sweet talk in his attempt to sell a positive
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
image of Brazil. The 196 foreign journalists (16 in Brasilia, 56 in Sao Paulo and 124 in Rio), who usually complain about lack of access to authorities, and lines being disconnected when they are sending their material to their publications, will welcome the move. BBC's correspondent and British journalist Robert Plummer doesn't think the focus will change because, according to him, the press is already doing a balanced job. "Brazilians are too paranoid about the image other countries have of Brazil," he says, dismissing those who criticize the fl foreign journalists for being too negative.
A piece of the jungle Interested in buying a sample of Amazon Indian DNA? Coriell Cell, an American genes company is selling through the Internet and on scientific congresses the genetic code from the Karitiana and Surui Indians who live in the state of Rond6nia. The business has been done without the authorization of Funai (Fundacao Nacional do Indio - National Foundation for the Indian), and Brazilian scientists have protested against this commerce. Anthropologist and biologist Carlos Coimbra, from Fundacao Oswald° Cruz (Fiocruz) denounced, -These-are needy Indian populations. They agree in participating in these researches without knowing that a drop of their blood can make millions to a lab outside Brazil." There isn't much that can be done. The sale of genetic material for research is legal in the US.
Without bail For 919 Brazilians living overseas, the main problem is not lack of work or opportunity ,but lack of freedom itself. All of them are behind bars throughout 36 different countries. Most of them are accused of drug trafficking. Among the other charges: prostitution, rape, and theft. The biggest
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Moving lingo Bus surfing started some four years ago as a lcelebration after soccer matches for teens at Parada Duque, a stIburb in the greater Sao Paulo. This crazy "sport" has two classe : free style and stuck feet. In the first one — the most dange ous — the youngsters get to the top of the bus and stand th re without touching anything with their hands. For the other styl , the teens take the metallic signs that indicate the bus directi n and use them as reinforced boots. They leave a streak of fire when skating behind the bus. The bus drivers wash th ir hands, alleging threats and the danger of being hit by stones if they fail to comply with the thrill seekers. Bus skating also as its own vocabulary. Agarrar (to grasp) - to find a behind a bus place where to fit the feet on laid° (big tin can) - bus the bus's top gaiola (cage) - bus Bus, buso, buscio - bus came boa (good meat) - girl- renca - gang rodar (to turn aroun ) - to be friend colar (to glue) - to join the caught by the police group sangue nos olhos (bl od in the fazerfogo (make fire) - to skate eyes) - a furious dri er
azzia He carried a stick He was the General-President who coined th phrase "distensdo lenta, gradual e segura" (slow, gradual anl secure opening). Having governed Brazil from March 15, 1974 to March 15, 1979 he used a strong hand to fire thos in the military who opposed relaxing the grip dictatorship had on Brazil. Dead September 12 at the age of 88 from cardia arrest, Ernesto Geisel, who suffered from bone cancer, was ionored with an official eight-day mourning period by President F rnando Henrique Cardoso. The Brazilian economic miracle was already a mirage when he took control of the country. He was able to start the country's redemocratization, abolishing the A-5 (Institutional Act No. 5) which, among other powers, had c4mplete control of the media. At the same time he made sure lis own political group remained in power. Striptease
Unrobing with class Paranaense (from Parana state) Malu Bailo has become a celebrity in the nightclub circuit due to the elaborate striptease shows she presents all over Brazil. Famous and coveted in sao Paulo where she is based. Ballo knows what she does and has criticized Demi Moore's performance in the movie Striptease. She also saw Paul Verhoeven's Showgirl and hated the movie. For her "the style of American women is not sensual-. In her new show she has borrowed from several American celebrities. She dresses as Audrey Hepburn. Rita Hayworth, Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as well as Evita Per6n and Brazilian 60s muse Leila Dinis —just to take it all out till the last piece of clothing.
contingent is in Paraguay (169), followed by Bolivia (81), Japan (76), Italy (75), France (70), Portugal (68) and the United States (63). According to the Foreign Ministry that released the list, there is one Brazilian prisoner in these countries: Thailand, Israel, Hungary, Peru, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Chile and South Africa. Greece, Ecuador, Surinam, Czech Republic and Austria have two Brazilian jailbirds each. There are three others in Australia and four in Colombia and Guyana. The roll is completed with Argentina (53), Uruguay (51), Switzerland (42), French Guiana (32), Spain (26), Venezuela (24), Canada (10), Germany (10), Holland (9), Belgium (8), Denmark (7), Syria (6) and England (6).
The man pill No, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not approved Nofertil, a male contraceptive produced in the state of Pernambuco by Laborat6rio Hebron. WHO is against the product because they showed it to be toxic in animal experiments, and there is a 10% risk of sterility for those taking it. Despite these reservations, however, the product should start to be commercialized in Brazil starting next year. Nofertil is made from gossipol, a substance extracted from the cotton seed. The pills inhibit the enzymes responsible for the spermatozoids' maturation. In a similar front, a Cearense (from Ceara) veterinarian has become the first Brazilian to get a biological patent. Jose Ferreira Nunes, 51, from Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria - Brazilian Company for Agriculture and Cattle Breeding Research) found out that sperm can survive three times longer in green coconut water than in any other solution being used right now for artificial insemination.
Lygia Fagundes Telles
Rachel de Queiroz
In the 20th century, Brazilian women writers have helped to transform the literary landscape. Although many of them are well known in Brazil, Latin America and throughout the Portuguese-speaking world, the average North American reader hardly knows who these women are. Enter the enchanted world of the imagination. Become acquainted with Rachel de Queiroz, Lygia Fagundes Telles, Clarice Lispector and-Nelida Pinon — or meet them again. KATHERYN GALLANT Clarice Lispector
Nelida Pirion
8
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
ien asked to give the names of some 20th-century women authors from Latin America, most nonspecialists in the US would e hard-pressed to name more than two or three of them. Almost any reader of current literary fiction knows of the Chilean novelist Isabel Allende and Mexico's Laura Esquivel. However, Brazil has a rich collection of women writers who are practically unknown to most North American readers. They're missing out on a lot.
Wb
RACHEL DE QUEIROZ "I detest writing," declares Rachel de Queiroz, the doyen of Brazil's living women writers, who will turn 86 in November. "I don't ever remember writing voluntarily." She prefers cooking to writing and habitually says that writing "must be a curse, like those of the werewolves." Yet this jocularly-expressed aversion to writing did not keep her from literary success. "I was already writing some stuff when I was 12 years old," she recalled in Brazilian magazine Caras in 1994. "They were terrible stories, with daggers and tempests, filled with a horrid romanticism." Encouraged by her intellectual, landowning parents, de Queiroz took a job as a reporter at the age of 16. Two years later, when she contracted a severe lung condition thought to be tuberculosis, de Queiroz decided to write a novel to pass the time. At night, when the house was quiet, she would lie down on the living room floor and write in a notebook by the light of a small kerosene lamp. Two months later, her draft was finished. When she showed it to her parents, they were sufficiently impressed with her work that they arranged to have it published. When it appeared in 1930, 0 Quinze (The Year '15), set during the drought of 1915 that occurred in de Queiroz's native state of Ceara, became a landmark of Brazil's regionalist school of literature. "It was not my best work," de Queiroz told Rio de Janeiro newspaper 0 Globo in a 1995 interview. "It was a book written by a girl, full of defects and naïveté." "When I made my debut with 0 Quinze, some jokers said I had a masculine style and that the book was not mine," she added in a 1994 interview with Domingo, the Sunday supplement magazine of Rio de Janeiro newspaper Jornal do Brasil. "They even said that it was by Graciliano Ramos, but only men of little talent felt threatened." The success of her first novel brought the young writer to Rio, where she alternated between high society and the Communist Party. Yet the independent de Queiroz hardly made a good Communist. The plot of her second novel, Joeio Miguel (published in 1932), made the politically correct Central Committee see red. In the book, a peasant who accidentally killed another was sent to prison. There he fell in love with a young woman whose father, a wealthy landowner, was also in jail. Meanwhile, the protagonist's wife was forced to become a BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Rach I de Queiroz, 1930 •(An excerpt) The setting sun, flaming, intensely red, was sinking on the nearby horizon like a drowning man. The reeling shadows lengthened along the strip of red-brown road, which stretched over the top of a rocky hill and disappeared among the houses of a sleepy roadside community. Overcome by misery and despair, the shadow dragged their feet unconsciously, in the final drunken stage of hunger. The slender outline of a woman knelt on the red earth. A parched figure squatted down beside her and plunged his weary head between his bony knees, supporting it with his hands. Only one young boy, standing apart, looked thoughtfully at the group, crouched in weakness and fatigue. His pained voice called to them with hopeful words. And his hand could be seen in the deepening darkness of the afternoon, pointing to a cluster of houses farther on. But the only sig4ofUfeinthemotion the soft intertn - ittett, crying of ,a child.
eon the doctor left and went to the case was very delicate. In the afternoon everything seemed to go h That night the nightmare began again. Beside the bed the doctor, motionless, stood watch; in an abrupt voice he ordered a sponge-bath, more blankets. Noemi's hands, arms, body, eyes worked, obeyed. Before daybreak tile doctor went away.. He returned in the early morning. Shortly after that came another attack, the strongest of all, and Guni died. Death is silent and modest. It is the living who cover it with wailing, confusion and rites. Guni died softly, certainly without any regret. He merely opened his mouth, gasped air with greater anguish than before, and a yellow tide surged gradually through his body, beneath his skin, reaching his fever-flushed cheeks, gaining his mouth, his forehead, his fingers. That was all. The doctor said quietly: "This is the end." 9
As Menina (The Girls)
prostitute. "Comrade," one of the Communists told de Queiroz, "your book was disapproved of and you must revise it for publication. A peasant cannot kill another worker. He has to kill a bourgeois. Lygia Fagundes Telles in 1973 The bourgeois girl is the one who has to become An excerpt a prostitute and the peasant has to love and adore Lia is the young rebel in the novel As Meninas (The Girls), his companion. The virtue of the socialist woman published by Lygia Fagundes Telles in 1973. In love with a guerrilla cannot be attacked." who has been imprisoned and tortured by the military regime, Lia Infuriated at this imposition on her literary regulates her life by ideals and sentiments. She is balanced by the other vision, de Queiroz left the Communist Party and protagonists ofthe book the dreamy Lorena and the despondent Ana became a Trotskyite until the assassination of Clara. In each chapter, the three girls alternate narrating the story. In the Leon Trotsky in 1940. Not entirely seriously, she following excerpt, Lia bids farewell to Mother Alix, the principal ofthe now defines herself politically as a "gentle anarboarding school that Lia and the other girls attend, before Lia leaves chist" who disavows all dogmas and is "radical in with her boyfriend to Algeria. nothing." "Socialism proved to be an unattainable dream, but it is still the utopia of generous "She pulls her ear over her white bonnet. Is her head too small for souls who wish good for humanity. But all the her body? I try to imagine her young and already wearing the habit, an ashen life over the clothes and the bonnet that chisels into her head like socialist experiments have ended in failure," she a helmet. But why an ashen life? Hasn't she put into this work the says. greatest love for more than half a century? Then there's nothing ashen In 1977, de Queiroz became the first woman to to it. A Christian soldier, as the hymn says? Onward Christian become a member of the Brazilian Academy of soldiers! A half-century enjoying Letters. The late Dinah Silveira de Queiroz (no only one thought. relation to Rachel), Lygia Fagundes Telles and "And your studies, my child? Are you arranging to take a leave of Nelida Pition were also later admitted into the absence?" company of the forty "immortals" who are thought "Well, things are going another to be the greatest Brazilian writers of their time. direction, you understand? I'm go"Somebody had to start and by chance it was me," ing to travel, Mother Alix. Abroad. de Queiroz told Caras in 1994. "I was the oldest For the time being, I can only anticiwoman, and it was natural that I be the first one," pate that I'll be raising my anchors soon. See, I already have my cap she added to Domingo. on," I say, not knowing why I am so Her latest novel, Memorial de Maria Moura moved. "I'm not forgetting the pa(Memoirs of Maria Moura), published in 1992, tience you have for me. I know I'm was adapted into a successful miniseries on TV aggressive. Complicated. You must Globo two years later. Despite the popularity of have felt like putting me out on the the miniseries, de Queiroz had a reaction common street sometimes. And showing me to many novelists when their work reaches the big the door." She put away her glasses in the screen or the boob tube. Although she enjoyed the leather case. She put one hand above the other and both on top of the miniseries, she felt that it was not really the story table. I kept staring at her silver ring. she had written. "It is impossible to transpose "You all seem to be so much without mystery to me, so revealed. some characteristics of literary texts to the screen," I've come to think that I know everything about each one of you girls, she told Domingo. "In that type of brief miniseries, and suddenly I'm scared when I find out that I was mistaken, that I know so little about you. Almost nothing!" she exclaimed, opening her they have to give another style and practically hands in fear. "What do I know, after all? That you're in the militant recreate the book." left, and you've lost a year of school because of too many absences? Despite living in Rio for more than 65 years, That you have a boyfriend in prison who's working on a novel and is de Queiroz retains some Northeastern habits. She thinking of taking a trip to I have no idea where? What do I know about only sleeps in hammocks. When winter arrives, Lorena? That she enjoys Latin, that she listens to music the whole day she places a sleeping bag atop the hammock to long and that she keeps waiting for a phone call from a boyfriend who stay warm. "I tried to sleep in a bed," she exnever calls? Ana Clara, ah yes, Ana Clara. Since she searches me out and confesses to me, I could have the impression that I know everyplained. "I could never adapt to it. Many Norththing about her. But do I really? How am I going to separate invention easterners can only sleep in a hammock, but they from reality?" are ashamed to admit it." !Fr, When she falls silent, I keep hearing the sound of the clock. The De Queiroz lives in the Rio district of Leblon. jacaranda chairs with the crocheted doilies atop their backs the The other tenants in the apartment building where doilies. were frayed. But they had been made by Grandmother DM. she lives have named it the Edificio Rachel de "You're being modest, Mother Alix. In reality, you know more than you let on." Queiroz in her honor. Her apartment, dominated "You girls are all young, Lia. I didn't count on a really close by a large colonial crucifix and statues of saints, contact with you. But as removed as I am, how can I be useful? And has a strange decor for a person who claims not to I wanted to be useful," she repeated. The cloth on her bonnet was be a religious believer. "I think it is a great wrinkling in the same way as the wrinkles on her brow. "Ana Clara is poverty not to have a faith," de Queiroz has said. the only one who gives herself unconditionally. But when I'm before her, I feel as useless as I am in front of you. I feel reduced to being a "But I cannot pretend, beat my breast and say that tape recorder. I record what you tell me and accept the burden. But I believe." Old age bothers de Queiroz more than when I try to influence you, moving what must be moved eludes me like death. "When you get to be in your 80s," she says, an eel." "death is the great friend, the great liberator." - k:
10
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
LYGIA FAGUNDES TELLES
CLARICE LISPECTOR
Lygia Fagundes Telles, 71, the author of 20 books, is one of Brazil's most praised and well-liked writers. Nevertheless, she worries about the size of Brazil's reading public, which is much smaller than one might expect for the world's fifth largest country. "The Brazilian people admire their soccer players, their singers, their sambistas," Fagundes Telles told 0 Globo in a 1995 interview. "If they knew their writers, then certainly they'd admire them, too. But 60% of the population has no access to books, because, unfortunately, they are illiterate. Even so, because in Brazil, people are considered literate if they can sign their names when they vote. If you take out this enormous mass of people, very few remain." Fagundes grew up in So Paulo, where she still lives. She began to write for publication as a teenager. She later withdrew her first four books from her bibliography and will not allow them to be republished. "They were premature," she says. "I was very young (...) They were horrible! (...) Furthermore, I belonged to a naive, puritanical and retrograde generation. Young people today are quite different. Girls today have liberty. They have sex and live life with voracity. It doesn't matter whether it's good or bad. They have liberty and have to assume its risks. My youth wasn't like that." "Despite all the books I have published," she has said, "what I have earned would not do to earn a decent living in this country, where life itself is a luxury item (...) A writer, to live in Brazil with dignity, has to have some other way to make a living." (Fagundes Telles, who majored in law and physical education at the University of So Paulo, primarily depends on her pension as a retired state prosecutor.)
Clarice Lispector was born in a Ukrainian village. Not even she knew for sure the date of her birth, but it appears that she was bdrn in 1920. However, she immigrated with her family to qrazil when she was still an infant and grew up in the Northeastern city of Recife. "Obviously, I am Brazilian, and 'don't allow anybody to think otherwise," Lispector said in the '60s. Years later, Il Lispector told of her first encounter with her literary mentor: "In another life, when I was 15 years old, I went into a bookstore which seemed to me the world where I would want to live. Suddenly, a book that I opened had such different phrases that I kept reading right there. I excitedly thought, 'that book is me!' Only afterwards did I discover that the author was considered one of the greatest writers of her time: Katherine Mansfield." Although the turn-of-the-century writer from New Zealand did influence Lispector's literary style, Lispector was an original. "Clarice was the most naturally mysterious person I have ever known ( . . . ) She gave the impression of being in the world the same way as someone who arrives in an unknown city late at night during a transportation strike," writer Antonio Callado, a friend of Lispector, told Nadia Gotlib, the author of the 1995 biography Clarice Lispector: Uma Vida Que Se Conta (Clarice Lispector: A Life That Is Told). The discreet charm of Clarice Lispector has lingered long after her death. She has even become the protagonist of a novel, Clarice Lispector — 0 Tesouro de Minha Cidade (Clarice Lispector: The Treasure of My City).
NELIDA PIN -ON The Juan Rulfo Prize for Latin American and Caribbean Literature is an award that had never gone either to a Brazilian or a woman until 1995. Nelida Pirion, now 57, was the winner. "One of the impulses that still makes me live is adventure. I am a woman of pilgrimages. If! could, I would never sleep in the same house for more than two nights consecutively. Of course, I have a settled life and I was brought up otherwise. Nevertheless, I was born to be Sinbad, to hit the road and never stop (...) That's the reason that I've been reading ever since I was very little. I thought while reading that I could ride a horse or sail a boat. I could do everything through literature. Above all, I was going to leave behind the walls of home." Although Pirion's books receive excellent reviews, she is not a best-selling author. When 0 Globo asked her why that was the case, Pirion explained: "Few people read in Brazil, and there is a prejudice against women (...) How can you explain why The Republic ofDreams is read in every country, has had the highest praise and in France was adopted as a text in the universities, while in Brazil, they have not studied it sufficiently? If a Brazilian book can speak to the French, then it has to be reviewed by scholars. I think good literature is for everybody." "I want to be read in Brazil," Pition continued. "I am a devoted servant of the Portuguese language. I want people to see that I have tried to serve that language in literary terms with the most absolute fidelity." BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Ever since I was a girl. I associate' of creation --- that sovereign break with reali itself on behalf of conquering the real —44 the first old people I knew. To me, they,were like the writers whose books I read. Perhaps it was because the people who had many stories at their disposal to tell me never avoided such a task. On the contrary, they had in excess the patiende which young people lack. And they dealt with the details and the proper tempo very naturally. Yet because dying people do not fear offending historical rigor nor the ridicule of "ontemporaries, it falls to them to mix the narrative mortar without fear. I ke t them company while they spoke. I perceiv now that the oral narrative, in addition to eing endless, had no authority. The stories aturally had the anonymity and the capacity of being unfolded in a thousand nights, according to the wrinkles on the faces of the storytellers. As a rule, those old people did not know how to plant their geography and their characters — dear to their hearts -- after those characters had died and there were no more witnesses. On the other hand, the fact that hose characters were no longer alive freed the storytellers to tell lies, that part independent from the true story. ' Excerpt from 0 Pito de Cada Dia (Daily Bread), 11
Bibliography
Rachel de Queiroz (born in Fortaleza, Ceara, 1910) 0 Quinze (The Year '15), 1930 Joao Miguel, 1932 Caminho dos Pedras (Stony Roads), 1937
As Tres Marias (The Three Marias, tr. 1963), 1939 Dora Doralina, 1975 (Dora Doralina, tr. 1984) Gab o de Ouro (Golden Rooster), 1986
Memorial de Maria Moura (Memoirs of Maria Moura), 1992
Lygia Fagundes Telles (born in S'ao Paulo, 1924)
Ciranda de Pedra (Ring Around a Rock), 1954
Antes do Baile Verde (Before the Green Ball), 1972
As Meninas (The Girl in the Photograph, tr. 1982), 1973 A Disciplina do Amor (The Discipline of Love), 1980 As Horas Nuas (The Naked Hours), 1989 A Noite Escura e Mais Eu (The Dark Night and I Besides), 1995
Clarice Lispector (born in
"A Menor Mulher nd Mundo" he Smallest Woman in the World) a story in Lagos de Familia (Family Ties) Clarice Lispector, 1960 His mother was setting her hair in front of the bathroom mirror at the moment, and she remembered what a cook had told her about life in an orphanage. The orphans had no dolls, and with terrible maternity already throbbing in their hearts, the little girls had hidden the death of one of the little girls from the nun. They kept the body in a cupboard and when the nun went out they played with the dead child, giving her baths and things , to eat, punishing her only to be able to kiss and console her. In the bathroom, the mother remembered this, and let fall her thoughtful hands, full of curlers. She considered the cruel necessity of loving. And she considered the malignity of our desire for happiness. She considered how ferociously we need to play. How many times we will kill for love. Then she looked at her clever child as if she were looking at a dangerous stranger. And she had a horror of her own soul that, more than her body, had engendered that being, adept at life and happiness. She looked at him attentively with uncomfortable pride, that child who had already lost two front teeth, evolution evolving itself, teeth falling out to give place to those that could bite better. "I'm going to buy him a new suit," she decided, tP looking at him, absorbed. Obstinately, she adorned her son with fine clothes; obstinately perfecting the polite side of beauty. Obstinately drawing away from, and drawing \ him away from, something that ought to be "black as a monkey." Then looking in the t bathroom mirror, the mother gave a deliberately refined and social smile, placing a - distance of insuperable millenniums between the abstract lines of her features and the crude face of Little Flower. But, with years of practice, she knew that this was going to be a Sunday on which she would have to hide from herself anxiety, dreams and lost millenniums.
Chechelnik, Ukraine, 1920: died in Rio de Janeiro, 1977)
Knowing Sensibility
Perto do Coragdo Selvagem (Near to the Wild Heart, tr.
(November 2, 1968) Excerpt from Selected Cremicas (New Directions Books)
1990), 1942 0 Lustre (The Chandelier), 1946 A Cidade Sitiada (The Besieged City), 1948
Lagos de Earn ilia (Family Ties, tr. 1972), 1960
A Maga no Escuro (The Apple in the Dark, tr. 1967), 1961 A Legicio Estrangeira (The Foreign Legion), 1964 A Paixdo Segundo G.H. (The Passion According to G.H., tr. 1,988), 1964
Agua Viva (The Stream of Life, tr. 1989), 1973
A Hora do Estrela (The Hour of the Star, tr. 1986), 1978 Nelida Pifion (born in Rio de Janeiro, 1938)
Guia Mapa de Gabriel Archanjo (Guide Map of Gabriel Archangel), 1961 Tempos das Frutas (Time of the Fruits), 1966 Fundador (Founder), 1976
A Republica dos Sonhos (The Republic of Dreams, tr. 1989), 1987
A Doce Cancel° de Caetana (Caetana's Sweet Song, tr. 1992), 1987
A Casa da Paixelo (The House of Passion), 1988
Sala de Armas (Room of Arms), 1989
0 Color dos Coisas (The Heat
Sometimes people wishing to pay me a compliment tell me I'm intelligent. And they are surprised when I tell them that being intelligent is not my strong point and that I am no more intelligent than other people. They then accuse me of being modest. Of course I know about certain things. I was a bright student and intelligence has helped me to cope with certain situations. And like many others, lam capable of reading and understanding books which are generally considered to be difficult. But often this so-called intelligence of mine is so limited that one would think I was stupid. People who refer to my intelligence are, in fact, confusing intelligence with what I would call a knowing sensibility. Now that is something I really do possess. And notwithstanding my admiration for sheer intelligence, I find a knowing sensibility much more important when it comes to living with others and trying to understand them. Nearly everyone I know could be described as intelligent. They also happen to be sensitive. They can feel things and be deeply moved. I daresay this is the kind of sensibility I exercise when I write, or in my relationships with friends. I also exercise it when I come into superficial contact with certain people whose aura I can sense immediately. I daresay this kind of sensibility, which is capable of stirring emotions and making one think even without using the mind, is a gift. And a gift which can be diminished with neglect or perfected if exercised to the full. I have a friend, for example, who is not simply intelligent but also extremely sensitive, an essential quality in her particular profession. As a result, she possesses what I would call a knowing heart, so knowing that it can guide her and others as reliably as radar itself.
of Things), 1989 12
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
(March 4, 1970) erpt from Selected Cronicas (New Directions Books, I am an extremely busy person. I keep an eye on the world. Each morning I look down from my terrace at the strip of beach with the sea beyond. Sometimes the spray seems whiter and I can tell that the restless waters have advanced during the night leaving their mark on the sand. I watch the almond trees on the street below. Before falling asleep, and keeping an eye on the world in my dreams, I examine the night sky to see if there are stars twinkling against a 14ue background, because on certain nights the sky is not black but ultramarine. The world keeps me fully occupied, because I recognize that God is the cosmos, and hat is a responsibility I would be prepared to forgo. I see a little boy who cannot be more than ten, dressed in rags and unbelievably thin. A future case of tuberculosis, if he is not already infected. When I visit the Botanical Gardens I soon become weary. There I have to keep an eye on thousands of plants and trees, especially he gigantic water-lilies. Take note that I have said nothing about my emotional reactions: I spoke only of some of the thousands of things and people I keep an eye on. Nor does anyone pay me to do this job. I simply keep the world under observation. Is it hard work keeping an eye on the world? Most
certainly. I can remember the terrifying face of one woman I saw in the street, a face devoid of any expression. I also keep an eye on thousands of slum-dwellers on the nearby slopes. I observe the seasonal changes in myself: I inevitably change with every season. You must be wondering why I keep an eye on the world. I was born with this mission. And I am responsible for everything in existence, even for those wars and crimes which cause so much physical and spiritual havoc. I am even responsible for this God Who is in a perpetual state of cosmic evolution towards greater perfection. Since childhood I have kept an eye on a swarm of ants: they crawl in Indian file, carrying a tiny particle of leaf which does not prevent them from pausing to chat whenever they meet another procession of ants coming from the opposite direction. I once read a standard textbook about bees and I have observed them ever since, especially the queen bee. Bees fly and nourish themselves on flowers: that much I have learned. But ants have such a neat little waistline. Yet tiny as they are, they embrace a whole world, which eludes me unless I examine them closely: an instinctive sense of organization, a language which goes beyond the supersonic to our ears and probably attuned to instinctive feelings of love-cum-sentiment, for ants can speak. I kept a watchful eye on these insects when I was little and now that I so dearly long to see them again, I cannot find a single ant. I know they have not been exterminated otherwise I should have been told. Keeping an eye on the world also requires a lot of patience: I must wait for the ants to reappear. Patience. While watching the flowers open imperceptibly, little by little. But I still have not found the person horn I should report my findings.
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LET'S SKIP THE GENITALIA As a Brazilian Woman I must inform you, since you may not be aware, that we have brains besides breasts. I find your magazine informative and have given subscriptions to my American friends, yet I feel incensed with your continuous coverage and pictures of nude and semi-nude women. Since you have women subscribers you should give us equal opportunity and publish pictures of nude men. Why not? If hanging boobs give your male readers a bang, hanging penises would catch the female eyes, don't you agree? There are thousands of women in Brazil worth writing about and they are not those who drop their clothing to get attention. There is no reason whatsoever to continue honoring those bimbos when there is so much to write about the real Brazilian women and our culture.
Gaacha With Brains Vera F. Visnowski Alturas, California OLD AND YOUNG TOGETHER Having recently visited Brazil, I was shocked and delighted to see, among other things, a lack of a generation gap that is all too prevalent in American culture. Parents, grandparents, children and young adults do things together in ways you just can't see in this country anymore. Also, the sexes seem to get along with far less conflict than here in the US. Maybe the gender gap is less there? I don't really know but I think this is a good subject for future stories. A. J. Mendiola
San Diego, California BRAZZIL SIGHTING I was surfing the Net looking for anything and everything when I came across your magazine. I would love to receive it now. I lived in Brazil for a year as a foreign exchange student and I fell in love with that country. I hope to be able to return there someday soon to live there. But since lam in college I cannot even afford to go back to visit my wonderful family and friends there. My only contact has been the mail and the occasional phone call. I live in Wisconsin and the only news I receive about Brazil is when something really major occurs. I am very excited about receiving my first issue.
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Hayden's Ferry Review, Raven 's ChroTOON SOS I accessed your magazine on line be- 'nicles (a multi-cultural publication), Brookcause my little brother (11 years old) is I lyn Review, Michigan Quarterly Review doing a research for school in order to par- and elsewhere. Kathleen de Azevedo ticipate in the "Sciences Open Market" on San Francisco, California Communications, specifically cartoons and SEE BRAZZIL JUNE '96 comic strips, and the chosen title by him and I have been reading your publication his friends is "Turma da Monica". One of the questions they have to answer is CascAo's ; with great interest. It is truly first rate and and Cebolinha's date of birth. Thus, I won- t helps out those of us who don't speak der if you would not mind providing me this Portuguese. There are a number of perinformation. sonal ads in each issue, but I haven't seen any "agencies" advertise. Do you know of Cilaine Veronica Teixeira Sao Paulo, Brazil any marriage or introduction agency in Brazil that specializes in introducing BraA RIO FAN I am from Brazil and I have just found! zilian women to American men? If so, Bruce Gilman's two articles on choro! please provide me with contact informa("PixinguinhaLives" and "Choro, Chorinho,/ tion. Thomas Graff ChorAo") at Brazzil on line. They are very! Richmond, Virginia interesting and I would like to know if your ANY LAWYER IN THE HOUSE? magazine has published other articles on samba and choro music. I am building I have been a subscriber for a couple of WEB site about samba and choro during m years, love the mag, but I need help and I free time and I am having some troublf don't know how to find it except by asking finding information. Sure I should go tO someone there. Right now, I am in the some places here in Rio, but I work all day. process of buying a house in Fortaleza. I I don't know if you can help me, but thanks have an attorney there (on some other anyway. stuff) and friends who are helping out, but Paulo Eduardo Neves I need to find an attorney here (or someone Rio de Janeiro, Brazil knowledgeable) who knows the safest way to be sure that the deposit and purchase SPREADING PLEASURE price are secure until the documents are Hi, I have been traveling to Brazil quite verified. Your attorney advertisers deal a lot. Brazzil is a source of great joy for me with immigration primarily. How do I find thanks to all the interesting information in the magazine. Lam going to Brazil again for a Brazilian attorney who knows how to Camaval in 1997. By the way, do I need a pull this off safely? I can be contacted at luvbrazil@aol.com visa to enter Brazil this year? In 1995 I did Mike Brown not need one. I'm a Swedish citizen. Keep Fullerton, California up the good work. Olov Harlin FOR LONGING'S SAKE Sweden Thank you very much. I really enjoy you magazine. Dci pra matar saudades! D THEM ALL Curtis M. Romey I picked up a copy of Brazzil at e Quincy, Massachusetts Brazilian Independence Day festival he in San Francisco. I enjoyed the issue ery TILL 2006 A.D. much. I have three articles on Brazil wch I keep letting my subscription expire would do welt on your publication. I am Please accept the enclosed check for $30 offering a brief description of each on4, so for the next 10 years, or however long you that you can pick the one (or all three) That think it's worth. most fits the needs of your magazine. I save William Carlyle Koelsch been published in Greensboro Re 'ew, Pasadena, California
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Not black & white Has Brazil been able to create a racially integrated society? Some domestic and foreign observers would say so. But there is an increasing number of voices that dispute this. Recent polls have shown that while almost 90% of Brazilians say their society is racist only 10% admit having any racial prejudice. The lyrics of a song believed demeaning to blacks have provoked a national debate about racism and freedom of expression. ROSEMARY GUND To be Brazilian has always seemed to mean more than mere nationality. Brazilians like to define themselves as a real race — the Brazilian race — result of a mixture of other primary races such as African, ... Indian and white, this one being represented mainly by the Portuguese. This exotic hybrid was supposedly the origin to a self-proclaimed "racially integrated society", where there were no fundamental differences or racial conflicts. The truth of the matter is that this "myth" of a racial democracy is becoming more and more questionable and has been debated more openly showing the veiled face of racism and discrimination in Brazil. The most complete scientific-journalistic study about racism is Brazil was conducted just last year by the major newspaper Folha de Se10 Paulo and the Institute of Research Datafolha. Some of the results were very surprising: while 89% of Brazilians said they believe there is racism in the society, only 10% admitted they were prejudiced; but 87% manifested some sort of prejudice by agreeing with racist statements or admitting having had discriminatory behavior in the past. According to the same study, black people also manifest prejudice against thek own color. About 48% of interviewed blacks agreed with such statement as "Good blacks have white souls" and the like. So the question that remains unclear is what exactly is the proportion of racism in Brazil and how it 16
is manifested in our society. That is because explicit anger and hate are rarely present in the behavior of people towards blacks and mulattos. Racism in Brazil is so enrooted and subliminal that it becomes very hard to determine when it is manifested. One of the most recent cases for the racial debate in Brazil has to do with the upcoming national mayoral elections. This coming November Sao Paulo might elect its first black mayor in 442 years. Celso Pitta, former secretary of finances for the administration of the current mayor Paulo Maluf, is in first place on the polls and his popularity has been growing continuously. This fact could be used to justify the non-existence of prejudice in Brazil if it wasn't for the fact that Pitta would be the first black mayor in almost half a millennium. Pitta is not a common black person in Brazilian society either. On the contrary, he is the exception to the rule. He has an American diploma in business administration and is being backed up by a popular veteran Brazilian politician Paulo Maluf, the current mayor of Sao Paulo. But in reality, his conservative approach appears as the decisive response to his advantage in the polls so far. "The population does not see in race an element of decision for the vote," affirmed Pitta on an interview with newsmagazine !sto E. But that was not the case of Brazilian senator Benedita da Silva. When she run for mayor in Rio de Janeiro, she was often victim of BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
tures imitating monkeys to me," she revealed. That is explained probably by the fact that she comes from a lower class than Pitta and of course is also a woman. Even though racism in Brazil is by law considered to be a crime with no right to bail, cases like Benedita's have never ended up with anyone in jail. Because racism in Brazil is so subtle, it is easy to get it confused with other criminal offenses such as injury, calumny and defamation. Moreover, in Brazil, offenses of the like are almost always taken as mere jokes, like in the recent case of the Brazilian singer and composer Tiririca, who ended up having his song "Veja os cabelos dela" (see Rapidinhas in the September issue of Brazzil) censored because it referred to black people in a derogatory way. The song tells of a black woman who "stinks like a skunk." The song was censored and Tiririca, an illiterate circus clown from the drought-ridden northeast of the country, is being sued for crime of racism. While that might seem like a just cause for many, for others it comes only to reaffirm the position of Brazil as a country full of contradictions and reveals the elite's hypocrisy towards the black people. Many believe indeed that Tiririca is a scapegoat, who did not offend blacks more than did many other popular songs that were Carnaval hits such as "0 Teu Cabelo Nao Nega" (Your Hair Can't Deny It) or "Nega do Cabelo Duro," (HardHair Blackie) as was pointed out by writer Aguinaldo Silva. "In Brazil, it is no use the black movement, gay or lesbian try to reproduce American models... The Brazilian black movement must find its own model," explained Silva to weekly newsmagazine Veja. Hello de La Pena, humorist of the TV group Casseta & Planeta, also declared to Veja that as a black he was not offended by Tiririca's song: "It is natural that people stink, independently of their race." On the other hand, there are those who believe that the doing was offensive and that this kind of joke should not be permitted in Brazilian society anymore. For Milton Santos, a Brazilian geographer, the song attacks the images of blacks. "This song only reinforces the crises of self-esteem that blacks have... It is important to involve all the Brazilian society in the debate about the country we want for the future." Even though the debate is considered to be healthy and positive, there is the concern that the problem might assume absurd proportions. It could be said that some songs by the late famous satirical band Mamonas Assassinas which make fun of the Northeastern accent, the Portuguese accent and of gays, are also discriminatory and offensive. The difficulty is then to find the borderline, otherwise it would be impossible to conceive the amount of material that would be censored. "I myself make jokes about northeasterners and I'm from the Northeast. It is the kind of social humor that should be used without debauch," advised veteran TV comedian Chico Anysio. Amidst the racial debate, surged the question of the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. According to what jurist Dalmo Dallari told Veja, the lyrics of Tiririca's song "abused of the right to freedom of expression" as it was degrading to human condition. The debate is still going on and appears to represent the beginning of a new era of questioning of the position that the black people hold in our society; a society in which the same individuals who affirm knowing racism exists in Brazil, deny being racists themselves. According to a study conducted by CEBRAP, a Brazilian center of analysis, prejudice exists but it is so well dissimulated behind the myths of racial democracy that it becomes difficult the emergence of blacks as an organized group and also the tracing of the discriminative agent. Being so, it remains uncertain what kind of actions would be really effective to combat racism. BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Datafolh 's research confirmed this hypothesis. According to the re tilts of that research, Brazilians practice what they called "r cismo cordial", in other words, the individu41, always denie being racist himself because he knows it is politically in orrect. pauL Pi,P4 r, professor of Economy and a CEBRAP researcriet, says hat "Brazilians know that racism exists but do not approve it They sincerely think others are racist but not them." The truth i that there are innumerable cases of discrimination mainly against blacks, but not restricted to them. It can be affirme that Brazil, far from being a society marked by racial apart eid, is also far from the much talked about racial harmony Brazilian apartheid reveals itself more at the economic lev 1: For example, according to data from Datafolha , eve though the majority of blacks are employed, more than half fthem receive less than two minimum wages ($200) a month The few bla k people who succeed reveal that they still face discrimina ion at every corner. The entrepreneur and engineer Adson Carvalho for instance, told a reporter of Folha de Sdo P u/o that he was taken as a limousine driver at the lobby oft e luxurious hotel Sheraton Mofarrej in sao Paulo when he as staying there. There are ev n more upsetting cases: The young black boy Luciano Soa es Ribeiro who was run over by a BMW in the South of Braz land the driver refused to help him because he assumed Ribe ro had stolen the bike he was riding. When finally taken to t e hospital, the doctor refused to help him because they tho ght he would not be able to pay for the hospital bills. Rib iro ended up dying with the receipt for the bike in his pocke This sublimin 1 racism — if we can call it so -- impedes the ascension oft e black in the society. Black people have revealed that at a ertain point they reach the famous "glass ceiling" and cann t reach any higher on the social scale. In Brazil, the discuss on over whether American-style affirmative action should be implemented is still in its embryonic phase. The quota ystem is restricted to very few private companies, accord ng the Datafolha's findings. Last year, Paul Teixeira, deputy representing the state of Sao Paulo, form lated a bill to establish the quota system in the state. After a out three months the bill had been killed. Besides all this rec nfirmation that the black individuals are at the margin of th Brazilian society, Folha's research has revealed that the reat majority of blacks and mulattos denied having ever een victims of discrimination. That can lead us to believe that a mere verbal level, the racial integration re Ily exists. But the facts reveal the exact opposite. Discrimin tion begins early in schools and extends itselfto all areas of s cial life, including the Catholic Church. Jose Maria Peres or "Dom Zumbi", bishop of the archdiocese of the State f Paraiba, affirmed during an interview with Revista Sem Fr nteiras that of 400 Brazilian bishops only about five are b ack and what is worse, of 14 thousand priests, only about t o thousand are black. Priest Antonio arecido da Silva, also professor of Theology at the Cat olic University in Sao Paulo (PUC), goes beyond and def ds an alternative liturgy for Catholic rituals, where dance and music are incorporated in the sermons unifying foll wers and incorporating black traditions into the Catholi Church. Brazilian Presiden and Sociologist Fernando Henrique Cardoso has been ver timid about this issue, but has recently created the Gru o de Trabalho Interministerial para Valorizacao da Popu acao Negra (Interministerial Work Group for the Valoriz tion of the Black Population) under the coordination of pro essor Helio Santos. Santos said that he believes that candi acies such as that of Pitta and of Benedita da Silva coul represent the beginning of a process of maturation in Brazil an society. • 17
As in previous years, preparation for the big Fourth of July celebration started early. At lunch time, the sweet aroma of Jersey corn filled the air, while a sea of red, blue and white balloons nudged against each other, blown by the gentle July breeze. Here and there families chatted idly as the children came and went, alternating between the moon bouncer and the hot dog stand. Then, as the sun finally waned down, they all sat together, and the fireworks began. Just another Fourth of July, any town, USA...
Brazil 101 for Yankees For Americans relocating to Brazil the move is frequently a cultural shock. How do Americans adapt to the sometimes inconsequential behavior of Brazilians? And how about Brazilian high cost of living, lack of punctuality and bureaucracy? The adaptation won't occur before the Yankee expatriate can learn the so-called jeitinho brasileiro (the Brazilian way of making things happen). Some of those who learned it share here their experiences. MARTA ALVIM
Wrong! The event we just described took place in Rio de Janeiro, and it's an annual tradition carried on by the members of the local American Society, a non-profit organization dedicated, among other activities, to promoting and observing the traditional holidays of the United States. Although on a much smaller scale than the migration of Brazilians to the US, the flow of Americans to Brazil has been constant and can be tracked down to the Civil War, when Southern refugees fled to what is today the city of Americana, in the State of So Paulo. However, unlike most Brazilians who leave for the dream of financial security — often an unreachable proposition in an economy plagued by instability — Americans, for the most part, immigrate due to job relocation. Which is not to say that's the only reason. Throughout the years they came as businessmen and entrepreneurs, missionaries and adventurers. They came on educational and research missions; they came for love and refuge like the scores of young people trying to escape the Vietnam draft in the late 60s and early 70s. Less frequently, they came to get away from a not so clean past, as in the case of deadbeat spouses, con artists, and others fleeing prosecution in the United States The exact number of Americans in Brazil is not known. For one, not all expatriates register with local consulates, and the ones who do so are protected by the Privacy Act, which prevents consulates from releasing data on new arrivals. Therefore, one can only guess, and institutions like the American Society of Rio de Janeiro and others are the unofficial barometers of American immigration to Brazil. In Rio alone it is estimated that there are approximately 500 Americans, although that number seems to be on the rise after a stagnation period of four to five years. As Plano Real (the economic plan launched by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso) gets more credibility among the international community, foreign investments are pouring into the country again, and American companies are either returning or just discovering the potential of business opportunities that lie ahead. So, how is life for Americans in a culture that, in many instances, is the antithesis of their own culture? How do Americans, analytical and structured by nature, interact with the passionate, sometimes all but inconsequential behavior of Brazilians? Apparently, they all get along very well.., with, obviously, a few inevitable exceptions. Our survey of past and present expatriates revealed, first of all, an amazing understanding and acceptance of the Brazilian culture in general. Granted, they all experienced the difficulties that follow the transition to any new culture. And as is often the case, the language barrier was unanimously cited as the major obstacle. QUE? (WHAT?) While most believe that speaking Portuguese can make life much easier for the new arrival, one can
18
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
still get by without the language. That, the expatriates agree, is due to Brazilians' extreme kindness and patience, and willingness to help foreigners. "They will go out of their way to help a foreign person", says Patricia Cavalcanti, of Connecticut, 25 years in Brazil. Besides, she adds, "I was only embarrassed to speak Portuguese until I realized that people were not really laughing at me but with me." Steven Yolen, of New York, who before moving to Brazil lived in Puerto Rico and Argentina, agrees: "Brazilians are most kind with foreigners unlike other Latin American people, who tend to be more antagonistic and arrogant." Yet, despite all the help, the feeling of isolation can be overwhelming because, suddenly, everything that was familiar is gone. All said and done, potential expatriates are strongly advised to learn some Portuguese before moving to Brazil. If that is not possible, the 'veterans' suggest that once in Brazil one should get beyond the business contacts and get to know Brazilian families instead of mixing only with other Americans. By doing so, not only will the language skills improve, but it is also a sure way to understand the culture beyond what one sees.
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19
boys to get acquainted with new friends than it is for girls. Girls' activities usually require more conversation while boys tend to get involved in activities that are more physical, like soccer, for instance." Another scenario is where one of the spouses is Brazilian, which can make the transition smoother for the expatriate, although not without pains. Cavalcanti remembers keeping her doubts and anxieties from her Brazilian husband. "He was already so worried I wouldn't adjust and might want to go back home!.. Besides, if I told him what I was really thinking about the place and things, I might hurt his feelings, so I kept it to myself." Dennis Klumpp, of Michigan, in Brazil since 1978, has been married to a Miner (from Minas Gerais) for over 20 years. The father of two Brazilian-born children believes that being married to a native helps, specially when the kids go through the adolescence stage. "Whereas in the United States social functions start and finish early", he says, "in Brazil they don't start until 11:00 PM, and won't finish until 3:00 or 4:00 AM. The Brazilian spouse is usually more understanding of the lifestyle than an expatriate would be." He adds that "It's probably harder to raise kids in Brazil, but at least we don't have the gang problem as there is in the United States." WORK ETHICS Getting to understand Brazilians' work ethics can pose one of the biggest challenges to foreigners as far as cultural assimilation is concerned. Lack of punctuality. Unreliability. Laid-back attitude. Bureaucracy. The whole experience can be most frustrating to the unsuspected expatriate. According to Lutostanski, who is currently president of the International Newcomers Club in Rio, and deals with all sorts of complaints from the new arrivals, "It can drive a person crazy. Right now we have this one girl who has unsuccessfully tried to have a stove installed for the past two weeks. She is going nuts." Similar stories abound. Only when the expatriate starts to grasp the concept of the jeitinho brasileiro (the Brazilian way of doing things) and its subtleties, is he able to go through the maze of a system that is full of hidden codes. When he realizes, for instance, that Brazilians seldom say 'no' he will then understand that 'maybe' or 'tomorrow', coming from a Brazilian, will often mean 'no' and 'never' respectively. Milton Volan, of New York, 3 years in Brazil, seems to be getting the idea. Recently, when his telephone line was down for two weeks without any explanation from the telephone company, he and his business partner devised this plan: "My partner called the company up and told them I was a sick American senior citizen who desperately needethto contact my doctor and wife in New York. Soon afterwards the line was reinstated. What caused the interruption of service? Who knows and who cares?! If things don't happen, you make them happen." Bureaucracy, by its turn, tops the list as one of the most dreadful things the expatriates have to deal with in Brazil while corruption is regarded as being not worse than in the US, just more obvious. Kenneth O'Bryhim, of Washington, DC, seven years in Brazil, has learned how to deal with such problems: "I've long realized that the more paper you have the more legal you look at the eyes of Brazilian authorities. Therefore, I always make sure to have my papers in hand — from my driver's license to my tax-related documents — in case I may be pulled over by police officers, as I have been in the past. Besides, this is a very service-oriented society, so you can always hire someone to do the bureau20
by the auti ional $10 fee n is neither s
e e are the categories permanent residence yisa:, Industrialists and busines transfer $200,000 to Brazil. Retired individu of $2,000 a month. Anyone marriedt Immediate familyi manent resident Post-graduat certification in highlys professionals are in ,de time the application is tract may be require Work contract fe: ployer must be al3r* established in Brazi must be initiated by zil. Petition shou an Labor Depa igracAo - Minist Ministericis, B
BFtAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
cratic work for you, and spare yourself the aggravation of standing in lines for endless hours." CRIMINALITY AND VIOLENCE The expatriates' perspective on violence in Brazil is amazingly calm and detached from the hysterical overtones often seen in the media — both local and international — and even among Brazilian people themselves. Although not unmoved by the thefts, robberies and other crimes perpetrated against the community on a daily basis, the expatriates are also aware that extreme poverty is the main reason behind criminality in the country. The way they see it there may be more crimes in Brazil, statistically speaking, but when measured in a degree of violence, crimes committed in the United States are much more vicious. O'Bryhim, who was robbed of $5 by a street kid recounts his experience: "The kid even apologized to me for the inconvenience, and explained he really needed the money... Then, we both walked in different directions, and that was it." Volan, who was also robbed by a street kid, was so impressed by how fast things happened that "I felt like congratulating the kid for his performance, but he ran away so fast!.. For a moment I thought he was practicing for the Olympic Games." Jokes aside, the expatriates realize that urban violence in Brazil is a fact (as it is all over the world) but, in many ways, much milder than in the US, where senseless drive-by shootings, kidnapping of children for sexual purposes instead of ransom and other types of crimes are much more cruel in nature. ETERNAL HOPE The consensus among American expatriates is that the Brazilian economy is finally on the right path to stability. Yolen, an author and freelance writer for the Wall Street Journal, who has lived in Brazil since 1970 says: "In Brazil things don't get better in a constant curve. I've seen many economic plans come and go, and I can say this is the best time ever. Brazil is on the way to become a world-class economy." Yes, there are problems, but that's because people and businesses are adjusting to the new reality. Some local industries, for instance, still refuse to cut down on their profit margin after having capitalized on inflation for so long. Another problem is the cost of living which expatriates estimate to be two to three times higher than in the United States. However, because inflation is under control, Brazilians are finally beginning to understand the true value of goods and services. They are complaining at stores; they are bargaining at gas stations, now that gas prices, no longer controlled by the federal government, have become very competitive. The general perception is that Brazilians are becoming more aware as consumers as they learn how to budget their money. Klumpp illustrates: "When I came to Brazil, I brought with me the do-it-yourself mentality so common among Americans. I mowed my own lawn; I fixed things around the house. My Brazilian neighbors couldn't understand why I wouldn't hire someone to do such menial jobs, which for them was almost a social requirement, kind of a status thing. Nowadays, I see them doing more and more and that's because they aren't willing to pay for the high cost of services." O'Bryhim, who is the director of the International BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Baccalaureate Program at the American School in Rio, also compares: "When I first came to Brazil in the 80s, I lived like a king. No more..." What if Plano Real fails, like so many others have in the past? Brazilians will somehow survive. That's because they possess the one trait that the American expatriates consider as their most preciOus asset: resilience. Graham, Davies, whose missionary parents moved to Southern Brazil when he was only an infant, left the country some five decades ago, and now liyes in California. Since then, he's been back several times and has seen innumerable changes as one would expect. Except for one thing: "Orazilians have survived crisis after crisis. However, when everything seems hopeless, a light df hope emerges from their souls and it keeps thein going... Brazilians' resilience and ingenuity to overcome difficult times is without a doubt their most admirable characteristic." Yet, it cati be hard for some to understand the source of sueh widespread optimism considering all the problems faced by Brazilians throughout history. ISandow Birk, of California, who lived in BraZil for three years, thinks "Brazilians' sense 9f optimism about their country's future is bizarrely fanatical. I'm afraid I'll never fully understand the Brazilian people", he says. THE FOOD 1 To most e patriates getting to appreciate the Brazilian cui me is a matter of acquired taste, but the vast majority comes to enjoy it very much after a hile. Among the favorites:feijoada (a concoction of black beans cooked with different types of eat); picanha (barbecued tri tip); vatapa (sea f od dish from Bahia), and the very Mineiro (fro the state of Minas Gerais) feijdo tropeiro (a m xture of beans, manioc flour, bacon and saus ges). All of which would make health-conscious Americans have a heart attack just at the mention of it, but not the intrepid expatriates who, after much trial and error, are pretty much al ease with such hearty meals. The no-nob include: farofa (manioc flour sauteed in butter); shredded kale; carne de sol (sun-dried me*); rice and beans as a daily staple. ADVICE For those eonsidering making the move — willingly or not —American expatriates offered the following advice: . Learn the language as fast as you can. . Try to learn about the place before moving and have an understanding of where the country comes from. . Be open-minded and accepting — there isn't only one way to do things. . Lower yo r expectations and don't make comparisons. . Be yoursel , but willing to try new things. . Be patient. If there's a enuine effort to assimilate the new culture, the experience can be very rewarding. Just ask enneth O'Bryhim whose final thought about his expatriate journey was: "Thank you, B azil!"! • 21
t is a well-accepted fact that most pregnancies have a gestation period of inc months. This is also the amount of time which journalist and author Fausto Wolff, 56, took bearing the 572 pages of A Mao Esquerda (The Left Hand) — a mixture of romance and auto-biography published by Civilizacao Brasileira (Brazilian Civilization) in Rio de Janeiro which anticipates an upcoming publication party in Porto Alegre, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the Southern tip of Brazil. The papyrus-child generated by this Gaircho (people originally from that state) of German heritage, measuring close to two meters (6"6' tall), took 40 years to reach maturity. But like the best of wines, A Mao Esquerda has a distinctive and notable flavor. The book recites the adventures of the Von Traurigzeit family, Wolff s own lineage in real life, from the sixteenth century up to 1995 through the eyes of Persio, the single protagonist who is the author himself. The narrative is construed in original form with continuing alternation of characters in charge of the action, as well as the apparition of mao Esquerda, a particular character created in an article for Pasquim (tabloid weekly newspaper published during the military take-over of 1964 which played a key role in the resistance against the regime being imposed by the government) who proceeds to eliminate acquaintances, politicians, bankers and newspaper editors. "He [Mao Esquerda] represents the collective unconsciousness", Wolff remarks jokingly. The book breaks away from a strict chronological sequence, and frequent parallels are made between the plot of the story and the current political issues taking place in the country. Unpresumptuously, the author insistently affirms he only agreed with the publication of the book after submitting it to "several friends who write better than I do". Among these are Carlos Heitor Cony, Janio de Freitas and Mill& Fernandes (all wellestablished writers in the Brazilian literary community). Born into an underprivileged family, Fausto Wolff learned how to read at the age of five, and saw in that his only ticket out of poverty. Through reading a considerable amount and variety of literature, he soon fell in love with journalism. He was actively involved with both theater and film, and also became fluent in six distinct languages. Wolff initiated his career at the age of fourteen as a police reporter for Diario de Noticias (Daily News), a local
In
Who's afraid of Fausto Wolff With an original plot and dynamic reference to the current social, economic and political issues soaring throughout Brazil, Fausto Wolff's latest book, A Mao Esquerda (The Left Hand) is sure to secure his place among the best writers in the country. He is still the same fiery iconoclastic writer who had to flee the country to avoid prison. MARIO GOKALVES - ECKABE PRESS
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paper in the city of Porto Alegre. A man with firm conviction, Wolff s independence annoyed many, and in 42 years of his profession few were the times when he stood in good terms with his bosses. Currently, however, this is certainly not the case. "The book met all my expectations much due to Enio Silveira — editor of Civilizacao Brasileira who recently died and to whom this book is dedicated — who so greatly desired to publish this work and to Salomao who is building an exemplary publishing house. I feel good working in an environment where the people value my work and pay me appropriately", says Wolff. The disagreements with the bosses did not deter Fausto Wolff from becoming a renowned journalist. A number of his interviews, like the first the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat granted to a Latin-American reporter, as well as the one with Mariel Mariscot done two weeks prior to the legendary criminal's death, have become part of the Brazilian press' history. But it was in Pasquim that Wolff got to experience total freedom in journalism. "I left Brazil in 1968 and moved to Rome where I worked as an international correspondent to Pasquim. The newspaper was spawned by journalists and we were free to write. From a certain perspective Pasquim was detrimental because never again was I able to write without such total freedom", he notes. His relocating to Rome was not a personal choice. In 1968 the military dictatorship imposed the AI-5 (Institutional Act no. 5 which granted the executive branch of the government power over all issues. This Act followed the Complementary Act no. 38, issued previously that same year, which shut down Congress, destabilizing the balance among the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of the government), leaving few-to-no options for those who, like Wolff, opposed the regime. Politically active and engaged — he supports communism and is filiated with PDT, Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workmen's Party) — Wolff discovered he was to be imprisoned and so headed to the airport to escape. He also lived in Denmark, which he considers to be his second home, traveled the world and only returned to Brazil in 1978. Fausto Wolff firmly believes that his time in BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
exile, an4 primarily the long existence of the Brazilian klictatorship, could have been significantly reduced if the press had taken a more aggressive stand against the regime. "I think the dictatorship lasted as long as it did much due to the appease of the press. The Brazilian press did not fight as much as it could have", he expresses. Yet, he op ns a safety clause for those who did put up a b ttle, himself among them. After the military to k over in 1964, Wolff expressed his discontent ent by editing the first socialist newspaper in B azil — the Tribuna Socialista (Socialist Tril. une). Today, hough distant from the press, Wolff remains a entive and with the same independence which characterized his professional existence. "1y outlook on things has changed tremendou ly. I think we are in a swamp, we've lost sight of the Brazilian citizen. The country has lost its culture, its press, its music. As you open a new paper or a magazine, you no longer recognize lihe country portrayed. The current status-quo is much worse than that of twenty years ago. The population was much more politically aware and involved. Today, for instance, the columnists talk about New York, about Paris. I don't want to know about that. What interests me is the 12 year old girl who is falling victim of child prostitution throughout the country, the homeless; that's what I want to know. That is what makes my country; those are the people who interest me. I won't say it is for these people that I write to, but it is in their behalf that I do", the author protests. A Mao Es uerda is the manner Fausto Wolff found to co tribute to the ending of what he calls "the fea imposed by society". It's his way to praise the freedom of mankind; and to that concept of fr edom he dedicates the poem "Viva a Liberdade" (Cheers to Liberty) — a summary of opinions c ntained in the book — which he insists in not publishing separately, depriving the readers f one additional opportunity to enjoy the rea ing of his text. Tran lotion by Daniela Lace
• 23
Enchanted prose
lings begins to follow him; and Maria Guavaira begins to unravel a sock only to find that there's no end to the thread. These characters will seek out and encounter one another as the erstwhile peninsula unmoors and begins sailing west at about 18 kilometers a day. That's not all that fast, but soon enough there's a mass exodus from Lisbon, Oporto, Coimbra and other coastal cities since nobody wants to be in the front row when Portugal plows into the Azores. Before that crisis intensifies, however, Joaquim Sassa has heard about and found Jose Anaico, the two of them travel from Portugal to Saramago's style is a cross between Spain to find old Pedro Orce, these three then return to the late Thomas Bernhard and Gabriel Portugal where they meet Joana Carda in Lisbon, and now Garcia Marquez. He is the live proof this unlikely quartet is driving north, to the site where Joana that magic realism doesn't begin and Carda had drawn the line in the soil with an elm branch. end with One Hundred Years of They find the spot, they investigate it, if standing around being mystified can be called investigation, and as they leave Solitude. they encounter a dog with a blue thread hanging from its mouth. Somehow, the dog convinces them to follow him in BONDO WYSZPOLSKI their jalopy. There's a great deal of subtle, wry, or understated humor as the pilgrimage The Iberian peninsula (Spain and PortuThe Stone Raft, by Jose Saramago, transla- once more gets underway. gal) is about to drift away from the rest of tion by Giovanni Pontiero (Harvest Books, "For the second time, JoaEurope. "Those who are curious, not to say 304 pp., $13 paper) quim Sassa said that this was skeptical, will want to know what is causutter madness, trailing after a ing all these serious developments, as if the stupid dog to the ends of the earth without knowing simple breaking up of the Pyrenees were not why or for what purpose, to which Pedro Orce enough for them, with rivers turning into waterJOSI replied abruptly, betraying his annoyance, Scarcely falls and tides advancing several kilometers into the ends of the earth, we'll reach the sea before land, after a recession that has lasted millions of then.. And in this fashion they arrive in Galicia, years. At this point the hand falters, how can it northeast of Santiago de Compostela, stopping only plausibly write the words that are about to folwhen they approach the doorstep of Maria Guavaira, low, words that will inevitably throw everything the woman who'd begun to unravel a sock to no into jeopardy, all the more so since it is becomavail. ing extremely difficult, should such a thing ever This review, long enough already, would be be possible in life, to separate truth from fantwice as long if I explained the personal relationtasy." ships that develop as the characters come to know All of Jose Saramago's novels are fables, if one another. Even the dog, tentatively called Pilot not always by virtue of the subject matter than by and Faithful for a few pages, is permanently named virtue of the rhythm and cadence of his prose. Constant (but — mistakenly? — called Ardent in the When we hold one of them open and begin closing paragraph). Soon enough reading — whether it's The there are even a couple of horses, Stone Raft or its predecesGrizzly and Chess. sors,BaltasarandBlimunda, Excerpt: What is the book about? UpThe Year of the Death of Overcome evil with good, the ancients used to say, and rootedness and displacement, obviRicardo Reis, The Gospel with good reason, at least they put their time to good use ously; everything's on the move in According to Jesus Christ by judging facts that were then new in the light of facts that this book, and there appears to be a — it's like having a musical were already old. Nowadays we make the mistake of certain amount of political allegory score in front of our eyes and adopting a skeptical attitude toward the lessons of antiqas well. One senses that continental the sudden gift of being able uity. The President of the United States of America promEurope is secretly pleased to see its to imagine the sound of the ised that the peninsula would be welcome, and Canada, as southern neighbors floating off into notes, the chords, the instruwe will see, was not pleased. As the Canadians point out, the sunset; likewise, the United ments. Unless the peninsula changes course, it we who will be States is magnanimous when it As for the style of Saraplaying host and then we'll have two Newfounlands here seems that the island will rip itself mago's prose, it's a cross instead of one, little do the people on the peninsula know, up when it strikes the Azores. Later between the late Thomas poor devils, what awaits them, biting cold, frost, the only on, however, the US and Canada Bernhard and Gabriel Garcia advantage for the Portuguese is that they will be close to demur at the prospect of a new Marquez. Maybe you supplies of that cod they're so fond of. They will lose their neighbor settling down in territohaven't read Bernhard? Then summers but have more to eat. rial waters. imagine an Austrian intelThe spokesman at the White House hastened to exThere are some interesting and lectual writing The Autumn plain that the President's speech had been prompted funsurprising twists and turns as The of the Patriarch. There's a damentally by humanitarian considerations without aspirStone Raft comes to an end, not the cascade of literary rhythm ing to political supremacy, especially since the countries least being that most of the women and the drumbeats to move it of the peninsula had not ceased to be sovereign and on the island are pregnant. One will along, and the realization independent just because they had gone floating off over ask, What does this imminent mass that magic realism doesn't the waters, they will have to come a halt one day, and be birth signify? It's just one more begin and end with One Hunlike every other country, and then added, For our part, we puzzle for the reader who wants to dred Years of Solitude. solemnly guarantee that the traditional good-neighbor delve deeper into this often very Just before the first policy between the United States and Canada will not be delightful book, a book in which cracks appear in the Pyrenees affected by any eventuality, and as proof of America's "the journey continues." separating France and Spain, desire to maintain friendly relations with the great CanaPortugal's Jose Saramago is a Joana Carda scratches the dian nation, we propose setting up a bilateral committee to world-class writer — I'm always earth of Carbiere and all the examine the various problems arising in the context of this telling people I meet that he demute dogs set to howling; dramatic transformation of the world's political and straserves the Nobel Prize — but I'd Joaquim Sassa picks up a tegic physiognomy, which certainly constitutes a first step give his three other books in Enheavy stone — and hurls it tov,ard the birth of a new international community comglish a slightly higher recommenfar into the Atlantic; Pedro prising the United States, Canada, and now the Iberian dation. Deceiving words, to some Orce stands up and he'll forcountries, who will be invited to participate as observers extent, because The Stone Raft is ever feel the ground tremat this meeting since they are still not physically close full of wonderful lines and wonderbling; Jose Anaico goes for enough for there to be any immediate prospect of specifyful moments that we simply won't a walk and a flock of staring the eventual form of this integration. find anywhere else. 24
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Excelling She seems to have it made now. But for Maria Rubinstein, founder of the Brazil California Chamber of Commerce, the American dream has entailed a 20 year struggle which had her working the graveyard shift while studying during the day, waiting on restaurant tables, selling real estate and starting as a clerk in a bank. Even when things got better she still had to face personal tragedy before getting stability and piece of mind. LIANA ALAGEMOV1TS Since early childhood, Maria Rubinstein had a dream: to get to know the USA. She would have to wait a little more than she wanted, but due to her persistence and strong personality. Maria got a scholarship to finish high school in Los Angeles, California, in 1973. It was a passion at first sight, she said, but she could only stay in Uncle Sam's land for one year. Despite her sadness, the return to her country was inevitable. Maria, however, was intent on coming back."! knew that had been born in the wrong place. I felt at home in the USA and I knew my destiny was to return," she reminisced recently. In 1975, once again her soles touched North American land, and her soul was closer to fulfillment. As it happens for the majority of Brazilians that come here to start a new life, the beginning was not easy. Soon after she arrived, Maria was living in the San Fernando Valley, where she used to work from midnight till seven in the morning taking care of elderly people. From this job she would go straight to school until noon. For this 18-year-old working woman the afternoon was the only time for a little rest. Alone and without help from anyone, Maria didn't see herself as defeated and she got a job as a waitress. She then studied to get a license as a Realtor. "In 1980 I got my license to sell properties, but the market was declining and I had to find another job in a bank," she said. Within six months she was already the manager's assistant. By then, everything was going more smoothly and Maria got married. Unfortunately the good times did not last long. In 1984, while leaving work in downtown Los Angeles, her 37-year-old husband was murdered. Desperate, widowed and again alone. Maria kept going forward and found relief in her career, which at that point was not only providing for material stability but was also a distraction from her own personal life. That's when she became a financial consultant for the Merril Lynch company. Five years later, on a blind date. Maria met 37-year-old American lawyer, Zev Rubinstein. They have been married since and have produced together two children: Justin, born in '91 and Cassandra. born in '93. Although professionally stable and happy with her own family, not everything was perfect for Maria, who yearned for her Brazilian roots. -1 missed my sister a lot," she BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
25
peop ould kf'whe wd when we will get toge r," she explained.t ;Since then, the monthly meetings have been happening in English, attended by over 60 business men and women interested in US-Brazil economic links. Brazilian Consulate representatives in Los Angeles and some UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) professors have also joined the up. "During such meetings there have been mportant lectures given by professionals of finance and economics," said Korn. The goal, according to Rubinstein and Korn, is to establish ties among the members and to serve as a point of reference as well. The idea continues to fructify and to produce results. "DueAlp *increase of our organization, other people c&rie out to join us," says Korn, citing liames as the Business Administrator Ricardo Coutinho, Rosfingela Maria and Carlos Braga, who be:Came responsible for the Events Committee. Journalists like Fabio Golombek, Julio Sobral d Ruth Walsh came to form the Publication mmittee, and Zadig Lima and lawyer Ida Ferraz, started the Membership Committee So with all this support and enthusiasm, a Brazil-California Chamber of Commerce in Transition was established in May. To celebrate the Open for business' occasion, the group promoted a cocktail party atMaria Rubinstein, 39 had the assistance tended by over 120 people. Among them were Sergio R. Korn, 44, when she decided to create an t journalists, entrepreneurs, economists and Brazilorganization that could help Brazilian and Ameriian government authorities, like the Consul in Los can entrepreneurs willing to do business togett. Angeles, Jorio Salgado. The idea was, at first, to have a group of debates The good results of the Brazil-California Chamabout economy and business, following the exMiami ber of Commerce meetings have shown that the ample of the successful New York Rubinstein's idea was the right thing to do at a time Chambers of Commerce. (she is a in which Brazil's prestige has been growing fast. As a professional in the business °rang to an Ernst & Young survey, Brazil is out that financial consultant), Rubinstein fo third place among the American priorities for something important was missing in SOuthern Califoreign investments, after China and Mexico. fornia: a Brazilian-flavored association to support Among the plans for the Chamber organization, business people who already were developing comthere are monthly meetings, with diner or lunch, mercial activities between Brazil Md the United States, or those who were interested in starting and informal parties, as the election of the "person such business contacts. of the year" and a Christmas celebration. There The first step was to study the fqrmer Brazilalso be workshops in different areas, such as California Trade Association (BCTA), established tourism and motion pictures, among others. After some recent management changes, the in 1972, and shut down in 1988. Thas, Rubinstein Brazil-California Chamber of Commerce is growand Korn met members of the extinct Association, Mercedes Foster, Duane H. Zobrist, and Carlos ing stronger. The chamber has been a valuable Valderama. The three associates denided not only soreatnffnformation not only for Brazilian and to give support to the new idea, buf also to w American executives, but also for Brazilian busi, nessmen and politicians from all over Brazil. The together on it. After the World Cup in 1994, they gathered a pp has been very helpful in providing informasmall group, initially called Brazilians in BuSi about trade, commerce and investment leads in "I began to invite people who had displayed Br Tornia and Brazil. This is a new phase in an ian flags at some company windows during "insitution which has been growing slowly but soccer team," says Maria, not hiding wborreally she steadily. is: a woman who doesn't waste thitadand goes The BCCC has been struggling also to develop straight after what she wants. Solid base of membership. Among its members In late 1994, the group had already grown to are large international businesses such as Banco do around 100 people. They started to meet in a BraBrasil and Odebrecht, as well as medium and small zilian restaurant to exchange ideas. The increasing size companies. They come from a variety of econumber of those members gave them a green light , nomic sectors such as entertainment, import and to make the Association more formal. The lack of exports, tourism, clothing, and independent professionals who provide services in the areas of a special room for the meetings became the first , hurdle. Rubinstein decided that the gatherings • financial, legal, accounting and computer consulting services. should be done in the Ramada Inn, in Beverly Hills, For' formation or membership kit you can call every last Wednesday of the month. "We wanted t 5-9237. initiate a tradition, so all members and intere
observed recently. "We've always been very good friends. I only relaxed when she was close to me." Her sister Denise Ferreira, 35, brought her sweet memories from Brazil. Excited about the 1994 Soccer World Cup in the US, they met a lot of Brazilians during that time. "Walking around the streets of Beverly Hills, where we were working at the time, we saw Brazilian flags everywhere. This way it was easy to spot many Brazilians that were around and even a few American enthusiasts of our soccer team," she says. Since then these people started meeting to talk about Brazil and how to enhance the country's economic presence in southern California. T enthusiasm kept up even after the last game Brazil's victory on the World Cup. The Brazilian team got the unique ti le 0 "Tetracampecio" (four-time champion) and we back home in July. Two months later the grou "Brazilians in Business" was founded. Accordin to Denise and Maria, after that it snowballed: "With each meeting the group would get bigger and bigger." Soon the group had more than 400 members and was transformed into BCCC, the Brazil-Cal' fornia Chamber of Commerce.
26
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Emanuel
Brainteasers
— Emanuel — eu respondo. E nao digo mais nada porque sinto que ninguem esta acreditando em mim, ninguem acredita nisso, que tenho urn amante e que esse amante tern olhos verdes, urn Mercedes branco e que se chama— Emanuel — repete Afonso. — Tive um colega corn esse nome mas parece que morreu. Voce disse que ele vem te buscar? Loris esta tentando servir uisque mas o uisque nao sai da garrafa que ela sacode. Se sacode tambem de tanto rir: — Num Mercedes Benz branco, nao finissimo? Conta mais, Alice, todo mundo quer saber os detalhes, detalhes! Quero alcancar o cinzeiro no centro do tapete e o cinzeiro esta longe demais, tenho que me estender no almofadao num movimento que poderia ser elastic°, gracioso e meu gesto é duro e minha voz fica postica, todos au i a vontade pelo chao, s6 eu assim tensa como um faquir ern pregos. Serpentes deslizando no caixao. — Peguei uma vez numa cobrinha. Nao, nao era viscosa, era apenas fria — digo e ninguem esta interessado em saber o que senti quando peguei na cobra. — Eu queria urn conhaque. Afonso puxou para mais perto o carrinho de bebidas. "Estou me lembrando de uma piada", diz abrindo o riso mas sei muito bem que a piada sou eu. Me ofereceu o copo fazendo uma reverencia. — Pronto, menina. Cinico. Esta se divertindo a beca, nem ele nem Loris nem Solange — ninguem acreditou. Nessa historia de amante. Mas por que nao acreditam, por que? Sou assim tab horrenda, tao repugnante? Hein? Me respondam, por que? Um homem de olhos verdes e Mercedes branco, ele vent' me buscar no Mercedes, digo e Loris quase se engasgou no uisque e Afonso, o cinico. Ate o homenzinho de cravo no peito tambem fez aquelas caras, mal me conhece e ja se incorporou ao grupo, o anao. Urn anao cretino, ridiculo, o Deus! Tomo um largo gole, respiro, preciso me acalmar. nao C assim nao, puro exagero, histeria, o homenzinho nem me notou, essa mania de perseguicao, minha culpa, minha culpa, quem mandou exagerar? Exagerei, nao precisava ter exagerado tanto, podia dizer apenas que tenho um amante, pronto, urn tipo comum, nada de especial. Mas comecei corn meus delirios, tanta vontade de beleza. de poder. Vontade antiga de chamar atencao, brilhar de mistura corn urn desejo agudo de vinganca, Loris me olhando no maior espanto e eu num crescendo de apoteose mental, fOria de sons corn a orquestra desencadeada, Wagner, mais mais! Desfrutavel. Uma desfrutavel, nunca entendi direito o que quer dizer desfrutavel mas sei que C uma coisa vergonhosa, acho que vem de fruta que virou bagaco e as pessoas que se aproveitaram — mas quern se aproveitou de mim? Nem isso. E que nunca tive nada, nem familia, nem emprego importante, nunca a alegria do superfluo que s6 o dinheiro, mas que dinheiro? Nem ao menos urn gato pingado pra puxar pelo rabo — nao, espere urn pouco, urn gato isso ate que eu tenho. Bebo outro gole enternecida. Um gato de rua mas urn gato, Emanuel. Nome que dei ao meu amante e que saiu tao espontaneo da minha boca, BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Emanuel. — Ainda bem, acho que já passou da hora de voce arrumar um caso, a gente ja estava preocupada corn essa v irgindade, que horror. E se ainda por cima é urn tipo assim undo — disse Solange ajeitando o cigarro na piteira. 0 sorriso amanteigado foi para Afonso ou para Loris? Acariciou o contorno da boca corn a ponta da piteira, tern corpo bonito mas a boca C grossa, vulgar — nao, nao! devo estar verde de inveja, tern uma boca fascinante, quisera eu. Quisera eu. — Sabe o que quer dizer Emanuel? Aquele que ha de vir— disse Loris fazendo girar corn o dedo o gelo do copo. Chupou devagar o dedo molhado. Fechei meu dedo na gruta da mao: agora me lembrava do sonho da vespera, da voz dizendo dentro do meu ouvido que queria a minha boca, minha boca! Abri a boca e a voz ficou mais obscura, mais secreta, queria a outra boca, a boca silenciosa. Esvazio o copo. Atraves do vidro vejo os olhos bistrados de Loris me olhando IA de longe, fica distante quando bebe. E proxima, ouve tudo. Entende tudo. Descobriu que menti desbragadamente e ficou perversa, ela que nao precisa ser perversa. — Afonso, voce esta rindo sem parar, vai, conta! Sabe que e de mim, a quarentona sem a menor graca e corn esses delirios. Sonhando corn homens me pedindo a boca, nao essa, a outra! Que sonho. Que vida. SO me resta agora ficar repetindo que ele vira me buscar, o Emanuel dos olhos e do Mercedes. Branco? Branco. Finissimo, disse Loris. Sustentar a mentira enquanto minha cara comprida vai encompridando mais, no boneco de pau era o nariz que crescia — 8 meu Pai! vontade de vomitar esta cara de freira sem a menor vocacao. Tarde demais para comecar e comecar corn quem? Mulheres aos montes se oferecendo, jovens, velhas, meninas de doze anos e meio e os homens exauridos, enfartados, a Loris sabe disso, ela que ja se deitou corn todos os sexos daqui e do mundo, viajou pelo mundo inteiro. E eu nao sal nem do meu bairro. Dois ou tres namorados sem o menor empenho, corn preguica de aprofundament°, mas em que tempo a virgindade era prestigiada? 0 desejo morno, a preguica penalizada, quer dizer que a minha Alicinha?... Alicinha. Quando me chamam de Alicinha ja sei que nao vai acontecer nada, viro confidente, irma. Se ao menos a entrada fosse facilitada, se nao sugerisse uma certa mao-de-obra, delicadezas. 0 medo que eles tern de envolvimentos, vinculos. E eu afetando essa calma quando minha vontade C gritar de Odio, puxar os cabelos, Odio de mim mesma, sua imbecil! cretina, pior ainda do que feia 6 ser assim opaca, mediocre, nenhuma luz. 0 dinheiro resolveria, ah, corn dinheiro podia fazer a excentrica, a vaca sagrada que paga sua corte e mais esse Emanuel, por que nao? Dava-lhe o Mercedes, aviao, navio e mais daria. Meu homem resplandecente, coberto de ouro em p6, de suas ordens, amor, quer que faca sua comida? que engraxe seus sapatos? Engraxo tudo, sou urn ser menor, dependente, fragil, que venham as feministas e que cuspam em mim seu desprezo, ora, cuspam a vontade! As idiotas e fazendo de fortes, arregacando mangas dentes, tamanha arrogancia.
3 by
LYGIA FAGUNDES TELLES I exaggerated, I didn't have to exaggerate so much. I could just have said that I have a lover, that's all, an average guy, nothing special. But I started with my • hallucinations, all this hunger for beauty and power. I never had anything, neither a family nor an important job, never the joy of the superfluous.
29
digo. Pela primeira vez nesta festa estou — Tinha esse quadro — prosme sentindo melhor, gosto da ambigilidade, seguiu Solange e fiquei sem saber k. do jogo, que dificil ser eu mesma. E que que quadro era esse. Fico olhando a correntinha de ouro do seu tornozelo, — Ah, ele é casado? tern pernas belissimas. Afonso escolhe outro disco, quer jazz, Encolho as minhas. Ainda assim Solange avisa que vai fazer pipi e o amanheco e quero escovar os dentes homenzinho do cravo no peito toma nota corn cuidados especiais, uns dentinhos do telefone da jovem desenhista, ndo é fracos e a esperanca de que um dia. bonita mas soube armar um tipo corn tanta Esperanca no creme das sardas, os imaginacdo que bateria a Venus da concha cabelos ralos e o ovo, a vitamina. se a Venus da concha aportasse nesta praia. Faz o Tanta vontade de luta. "A esperanca curva como uma asa", disse alguem. que eu devia ter feito: tirou partido da fehlra que Melhor me deitar na planicie mas virou ousadia, eu poderia me vestir de egipcia, quando dou acordo de mim ja estou ndo? Se esqueceriam da minha boca, do meu subindo a propria montanha resfolegan- cabelo mas do estilo, da irreverencia — e ndo é do e subindo. Orgulho? A esperanca isso que eu quero? Ser conversada, discutida. Me volto para Loris que estd bebada e Incida, o lado sera so isso, orgulho? — E o que ele faz? Seu amado — ruim me espicacando, e o Emanuel?... Comecei e pergunt,a Loris mordendo o sanduiche. agora ndo posso parar, ninguem acredita, ninguem esta se importando mas Loris me fisgou e vem me — E medico. Ginecologista, tenho vontade de puxando como o velho pescador puxou aquele di zer. 0 que sempre desejei, urn peixe, fiquei tao deprimida nesse pedaco da fita, a namorado medico que me tomasse em linha mais curta, completamente esticada e o peixe. suas mdos hábeis e atraves delas eu Me deixo levar sem resistencia e agora ela esta conheceria a mim mesma a comecar por querendo — mas o que ela quer agora? este corpo que me escapa como urn — Nao ha muito o que contar, Loris. Achei-o inimigo, saberia do meu contorno na rua. — Na rua? quando as mdos fossem me palmilhando, tateantes. Meu cheiro, meu — Parecia solitario, infeliz. gosto — ele que já conheceu tantos Mais precisamente numa esquina. A lembranca corpos dentro e fora da profissdo, me me emociona demais, deve ser do conhaque, ah se tome depressa que o tempo é de amor! passasse por aqui aquela bandeja de doces eu Corn mil desculpas pela minha virgin- comeria a bandeja inteira, uma vontade de acircar, dade, mas nao foi nem por virtude, chocolate, um analista esperto explicaria depressa, bloqueio, Id sei! eu podia pegar o homem carencia afetiva. Meu pai me levava a caneca de do leite mas faz seculos que ndo tern chocolate quente e esperava eu virar a caneca ate mais nem homem do leite nem do pdo, o firn, podia ter vivido ate o Em e foi acontecer mamde abria a porta e o cheiro da cesta aquilo, ah! paizinho! mas ndo, ndo quero lembrar de paes dourados, vem nenem, escolhe isso, eu pensava no analista, tudo virando carencia sua rosquinha — ah, se essa trabalheira afetiva, meu irmdozinho de oito anos dependurava Ihe desse afinal urn pouco mais de , os gatos pelo rabo, urn varal de gatos se emocdo. Sim, mp guardei ate hoje, nunca contorcendo aos urros, tambem carencia? Fazia antes? Nunca. E simples, Alice, ele diz frio e ele miava e tremia tanto, guardei-o no bolso Aliiiice. Simples como beber urn copo do casaco, urn gatinho mijado, feio, a cabeca d'agua, ndo fique contraida, voce esta vacilante pesada demais para o pescoco fino. tensa demais, relaxe, seu pescoco parece Emanuel, eu chamei. Ele miou e escondeu o pedra, ndo endureca a boca porque desse focinho na minha mdo. Tenho urn gato, pensei. E jeito o doutor ndo vai poder arrancar o uma arnica grega? Uma timica podia ser uma seu dentinho! e meu pai segurou forte solucao, o friso dourado, sanddlias corn as tiras na minha mdo, vamos, filha, prometo subindo pelas pernas, a Alice anda fantasiada de que nem vai doer... Enxugo os olhos no grega, acho que enlouqueceu. Estd certo, guardanapo de papel. enlouqueci, a loucura 6 uma boa saida mas teria — Estou curiosissima, a que horas que ser uma loucura requintada, corn lampejos, ele vem? — pergunta Loris. iluminacaes. Eu seria capaz dessas iluminacoes? Cravo as unhas no guardanapo. Solange levanta a perna que se descobre ate a coxa — Nem sei se vira, hoje é dia de enquanto o homem do labio leporino tenta abrir o plantdo, já me avisou que vai ser muito fecho da sua pulseirinha no tornozelo, como dificil aparecer, medico tern aqueles ficariam nessas minhas pernas de fib de macarrao hordrios complicados. as tais tiras douradas? Loris passa engatinhando — Nem diga. debaixo da perna de Solange, vai pegar o prato de Mastigo um croquete fumegante. croquetes. Volta e me encara apertando os olhos. Sopro a fumaca, queria ficar uma Recomecamos a corner corn voracidade. Preciso formiguinha para entrar nesse vulcdo, falar. Loris sabe, os outros desconfiam mas Ele gosta muito de musica, fica tdo calmo os outros estdo distraidos, ela ndo. quando ouve Mozart. Encolho as pernas mas queria encolher — F,inissimo. os pds que sdo enormes. Agora Loris — As vezes ele se deita na almofada e fica quer saber se continuo na mesma casa. horas e horas im6vel, ouvindo. Os olhos verdes Respondo que sim. brilhando tanto, como brilham seus olhos quando — Sozinha? apago a luz e me deito ao lado. — Corn meu gato. — Voces preferem o chdo? — Mas ele ndo é livre? — Ou a cama, quando acordo tarde da noite — Mais ou menos. ele já pulou na cama, dividimos o travesseiro. Mas — Mais ou menos, como? o que é isso, esta chovendo? Estou rindo e é born rir do Emanuel — Uma tempestade. que tentou fugir, tentou vdrias vezes — Tenho que ir, Loris. ate que mandei levantar o muro e agora — Ir, como?! Imagine se — recomecou ela e ele se deita feito uma esfinge no pequeno emudeceu, a campainha? Ndo tocaram a campaicanteiro e fica olhando o portdo. nha?— Mas se Irk) estou esperando mais ninguem! — Tern uma dona, é claro. Mas Entdo 6 ele, s6 pode ser ele! sempre consegue dar suas escapadas, Ainda de joelhos you recuando para a zona de 30
sombra, quero esconder minha cara que ficou branca, umida, ndo, Loris, ndo pode ser, hoje tern plantdo lá no hospital, dificilimo fugir do plantar)! Mas ela encurtou depressa a linha e vem me puxando, mas como?! o amado de Alice acaba de chegar e todo mundo desligado, "pois nao foi ele que chegou? s6 pode ser ele, gente, quem mais?" A campainha outra vez 6 agora mais forte, estremeco inteira, o som agudo é ode uma cigarra me serrando pelo meio, 6 Deus! a chuva e Loris de pe, oscilando triunfante na proa do barco. Engulo penosamente a saliva, estou salivando sem parar porque no medo a saliva cresce borbulhosa, quero repetir que ndo pode ser ele e o anzol. Ougo minha voz num sopro, tern o plantdo Id no hospital, Loris, dificilimo. Dificilimo. — Afonso, meu queridinho, vai abrir a porta! Baixei a cabeca. E eu jatinha cedido sem a menor resistencia, ndo tinha? Urn pouco mais e confessaria, tudo brincadeira, voce sabe que nao tenho nenhum homem, tenho apenas urn gato, Emanuel é urn gato! Ela nao precisava fazer isso, nAo precisava. Aperto contra a boca o copo vazio, eu vazia e a plenitude da chuva e das falas, todos falam ao mesmo tempo enquanto a janela se escancara e a cortina derruba garrafas, consegui tumultuar a festa que parece rodopiar na ventania corn a voz de Afonso pairando sobre as aguas, voltou arfante porque ,subiu a escada correndo: — E o Emanuel que veio te buscar.
As formigas Quando minha prima e eu descemos do taxi, já era quase noite. Ficamos imoveis diante do velho sobrado de janelas ovaladas, iguais a dois olhos tristes, urn del es vazado por uma pedrada. Descansei a mala no chdo e apertei p bray) da prima. — E sinistro. Ela me impeliu na direcdo da porta. Tinhamos outra escol ha? Nenhuma pensdo nas redondezas oferecia urn preco melhor a duas pobres estudantes corn liberdade de usar o fogareiro no quarto, a dona nos avisara por telefone que podiamos fazer refeicries ligeiras corn a condicao de ndo provocar incendio. Subimos a escada velhissima, cheirando a creolina. — Pelo menos ndo vi sinal de barata — disse minha prima. A dona era uma velha balofa, de peruca mais negra do que a asa da granna. Vestia um desbotado pijama de seda japonesa e tinha as unhas aduncas recobertas por uma crosta de esmalte vermelho-escuro, descascado nas pontas encardidas. Acendeu urn charutinho. , — E voce que estuda medicina? — perguntou soprando a fumaca na minha direcdo. — Estudo direito. Medicina é ela. A mulher nos examinou corn indiferenca. Devia estar pensando em outra coisa quando soltou uma baforada tao densa que precisei desviar a cara. A saleta era escura, atulhada de in:Weis velhos, desparelhados. No sofa de palhinha furada no assento, duas almofadas que pareciam ter sido feitas BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
corn os restos de urn antigo vestido, os bordados salpicados de vidrilho. Vou mostrar o quarto, fica no sotdo — disse ela em meio a urn acesso de tosse. Fez urn sinal para que a seguissemos. — 0 inquilino antes de voces tambem estudava medicina, tinha um caixotinho de ossos que esqueceu aqui, estava sempre mexendo neles. Minha prima voltou-se: — Um caixote de ossos? A mulher ndo respondeu, concentrada no esforco de subir a estreita escada de caracol que ia dar no quarto. Acendeu a luz. 0 quarto ndo podia ser menor, corn o teto em declive tao acentuado que nesse trecho teriamos que entrar de gatinhas. Duas camas, dois armarios e uma cadeira de palhinha pintada de dourado. No Angulo onde o teto quase se encontrava corn o assoalho, estava um caixotinho coberto corn urn pedaco de plastico. Minha prima largou a mala e, pondo-se de joelhos, puxou o caixotinho pela alga de corda. Levantou o plastico. Parecia fascinada. — Mas que ossos tao miudinhos! Sao de crianca? — Ele disse que eram de adulto. De urn ando. — De um ando? é mesmo, a gente ye que já estdo formados... Mas que maravilha, e raro a beca esqueleto de ando. E tao limpo, olha al — admirouse ela. Trouxe na ponta dos dedos urn pequeno cranio de uma brancura de cal. — Tao perfeito, todos os dentinhos! — Eu ia jogar tudo no lixo, mas se voce se interessa pode ficar corn ele. 0 banheiro é aqui ao lado, so voces é que vdo usar, tenho o meu Ia embaixo. Banho quente extra. Telefone tambem. Café das sete as nove, deixo a mesa posta na cozinha corn a garrafa termica, fechem bem a garrafa recomendou cocando a cabeca. A peruca se deslocou ligeiramente. Soltou uma baforada —Ndo deixem a porta aberta send() meu gato foge. Ficamos nos olhando e rindo enquanto ouviamos o barulho dos seus chinelos de salto na escada. E a tosse encatarrada. Esvaziei a mala, dependurei a blusa amarrotada num cabide que enfiei num vdo da veneziana, prendi na parede, corn durex, uma gravura de Grassman e sentei meu urso de pelAcia em cima do travesseiro. Fiquei vendo minha prima subir na cadeira, desatarraxar a lampada fraquissima que pendia de urn fio solitdrio no meio do teto e no lugar atarraxar uma lampada de duzentas velas que tirou da sacola. 0 quarto ficou mais alegre. Em compensacdo, agora a gente podia ver que a roupa de cama ndo era tao alva assim, alva era a pequena tibia que ela tirou de dentro do caixotinho. Examinou- a. Tirou uma vertebra e olhou pelo buraco tao reduzido como o aro de urn anel. Guardou-as corn a delicadeza corn que se amontoam ovos numa caixa. — Urn ando. Rarissimo, entende? E acho que ndo falta nenhum ossinho, you trazer as ligaduras, quero ver se no fim da semana comeco a montar ele. Abrimos uma lata de sardinha que comemos corn pao, minha prima tinha sempre alguma lata escondida, costumava estudar ate de madrugada e depois fazia sua ceia. Quando acabou o pdo, abriu urn pacote de bolacha Maria. BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
— De onde vem esse cheiro? — pe guntei farejando. Fui ate o caixotinho, voltei, ch irei o assoalho. — Voce ndo esta sentindo urn cheiro meio ardido? — E de bolor. A casa inteira cheira as im — ela disse. E puxou o caixotinho para deba xo da cama. No sonho, um ando louro de colete xa rez e cabelo repartido no meio entrou no quarto fu ando charuto. Sentou-se na camada minhaprima, ruzou as perninhas e au i ficou muito serio, v ndo-a dormir. Eu quis gritar, tern um and() no q arto! mas acordei antes. A luz estava acesa. Ajo lhada no chdo, ainda vestida, minha prima o hava fixamente algum ponto do assoalho. — Que é que voce esta fazendo a ? — perguntei. — Essas formigas. Apareceram de repe te, já enturmadas. Tdo decididas, esta vendo? Levantei e dei corn as formigas peque as e ruivas que entravam em trilha espessa pela resta debaixo da porta, atravessavam o quarto, su siam pela parede do caixotinho de ossos e desem ocayam Id dentro, disciplinadas como urn exercito em marcha exemplar. — Sao milhares, nunca vi tanta formiga a sim. E ndo tern trilha de volta, s6 de ida — estra hei. — S6 de ida. Contei-lhe meu pesadelo corn o and° se ado em sua cama. — Esta debaixo dela — disse minha pri a e puxou para fora o caixotinho. Levantou o plas ico. — Preto de formiga. Me dá o vidro de dlcoo — Deve ter sobrado alguma coisa ai ne ses ossos e elas descobriram, formiga descobre t do. Se eu fosse voce, levava isso IA pra fora. — Mas os ossos estdo completamente lim os, eujá disse. Nao ficou nem um fiapo de cartila em, limpissimos. Queria saber o que essas band das vem fucar aqui. Respingou fartamente o dlcool em tod I o caixote. Em seguida, calcou os sapatos e c mo uma equilibrista andando no fib de arame, foi pisando firme, urn pe diante do outro na trilh de formigas. Foi e voltou duas vezes. Apago o cigarro. Puxou a cadeira. E ficou olhando de tro do caixotinho. — Esquisito. Muito esquisito. —0 que? — Me lembro que botei o cranio em cima da pilha, me lembro que ate calcei ele corn as omoplatas para ndo rolar. E agora ele estd ai no chdo do caixote, corn uma omoplata de cada la o. Por acaso voce mexeu aqui? — Deus me livre, tenho nojo de osso. Ai a mais de and°. Ela cobriu o caixotinho corn o pldsti o empurrou-o corn o pe e levou o fogareiro par a mesa, era a hora do seu chd. No chdo, a trilha de formigas mortas era agora uma fita escura q e encolheu. Uma formiguinha que escapou ia matanca passou perto do meu pe, jA ia esmagalla quando vi que levava as mdos a cabeca, como urr)a pessoa desesperada. Deixei-a sumir numa fresta do assoalho. I Voltei a sonhar aflitivamente mas dessa v z foi o antigo pesadelo em tomb dos exames, o professor fazendo uma pergunta atrAs da outra e eu muda djante do tinico ponto que ndo tin a estudado. As seis horas o despertador disparo veementemente. Travei a campainha. Minha prim dormia corn a cabeca coberta. No banheiro, olh i corn atencdo para as paredes, para o chdo d cimento, a procura delas. Ndo vi nenhuma. Volt r pisando na ponta dos Os e entdo entreabri a folhas da veneziana. 0 cheiro suspeito da noit tinha desaparecido. Olhei para o chdo: desapa recera tambem a trilha do exercito massacrado Espiei debaixo da cama e ndo vi o meno movimento de formigas no caixotinho coberto. Quando cheguei por volta das sete da noite minha prima ja estava no quarto. Achei-a
abatida que carreguei no sal da omelete, tinha a pressdo baixa. Comemos num silencio voraz. Entdo me lembrei: — E as formigas? — Ate agora, nenhuma. — Voce varreu as mortas? Ela ficou me olhando. — Ndo varri nada, estava exausta. Ndo foi voce que varreu? — Eu?! Quando acordei, ndo tinha nem sinal de formiga nesse chdo, estava certa que antes de deitar voce juntou tudo... Mas entdo quem?! Ela apertou os olhos estrabicos, ficava estrabica quando se preocupava. — Muito esquisito mesmo. Esquisitissimo. Fui buscar o tablete de chocolate e perto da porta senti de novo o cheiro, mas seria bolor? Nao me parecia um cheiro assim inocente, quis chamar a atencdo da minha prima para esse aspecto mas estava tao deprimida que achei me lhor ficar quieta. Espargi dguade-colonia for de maga por todo o quarto (e se ele cheirasse como urn pomar?) e fui deitar cedo. Tive o segundo tipo de sonho que competia nas repeticOes corn o sonho da prova oral: nele, eu marcava encontro corn dois namorados ao mesmo tempo. E no mesmo lugar. Chegava o primeiro e minha aflicdo era levd-lo embora dali antes que chegasse o segundo. 0 segundo, desta vez, era o and°. Quando s6 restou o oco de silencio e sombra, a voz da minha prima me fisgou e me trouxe para a superficie. Abri os olhos corn esforco. Ela estava sentada na beira da minha cama, de pijama e completamente estrabica. — Elas voltaram. — Quern? —As formigas. SO atacam de noite, antes da madrugada. Estdo todas ai de novo. A trilha da vespera, intensa, fechada, seguia o antigo percurso da porta ate o caixotinho de ossos por onde subia na mesma formacdo ate desformigar IA dentro. Sem caminho de volta. — E os ossos? Ela se enrolou no cobertor, estava tremendo. Al é que esta o misterio. Aconteceu uma coisa, ndo entendo mais nada! Acordei pra fazer pipi, devia ser umas tres horas. Na volta senti que no quarto tinha algo mais, esta me entendendo? Olhei pro chdo e vi a fila dura de formiga, voce lembra? ndo tinha nenhuma quando chegamos. Fui ver o caixotinho, todas trancando IA dentro, lOgico, mas ndo foi isso o que quase me fez cair pra tras, tern uma coisa mais grave: é que os ossos estdo mesmo mudando de posicdo, eujAdesconfiava mas agora estou certa, pouco a pouco eles estdo... estao se organizando. — Como, organizando? Ela ficou pensativa. Comecei a tremer de frio, peguei uma ponta do seu cobertor. Cobri meu urso corn o lencol. — Voce lembra, o cranio entre as omoplatas, ndo deixei ele assim. Agora é a coluna vertebral que ja. esta quase formada, uma vertebra atras da outra, cada ossinho tomando seu lugar, alguem do ramo esta montando o esqueleto, mais urn pouco e... Venha ver! —Credo, ndo quero ver nada. Estdo 31
colando o ando, e isso? Ficamos olhando a trilha rapidissima, tao apertada que nela nao caberia sequer urn grao de poeira. Pulei-a corn o major cuidado quando fui esquentar o cha. Uma formiguinha desgarrada (a mesma daquela noite?) sacudia a cabeca entre as maos. Comecei a rir e tanto que se o chao nao estivesse ocupado, rolaria por au i de tanto rir. Dormimos juntas na minha cama. Ela dormia ainda quando sal para a primeira aula. No chdo, nem sombra de formiga, mortas e vivas, desapareciam corn a luz do dia. Voltei tarde essa noite, urn colega tinha se casado e teve festa. Vim animada, corn vontade de cantar, passei da conta. So na escada e que me lembrei: o ando. Minha prima arrastara a mesa para a porta e estudava corn o bule fumegando no fogareiro. —Hoje nao you dormir, quero ficar de vigia — ela avisou. 0 assoalho ainda estava limpo. Me abracei ao urso. — Estou corn medo. Ela foi buscar uma pilula para atenuar minha ressaca, me fez engolir a pilula corn um gole de cha e ajudou a me despir. — Fico vigiando, pode dormir sossegada. Por enquanto ndo apareceu nenhuma, nao esta na hora delas, daqui a pouco que comeca. Examinei corn a lupa debaixo da porta, sabe que rift() consigo descobrir de onde brotam? Tombei na cama, acho que nem respondi. No topo da escada o anao me agarrou pelos pulsos e rodopiou comigo ate o quarto, acorda, acorda! Demorei para reconhecer minha prima que me seguravapelos cotovelos. Estava livida. E vesga. — Voltaram — ela disse. Apertei entre as maos a cabeca dolorida. — Estao al? Ela falava num torn miudo como se uma formiguinha falasse corn sua voz. — Acabei dormindo em cima da mesa, estava exausta. Quando acordei, atrilhajáestava em plena. Entao fui ver o caixotinho, aconteceu o que eu esperava... — Que foi? Fala depressa, o que foi? Ela firmou o olhar obliquo no caixotinho debaixo da cama. — Estao mesmo montando ele. E rapidamente, entende? 0 esqueleto estd inteiro, so falta o femur. E os ossinhos da mac, esquerda, fazem isso num instante. Vamos embora daqui. — Voce esta falando serio? — Vamos embora, ja arrumei as malas. A mesa estava limpa e yazios os armdrios escancarados. — Mas sair assim, de madrugada? Podemos sair assim? — Imediatamente, melhor nao esperar que a bruxa acorde. Vamos, levanta. — E para onde a gente vai? —Nao interessa, depois a gente ve. Vamos, vista isto, temos que sair antes que o and° fique pronto. Olhei de longe a trilha: nunca elas me pareceram tao rapidas. Calcei os sapatos, descolei a gravura da parede, enfiei o urso no bolso da japonae fomos arrastando as malas pelas escadas, mais intenso o cheiro que vinha do quarto, 32
deixamos a porta aberta. Foi o gato que miou comprido ou foi urn grito? No ceu, as nItimas estrelas já empalideciam. Quando encarei a casa, so a janela vazada nos via, o outro olho era penumbra.
Seminario dos ratos Que seculo, meu Deus! — exclamaram os ratos e comecaram a roer o edificio. Carlos Drummond de Andrade 0 Chefe das RelacOes Publicas, um jovem de baixa estatura, atarracado, sorriso e olhos extremamente brilhantes, ajeitou o nO da gravata vermelha e bateu de leve na porta do Secretdrio do Bem-Estar Public() e Privado: Excelencia? 0 Secretario do Bern-Estar Public° e Privado pousou o copo de leite na mesa e fez girar a poltrona de couro. Suspirou. Era urn homem descorado e flacido, de calva Omida e maos acetinadas. Lancou um olhar comprido para os proprios pes, o direito calcado, o esquerdo metido num grosso chinelo de là corn debrum de Pode entrar — disse ao Chefe das RelacOes Pablicas que já espiava pela fresta da porta. Entrelacou as maos na altura do peito: — Entao? Correu bem o coquetel? Tinha voz branda, corn urn leve acento lamurioso. 0 jovem empertigou-se. Urn ligeiro rubor cobriu-lhe o rosto bem escanhoado: — Tudo perfeito, Excelencia. Perfeito. Foi no Salao Azul, que é menor, Vossa Excelencia sabe. Poucas pessoas, so a cupula, ficou uma reuniao assim aconchegante, intima mas muito agraddvel. Fiz as apresentacoes, bebericou-se e — consultou O relogio — veja, Excelencia, nem seis horas e jd se dispersaram. 0 Assessor da Presidencia da RATESP esta instalado na ala norte, vizinho do Diretor das Classes Conservadoras Desarmadas e Armadas que esta ocupando a suite cinzenta. Já a Delegacao Americana achei conveniente instalar na ala sul. Por sinal, deixei-oshápouconapiscina, o crepnsculo esta. deslumbrante, Excelencia, deslumbrante! — 0 senhor disse que o Diretor das Classes Conservadoras Desarmadas e Armadas esta ocupando a suite cinzenta. Por que cinzenta? 0 jovem pediu licenca para se sentar. Puxou a cadeira mas conservou uma prudente distancia da almofada onde o secretdrio pousara o pe metido no chinelo. Pigarreou: — Bueno, escolhi as cores pensando nas pessoas— comecou corn certa hesitacao. Animouse: — A suite do Delegado Americano, por exemplo, é rosa-forte, eles gostam das cores vivas. Para o de Vossa Excelencia escolhi este azulpastel, mais de uma vez vi Vossa Excelencia de gravata azul... ja para a suite norte me ocorreu o cinzento, Vossa Excelencia nao gosta da cor cinzenta? 0 Secretdrio moveu corn dificuldade o pe estendido na almofada. Levantou a mac). Ficou olhando a mao: E a cor deles. Rattus Alexandrius. — Dos conservadores? — Nao, dos ratos. Mas enfim, nao tern importancia prossiga, por favor. 0 senhor dizia que os americanos estao na piscina, por que os? Veio mais de urn? — Pois corn o Delegado de Massachusetts veio tambem a secretaria, uma jovem. E veio ainda urn ruivo de terno xadrez, tipo um pouco de boxer, meio calado, esta sempre ao lado dos dois. Suponho que é urn guarda-costas mas é simples suposicao, Excelencia, o cavalheiro em questa° é uma incognita. SO falam ingles. Aproveitei para conversar corn eles, completei hd pouco meu curso
de ingles para executivos, se os debates forem em ingles, conforme ja foi aventado, darei minha colaboracao. Já o castelhano eu domino perfeitamente, enfim, Vossa Excelencia sabe, Santiago, Buenos Aires... — Fui contra a indicacao. Desse americano — atalhou o Secretario num tom suave mas infeliz. — Os ratos sao nossos, as solucOes tern que ser nossas. Por que botar toclo mundo a par das nossas mazelas? Das nossas deficiencias? Deviamos sO mostrar o lado positivo nao apenas da sociedade mas da nossa familia. De nOs mesmos — acrescentou apontando para o pe em cima da almofada: — Por que ndo apareci ainda, por que? Porque simplesmente nao quero que me vejam indisposto , de pe inchado, mancando. Amanhacalco o sapato para a instalacao, de born grado faco esse sacrificio. 0 senhor que e candidato em potencial desde cedo precisa ir aprendendo essas coisas, moco. Mostrar so o lado positivo, so o que pode nos enaltecer. Esconder nossos chinelos. — Mas Vossa Excelencia me permite, esse americano é urn tecnico em ratos, nos Estados Unidos tambern tern muito, ele poderd nos trazer sugestOes preciosas. Alias, estive sabendo que e urn expert em jornalismo eletronico. — Pior ainda. Vai sair buzinando por ai— suspirou o Secretario tentando mudar a posicao do pd. — Enfim, nao tern importancia. Prossiga, prossiga, queria que me informasse sobre a repercussao. Na imprensa, é obvio. 0 Chefe das Relacees Piblicas pigarreou discretamente, murmurou urn "bueno" e apalpou os bolsos. Pediu licenca para fumar. — Bueno, é do conhecimento de Vossa Excelencia que causou especie o fato de termos escolhido este local: por que instalar o VII Semindrio dos Roedores numa casa de campo, completamente isolada? Essa a primeira indagacao geral. A segunda, é que gastamos demais para tornar esta mansao habitavel, um desperdicio quando podiamos dispor de outros locals ja prontos. 0 noticiarista de urn vespertino, marquei bem a cara dele, Excelencia, esse chegou a ser insolente quando rosnou que tern tanto edificio em disponibilidade, que as implosees ate já se multiplicam para corrigir o excesso. E n6s gastando milhOes para restaurar esta ruina... 0 secretario passou o lenco na calva e procurou se sentar mais confortavelmente. Comecou um gesto que nao se completou. Gastando milhOes? BilhOes estao consumindo esses dem6nios, por acaso ele ignora as estatisticas? Estou apostando como e da esquerda, estou apostando. Ou entao amigo dos ratos. Enfim, nao tern importancia, prossiga, por favor. — Mas sao essas as criticas mais severas, Excelencia. Bisonhices. Ah, e aquela eterna tecla que nao cansam de bater, que ja estamos no VII Semindrio e ate agora, nada de objetivo, que a populacao ratal já se multiplicou sete mil vezes depois do primeiro Seminario, que temos agora cem ratos para cada habitante, que nas favelas nao sdo as BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
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Marias mas as ratazanas que andam de lata d'agua na cabeca —acrescentou contendo uma risadinha. — 0 de sempre... Nao se conformam é de nos reunirmos em local retirado, que deviamos estar la no centro, dentro do problema. Nosso Assessor de Imprensa ja esclareceu o obvio, que este Seminario e o Quartel-General de uma verdadeira batalha! E que tracar as coordenadas de uma acdo conjunta deste porte exige meditacdo. Lucidez. Onde poderiam os senhores trabalhar sendo aqui, respirando urn ar que s6 o campo pode oferecer? Nesta bendita soliddo, em contato intimo corn a natureza... 0 Delegado de Massachusetts achou genial essa iddia do encontro em pleno campo. Urn moco muito gentil, tdo simples. Achou excelente nossa piscina termica, Vossa Excelencia sabia? ele foi campedo de nado de peito, esta la se divertindo, adorou nossa agua de coco! Contou-me uma coisa curiosa, que os ratos do Polo Norte tern pelos deste tamanho para agtientar o frio de trinta abaixo de zero, se guarnecem de pelicas, os marotos. Podiam viver em Marte, uma sande de ferro! 0 Secretario pareciapensar em outra coisa quando murmurou evasivamente um "enfim". Levantou o dedo pedindo silencio. Olhou corn desconfianca para o tapete. Para o teto: — Que barulho é esse? — Barulho? — Um barulho esquisito, ndo esta ouvindo? 0 Chefe das RelacOes Pablicas voltou a cabeca, concentrado. — Ndo estou ouvindo nada... disse o esta diminuindo Secretario abaixando o dedo almofadado. — Agora parou. Mas o senhor tido ouviu? Um barulho tdo esquisito, como se viesse do fundo da terra, subiu depois para o teto... NA° ouviu mesmo? 0 jovem arregalou os olhos de urn azul inocente. —Absolutamente nada, Excelencia. Mas foi aqui no quarto? — Ou la fora, ndo sei. como se alguem... — Tirou o lenco, limpou a boca e suspirou profundamente. —Ndo me espantaria nada se cismassem de instalar aqui algum gravador. 0 senhor se lembra? esse Delegado americano... — Mas Excelencia, ele é convidado do Diretor das Classes Desarmadas e Armadas! — Ndo confio em ningudm. Em quase ninguem — corrigiu o Secretdrio num sussurro. Fixou o olhar suspeitoso na mesa. Nos baldaquins azuis da cama. — Onde essa gente esta, tern sempre essa praga de gravador. Enfim, ndo tern importancia, prossiga, por favor. E o Assessor de Imprensa? — Bueno, ontem a noite ele sofreu urn pequeno acidente, Vossa Excelencia sabe como anda o nosso transito! Teve que engessar urn braco, s6 pode chegar amanha, já providenciei o jatinho — acrescentou o jovem corn energia. — Na retaguarda fica toda uma equipe armada para a cobertura. Nosso Assessor vai pingando o noticiario por telefone, criando suspense ate o encerramento, quando virdo todos em jato especial, fotografos, canais de televisdo, correspondentes estrangeiros, uma apoteose. Finis coronat opus, o BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
I 1 fim coroa a obra! — SO sei que ele ja deveria estar aqui, Comeca mal — lamentou o Secretario inclinando-s para o copo de leite. Tomou urn gole e teve uma ex ressdo desaprovadora: — Enfim, o que me pr ocupa muito é ficarmos incomunicaveis. Ndo sei mesmo se essa ideia do Assessor da Presidencia da RATESP vai funcionar, isso de deixarmos os jornalistas longe. Tenho minhas davidas. — Vossa Excelencia vai me perdoar, mas penso que a capula se valoriza ficando ' assim inacessivel. Alias, é sabido que uma certa dis ancia, urn certo misterio excita mais do que o c ntato diario corn os meios de comunicacdo. Noss unica ponte vai soltando noticias discretas, in uindo sem alarde ate o encerramento, quando abri emos as baterias! Ndo é uma boa tatica? Corn dedos tamborilantes o Secr tario percorreu vagamente os botOes do ci lete. Entrelacou as mdos e ficou olhando as nhas polidas. — Boa tatica, meu jovem, é influenciar no comeco e no fim todos os meios de comuni acao do pals. Esse é o objetivo. Que ja esta prejud•cado com esse assessor de perna quebrada. — Bram Excelencia. 0 antebraco, mais precisamente. 0 Secretario moveu penosamente o c rpo, para a direita e para a esquerda. Enxugou a esta. Os dedos. Ficou olhando para o pe em ci a da almofada. — Hoje mesmo o senhor poderia lhe tele onar para dizer que estrategicamente os ratos a se encontram sob controle. Sem detalhes, en tize apenas isto, que os ratos ja estdo sob in eiro controle. A ligacdo e demorada? — Bueno, cerca de meia hora. Pec ja, Excelencra? 1. 0 Secretario foi levantando o dedo. Abfru a boca. Girou a cadeira em direcdo da janela. corn o mesmo gesto lento, foi se voltando para a lar ira. — Esta ouvindo? Esta ouvindo? 0 baru ho, ficou mais forte agora! 0 jovem levou a mdo a concha da orelh . A testa ruborizou- se no esforco da concentra do. Levantou- se e andou na ponta dos pes: — Vem daqui, Excelencia? Ndo con igo perceber nada! — Aumenta e diminui, olha al, em on as, como urn mar... Agora parece urn vul do respirando, aqui perto e ao mesmo tempo tao longe! esta fugindo, olha al... — Tombou pa a o espaldar da poltrona, exausto. Enxugou o que xo amid°. — Quer dizer que o senhor lido ou iu I nada? 1 0 Chefe das Relacides Pnblicas arqueoul as sobrancelhas perplexas. Espiou dentro da lareira. Atras da poltrona. Levantou a cortina da janeli e olhou para o jardim: 1 — Tern dois empregados la no gramado, motoristas, creio... Ei! voces al!.. — chamclu, estendendo o brag° para fora. Fechou a janela. J— Sumiram. Pareciam agitados, talvez discutissem mas suponho que nada tenham a ver corn o barulho. Ndo ouvi coisa alguma, Excelencia, escuto tao mal deste ouvido! I — Pois eu escuto demais, devo ter urn ouvido suplementar. Tdo fino. Quando fiz a revolucd , em 32 e depois em 64, era sempre o primeiro qo grupo a pressentir qualquer anormalidade. primeiro! Lembro que uma noite avisei mein companheiros, o inimigo esta aqui corn a gentee 1 eles riram, bobagem, voce bebeu demais, tinhamos tornado no jantar urn vinho delicioso. Pois quando saimos para dormir, estavamos cercados. 0 Chefe das Relacides Pnblicas teve urn olhar de suspeita para a estatueta de bronze em cima da lareira, uma opulenta mulher de olhos vendados, empunhando a espada e a balanca. Estendeu a mdo ate a balanca. Passou o dedo num dos pratos empoeirados. Olhou o dedo e limpou-o corn um gesto
furtivo no espaldar da poltrona. — Vossa Excelencia quer que eu va fazer uma sondagem? 0 Secretario estendeu doloridamente a perna. Suspirou: — Enfim, nao tern importancia. Nestas minhas crises sou capaz de ouvir alguem riscando urn f6sforo na sala. Entre consternado e timido, o jovem aponton para o pe enfermo: — E algo... grave? — A gota. E dOi, Excelencia? — Muito. — Pode ser a gota d'agua! Pode ser a gota d'agua! — cantarolou ele ampliando o sorriso que logo esmoreceu no silencio taciturno que se seguiu sua intervencdo musical. Pigarreou. Ajustou o n6 da gravata: — Bueno, é uma cancdo que o povo canta por ai. — 0 povo, o povo disse o Secretario do Bern Estar Public° entrelacando as mdos. A voz ficou um brando queixume: — SO se fala em povo e no entanto o povo ndo passa de uma abstracdo. — Abstracao, Excelencia? — Que se transforma em realidade quando os ratos comecam a expulsar os favelados de suas casas. Ou roer os pes das criancas da periferia, entao sim, o povo passa a existir nas manchetes da imprensa de esquerda. Da imprensa marrom, enfim, pura demagogia. Al iada as bombas dos subversivos, ndo esquecer esses bastardos que parecem ratos — suspirou o Secretario percorrend° languidamente os botOes do — No colete. Desabotoou o Egito Antigo resolveram esse problema aumentando o nnmero de gatos. Ndo sei por que aqui rid° se exige mais da iniciativa privada, se cada familia tivesse em casa um ou dois gatos esfaimados... Mas Excelencia, ndo sobrou nenhum gato na cidade, ja faz tempo que a populacdo comeu tudo. Ouvi dizer que dava urn ohm° cozido! Enfim — sussurrou o Secretario esbocando urn gesto que ndo completou: — Esta escurecendo, ndo? 0 jovem levantou-se para acender as luzes. Seus olhos sorriam intensamente: — E a noite, todos os gatos sdo pardos! — Depois, serio: — Quase sete horas, Excelencia. 0 jantar sera servido as oito, a mesa decorada s6 corn orquideas e frutas, a mais fina cor local, encomendei do norte abacaxis bellssimos! E as lagostas, entdo? 0 Cozinheiro-Chefe ficou entusiasmado, nunca viu lagostas tao grandes. Bueno, eu tinha pensado num vinho nacional que anda de primeirissima qualidade, diga-se de passagem, mas me veio urn certo receio: e se der alguma dor de cabeca? Por um desses azares, Vossa Excelencia ja imaginou? Entdo achei prudente encomendar vinho chileno. — De que safra? — De Pinochet, naturalmente. 0 Secretario do Bem-Estar Pablico e Privado baixou o olhar ressentido para o proprio pd. Para mini urn caldo sem sal, uma canjinha rala. Mais tarde talvez urn... — Emudeceu. A cara pasmada foi-se voltando para o jovem: esta ouvindo agora? esta mais forte, ouviu isso? Fortissimo! 33
0 Chefe das Relacties Pdblicas levantou-se de urn salto. Apertou entre as mdos a cara ruborizada: — Mas claro, Excelencia, esta repercutindo aqui no assoalho, o assoalho esta tremendo! Mas o que é isso?! — Eu ndo disse, eu ndo disse? — perguntou o Secretdrio. Parecia satisfeito: — Nunca me enganei, nunca! JA faz horas que estou ouvindo coisas mas ndo queria dizer nada, podi,am pensar que fosse delirio, olha al agora! Parece ate que estamos em zona vulcdnica, como se urn vulcdo fosse irromper aqui embaixo... — Vulcdo? —Ou uma bomba, tern bombas que antes de explodir dao avisos! —Meu Deus— exclamou o jovem. Correu para a porta. — Vou verificar imediatamente, Excelencia, ndo se preocupe, no hd de ser nada, corn licenca, volto logo. Meu Deus, zona vulcdnica?!... Quando fechou a porta atras de Si, abriu-se a porta em frente e pela abertura introduziu-se uma carinha louramente risonha. Os cabelos estavam presos no alto por urn lacarote de bolinhas amarelas. — What is that? — Perhaps nothing... perhaps something... — respondeu ele abrindo o sorriso automatic°. Acenou-lhe corn urn fremito de dedos imitando asas. — Supper at eight, Miss Gloria! Apressou o passo quando viu o Diretor das Classes Conseryadoras Desarmadas e Armadas que yinha corn seu chambre de veludo verde. Encolheuse para lhe dar passagem, fez urn4 mesura, "Excelencia"... e quis prosseguir mas teve a passagem barrada pela montanha veludosa: — Que barulho é esse? — Bueno, tambem ndo sei dizer, Excelencia, e o que you verificar, volto num instante, näo é mesmo estranho? Tao forte! 0 Diretor das Classes Conservadoras Desarmadas e Armadas farejou oar: — E esse cheiro? 0 barulho diminuiu mas ndo esta sentindo urn cheiro? — Franziu a cara: — Uma macada! Cheiros, barulhos... E o telefone que ndo funciona, por que o telefone nAo esta funcionando? Preciso me comunicar corn a Presidencia e ndo consigo, o telefone esta mudo! — Mudo! Mas fiz dezenas de ligagoes hoje cedo... Vossa Excelencia já experimentou o do Said° Azul? — Venho de la, tambern esta mudo, uma macada! Procure meu motorista, veja se o telefone do meu carro esta funcionando, tenho que fazer essa ligacdo urgente. — Fique tranquil°, Excelencia. Vou tomar providencias e volto em seguida, corn licenca, sim? — fez o jovem, esgueirando-se numa mesura rapida. Enveredou pela escada. Parou no primeiro lance: — Mas o que significa isso? Pode me dizer o que significa isso? Esbaforido, sem o gorro e corn o avental rasgado, o Cozinheiro-Chefe veio correndo pelo sagudo. 0 jovem fez um gesto energico e precipitou-se ao seu encontro: — Como é que o senhor entra aqui
neste estado? 0 homem limpou no peito as maos sujas de suco de tomate: —Aconteceu uma coisa horrivel, doutor! Uma coisa horrivel! — Nao grita, o senhor estd gritando, calma — e o jovem tornou o Cozinheiro-Chefe pelo braco, arrastou-o a urn canto: — Controle-se, mas o que foi? Sem gritar, ndo quero histerismo, vamos, calma, o que foi? — As lagostas, as galinhas, as batatas, eles comeram tudo! Tudo! Ndo sobrou nem um grao de arroz napanela, comeram tudo e o que ndo tiveram tempo de corner, levaram embora! — Mas quem comeu tudo? Quem? — Os ratos, doutor, os ratos! — Ratos?... Que ratos? 0 Cozinheiro-Chefe tirou o avental, embolouo nas mdos: — Vou-me embora, nao fico aqui nem mais urn minuto, acho que a gente esta no mundo deles, pela alma da minha mde, quase morn i de susto quando entrou aquela nuvem pela porta, pela janela, pelo teto, so faltou me levar e mais a Euclidea! Ate os panos de prato eles comeram, so respeitaram a geladeira que estava fechada, mas a cozinha ficou limpa, limpa! — Ainda estdo la? — Ndo, assim como entrou, saiu tudo guinchando feito doido, eu já estava ouvindo fazia urn tempinho aquele barulho, me representou urn veio d'agua correndo forte debaixo do chdo, depois martelou, assobiou, a Euclidea que estava batendo maionese pensou que fosse urn fantasma quando comecou aquela tremedeira e na mesma hora entrou aquilo tudo pela janela, pela porta, ndo teve lugar que a gente olhasse que ndo desse corn o monte deles, guinchando! E cada rata°, viu? Deste tamanho! A Euclidea pulou em cima do fop), eu pulei em cima da mesa, ainda quis arrancar uma galinha que urn deles ia levando assim no meu nariz, taquei o vidro de suco de tomate corn toda forca e ele botou a galinha de lado, ficou de pe na pata traseira e me enfrentou feito urn homem, pela alma da minha rude, doutor, me representou urn homem vestido de rato! — Meu Deus, que loucura... E o jantar?! — Jantar? 0 senhor disse jantar? NAo ficou nem uma cebola! Uma trempe deles virou o caldeirdo de lagostas e a lagostada se espalhou no chdo, foi aquela festa, ndo sei como nio se queimaram na agua fervendo, cruz-credo, you-me embora e e já! — Espera, calma! E os empregados? Ficaram sabendo? Emp. regados, doutor? Empregados? Todo mundo id foi embora, ninguem e louco e se eu fosse voces tambem me mandava, viu? Nab fico aqui nem que me matem! — Um momento, espera! 0 importante e ndo perder a cabeca, esta me compreendendo? 0 senhor volta Ia, abre as latas que as latas ainda ficaram, ndo ficaram? A geladeira ndo estava fechada? Entdo, deve ter alguma coisa, prepare urn jantar corn o que puder, evidente! — NA°, ndo! Nao fico nem que me matem! — Espera, eu estou falando: o senhor vai voltar e cumprir sua obrigacdo, o importante é que os convidados nao fiquem sabendo de nada, disso me incumbo eu, esta me compreendendo? VoujA ate a cidade, trago urn estoque de alimentos e uma escolta de homens armados ate os dentes, quero ver se vai entrar um misero camundongo nesta casa, quero ver! — Mas o senhor vai como? SO se for a pe, doutor. 0 Chefe das Relacides PUblicas empertigouse. A cara se tingiu de colera. Apertou os olhinhos e fechou as punhos para soquear a parede mas interrompeu o gesto quando ouviu vozes no andar superior. Falou quase entredentes: Covardes, miseraveis! Quer dizer que os
empregados levaram todos os carros? Foi isso, levaram os carros? — Levaram nada, fugiram a pe mesmo, nenhum carro esta funcionando, o Jose experimentou urn por urn, viu? Os fios foram com i dos, comeram tambem os fios. Voces fiquem al que eu you pegar a estrada e é ja! 0 jovem encostou-se na parede, a cara agora estava livida. "Quer dizer que o telefone..." — murmurou e cravou o olhar estatelado no avental que o Cozinheiro-Chefe largou no chao. As vozes no andar superior comecaram a se cruzar. Uma porta bateu corn forca. Encolheu-se mais no canto quando ouviu seu nome: era chamado aos gritos. Corn olhar silencioso foi acompanhando um chinelo de debrum de pelucia que passou a alguns passos do avental embolado no tapete: o chinelo deslizava, a sola voltada para cima, rapid() como se tivesse rodinhas ou fosse puxado por algum fib invisivel. Foi a ultima coisa que viu porque nesse instante a casa foi sacudida nos seus alicerces. As luzes se apagaram. Entao deu-se a invasdo, jorrando espessa como se urn saco de pedras borrachosas tivesse sido despeiado em cima do telhado e agora saltasse por todos as lados na treva dura de masculos, guinchos e centelhas de olhos luzindo negrissimos. Quando a primeira dentada Ihe arrancou um pedaco da calca, ele correu sobre o chdo enovelado, entrou na cozinha corn os ratos despencando na sua cabeca e abriu a geladeira. Arrancou as prateleiras que foi encontrando na escuridao, jogou as latarias para o ar, esgrimou corn uma garrafa contra dais olhinhos que ja corriam no vasilhame de verduras, expulsou-os e num salto, pulou Ia dentro. Fechou a porta mas deixou o dedo na fresta, que a porta lido batesse. Quando sentiu a primeira agulhada na ponta do dedo que ficou de fora, substituiu o dedo pela gravata. No rigoroso inquerito que se processou para se apurar as acontecimentos daquela noite, o Chefe das Relacties Publicas jamais Ode precisar quanto tempo teria ficado dentro da geladeira, enrodilhado como um feto, a agua gelada pingando na cabeca, as mdos endurecidas de cdimbra, a boca aberta no minim° vao da porta que de vez em quando algum focinho tentava forcejar. Lembrava-se, isso sim, de urn sr:11)ft° silencio que se fez no casardo: nenhum som, nenhum movimento. Nada. Abriu a porta da geladeira, espiou. Urn tenue raio de luar era a Unica presenca na cozinha esvaziada. Foi andando pela casa completamente oca, nem moveis, nem cortinas, nem tapetes. SO as paredes. E a escuriddo. Comecou entdo urn murmurejo secreto, rascante, que parecia vir da Sala de Debates e teve a intuicdo de que estavam todos reunidos au, de portas fechadas. Mao se lembrava sequer como conseguiu chegar ate o campo, ndo poderia jamais reconstituir a corrida, correu quilometros. Quando olhou para tras, o casardo estava todo iluminado. These short stories were originally published in Misterios, Editora Nova Fronteira
34 BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
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35
o is the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city). Jammed into the world's most beautilcity setting — between ocean and escarpment —are seven million Cariocas, as the inhabitants are called. This makes Rio the world's biggest tropical city and one of the most densely populated places on earth. This thick brew of Cariocas pursues pleasure like no other people: beaches and the body beautiful; samba and cerveja; football and cachaca. Rio has its problems, and they are enormous. A third of the people live in the favelas that blanket many of the hillsides. The poor have no schools, no doctors, no jobs. Drug abuse and violence are endemic. Police corruption and brutality are commonplace. There is no law or order. Rio's reputation as a violent city has even caused a sharp reduction in tourism in the last few years. Between 1988 and 1990 the number of foreign tourists disembarking at Galeao, the international airport, fell by 30%, from 760,000 to 540,000. Nevertheless, in Rio everything ends with samba — football games, weddings, work, political demonstrations and, of course, a day at the beach. There's a lust for life, and a love of romance, music, dance and talk that seem to distinguish the Carioca from every-
Ri
This is just the first of a series of articles we will be publishing in the coming months on Rio de Janeiro. Called for those who know the world's most gorgeous city, the town has fallen from grace recently due to uncontrollable crime and less than friendly prices. Cariocas however continue to be world-class hosts and measures to beef up security seem to be working.
one else. For anyone coming from the efficiency and rationality of the developed capitalist world this is potent stuff. The sensuality of Carnaval is the best known expression ofthis Dionysian spirit, but there are plenty more. Rio has its glitzy side, its international tourism crowd, its lives of the rich and famous. But happily it's also a good city for the budget traveler. There are plenty of cheap restaurants and hotels. The beaches are free and democratic. There's lots to explore in the city center and in several other neighborhoods with their parks and museums. Mass transportation is fast and easy And if you can meet some locals — not nearly so hard as in New York, London or Sydney — well, then you're on easy street. History Gaspar de Lemos set sail from Portugal for Brazil in May 1501 and entered a huge bay in January 1502. Mistaking the bay for a river, he named it Rio de Janeiro. It was the French, however, who first settled along the great bay. Like the Portuguese, the French 36 BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
had been harvesting brazil wood along the Brazilian coast, but unlike the Portuguese they hadn't attempted any permanent settlements until Rio de Janeiro. As the Portuguese colonization of Brazil began to take hold, the French became concerned that they'd be pushed out ofthe colony. Three ships of French settlers reached the Baia de Guanabara in 1555. They settled on a small island in the bay and called it 'Antarctic France'. Almost from the start, the town seemed doomed to failure. It was torn by religious divisions, isolated by harsh treatment of the Indians and demoralized by the puritanical rule of the French leader, Nicolas de Villegagnon. Antarctic France was weak and disheartened when the Portuguese attacked and drove the French from their fortress in 1560. A greater threat to the Portuguese were the powerful Tamoio Indians, who had allied with the French. A series of battles occurred, but the Portuguese were better armed and better supplied than the French, whom they finally expelled. They drove the Tamoio from the region in a series of bloody battles. The Portuguese set up a fortified town on the Morro Castelo in 1567 to maximize protection from European invasion by sea and Indian attack by land. They named it SA° Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro, after King Sebastiao of Portugal. The founding 500 Cariocas built a typical Brazilian town: poorly planned, with irregular streets in the medieval Portuguese style. By the end of the century the small settlement was, if not exactly prosperous, surviving on the export of brazil wood and sugar cane, and from fishing in the Baia de Guanabara. In 1660 the city had a population made up of 3000 Indians, 750 Portuguese and 100 Blacks. It grew along the waterfront and what is now Praca 15 de Novembro (often referred to as Praca Quinze). Religious orders came — the Jesuits, the Franciscans and the Benedictines — and built austere, closed-in churches. With its excellent harbor and good lands for sugar cane, Rio became Brazil's third most important settlement (after Salvador da Bahia and Recife-Olinda) in the 17th century. Slaves were imported and the sugar plantations thrived. The owners of the sugar estates lived in the protection and comfort of the fortified city. The gold rush in Minas Gerais at the beginning of the 18th century changed Rio forever. In 1704 the Caminho Novo, a new road to the Minas gold fields, was opened. Until the gold began to run out, half a century later, a golden road went through the ports of Rio. Much of the gold that didn't end up in England, BWV2L-OCTOBER1996
along with many of the Portuguese immigrants who didn't end up in Minas, stayed in Rio. Rio wals now the prize of Brazil. In 1710 the French, who were t war with Portugal and raiding its colonies, attacked the city. The French were defeated, but a second exiiedition succeeded and the entire population abandoned the city in the dark of night. The occupying French threatened to level the city unless a sizable ransom in old, sugar and cattle was paid. The Portuguese obli ed. During the return voyage to an expected heroes' w lcome in France, the victors lost two ships and most of the gold. Rio quickly recovered from the setback. Its fortifications were improved, many richly decorated churches were built and by 1763 its population had reached 50,000. With international sugar prices slumping and the sugar economy in the doldrums, Rio replaced Salvador da Bahia as the colonial capital in 1763. In 1808 the entire Portuguese monarchy and court — fleeing an imminent invasion by Napoleon's armies — arrived in Rio. The city thus came to house the court of the Portuguese Empire — or at least what was left of it. With the court came an influx of money and talent that helped build some of the city's lasting monuments, like the palace at the Quinta da Boa Vista and the Jardim Botanic° (a pet project of the king). The Portuguese court was followed by talented French exiles, such as the architect Jean de Montigny and the painters Jean Baptiste Debret and Nicolas Antoine Taunay. The coffee boom in the mountains of sao Paulo and Rio revitalized Brazil's economy. Rio took on a new importance as a port and commercial center, and coffee commerce modernized the city. A tele raph system and gas street lights were installed in 1 854. Regular passenger ships began sailing to Londo (1845) and Paris (1851). A ferry service to Niteroi be an in 1862. At the en of the 19th century the city population exploded because of European immigration and internal migration (mostly ex-slaves from the declining coffee and sugar regions). In 1872 Rio had 275,000 inhabitants; by 1890 there were about 522,000, a quarter of them foreign born. By 1900 the population had reached 800,900. The city spread rapidly between the steep hills, by and ocean. The rich started to move further out, in a pattern that continues today. 37
Climate Expect some rain in Rio. In the summer from December to March, it gets hot and humid. Temperatures in the high 30°Cs are common. There's more rain than at other times but it rarely lasts for too long. In the winter, temperatures range from the 20'Cs to low 30°Cs, with plenty of good days for the beach. Orientation Rio is divided into a zona nil (north zone) and a zona sul (south zone) by the Serra da Carioca, steep mountains that are part of the Parque Nacional da Tijuca. These mountains descend to the edge of the city center, where the zonas sul and sul meet. Corcovado, one of these mountain peaks, offers the best way to become geographically familiar with the city, as from it you have views of both zones Rio is a tale of two cities. The upper and middle classes reside in the zona sul, the lower class, except for the favela dwellers, in the zona sul. Favelas cover steep hillsides on both sides of town — Rocinha, Brazil's largest favela with somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 residents, is in Gavea, one of Rio's richest neighborhoods. Most industry is in the zona sul, as is most of the pollution. The ocean beaches are in the zona sul. Unless they work in the zona sul, residents of the zona sul rarely go to the other side of the city. The same holds true for travelers, unless they head north to the Maracana football stadium or the Quinta da Boa Vista, with the national museum, or the international airport, which is on the Ilha do Governador. Effewo,,Tirp.)14-' 774*111 Centro Rio's center is all business and bustle during the day and absolutely deserted at night. It's a working city — the center of finance and commerce. The numerous high-rise office buildings are filled with workers who pour onto the daytime streets to eat at the many restaurants and shop at the small stores. Lots of essential services for the traveler are in the center. The main airline offices are here, as are foreign consulates, Brazilian government agencies, money exchange houses, banks and travel agencies. The center is the site of the original settlement of Rio. Most of the city's important museums and colonial buildings are here. Small enough to explore on foot, the city center is lively and interesting, and occasionally beautiful (despite the many modern, Bauhaus-inspired buildings). Two wide avenues cross the center: Avenida Rio Branco, where buses leave for the zona sul, and Avenida Presidente Vargas, which heads out to the sambodromo and the zona sul. Rio's modern subway follows these two avenues as it burrows under the city. Most banks and airline offices have their headquarters on Avenida Rio Branco. Cinelandia At the southern edge of the business district, Cinelandia's shops, bars, restaurants and movie theaters are popular day and night. There are also several 38
decent hotels that are reasonably priced. The bars and restaurants get crowded at lunch and after work, when there's often samba in the streets. There's a greater mix of Cariocas here than in any other section of the city. Several gay and mixed bars stay open until late. Lapa By the old aqueduct that connects the Santa Teresa trolley and the city center is Lapa the scene of many a Brazilian novel. This is where boys used to become men and men became infected. Prostitution still exists here but there are also several music clubs, like the Circo Voador and Asa Branca, and some very cheap hotels. Lapa goes to sleep very late on Fridays and Saturdays. Santa Teresa This is one of Rio's most unusual and charming neighborhoods. Situated along the ridge of the hill that rises from the city center, Santa Teresa has many of Rio's finest colonial homes. In the 1800s Rio's upper crust lived here and rode the bonde (tram) to work in the city. The bonde is still there but the rich moved on and out long ago. During the '60s and '70s many artists and hippies moved into Santa Teresa's mansions. Just a few meters below them the favelas grew on the hillsides. Santa Teresa was considered very dangerous for many years and is now heavily policed. It's still necessary to be cautious here, especially at night. Catete & Flamengo Moving south along the bay, you'll come to Catete and Flamengo, two areas which have the bulk of inexpensive hotels in Rio. Flamengo was once Rio's finest residential district and the Palacio do Catete housed Brazil's president until 1954, but with the new tunnel to Copacabana the upper classes began moving out in the 1940s. Flamengo is still mostly residential. The apartments are often big and graceful, although a few highrise offices have recently been built amongst them. With the exception of the classy waterfront buildings, Flamengo is mostly a middle-class area. There is less nightlife and fewer restaurants here than in nearby Botafogo or Cinelandia, which are five minutes' away by subway. Parque do Flamengo Stretching along the bay from Flamengo all the way to the city center, the Parque do Flamengo was created in the 1950s by an enormous landfill project. Underutilized during the week, with the exception of the round-the-clock football games (joining a few hundred spectators at a 3 AM game is one of Rio's stranger experiences), the park comes to life on weekends. The museum of modern art is at the northern end of the park; at the south end is Rio's, a big outdoor restaurant that's ideal for people and bay watching. The park is not considered safe at night. Botafogo Botafogo's early development was spurred by the construction of a tram that ran up to the botanical garden linking the bay and the lake. This artery still plays a vital role in Rio's traffic flow and Botafogo's streets are extremely congested. There are several BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
palatial mansions here that housed foreign consulates when Rio was the capital of Brazil. This area has fewer high-rise buildings than much of the rest of Rio. There are not many hotels in Botafogo but there are lots of good bars and restaurants where the locals go to avoid the tourist glitz and high cost of Copacabana. Copacabana The famous curved beach you know about. What's surprising about Copacabana is all the people who live there. Fronted by beach and backed by steep hills, Copacabana is for the greater part no more than four blocks wide. Crammed into this narrow strip of land are 25,000 people per sq. km one of the highest population densities in the world. Any understanding of the Rio way of life and leisure has to start with the fact that so many people live so close together and so near to the beach. Only three parallel streets traverse the length of Copacabana. Avenida Atlantica runs along the ocean. Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, two blocks inland, is one way, running in the direction of the business district. One block further inland, Rua Barata Ribeiro is also one way, in the direction of Ipanema and Leblon. These streets change their names when they reach Ipanema. Copacabana is the capital of Brazilian tourism. It's possible to spend an entire Brazilian vacation without leaving it, and some people do just that. The majority of Rio's medium and expensive hotels are here and they are accompanied by plenty of restaurants, shops and bars. For pure city excitement, Copacabana is Rio's liveliest theater. It is also the heart of Rio's recreational sex industry. There are many boites (bars with strip shows) and prostitutes, anything and everyone is forsale. From Christmas to Carnaval there are so many foreign tourists in Copacabana that Brazilians who can't afford to travel abroad have been known to go down to Avenida Atlantica along the beach and pretend they are in Paris, Buenos Aires or New York. As always when there are lots of tourists, there are problems. Prices are exorbitant, hotels are full and restaurants get overcrowded. The streets are noisy and hot, and Copacabana is the place where you are most likely to get robbed in Brazil. Ipanema & Leblon These are two of Rio's most desirable districts. They face the same stretch of beach and are separated by the Jardim de Alah, a canal and adjacent park. They are residential, mostly upper class and becoming more so as rents continue to rise. Most of Rio's better restaurants, bars and nightclubs are in Ipanema and Leblon, there are only a few hotels, although there are a couple of good aparthotels. Barra da Tijuca Barra is the 'in' suburb with Rio's rich and famous. The beach is beautiful, and apartments in the closed condominiums are expensive. Like fungi in a rainforest, hundreds of buildings have sprung up wherever there happens to be an open space. Whether condo, restaurant, shopping center or discotheque, these big modern structures are, without exception, monstrosities. Information Tourist Offices — Riotur (242-8000) has a tourist information hotline. Call them from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, with any questions. The recepBRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
tionists speak English and more often than not they'll be able to help you. Riotur is the Rio city tourism agency. The main office is at Rua da Assembleia 10, 8th floor, Centro, but the special 'tourist room' is on the 9th floor in sala (room) 924. There, you'll find free brochures (in Portuguese and English), which include maps, and some excellent, cheap posters for sale. It's open weekdays from 9 AM to 6 PM; the metro stop is Carioca. You can also get the brochures at their information booths at: the main rodovidria (open daily from 6 AM to 11 PM); the Cinelandia subway station (Monday to Saturday, from 8 AM to 8 PM); Pao de Acacar (daily, from 8 AM to 7 PM); the international airport at Galeao (daily, from 5 AM to 11 PM); Cosme Velho at the Corcovado railway station (daily, from 7 AM to 7 PM), Avenida Rio Branco 44 (daily, from 10 AM to 5 PM); and sometimes in your hotel. When arriving in Rio by bus, the Riotur booth at the rodovidria can save you a lot of time by calling around town to find a vacant hotel and making ,a reservation. The staff only have lists of the mid-range to top-end hotels, but if you give them the phone number of a cheaper one they're happy to call it. Riotur is also in charge of Carnaval and puts out a special program during this time. TurisRio is the Rio state tourism agency. Its office is in the same building as Riotur's (metro stop Carioca), on thF 7th floor. Embratur is Brazil's national tourism agency. The main office is in Brasilia, but there's a branch at Rua Mariz e Barros 13 near Praca da Bandeira on the north side of town. For the average traveler, neither of these agencies is worth a special trip. Guidebooks There are several guidebooks to Rio. Guia Rio by Quatro Rodas has the most comprehensive list of restaurants, hotels, bars and activities. It's well worth buying if you understand Portuguese and are going to be in Rio a long time; it's sold at newsstands. However, it covers only the upper end of the price spectrum. The Insider's Guide to Rio by Christopher Pickard covers a lot of ground, has excellent descriptions of Rio's fine restaurants and is in English, but it too is not oriented to the budget traveler (you can find it in hotel souvenir shops). If you're a student of colonial architecture and plan on seeing the remains of old Rio, the Riotur office at Assembleia Excerpts from Brazil sells a book in A Travel Survival Kit Portuguese en2nd edition, titled Guia do by Andrew Draffen, Patrimonio CulDeanna Swaney tural Carioca and Robert Strauss. For Bens Tombados, more information call filled with deLonely Planet: (800) 275tailed maps and 8555. Copyright 1992 descriptions of Lonely Planet Publications. the city's historic Used by permission. buildings. To be continued. 39
Pixote is a 1981 disturbing film story about a criminal child in the streets of Rio and Sao Paulo. Now, a firstrate filmmaker goes back to the theme to tell us what happened to Fernando Ramos da Silva, the babyfaced boy who played Pixote and ended up being killed 1, by the police. SAM AND HARRIET ROBBINS Director-producer Jose Joffily is basking in the spotlight of fame with his latest picture Who Killed Pixote?, the big winner at the recent Rio Grande do Sul's Gramado Film Festival. It was shown in the Montreal and Quebec Film Festivals as well. In addition, the film will be making its USA premiere in Hollywood during the AFI's (American Film Institute) International Film Festival, which will run from October 17-31. A veteran of Brazilian film making, Joffily is currently screening the picture in the international film circuit before its release to the public. He has brought an insightful view of the tragic circumstances that befell the young actor Fernando Ramos da Silva, who played the lead role in Hector Babenco's film Pixote. In so doing he has brought today's headlines into the theater — the plight of children who have become killers and victims in this current vicious trend. Film-maker Joffily has a lot to be proud of. Born on November 27, 1945, in Joao Pessoa in the state of Paraiba, he has become one of Brazil's outstanding directors. His early training was for the law with a degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He never practiced law though, and followed the muses with his interest in photography and journalism. These professions enabled him to travel extensively throughout Brazil and abroad. Joffily cut his eye teeth in film with his first short work, Praca Tiradentes (Tiradentes Square). Now launched in the media of his choice, he forged ahead in the capacities of scriptwriter, director and 40
producer. In 1981, he set up the production company Coevos Filmes and continued his film work. His first full-length feature film, made in 1985, Urubus e Papagaios (Buzzards and Parrots) featured Nelson Dantas and Dora Pellegrino. In the early 90's, Brazilian cinema and all forms of culture took a beating under the Collor government. The film industry was almost annihilated. In 1992 Jose Joffily, despite these difficult times, made A Maldiccio de Sampaku ( Sampaku's Curse), another full-length film. Made on a shoestring Sampaku helped keep Brazilian cinema alive. The film, an entertaining detective story won several awards at the Gramado Festival (best supporting actor for Roberto Bontempo, plus best editing and photography). It also did well at the Brasilia Festival, getting prizes for best full-length film, according to the popular and official juries; best actress Patricia Pillar, best supporting actor Bontempo; plus best photography and editing. According to Joffily himself, the film cost about $900,000. Money that he got mainly through the Brazilian Ministry of culture and Sony Corporation of America. The film was shot in Rio (7 weeks) and Sao Paulo (1 week). Trying to simplify the location shootings, most of Sao Paulo's work was done at the downtown Viaduto do Cha. The main location was recreated in Jacarepagua, Rio de Janeiro. Joffily was unable to use the location of Diadema, which was Fernando Ramos da Silva's (Pixote) town, because it has completely changed in the past 15 years after successive administrations by the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' Party). The script of Who Killed Pixote? was based on the books Pixote, alei do Mais Forte (Pixote, the Law of the Fittest) by Jose Louzeiro and Pixote, Nunca Mais (Pixote, Never More) by Cida Venancio Silva, Pixote's wife at the time of his death. Fernando played the part of Pixote in Hector Babenco's award winning film of the same name. "When I talked to Babenco about making this film," said Joffily recently, "he told me, 'I've done my Pixote. This one is yours." These are the director's sentiments too. He felt that he wanted to make a film for all of those who hadn't seen the original Pixote as well as for those who had. The Babenco film had harsh comments made about it by many respectable citizens who believed he had distorted the facts. Today, however, after the massacres of children and families at the Candelaria church and Vigario Geralfavela (shanty town), the film seems prophetic. "My film is not a documentary, Fernando did exist, but to relive his story we chose the mythical version to relate it," said Joffily recently in Los Angeles. In a recent interview scriptwriter Paulo Halm commented, "When Jose Joffily asked me to write the script for BRA7_ZIL - OCTOBER 1996
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Who Killed Pixote? I remembered that o August 25, 1987, the day Fernando wa killed in Diadema, I was but a few miles away from the site in Sao Paulo, filming PSW —Uma Cr6nica Subversiva (PSW for Paulo Stuart Wright — A Subversive Chronicle), about the life of Paulo Wright, a left-wing militant who 'disappeared' in the torture chambers of the infamous DOI-CODI (Department of Operations of Information - Center of Internal Defense Operations) during the military dictatorship. "This was a meaningful coincidence, since both Fernando Ramos and Paulo Wright were victims of the same brutality, repression and violence in Brazil under the dictatorship. Fernando was a have-not, his greatest crime was daring to be an actor in a society in which art and culture belongs to the elite. In this film we wanted to show a Brazilian tragedy and the pain and rage, as experienced in Fernando's brief span of life." Fernando Ramos da Silva was the seventh of 10 children delivered to Josefa Carvalho da Silva, from the poor northeastern state of Pernambuco. Settling in Sao Paulo Josefa married Joao Ramos da Silva and subsequently moved to Diadema, on the outskirts of Greater Sao Paulo. Left a widow in 1977, life was a struggle for the Silva family. In 1979, Fernando, 11 years old, tried out for the leading role in Hector Babenco's film Pixote. Picked for the part out of the 1300 boys who applied, his life changed dramatically. For the first time he had money in his pocket and he was the provider for his family. Reality and fantasy became entangled, he envisioned himself as a super star. This was not to be however. After a brief span of success, Fernando, who was practically illiterate, could not handle the roles offered to him and the downward trend set in. In Fernando's own words, "I felt as if I'd been split into two people; Fernando da Silva who wanted an honest job and Pixote, the thief, who was beginning to take over." He met Cida, they fell in love and married. At the time he was 17, and she was 16. Their daughter Jaqueline was less than a year old when Fernando was murdered by three military policemen on August 25, 1987. They shot him eight times. All three alleged that Fernando had been involved in a burglary and that they shot him in self defense. Several other members of his family met violent deaths and so the pattern continues. Jose Joffily talked to Brazzil recently while in Los Angeles to finish the final lab work on Who Killed Pixote?: "I wanted to do the film about what happened to the boy who played Pixote — his tragic story was written in a small book by his widow Cida Venancio, the mother of his only daughter Jaqueline. I was moved by her story, and also by the book written by Jose Louzeiro, the same author who inspired Hector Babenco to make the original film Pixote.I used real actors who had the range to perform the important roles in the film. They could look like young boys and then look older as needed. They were accomplished
performers. I tried to show in Who Killed Pixote? the reality of my country Brazil. Fernando's story and his tragic end reflect the vast differences in the social scale of Brazil. There are many Pixotes today, they live between poverty and death. Many of them think that committing crimes is the only way out of their miserable lives, the only avenue open to them to reach their goals. This attitude is not only reflective of Brazil, but we can see it has been imprinted universally on the economically and socially deprived young people. I believe my film Who Killed Pixote? will shed some light on this problem." "Although this film focuses on social issues", the director said, "I tried to make Who Killed Pixote? into an action and more popular film that would be appealing and entertaining for larger audiences. However, I did not compromise the facts of the story at all. I tried to make a film that would stand on its own feet, for those who had not seen the original Pixote, and for those who wanted to follow what happened to the boy who played Pixote in Babenco's film. One of the key problems Fernando had as an actor was that he was illiterate. He was able to follow the directions of Babenco in the original film and acted out the story. However, when trying out for parts and performing after Pixote he couldn't handle it. He never let on that he was unable to read. He faked it. He was getting the reputation of being a difficult actor, unable to get jobs. A similar problem exists in the United States, where many graduate and are still unable to read. Who Killed Pixote? is an important film for many reasons. Brazilian and foreign publications have recently written about the rogue police in Brazil who have made it a practice to massacre those they consider undesirable, often concentrating on children. There has been an outcry against this brutal attitude, and the government is in the process of investigating these charges and bringing police practices back to their proper agenda. Jose Joffily, who for 15 years has been teaching cinema at Rio's Universidade Federal Fluminense, has plans for the future. His next project will deal with Brazilian immigrants in the United States. This story will be about a Brazilian, an Italian and a Cuban. He plans to shoot on location in Chicago in the English language. The film is called The merican Tragedy, but perhaps it should e called The New American Tragedy so as not to confuse it with Theodore reiser's classic about a youngster torn etween two girlfriends: one rich and e other poor. Another project on the boards is a 1m based on a true story from a book ritten by Joffily's father, a historian. It tells the story of a crime of passion which involved executives in an American company operating in Brazil in 1931. This was a sensational case in its time. 41
Life of the party After almost a decade in the US, Lula Almeida, who has ignited Yankee TV and movie audiences, is releasing his first CD. It's Bahia Legend. Lula has become a legend himself since his humble beginnings in Bahia where he helped to start such movements as Olodum and Timbalada. • BRUCE GILMAN
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It's past midnight on a warm Friday night in Los Angeles. The bateria is starting its second set when Flavio, the bateria's director, pulls from the crowd a guy wearing a yellow soccer shirt, a beaded necklace, baggy shorts, construction boots, and an incessant Cheshire cat grin that beams beneath his mop of dreadlocks. The players nod to each other knowingly. Things are going to heat up quickly. Lula is here. For over nine years Baiano Lula Almeida has ignited audiences across the United States with his concert, television, and movie appearances. Lula' s first CD, Bahia Legend, has just been released and is a must for anyone who craves the no-holds-barred sounds and styles of Salvador, Bahia. With 18 tracks that alternate between haunting folclorica styles, samba-reggae, Brazilian hiphop, and the full frontal assault of the trios eletricos, Bahia Legend is easily one of the best releases of 1996. A stratospheric colossus of sound, Lula is one of those people who can express himself in the most beautiful way, putting across his feelings and experiences for everybody to understand immediately with just body language. Our interview, however, took place in English (Lula is fluent) on Sunday, September 1, in Los Angeles, one hour before his performance at the 11th Annual African Market Place and one week before his appearance at the Brazilian Independence Day Celebration at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater where he shared the bill with northeastern singer-songwriter Geraldo Azevedo. Our talk touched on many points in his career. Starting at the beginning. Lula, how did you learn to play all the percussion instruments? I started when I was seven years old. I grew up in this place in Bahia called Baixa do Sapateiro. Baixa do Sapateiro is the real center of Salvador. I used to walk up a little hill and there was this capoeira school, Mestre Bimba's academy. Bimba had the first academy for Capoeira Regional in Bahia. They had rehearsals all the time, and I was always there watching. Mestre Bimba died a long time ago, but he was a good person. He saw me watching and said, "Come here. Sit down there. Here!" And he gave me apandeiro. So I started playing pandeiro. After that I started to play the berimbau and got involved with capoeira. I used to go to the Mercado Modelo to do capoeira for tourists. It's one of the historical places above Pelourinho in Bahia. It's the down city. Pelourinho is the up city. This lead more and more to my involvement in mUsica baiana folclorica. Playing all those percussion instruments must have been a real kick for a seven year old. Yeah. I started repenique (two-headed tenor) when I was still very, very small, and the repenique was heavy for me. I had to put it on a chair (laughs). And the surdo (samba drum), that was so tall that I had to stand on a chair to play it. After that, I started playing everything. Did Mestre Bimba teach a lot of the neighborhood kids? Not every musician learns how to play Brazilian folclOrica music. It's so difficult. You've got to write it in your mind. You cannot write it on paper. There are so many different things you have to know. With Bimba I started involving myself in capoeira, in the whole idea of Afro-Brazilian folclorica. You know; music, movement, theatrics, play, martial arts, philosophy, and even spirituality. You're 35 now. Do you play the old songs differently today than the way they were played when you were with Mestre Bimba? Music is always changing because time is going. With the band and the electric tunes we are always getting more ideas, better ideas. But with thefolclorica we continue the BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
tradition of Mestre Bimba. It's still pure. You've written many tunes for Olodum. Did you have to live in a particular neighborhood to write for them? When I was a kid in Brazil, I used to write songs for many different blocos afro. We never belonged to any particular bloco. We wrote songs for whichever bloco we liked. I used to write songs for Muzenza, for Olodum, and for Alvorada. How did people in your neighborhood feel when you started writing for Olod um? Alvorada was a bloco right there in my neighborhood. When I started to write for Olodum, it created a big political situation in my neighborhood (laughs) because Alvorada competes with Olodum. People started to get all excited. They said, "Why are you doing that? Why did you move to a different //loco?" I said, "Shit! You're not giving me any money, so I can write for whoever I want." You know, I like my freedom. You never got paid for your compositions? The blocos afro don't pay you to write songs. You go to the festival and go through the competition. That's the only way. If you're the first one you get a trophy, but they never give you money. That's why people start to .:ravel and to sell their songs. Can composers in Bahia survive by selling their songs? The small people in Bahia have few opportunities. Like Luciano Chaves, the best Afro composer in Brazil, he doesn't have anything. Luciano wrote "Fame)" which was recorded by Banda Mel, but he's a policeman. Until a musician gets to the top in Bahia he never gets the right money. So that was a difficult life. But you continued writing? I kept writhg my songs, but I started to sell my stuff. I would sell my songs to people who would enter them in the festival like they had written the songs themselves. I sold songs to my neighbor, my people, everybody. And I started making money. You know I got really excited. I'd go to the festival with money. That's why I didn't care. That was the idea, man. I was happy when I heard my songs playing on the radio. But I'm sad because I sold a lot of my good songs. "Uniao das Ragas" and "A Natureza" were the only two songs I didn't sell. Didn't "A Natureza" win first place for Olodum 's festival in 1981? Oh yeah. The Festival went on for three days. There were about three BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
hundred composers. And with all oft at, my song "A Natureza" won. And "Uniao das Ragas" was anoth r festival winner? Yes, that was in 1982. That was the econd song I wrote for Olodum. When I write the song I was thinking about how I was g . ing to get everybody to sing it. We people from Bahia think about sharing the sound with the irowd. You know, sing the song with everybod . That was the idea. I wrote this song, and when went to the festival, I won the festival for the s cond year. The third year, I didn't want to ent r any songs because I wasn't making any mon y. Olodum has received a lot of recogn lion. Were they any more involved with p litics and Afro-Brazilian culture than the ther blocos? Olodum had been involved in these e ents, but nobody really knew Olodum. The hole idea, the whole atmosphere, you know, to uild something, started when Paul Simon w t to Bahia. Do you always write from personal xperience? Each song has different feelings. With ach song we get different ideas. Sometimes I rite about nature, sometimes I write about feel ngs. It's not always about me. I recorded the trio electric° songs, but I also had to sho the African music, the folclorica music. I al ays want to be doing something creative. I d dn't want to record a CD that sounds like hat everybody else is doing. I wanted to do s mething different, something really involved What was it like to work as a govern ent musician? Before I came to the United States, I wo ed for the Brazilian government. My job wa to promote Brazil by traveling to different c untries with the folclorica group Viva Bahi . It was a government group. We traveled throu hout continental Europe, Asia, and So th America. I had that job for eight years. he money wasn't good but the travel was v rY nice. I didn't do anything but play music ev rY night. Doing that made me very happy. Did you have any opportunities to pla in Bahia during that time? My work was to travel outside of FSr zil playing Bahian music. I was like a mu si al ambassador. When I was traveling I could 't make a commitment to Carnaval time. But fl was home during Carnaval, I played the tr Os eletricos. You know, there are all these bloc s, groups of people who parade during Camnav I. And many people in the blocos don't ha costumes. They're not involved inside. So had trios eletricos in the street for everyone without costumes. And everyone got involv d in the party. It was a promotional job. T e government paid for the truck to travel around in the city in the middle of the whole Carnaval, and the government paid for the alcohol, for tne whole thing. We made the music that made the people happy. We gave them everything they I needed. Which Brazilian composers or musicians do you enjoy listening to? From the popular music of Brazil, my favorites are Joao Bosco and Milton Nascimento.
Has Dorival Caymmi influenced your music? Of course! He is the legend. He wrote all the poetry. What about Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Maria Bethania? Now you're talking about New Generation. Dorival Caymmi was the first person of Bahian music. He always wrote poetry about water, about the stars, about the land. Everybody else came after him. He's a legend in Bahia. Many say that Carlinhos Brown's lyrics are a little unusual. Carlinhos Brown is a good friend of mine, and I respect his work. He right now is on the top of Salvador, Bahia, with his timbalada. Timbalada is happening. Weren't you a part of the first timbalada? Timbalada was a bunch of timbaleiros. You know, timbaleiros play timbales (kettle drums). That was in the beginning of timbalada. One day Carlinhos called me and said, "Lula, we're going to have a meeting of the best players here in town at twelve noon on the Elevador Lacerda." The Elevador Lacerda is the elevator going from the up city to the down city. So we got all the best players from all the different trios eletricos in Bahia to bring timbales and we had a timbalada. So it was like a batucada for timbales? Yes, it was. Everybody carried timbales and congas. It was great. We were all taking solos. It was a concert for the percussionists. I was helping him in the beginning to organize everything. And I said, "Timbalada's a great name, man." He went with the idea. Timbalada right now is one of the best. And that's the idea. You know? To always come up with something new and be involved in the atmosphere. That's my idea right now. How have musicians and groups like Carlinhos Brown, Ara Ketu, and Olodum affected you? Well, they've opened up the door for me, because they play the music I've been involved with here in Los Angeles for a long time. Before, nobody knew what I was doing. Now people hear something coming from Bahia and recognize that it's what I've been doing here for a long time. People are now starting to realize what the Afro-Brazilian music is. It's rhythm. It's rhythm, dancing music. That's what were talking about. That's the idea. The new disc gives the listener a pretty broad spectrum of the sounds and the social contexts of Bahia. What I've done is record a compi43
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lation of some of my songs and songs of my best friends in Bahia. You know, it's gotten to the point where everybody wants me to record songs for them. When I was in Bahia two years ago, I got together with some of my good friends who are good composers from Olodum, like Luciano who was with Olodum but who is It is Olodum now with the bloco afro Muzenza. Luciano is a group that le very good friend of mine and a very, very, very the multitude It is also coming talented composer. And he's a mzisicafoklorica man too. All his musical ideas are about people's to fight for the Union of the races feelings, feelings of the earth, feelings of the ocean. You know. He had these new songs Olodum symbol- called "Muzenza" and a great samba-reggae izes the dawn that starts and ends with percussion breaks On Carnaval Fricalled "Freneico" that's got some very heavy day The Blacks come playing. What does "Freneico" mean? with their hair in Freneico? Too much energy. (laughs) dreadlocks The live shows by Lula and Afro Brazil They come and send this message are straight ahead non-stop high energy dance parties. Is this the same band that did On the avenue the recording? they are coming to Sure man. All the guys have played with the sing top players in Brazil. The only one who hasn't Take me Take me, take me is me (laughs). I was always too involved with my government job playing with trios eletricos with you Beautiful black and traveling from Bahia to different places in Brazil. I did play with Gilberto Gil in Bahia. girl Take me But I never played with Gilberto Gil outside of Bahia. That's very, very, funny. But that's the reality. J. J. Brown sounds like the Jimi Hendrix of Bahia. And Antonio Sant'anna is a truly astonishing bass player. He's played with Emilio Santiago, Antonio Adolfo, Alceu Valenca, and Elba Ramalho. Oh yeah. Sant'anna is one of the really talented Brazilian musicians here in Los Angeles. He asked me, "Lula, can I write my feelings into the songs?" I said, "Of course, man." He wrote the arrangements for most of the songs. Sant'anna is very creative. That's one reason why everything came out so clean. Lula, let's talk more specifically about We are the Blacks the new CD. Why the title Bahia Legend? Because all the songs except "Singin' in the of the slave houses We came to the Rain" and "Rey Mandela" are important AfroChurch of ConceiI- music styles in Bahia. Samba de roda, sambacao to pray - afro, maculele , candomble, capoeira, sambareggae, maracatu, xaxado, everything is legI am going home endary Bahian music. I'm playing all the difI am going home; ferent rhythms here. I want people to know I am, I am, I am about the different things in Bahia that we're doing. I don't want to do only one thing. The Maculele I at music is a compilation. We're doing a lot of different things. You cannot miss the communication. It's Bahia music. The rhythm is right there. The groove on "Umboio Umboio Badaue" really feels more African than Brazilian. "Umboio Umboio Badaue" is actually two different songs that were derived from the music of the African slaves and that talk about peace and sweet thinking. "Umboio Umboio" is sung in the Yoruba language from Nigeria. In Bahia we sing in different languages. I used to sing this in the different blocos afro in Bahia; Muzenza, Ara Ketu, Olodum. The tune is in 6/ 8 but segues into the common 4/4 meter of "Badaue" which is an afoxe, a song form that
evolved from candomble ceremonial music. So I put the two different ideas together because I really wanted to do something for my faith, something that shows my life involvement in the folclorica. "Badaue" was written by a friend of mine about 20 years ago. When I went to Bahia two years ago I told him, "I want to record one of your songs." And he gave me a cassette with 20 songs. He told me, "Hey Lula, which one are you going to record?" So I started thinking about the song. You know I love the song. I love "Umboio Umboio." "Bata" also sounds very traditional. "Bata" is the beginning of candomble. Every candomble ceremony has this opening rhythm. Will you explain the mood and spirit of "Avaninha"? "Avaninha" has the rhythm of the orixas, the gods in Afro-Brazilian religions. When we sing this tune we invite all the orixas to come to dance. The folclorica group performs this song using only acoustic drums, singing, and dancing. We've been doing this in our shows for the last five years at the Hollywood Bowl. How did you decide to do "Singin' in the Rain"? "Singin' in the Rain" is the crazy one. When I saw this movie a couple of years ago, with the guy singing with the umbrella in the rain I said, "Shit, that would make a great samba." I talked over the idea with many different friends, but they couldn't believe me. It took a while for people to accept the reality that it would make a great samba. Sant'anna helped me write the arrangement, and we put it right in its place. What is the concept of "Maculae"? "Maculele" is a dance that the slaves, the Nigerian people, brought from Africa. A large part of our culture in Bahia is Nigerian. In performance, the dancers imitate the sugar cane field workers having some entertainment on their break time. That's the way they would relax to forget the pain. Tell me about "Vamos a Luta" (Let's Go Fight). A long time ago we all fought to get into the festivals. A very good friend of mine named Aroudo Mitrati Bem (Aroudo Treat Me Right) wrote this song. We had our songs entered and performed on the same day. He was a police sergeant. You know, I was with him at the festival. His song took second place. "Uniao das Ragas" won first place. I cried because I loved his song so much. It talks about the feelings of the slaves, as young boys in Brazil. You know, we're not inBRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
volved in politics, but in antepassados (forefathers). In Bahia, in Brazil, we never forge how our culture came about, why tie people are so involved with the music. So he wrote this song about when the Africans came to Brazil. I never forgot this song. Whenever I went to Brazil, I always told Aroudo, "One day I'm going to record your song. I'm going to send a copy to him. He's going to be so happy. He's so busy liat he's already forgotten about tin; song. He just totally forgot. "Capoeira Angola" uses a lot of berimbau. It begins with the sound of the berimbau. Capoeira Angola was the first style of capoeira. And the berimbau is it; heart. It is a capoeira close to the ground. You cannot stand up. You have to look like a cat. You have to roll on the ground. You know, doing all the jumps on the ground. Mestre Bimb I changed Capoeira Angola to his new style Capoeira Regional which is faster and more fight than dance. I start this song playing the Capoeira Angola style. Then, I start playing the berimbau faster and trans form it into Capoeira Regional. Who wrote "Seu Destino"? "Seu Destino" was written by Milt-no do he, a good friend of mine from he Aiye. I wrote the arrangement. The song's idea is that we're always involved with the folclorica. Because everybody's got the same influence, the same feeling, the same blood. That's why we never get out, we never get off of the Afro stuff. And with more time, we're more involved in it. All the Brazilian rhythms and dances and food, everything began in Africa. The first capoeira to come to Brazil was brought by the people from Angola. Why? Because they were brought to Brazil by the Portuguese as slaves to work the earth, in the churches, and building the houses. You know what I'm saying? Back then the Portuguese had a big military and they took what they wanted. So when you go to Bahia, it's mostly African. The whole Carnaval, the whole style, you can see. I wrote the arrangement as a samba-reggae because all the styles in Bahia today are in some way in volved with reggae. Every year the blcco Muzenza writes a tribute for Bob Marley, because everybody is involved with sambareggae. In fact, the samba-reggae style in Bahia is called muzenza. What about the Bob Marley song? The composer of the lyrics is my good friend Confety. We wrote everything together. He wrote the lyrics and I wrote the music. That was a BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
funny thing because I changed this sOng. I recorded this song first in a "funk" style.lAfterwards, I started to think about changing it. I wanted to have the repenique doing something with a more Bahian flavor, so I started reWriting it in my mind. I gave three different repehiques the sound of a DJ's scratching. And that' S what you hear in the background. (starts singing) This is the song we sing with the kids; with everybody. Instead of a samba-reggae,! made it Brazilian hip-hop. There are so many new releases each year that Brazilian artists aren't given the Same consideration in record stores as, let's say, rap artists. Is this due primarily to tha language? That's one point of the situation. That's why I've included two songs in English But what I've recorded is Bahiafolclorica and cance music . You know what I'm saying? People are not going to dance to candomble or to "Maculele." They're going to listen. But when they come to the electric, they're all ready, "Yeah!" So it changes. Recordings which recreate the true glomplexity of folclorica are rare. Many reCord company executives and studio technicians lack an understanding of the contents and significance of song texts and encourage Musicians to make changes in the structure of the music. Is this why you have releasecIthe disc independently? I'm not looking for a label. I don't are about record companies. I just think about, involving my feelings on the plate, on the menu, and putting it out for the people who are interested. When you are involved with a record company, they always come with an idea. 4nd it doesn't fit. You're a musician. You understand. They're always going to change soinething. I don't really want to make my music commercial. I want to do Bahia music. I want to show people the music that's in my hands, Because I don't have a record company telling me what to do, people can hear that it's not some executive's idea. The ideas are mine. That's the reason Bahia Legend will be distributed exclusively through a private channel. Why do so many musicians want to hook up with you? Oh yeah, there are many famous musicians who come to my house to play with me. It's about the reality. I have the ideas. The rhythm and everything starts in my mind. I don't knolyv sometimes how come I can play all the different patterns, the different rhythms. But everythi g is connected here (points to his head and laughs). When I teach, I give my feeling to the peopl That's why I have so many students right no and why I've been able to go into the eleme tary schools and high schools to teach all the different kids. Are there many places in Los Angeles where people can go to hear Brazilian musi live? Well, I started with the folclorica musi here. Right now I'm playing at the Los Angele Zoo, the Hollywood Bowl, and at many differ ent schools here in Los Angeles. So, you kno it's getting there. It's involved because we'r working with the new generation right now. I'
working more now than I have in my entire career. My job now is involved more with kids than with adults. I'm doing shows in high schools and elementary schools. That's the thing. I like working with kids. How is the club scene in Los Angeles? I stopped playing clubs because we weren't making any money. I hope the scene will change, but I don't know when. Besides, playing small clubs is not part of my dream. Lula, you listen to the radio here and you know what's happening in Brazil. What music influences you. Who do you like to listen to? Who do I like? Yeah. Well my favorite music, the music I'm always involved with, that I always love to really listen to Do you want to know my real feelings about what I like to listen to? Yeah. It's classical music.! love to listen to all of the instruments. It's a meditation, you know. Really!! (laughs) Uh huh. Wow! That's wild! That's really interesting. Yeah man. You know Mozart is my favorite composer. Oh yeah, man. That's the composer who really got me involved with electric music. How did you discover Mozart? I used to play in school when I was a teenager. My father put me into the convent because I was a crazy child. I was doing capoeira in the street and started kicking everybody. (laughs) You know, I used to be a crazy kid. So in the convent I started to play. What did you play? You're going to laugh about this. I used to play trombone. (laughs) I started to play piano too. After that I started to play drum set. And! bought a drum set and put it in my house. Everyday I played and made too much noise. My father threw my drum set through the window. (laughs) You know, that was a crazy life. Lula, I know the show is going to start soon, so I'll let you go. Thanks for taking time. Of course man. Bahia Legend is distributed by and available from Brazil CD's, specialists in Brazilian music — (617) 6663747. Bruce Gilman plays cuica for Mocidade Independente Los Angeles, received his MA from California Institute of the Arts, and teaches English and ESL in Long Beach, California. You can reach him through his E-mail: cuica@interworld.net 45
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Rio As Malandragens de Scapino (Scapino's Rogueries) — MoHere' s comic classic about a deceitful servant. Directed by Joao Bethencourt with Glaucia Rodrigues and Andre Mattos. Eu Sei que Vou Te Amar (I Know I'm Going to Love You) — Arnaldo Jabor's tale about separated couple who find out they are in love. Directed by William Pereira with Julia Lemmertz and Alexandre Borges. Futuro do Preterit° (Future Perfect) — Romantic comedy about the 20-year evolution in a group of friends. With Lilia Cabral and Dalton Vigh. Written by Regiana Antonini and directed by Marcelo Saback. Sete Noites de um Lobo (Seven Nights of a Wolf)— Directed by Sergio Barreto, with Marcelo Galdino and Case Aguiar. Mysterious deaths in a little village every time there is a full moon. Based on a medieval Spanish legend.
Sao Paulo Burundanga, a Revolta do Baixo Ventre (The Low Abdomen Revolt) — There's panic in a small town when two swindlers passing for military men talk about an impending revolution. Written by Luis Alberto de Abreu. Ednaldo Freire directs. Cenas de um Casamento (Scenes of a Marriage) — This is the classic text by Ingmar Bergman about a seemingly happy marriage. Vivian Buckup directs. Maria Adelaide Amaral translated. Tony Ramos and Regina Braga star. A Comedia (The Comedy) — Complicated and funny lovetriangle. Mauricio Lencasttre wrote and directs. Viviane Dias, Ludh Raposo and Gabriela Neri star. Intensa Magia (Intense Magic) — Contemporary drama written by Maria Adelaide Amaral. Silnei Siqueira directs Mauro Mendonca, Rosamaria Murtinho and Nina de Padua 46
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American films just released: White Squall (Tormenta), Heaven's Prisoners (Prisioneiros do Passado), Mrs. Winterbourne (Amor por Acidente), The Nutty Professor (0 Professor Aloprado), Two Bits (Um Dia para Relembrar), Black Sheep (A Ovelha Negra), Eraser (Queima de Arquivo), The Brothers McMullen (Os Irmlos McMullen), Happy Gilmore (Um Maluco no Golpe), The Babysitters Club (0 Clube das Babas) Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Entre o Inferno e o Profundo Mar Azul) — Belgium — 1995 — The moving friendship between a Greek radio operator and a Chinese girl. Directed by Mario Hansel. Starring Stephen Rea, Ling Chu and Adrian Brine. A Comedia de Deus (God's Comedy) — Portugal — 1995 — A 50 year-old Portuguese artisan, Joao de Deus, seduces young ladies so he can add to his collection of pubic ,hair. With Max Monteiro, Manuela de Freitas, Claudia Teixeira and Gracinda Nave. Directed by Joao Cesar Monteiro. Guantanamera (Guantanamera) — Spain/ Cuba — 1995 — How to transport the dead during a fuel crisis in Cuba. Directed by Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos labia with Carlos Cruz, Mirtha Ibbara and Salvador Wood. Mina Tannenbaum (Duas Amigas) — France/Belgium/Holland — 1993 — Two female friends come of age in the '70s in Paris. By Martine Dogowson with Romane Bohringer and Elsa Zylberstein. 0 Monge e a Filha do Carrasco (The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter) — Brazil/ EUA — 1994 — Directed by Walter Lima Jr., starring Murilo Benicio, Karina Barun, Patricia Pillar and Paul Dillon. A young franciscan monk deals with faith and desires in 18th century Germany. Stealing Beauty (Beleza Roubada) — Italy/ England/France-1996 —Teenager awakes middle-age passion. By Bernardo Bertolucci with Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, Stefania Sandrelli. Tieta do Agreste (Tieta from the Northeast Backlands) — Brazil — 1996 — Almost 30 years after being expelled from home by the father, Antonieta (Tieta) goes back to her hometown. Carlos Diegues directs. Sonia Braga, Marilia Pera and Chico Anisio star. Trainspotting (Sem Limites) — England1996 — The tale of a heroine-addicted group of friends. Directed by Danny Boyle. Starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremmer and Johnny Lee Miller.
Fiction 1. 0 Monte Cinco Paulo Coelho 2. Operacdo Cavalo de Troia 5 J. J. Benitez 3. 0 Mundo de Sofia Jostein Gaarder 4. A Projecia Celestina James Redfield 5. Novas Comedias da Vida Privada Luis Fernando Verissimo 6. 0 Xango de Baker Street J6 Soares 7. Uma Pulga na Camisola Max Nunes 8. Quase Memoria Carlos Heitor Cony 9. 0 Corredor da Morte V.I. (Duos Meninas) Stephen King 10. Mas Serd o Benedito? Mario Prata
Nonfiction 1. Inteligencia Emocional Daniel Goleman 2. Almas Gemeas Monica Buonfiglio 3. S6 o Amor E Real Brian L. Weiss 4. Frases Paulo Coelho 5. Zico Conta Sua Historia Zico 6. Minutos de Sabedoria Torres Pastorino 7. Anjos Cabalisticos MOnica Buonfiglio 8. Historias, Dicas e Magias vol. Monica Buonfiglio 9. Encontros, Desencontros e Reencontros Maria Helena Matarazzo 10. As Sete Leis Espirituais do Sucesso Deepak Chopra According to weekly newsmagazine Veja BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1994
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IJk TWO PARTIES As it happens every September for 12 years now huldreds of thousands of Brazilians and Brazil lovers went September 1" , a Sunday, to New York's Litte Brazil Street (also known as 46th St.) to celebrate the Brazilian Independence Day. Brazilian food, culture and music were served in abundance in a party promoted by The Brasilians newspaper and small businesses. Representatives from the Brazilian consulate in New York were nowhere to be seen. They would throw their own party on Friday, September 6, one day before Independence Day. Only VIPs were invited to this bash that happened at the exclusive Plaza Hotel. Oddly enough the invitation, which had to be handed out at the Plaza, started with "The Consulate General of Brazil in New York and Republic National Bank of New York request the pleasure of your company..." hinting that the official celebration of Brazil's biggest national date was privately financed. What's a poor consulate to do? Celebrate parsimoniously inside the consulate itself? Or would it be asking too much for an organization that has been delaying the payment of its own workers for months on end?
FOR FOREIGN EYES Media Flux: Brasil, a New York TV program which is aired every Saturday at 4 PM on Time Warner Cable's Channel 16 will this month be showing interviews with Brazilian Indian leaders and showcase Brazil's Northeast. The states to be highlighted are Sergipe, Fortaleza, Bahia, Ceara and Pernambuco. The talks with the Indians were produced by the Amanaka'a Amazon Network and they will be complemented by material shot in the Amazon showing the inundated forests of Mamiraud. BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1956
NATIVE SONG lhu in the Kamayura Indian language means everything you learn by hearing. Todos os Sons (lhu All the Sounds) is also the name of Marlui Miranda's latest CD release. An expert in Brazilian indigenous music, Miranda, who has received a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation, for 17 years has been researching the subject. In this 17-track recording, the singerresearcher with a little hand from Gilberto Gil brings to life the chants of several Amazon Indian nations including the Kayapo, the Nhambikwara, the Yanomami, the Tukano and the Suya. Released last year in Brazil, 'hit was acclaimed by critics who considered it one of the best productions of the year. The CD is being released by New York's Blue Jackel Entertainment. This new label has also just released Tony Mola's Bragada, an album it presents as the newest wave in Brazilian music with Bahian rhythms blending with rap, salsa, Jamaican ragamuffin, samba and orixa rhythms. Mola cofounded Timbalada with Ca rlinhos Brown.
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American Plastic Surgeon. Internationally recognized. Attractive. Athletic. Has toured Brazil. Seeks intelligent, athletic, attractive, non smoking Brasileira who likes skin diving, aerobics, surfing, outdoor photography & cooking. Ages 22-30. Send photos and C.V. to G.M. - 2318 Washington - Great Bend, Kansas, 67530 - U.S.A. Americano, 31, professional, physically fit, happy and outgoing seeks Brazilian Lady 20-30 who is loving, happy, attractive and willing to relocate do the USA. Thomas Graff, 6705 Horsepen Road, Richmond, Virginia, 23228. tgraff@erols.com [130] Americano, 38 anos, alto, delgado, branco, olhos azuis, professor de Ingles, procura brasileira 18-30 anos. (310) 2895719 William - Ou: 1223 Broadway #143, Santa Monica, CA 90404 [124] Americano, young 44, honest, romantic, seeks brasileira 27-39. Has toured Brasil. Likes your people, music, soccer. Falo Portugues. Letter/photo to Douglas, 18 Grand Rio Cir., Sacramento, CA 95826 [125] Blue eyes, 6' tall college grad, business owner, traveler near Marina Del Rey, California, seeks a sharing, caring, sensual relationship with a petite, ethnic, Brasileira— Barrett (310) 3902586 [124] Brazilian Garicho,32,5'4" tall, 118, protestant, educated, romantic, likes music, soccer, photography, seeks caring, honest, pretty lady 20-28 for friendship/
FEIRA LIVRE RATES: 50e, a word. Phone is one ‘N ord.
DISCOUNTS: For 3 times deduct 5%. for 6 times deduct 10%, for 12 times deduct 15%. POLICY: All ads to be prepaid. Ads are accepted at our discretion. Sorry. no credit card at this time. Your canceled check is your receipt. Please, include address and phone number, which %% ill be kept confidential. DEADLINE: The 25th of the month. Late materialwill be held for the following month if appropriate. TO PLACE AD: Send ad with check or money order to: BRAZZIL P.O. Box 42536 Los Angeles, CA 90050-0536. romance. Letter/phOto to William, PO Box 1741 — Des Plaines, IL 600174041[129] Divorced white male, 45, seeks for correspondence, friendship, marriage, warm, kind, loving, non-smoking Brazilian women 18-33 years, some English, one child OK. Serious inquiries only. Photo and letters: James King, 208 S. Elm St. Apt. C, Greenville, NC 27858, USA. E-mail: grjking@ecuvm.cis.ecu.edu PERSONAL MAN SEEKS MAN
Goodlooking athletic American M 326 185 brn/blue seeks other goodlooking Brazilian/Argentine guys 18-30 for friendship or more. I traveled to Argentina and Brazil for 6 months and loved it. Letter and photo to: Pe er El iason; 4960 Almaden Exp. 179; San Jose, California 9511 —E-mail: sjsharks7 aol.com •r 1-800761-4983. 128] Quiet gay white male 38,5'9", 150#, brown hair, mu tache. No smoke, no drink, no drugs, no car. Simple living, b kt love Brazilto travel worldwide. Se Ian with similar intere ts. Letter/ photo to: Steve, 840N. Larrabee, #4-121, West Holly ood, CA 90069 Sou gay americano, 28, 6'2", 190, branco. Procuro irasileiro bonito para amizade e mais. Morava no Brasil e ag ra tenho saudades. (213) 660-2617 [122] Very handsome, professional, kind and generous gay American man who loves truly the music, seeks caring, sincere Brazil man 25 to 45 from Los A geles or Brazil. Call or write: 0 cupant 12425 Texas Ave. #13, Los Angeles, CA 90025 - (310) 2078793 [123]
PERSONAL FRIENDSHIP
Quero corresponder-me corn pessoas brasileiras para amizade. Maria Brawley - PO Box 14632 - Las Vegas, Nevada 89114 USA (702) 432-3824 [130] Sou brasileira, tenho 16 anos, quero me corresponder corn mops e rapazes. Luciene Pinto — Rua Leonardo Da Vinci, 13 — Senador Camara — CEP 21831-100 Rio, Brazil [122] PSYCHOTHERAPY
Chronic & Life Threatening illnesses, A.D.D. & dyslexia, life transitions, bicultural & relationship issues, sexual identity conflict — Edison de Mello, M.D., Ph.D. — MFCC Lic# 021323 —Portuguese/Spanish! English. (310) 656-6987 [131] Emotional & psychological help - Elizabete Almeida IVI-FCC licensed psychotherapist. English/Portuguese. Reasonable rates. (310) 281-7536. [133] SERVICES
Silent's—Fine line tattoos. By appointment only. (310) 8428628, (310) 843-1377 or (619) 965-9655 [129] TRANSLATION & INTERP.
English to Portuguese, technical translation. Precise, fast turnaround - Ricardo Paoletti (716) 839-5310. Fax: (716) 839-5410. E-mail: paolett@ibm.net Portuguese Service Center in Chicago - Translations, Interpretations, Trade Shows, Brazilian Portuguese Classes (312) 525-0678 [132] Tocantins Communications Portuguese translation services. Fast, reliable, affordable translations. (818) 248-3667. [134] 49
calendar - october 96 - u.s.a. mosammyirmum
TV & RADIO COAST TO COAST SHORT WAVE RADIO Radio Nacional da Amaz6nia - Daily, especially on evenings and early morning - 6,180 & 11,780 Khz Radiobras - All universal time - From 12 noon to 1:20 PM, in English and from 1.30 PM 10 2:50 PM, in Spanish 15,445 Khz BOSTON Coracao Brasileiro - Every Monday, 8:00 PM - 10:3 PM with Dennis Miller 88.1 FM - WMBR Brazilian Style of Music Every Friday, 11:00 am 2.00 pm, 91.5 FM, WMFO with Marion Catao CHICAGO The Sounds of Brazil - Every Saturday, 10:00 pm Midnight, 95.5 FM, VVIVUA with Scott Adams Show Brazil - Every Friday, 8:00 am - 11:00 am, 91.5 FM, WMFO with Edna Moreno LOS ANGELES TV Canal Brasil - Every Sunday, 9:00 pm, Continental Cable, Channel 28 RADIO Sounds of Brazil - Every Thursday, Noon - 2.00 pm, KPFK, 90.7 FM with Sergio Mielniczenko Brazilian Hour - Every Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 am - 10:00 am, KXLU, 88.9 FM with Sergio Mielniczenko MIAMI RADIO Brazilians Love Jazz - Every Sunday, 8 00 pm- 10:00 pm with Gina Martelli - 93.9 - Love 94
so
CORONA DEL MAR, CAL. 9:00 PM - Marcos Santos at Carmelo's (714) 675-1922
111111 ']N BERKELEY, CAL. 8:30 PM - Adriana & Carlos Oliveira at Nino's MIAMI 8:30 PM & 10:30 PM: Banda do Gil at Brazil Brazil (305) 561-8200 SAN FRANCISCO 7:00 PM - "A View of Brazil" Photo Expo by Jeff Ceaser and Alberto Petrolino at Fort Mason Center (415) 395-9145 LOS ANGELES 9:00 PM - SambaLa at Zabumba 9:30 PM - MILA Samba School at Café Danssa ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:00 PM - Sergio 2000 at Ginga Brazil MIMI LC a*NW.= SAN FRANCISCO 10:00 PM - Entre Nos at Bahia Cabana ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:00 PM - Sergio 2000 at Ginga Brazil LOS ANGELES 9:30 PM - Constellation Band at Café Danssa DANA POINT, CAL. 12:00 NOON - Marcos Santos at Marriott (714) 661-5000 DANA POINT, CAL. 12:00 NOON - Marcos Santos at Marriott (714) 661-5000 LONG BEACH, CAL. 7:00 PM - Sam baLa's Grand Opening at Long Beach Dance Center uoupix MINNEAPOLIS 9:30 PM - Olodum at First Avenue - TicketMaster CORONA DEL MAR, CAL. 9:00 PM - Marcos Santos at Carmelo's (714) 675-1922 IMITA410 144 •Wil111/ NEW YORK 9:00 PM - Flora Purim at S.O.B.'s TicketMaster II: ill :44*Na MIN NEWPORT BEACH, CAL. 9:00 PM & 10:30 PM - Sonia Santos at Twin Palms (714) 721-8288 BERKELEY, CAL. 8:30 PM - Adriana & Carlos Oliveira at Nino's
LOS ANGELES 8:30 PM - Katia Moraes & Brasil Nuts in Samba Fever at Atlas (213) 380-8400
Emiiffgai.qmthimim MIAMI 8:30 PM & 10:30 PM: Banda do Gil at Brazil Brazil (305) 561-8200 LOS ANGELES 9:30 PM - MILA Samba School at Café Danssa ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:00 PM - Lois sings Brazil at Ginga Brazil
gimmjaujigaiikAimm SAN FRANCISCO 10:00 PM - Pandemonium at Bahia Cabana DANA POINT, CAL. 12:00 NOON - Marcos Santos at Marriott (714) 661-5000 ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:00 PM - Lois & Zelao at Ginga Brazil LOS ANGELES 9:30 PM - Constellation Band at Café Danssa itirligmAkmmom DANA POINT, CAL. 12:00 NOON - Marcos Santos at Marriott (714) 661-5000 PASADENA, CAL. 8:30 PM & 10:00 PM - S6nia Santos at Baked Potato (818) 564-1122 LONG BEACH, CAL. 7:00 PM - SambaLa at Long Beach Dance Center SAN DIEGO, CAL. 8:00 PM - Olodum at University of California, San Diego (619) 534-8273 LOS ANGELES 4:00 PM - S6nia Santos & Ana Gazzola at Griffith Park
U DA' 5 CORONA DEL MAR, CAL. 9:00 PM - Marcos Santos at Carmelo's (714) 675-1922 =NM 1 I *1 BINE MIMI NEW YORK 9:00 PM - Astrud Gilberto at S 0 B.'s TicketMaster .111MuagliKEIYMINEME BERKELEY, CAL. 9:00 PM - Adriana & Carlos Oliveira at Nino's LOS ANGELES 8:30 PM - Katia Moraes & Brasil Nuts in Samba Fever at Atlas (213) 380-8400 MIAMI 8:30 PM & 10:30 PM: Banda do Gil at Brazil Brazil (305) 561-8200 LOS ANGELES 9:00 PM & 11:00 PM - S6nia Santos at Cava (213) 658-6600 9:00 PM - Sam baLa at Zabumba 9:30 PM - MILA Samba School at Café BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
Danssa
9CSZP )(09 *(yd ol Hew - Luo3 .1oe@smauHzeaq 311! Hew-3 '9t7c-L9z (cz() ol op! Jep ualeo Arlo xe Za/:01-alPeaCI2908 -SSZ(C12 ) 11e3 J o 0906 vo "V *1
ca endar october 96 - us.a. Danssa
ANAHEIM, CAL.
ANAHEIM, CAL.
7:00 PM - Sergio 2000 at Ginga Brasil
../.11101.211. 1.11101111111. SAN FRANCISCO
7:00 PM - Lois sings Brazil at
9:00 PM - Daniela Mercury at
TV & RADIO
Coconut Grove Convention Center (305) 867-9786
TV
Ginga Brasil
EM:filituii BIAWZMII MIAMI
10:00 PM - Entre Nos at Bahia Cabana
ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:00 PM - Sergio 2000 at Ginga Brazil
DANA POINT, CAL. 12:00 NOON - Marcos Santos at Marriott
(714) 661-5000
SAN FRANCISCO 10:00 PM - Copacabana at Bahia Cabana
LOS ANGELES 9:30 PM - Constellation Band at Café
Danssa 111MMEIE1
DANA POINT, CAL. 12:00 NOON - Marcos Santos at
Marriott (714) 661-5000
PASADENA, CAL.
DANA POINT, CAL. 12:00 NOON - Marcos Santos at Marriott
(714) 661-5000
9:00 PM & 10:00 PM - S6nia Santos at Twin Palms (818) 577-
2526
LONG 3EACH, CAL.
W. HOLLYWOOD, CAL.
7:00 PM - Sam baLa at Long Beach Dance
10:00 PM - Katia Moraes at Luna
Center
9:00 PM - Marcos Santos at Carmelo's
(714) 675-1922
SHERMAN OAKS, CAL. 8:00 PM - Katia Moraes with Feijoada Completa at Moonlight Tango (818) 788-
2000
.
7:00 PM - Lois & Zelao at Ginga
Brazil
ALHAMBRA, CAL. 1:30 PM -Ana Gazzola at Pedrini's
Music (818) 289-0241
LOS ANGELES 8:00 PM - 1:30 AM - Kleber Jorge & Band + Group Nova at Loft 5
(213) 624-6120
BERKELEY, CAL.
9:30 PM - Constellation Band at
9:00 PM - Adriaila & Carlos Oliveira at
Café Danssa
I DA 27 DANA POINT, CAL.
Nino's
LOS ANGELES 8:30 PM - Katia lAoraes & Brasil Nuts in Samba Fever at Atlas (213) 380-8400 111111.it1lffav&kl.1111111.
MIAMI
12:00 NOON - Marcos Santos at
Marriott (714) 661-5000
LONG BEACH, CAL. 7:00 PM - Sam baLa at Long Beach
8:30 PM & 10:30 PM: Banda do Gil at
Dance Center
BlAvai
Brazil Brazil (305) 561-8200
PASADENA, CAL. 9:00 PM & 10:00 PM - Sonia Santos at
Twin Palms (818) 577-2526
10:00 PM - Meia Noite & The Midnight Drums Band at Luna Park -(310) 726-6968
SHERMAN OAKS, CAL. 9:30 PM - Katia Moraes at Prezzo (818)
905-8400
LOS ANGELES 9:30 PM - MILA ES, cola de Samba at Café
ANAHEIM, CAL. Ginga Brazil - 821 N Euclid, (714) 778-0266
BERKELEY Ashkenaz - 1317 Sat Pablo Ave. (510) 525-5054 Nino's - 1916 Martin L. King Jr. (510) 845-9303
LOS ANGELES 14 Below - 1348 14th S., Santa Monica - (310) 451-5040 Cafe Danssa - 11533 W. Pico BI. West L.A.- (310) 478-7866
BRAZZIL -OCTOBER 1996
Luqui Corporation - Jornal
Bandeirantes - 11.00 pm 1:00 am, Dynamic ch. 20, S. South ch. 41, Gold Coast ch. 44, DCI ch. 45 NEW YORK RADIO
Park (310) 652-0611
ANAHEIM, CAL. CORONA DEL MAR, CAL.
BTN (Brazilian TV Network) 11:00 pm - 100 am, DCI ch 40, S. South ch 51, Adelphia ch 52, Gold Coast ch 99
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ 9:00 PM - Carnaval Brasileiro at
Tropworld Casino - TicketMaster
BERKELEY, CAL. 9:00 PM - Adriana & Carlos Oliveira at Nino's
LOS ANGELES 8:30 PM - Katia Moraes & Brasil Nuts at Atlas (213) 380-8400
Long Beach Dance Ctr -5107 E. Ocean BI. -(310) 438-5466 La Ye Lee - 12514 Ventura BI. - Studio City - (818) 980-8158 Zabumba -10717 Venice Blvd Culver City -(310) 841-6525
NEW YORK Blue Note - 131 West 3rd St. (212) 475-8592 SOB -200 Varick St. (212) 3077171 Supper Club - 240 W. 47 St. (212) 921-1940
Scala Brazil - 35-50 31st St. Astoria (718) 937-0352
OAKLAND, CAL. Yoshi's -6030 Claremont Ave. (510) 652-9200
SAN DIEGO Café Sevilla -(619) 233-5979
S. FRANCISCO Bahia Cabana - (415) 861-4202 Chambord - 152 Kearney St. (415) 434-3688 Coconut Grove-(415)776-1616
Brasil corn S - Every Saturday, 9:00 PM with Judith King, 88. 3 FM - WBGO Brazil Street Samba - Every Friday, 10:00 PM with Leo Costa & Alberto Lopes - 89.9 FM - WKCR Radio Amazonia - Every day, 6.30 PM on short wave -6.185 MHZ TV Brazil Update - Every Saturday, 3:30 PM - Channel 69 Brazilians in America-TV Every Sunday, 5.30 PM-Chan-
nel 16 Media Flux: Brasil - Every Saturday, 4:00 PM - Ch 16 S. FRANCISCO Brasileirinho - Every Wednesday, 9:30 PM, KZSC, 88.1 FM with Renato Frota Brasil Musical - Every Sunday, 1.00 PM - 5:00 PM, Radio Bilingue, 91.5 FM via satellite, with Ricardo and Amarina Pugh - Fresno Canta, Brasil - Every Sunday, 600 PM - 8:00 PM - KKUP, 91.5 FM, with Xuxu, Maria Jose and David Heyman Programa de Domingo - Every Sunday, 1.00 PM - 2:00 PM, KSQQ 96.1 FM with Lino Bugatti A Taste of Brazil - Every Sunday, 11.00 PM - 12.00 AM, KKSF, 103.7 with Dick Conte SO Da Brasil - Every Friday, 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM, KUSF, 90.3 with Jorge Lima & Simone Odom WASHINGTON, DC Waves of Patropi - Every Saturday, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM, WDCU, 90 FM with Andre Lacerda
51
Boston Area Books Livraria Plenitude
(800) 532-5809 Consulate Consulado G. do Brasil
(617) 617-542-4000 Dentist Sylvio P. Lessa
(617) 924-1882 Food & Products Aqui Brazil
(617) 787-0758 Brasil Brasil
(617) 561-6094 Instruction Approach Student Ctr
(617) 787-5401 Jerry's Cachaca
(617) 666-5410 Instruction Braz. & Amer. Lg. Inst.
(617) 787-7716 Music Brazil CDs
(617) 666-3747 Publications The Brazilian Monthly
(617) 566-3651 Bossa: Braz. Jazz Guide
(617) 262-9997 Restaurants Café Brazil
(617) 789-5980 Ipanema
(508) 460-6144 Tropicana
(617) 567-4422 Pampas Churrascaria
(617) 661-6613
Chicago Consulate Consulado G. do Brasil
(312) 464-0244 Translations Portuguese Lang. Ctr.
(312) 276-6683
Los Angeles Accountant Sheila Shanker
(310) 836-3436 Airlines
Ministerios Renascer
Café Brasil
Euroamerica
(888) RENACER
(310) 837-8957
(305) 358-3003
Ginga Brasil
International Tours
(714) 778-0266
(800) 822-1318
Lulu's Alibi
Luma Travel
(310) 479-6007
(305) 374-8635
Yolie's Brazilian Steak
Monark Travel
(714) 251-0722
(305) 374-5855
Zabumba
New Port Tours
(310) 841-6525
(305) 372-5007
Translation/Interp. Brazilian Int. Affairs
Venture Travel
Clothes Samba
(310) 628-9789 Summer Brazil
(310) 455-1772 Clubs & Associations Brazil-Cal. Chbr of Com.
(213) 975-9237 Centro Cultural Gaficho
(213) 256-6548 MILA - Samba School
(310) 391-6098 SambaLa -Esc. de Samba (310) 628-9789 Consulate Brazilian Consulate
(213) 651-2664 Dentists Gilberto Henriques
(213) 464-0524
(310) 854-5881 Tocantins Communic.
(818) 248-3667 Travel/Tours Around the World Trl.
(800) 471-6333 Brazil Air
(800) 441-8515 Brazil Tours
(818) 767-1200 Cheviot Hills Travel
Events Promotion Brasil 'N You Promotions
(310) 202-6264
(310) 928-1770
Airlines Transbrasil
Brazilian Nites Prod. (818) 566-1111 Pegasus - Parties & Ent.
(818) 549-0383 Food & Products Brazilian Market
(310) 827-9139 Health & Fitness Herbs from Brazil
(213) 852-7016 Westside Acupuncture
(310) 914-1624 Import/Export N & R International
Miami (800) 872-3153 Varig
(800) 468-2744 Vasp
(800) 732-8277 Banks Banco do Brasil
(305) 358-3586 Banco Nacional
(305) 372-0100 Banco Real
(305) 358-2433
(305) 379-7678
Brazilian Corn. Bureau
(212) 916-3200
(310) 360-0901 Music Braz. Jazz /All Occasions
(310) 839-3788 Jazz - Richard Samuels
Consulate Consulado do Bratil
(305) 285-6200 Dentists Arnaldo Souza
(818) 798-5424
(305) 595-3238
Physician Paulo Coharte
(305) 262-8212
(310) 285-9670 Deck) Rangel
(310) 828-7454 Ingrid Rodi - Gynec.
(310) 451-8144 Nilson A. Santos
Hedimo de Si Food & Beverages All Braz. Imp. & Exp.
Neyde's
(415) 681-5355 Clubs B.A.S.O.
Coisa Nossa
(201) 578-2675 Merchant Express
Instruction Brasil Brasil Cult. Ctr
ARARA - Amazon. As.
Carmen's International
(415) 433-9441
(415) 661-2788
Clubs & Associations ABFC - As. Bras. da Flan
(813) 842-3161
Beauty Salon
Consulate Brazilian Gen. Cons.
(718) 204-1521
(212) 382-1630 Brazilian Voice
(201) 955-1137 OCA Magazine
(516) 596-1853 Portugal-Brasil News
(212) 228-2958 Samba Newsletter
(718) 937-0574 Restaurants Brasilia
(212) 869-9200 Brazil 2000 (212) 877-7730 Brazilian Pavillion
(212) 758-8129 Cabana Carioca
(305) 523-8134
(212) 581-8088
Guarani Esteves
Indigo Blues
(305) 345-1540
(212) 221-0033
Via Brasil
S.O.B.
Bay Area Brasilian Club (415) 334-0106 Brazilian Cut. Movem.
(415) 437-6991 Computer Micronet
(415) 665-1994 Consulate Brazilian Consulate
(415) 981-8170 Dance Instruction Aquarela
(510) 548-1310 Brazil Culture & Arts
(510) 215-8202 Ginga Brasil
(510) 428-0698 Escola Nova de Samba
(415) 661-4798 Samba do Coracao
(415) 826-2588 Samba, Swing & Suor
(415) 282-7378 Dental Care Roberto Sales, DDS
(510) 451-8315 Food Brazilian Coffee Dist.
(415) 648-5966 California Produce
Varig
(213) 483-3430
(305) 866-7718
(212) 243-4940
(800) GO VARIG Vasp (310) 364-0160
Psychother/Counsel. Elizabeth Almeida M.A.
Physicians Dr. Jorge Macedo
Tapajis River
(415) 586-6200
(201) 491-9196
HGC Imp. Wholesale
Travel Agencies Barb Tour Service
(408) 947-8511
Dr. Mario Sanches
(305) 541-7819
(201) 313-0996
Instruction Portuguese - A. Frame
(510) 339-9289
Arts & Crafts Bakari Art Studio
(310) 281-7536 Fatima Castro
(310) 822-6770
(305) 271-7311
(213) 938-0523
Dr. Jefferson Si
Dr. Neri Franzon
Odyssea Travel Service
Folk Creations
(818) 592-0402
(305) 776-1412
(212) 826-3019
Publications Brazzil
Publications Florida Review
(310) 693-2844 Uniquely Brazil - Folk
(818) 458-1474 Zebi Designs
(310) 391-6530 Auto Repair Cosmo Auto Parts
(213) 259-9818 Banks Banco do Brasil
(213) 688-2996 Catering Joy's Catering
(213) 255-4953
(305) 374-5235
Real Estate Cent. 21 - Solon Pereira
Restaurants Brazilian Tropicana
(310) 633-0787 Cold. Banker-J. Freitas
(818) 304-9562 Restaurants & Cafés Bossa Nova
(310) 657-5070 Bossa Nova
(310) 657-5070
(310) 438-3415
Brazilian Tropical
Churches Comunid. Evang. Bras. (310) 793-8745
(714) 720-1522 By Brazil
(310) 787-7520
(305) 781-1113 Brazilian Delight
(305) 374-0032 Brazilian Pie
(305) 866-1001 Cheese Bread House
(305) 443-5358 Gula Gula (305) 532-3636 Travel Agencies Brazilian Wave
(305) 561-3788 Discover Brazil Tours
(800) 524-3666 52
San Diego Attorney Ivan Porto
(800) 314-4826 Clubs & Associations Clube Bras. San Diego
(619) 295-0842 Sunday Night Cl. Brazil
(619) 233-5979 Import/Export Brazil Imports
(619) 234-3401 Money Remittance
(510) 268-8967 Publications Brazil Today
(510) 526-1115 Brazzil Restaur./Night Clubs Bahia Cabana
Matts Auto Body
(212) 224-6280
Food & Products Amazonia
Printing M. C. Printing
(415) 587-4990
Brazilian Trade Bur.
(212) 757-3080
Physician Dr. Guilherme Salgado
(415) 255-6717
Bibbo (415) 421-BIBO
Publications The Brasilians
Legal Services Meiojas & Ferraz
Auto
(800) 727-LUSO
(212) 575-9030
(415) 871-2201
Nelson Auto Body
(415) 565-3560
(201) 589-5884
(310) 839-8427
(510) 444-8100
Books Luso-Brazilian Books
Banespa
Modern Lang. Center
Vasp Attorney Ralph Baker
Clubs & Associations Brazilian Ch. of Corn.
Musical Instruments Tamborim & Samba
(415) 832-6219
Varig
Via Brasil Travel
New York New Jersey
Voz do Brazil (415) 586-2276
(415) 986-5737
(305) 866-7580
(305) 358-9167
(407) 354-5200 Cfim. Com. Brasil- EUA (305) 579-9030
Airlines
(800) 732-VASP
(909) 626-3656
(310) 397-3667
San Francisco Area
Portuguese Lang. Serv.
(415) 587-4990 Money Remittance Via Brazil
(415) 673-0262 Vigo
(415) 861-4202 Balboa Braz. Rest.
(415) 387-1118 Café do Brasil
(415) 626-6432 Café Mardi Gras
(415) 864-6788 Canto do Brasil
(415) 626-8727 Colusa Restaurant
(415) 526-1500 Joao's Restaurant
(408) 244-1299 Little Rio
(415) 441-3344 Michelangelo Café
(415) 986-4058 Mozzarela Di-Bufala
(415) 346-9888 Nino's (510) 845-9303 Stelladoro
(415) 928-2662 Taqueria Goyaz
(415) 821-4600 Translation Port. Lang. Services
(415) 587-4990 Travel Agencies Rio Roma
(415) 921-3353 Santini Tours
(510) 843-2363 Tropical Travel
(510) 655-9904 Tucanos Travel
(415) 454-9961
ashington DC Area Airlines Transbrasil
(202) 775-9180 Varig
(202) 331-8913 Vasp (202) 822-8277 Banks Banco do Brasil
(202) 857-0320 Banco do Est. de S. Paulo
(202) 682-1151
(415) 863-0218
Clubs & Associations
West Brazil
(415) 695-9258
Braz. Am. Cult. Inst. (202) 362-8334
Music Fogo na Roupa
(202) 994-5205
(510) 464-5999 Marcos Silva (510) 945-0138 Terra Sul
(415) 752-9782
Vigo-California
Viva Brazil
(619) 479-V1GO
(415) 342-8508
Inst. of Brazil. Business Embassy
Embaixada do Brasil (202) 745-2700 Travel Agencies Intern. Discount Travel
(703) 750-0101 Washington Travel
703 527-6977 BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
MIME& &NANG4LICA
ASSEMBLEIA DE DEUS em Los Angeles
BRAZILIAN FOOD BEST FOOD. AUTHENTICALLY PREPARED TO BRING YOU A TRUE TASTE OF BRAZIL!
9775 Bixby Ave #M Garden Grove, CA 92641
CLOSED ON MONDAYS FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 11 AM - 11 PM OTHER DAYS: 11 AM - 10 PM
NAO HA RAI.A0 PARA VOCE VIVER A VIDA CHEIA DE DERROTAS E FRUSTRAOES SENDO QUE CRISTO VENCEU POR NOS PARA QUE TAMBEM FOSSEMOS VENCEDORES. QUEREMOS CONVIDAR VOCE E SUA FAMILIA PARA yISITAR-NOS E CULTUAR A DELIS CONOSCO. SAIBA QUE A FAMILIA UNIDA E UMA FAMILIA VITORIOSA.
3621 18TH ST. SF-CA 94103
(415) 626-8727 IN THE MISSION DISTRICT BETWEEN GUERRERO & DOLORES ST
VISITE-NOS NOS SEGUINTES ENDEREcOS E HORARIOS: IGIESIA METODISTA UNIDA LA TRINIDAD 3565 E FIRST STREET,- LOS ANGELES, CA DOMINGOS AS 6:30 PM
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53
Continued from the September '96 issue
Lookin back a Collor Part ll After two years as a President Fernando Color de Mello was still attempting to present himself as a reformist. He had already lost the public's confidence however and a Gallup poll taken in March of 1992 showed that support for his presidency had dropped to 16.3%. By the end of the year he would be forced out of government, in disgrace. TOM BOSQUE
he Brazilian political system traditionally relied on exchange politics or pork-barrel politics, at all levels. From local politicians securing citizens votes to presidents securing legislators votes. Collor, like Sarney, came from the northeast, where exchange politics is widely practiced. This was the politics that Collor was familiar with. The exchange of resources for support involves the manipulation of public power by officials for the purpose of 'buying' political support in congress, financial support from businesses or other interest groups. The reliance on these "pork" expenditures is important within Brazil's political system. With a strong centralized political system, headed by a president, that president has a lot of power, and is expected to distribute resources, "pork", down to the states and municipalities through elected officials below him. A president, in order to pass legislation, must secure support from enough legislators. In a system where there are a lot of different political parties and the president is from a relatively small party, he must be able to negotiate many different deals. Sarney and Collor were in this situation and had to rely on the exchange of material goods for support. The 1988 Constitution eased the rules which determine what it takes to register as a political party, thus allowing more parties on the ballot and in effect in the legislature. More parties meant more people who wanted something in exchange in order to get legislation passed. Also there was a rule in the constitution which allowed for the over representation of the less progressive more traditional states of the northeast. For example, the constitution mandated a minimum representation of eight and a maximum of 70 representatives in the Chamber of Deputies. If a strict proportional system was used, Sao Paulo would have about 120 deputies and some of the small states would have less than eight. States in the northeast have always been over represented in the Brazilian legislature, and politicians from the northeast have a history of exchange politics. Although the south and southeast have their corrupt politicians and excess "pork" politics, most of the reformist interest are in the industrial south. As the reforms the Collor administration hoped would repair the economy failed to produce results, Collor fell deeper and deeper in a hole and had to use favors to cement a political coalition. The decline in revenue caused by the economic situation, pressure from the World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) to decrease the deficit and a constitutional mandate to turn revenues over to the states reduced the size of the pot from which past presidents usually drew. Collor needed to supply favors and receive the money from them. This provoked an increase in corruption during the Collor years, whether through "pork" or outright theft. Collor set no standard of ethics and members of his team did not fear any problems. Collor brought many people from Alagoas to work within his administration. Many of them were only moderately talented in the workings of a Federal government the size of Brazil.
54 BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
These people could see that their time in Brasilia was limited and almost acted as though thcy had to get what they could before they were sent back to Alagoas. Some of Fernando Collor's friends that he brought from Alagoas were Claudio Vieira, who oversaw the distribution of the publicity budget; Claudio Humberto, who was the press Secretary; and Marcos Coimbra, the president's brother in-law who became a presidential aid. But the most important person was Paulo Cesar Farias, an Alagoas businessman who was in charge of Collor's presidential campaign fund. By 1992, the economy of Brazil continued to fail to improve. The country was not improving as Collor had promised and his stance as the opposite of Sarney was not holding ground. In February 1992, Collor gives a speech to congress emphasizing the parts of the social responsibilities of politicians to the betterment and improvement of Brazil and its economy and its society and the importance of the strict economic measures taken to help curb inflation. Many people already believed that these were only hollow words and that the President never applied them to himself. But Collor continued to give the impression of himself as a reformer. On the 18th of February, President Collor signed a decree creating three new instruments to prevent fraud and privileges in the federal government. The responsibilities of being the president of such a large country was beginning to take a toll on the President. On the 12th of February, daily newspaper 0 Estado de Seio Paulo reports that there had been death threats against the President and that he had changed his daily routine. The President loses 12 kg. and looks thin and worried. Rumors began to circulate through the co antry on the health of the president. One rumor had him on the operating table, the next stricken with AIDS. Collor was forced to continue to defend the fact that he was in good physical health but with each public appearance he looked worse. Rumors of his bad health caused the financial markets to swing and speculators made lots of money. Collor's personal style had a lot to do with the spread of these rumors. His political image was to portray him as a sort of superman and this led to speculations about his health even when he
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 199
had a simple cold. He would defehd his health by having the television news showing him doing pushups or jogging or playing tennis. But the rumors continued to spread. In trying times rumors spread quickly, and in Brazil they spread very fast. By the second anniversary of his inauguration, Collor was still attempting to portray the image of a reformist. In a speech on the anniversary of hs inauguration he states that his admi istration is committed to "...honest transparency and clarity. It is an eth cal commandment. It epitomizes r spect for the ideas that gave us t e opportunity to serve the nation and t is essential for the accomplishment s f our objective. "Faithful to its commitment to t democratic process, my administr tion has been spearheading this driv for the modernization of the states t the point that it is sending to Congres a number of bills dealing with variou issues ranging from strict punishme t for public officials guilty of illeg I accumulation of wealth to new regula tions for bids and contracts." But th public was beginning to see throug the transparency of his words. A Gallu poll taken in March of 1992 showe that support for the Collor administra tion had dropped to 16.3%. On March 30, 1992 Collor's entir Cabinet resigns/is fired, in what i described as an attempt to allow th President to reorganize his team. Th economy was a mess. The reforms tha Collor promised seemed no where i sight and the public was losing faith i the President. Rumors about his healt and about his associates were spreading throughout the country. The press becomes very important in the spreading of rumors of improprieties which later were revealed as fact. In May 1992, the president's younger brother, Pedro, in an article in the magazine Veja, makes accusations against the President. Pedro accuses businessman Paulo Cesar Farias of an illegal accumulation of wealth. He also implicates the President as a partner in several of Farias' business deals including the purchase of an apartment in Paris valued at $2.7 million and controlling interest in the daily Tribuna de Alagoas in MaceiO. Pedro goes on to say that he and his brother took drugs, including cocaine, when they were young. Pedro claims that he is revealing this information against Paulo Farias
and his brother because of a moral sense of responsibility, that Fernando Collor was elected on a platform of honesty and reform and that he wasn't living up to his statements. Pedro goes on to say that while governor of Alagoas, Fernando Collor tried to seduce his wife and have them get a divorce, also that the president had numerous affairs in the governor's mansion. He also accuses Collor of using state funds to invest in the financial market and of keeping the profits. Pedro says that his brother's ego and the fact that he wanted Pedro out of the family business forced him to reveal what he knew about Paulo Farias. It was revealed that the infighting between the President and his brother began because of the newspaper Tribuna de Alagoas, which was to compete with the Collor family newspaper, and also that the President and Farias were to set up 12 to 14 radio stations in and around Macei6 to halt any competition and political opposition from getting a voice. In response to the allegations the President files legal action against his brother for slander. The pressure of the presidency and these allegations cause concern in Brazil about the President's psychological condition. The president starts to seem depressed and fatigued. Rumors about his health continue to circulate. By the beginning of June, due to the financial situation in Brazil, inflation continues to rise, and the decay reflected in the "lack of respect and violations of laws and citizens rights" spread rumors about a possible "summer coup". Forty military officers sign and present a communiquĂŠ saying that the military were ready to take action when it was necessary for them to "restore order". But at the same time 22 governors say they support the President. On the first of June, Congress forms the Commission for Congressional Investigation (CPI), made up of 11 senators and 11 deputies, to look into the allegations made by Pedro Collor. Meanwhile the President continues to play the reformer. On June 3rd, he signs law 8424, the Anti-Corruption Law, which includes punishment of loss of position, dismissal, withdrawal of political rights for up to eight years, fines, arrest, and even obligation to pay for losses to the state. Also a politician upon appointment, is to declare his/her assets and private goods
55
and properties. On June 8th, Pedro Collor agrees to cooperate with the CPI about his knowledge of the doings of Paulo Farias. Also in June the magazine Veja publishes an interview with former Petrobras President Luis Octavio da Motta Veiga. He comments on facts that the President is the source of power behind Paulo Cesar Farias, alias P.C.. So now there are two sources behind the rumors about the President and his business associates and how much money was being taken illegally. Luis Veiga claims that while president of Petrobras, Paulo Farias approached him several times about a business deal involving about $250 million to make submarine drilling platforms, and that Farias wanted to see the other bids. Farias was not a contractor who would or could build such a structure but claimed to be working on the behalf of other individuals. Veiga also reported that Farias contacted him on behalf of an entrepreneur, Wagner Canhedo, who wanted to buy VASP airlines, which was owned by the state of Sao Paulo and in the process of being privatized, and wanted to cut a deal with Petrobras to eliminate a $6 million debt held by VASP. In exchange, Petrobras was to give the new owners of VASP a $40 million loan to buy petroleum only from Petrobras. As absurd as this deal sounds, Veiga insists that Farias seemed to be not really trying to make a deal, but to be handing out orders. Veiga claimed that Farias often said that he was "not cooperating". In the article, he goes on to say that Farias had acquired an immense amount of wealth that was undocumented and through influence peddling. As the newspapers and magazines continued to run stories on the business affairs of P.C. and the President, Collor decided to strike back. In a speech published in 0 Estado de Sao Paulo, Collor declares his innocence and high moral standards by emphasizing, "Within the government, my personal action has always been ruled by absolute good faith, by the strictest adherence to ethical principles...I am guided only by my respect for the law and the Constitution." Few people believed him as the rumors started to be proven as facts. In June 1992, Rio de Janeiro hosted the Eco-92 Conference. The
56
conference brought to Rio presidents, assets and claimed there were "strong prime ministers and other foreign dig- indications of revenue omissions". The nitaries from all over the world to Sindifisco experts based their work on discuss the ecology. Collor had to put the declaration of assets presented by on a good image as Brazil was show- Collor in August 1989 to the Superior ing itself to the world. With all the Electoral Board compared to the apforeign press in Brazil, the Brazilian parent wealth reported in the press. media felt freer to report on the Collor In 1990 alone Collor purchased a situation. An arrogance in the press lot in Brasilia, refurbished Casa da developed. Dinda (the president's personal resiOn June 21st, 0 Estado de Sao dence in Brasilia) and took a trip to Paulo reported that Renan Calheiros, Africa and Europe for a total of $1.4 former government leader in the million. It was reported that the monthly Chamber of Deputies, said he was cer- expenses for Casa da Dinda alone were tain that President Collor knew that 50 million cruzeiros and the presidenPaulo Farias was a middle man han- tial monthly salary was only 10.8 mildling funds and businesses of some lion cruzeiros. The President claimed ministers and claimed he warned he received a personal loan from a Collor about Paulo Farias as early as Uruguayan financial institution to cover 1990. By July some deputies had be- his personal expenses. gun to ask for Collor's resignation. In On July 1st, the chauffeur for Presithe July 8th issue of Veja, Sao Paulo dent Collor's private secretary Ana deputy, Jose Serra from the Brazilian Acioli, Francisco Eriberto Franca, gave Social Democratic Party, (PSDB), says an interview with the magazine Isto E. that it is the responsibility ofthe Presi- He said how he routinely made pickups dent to resign simply because he knew of checks and cash, including dollars, of crimes and/or the misuse of funds from a company owned by Paulo Cesar within his administration and did noth- Farias called Brazil Jet. The cash was ing to stop it. used to pay for many of Collor's perIt was reported that Farias had busi- sonal expenses including the buying of ness deals in Florida which were be- expensive jewelry. Bank records relieved only to be used for money laun- vealed that Ana Acioli had passed dering. As more information became checks totaling more than ten times her exposed, more and more came to light. salary through her account. Allegations about Fernando Collor's The CPI found that invoices of 'financial situation were reported in Farias charter airline showed the comthe July 17th edition of the Folha de pany never used the planes for charter Sao Paulo. Sindifisco (National Trade purposes, but only for flying businessUnion of Fiscal Auditing) completed men around Brazil and making trips to a review of Collor's declaration of the Cayman Islands and the Netherlands. Allegations of drug trafficking surfaced when some of his planes were By the second found to have false bottoms. Ghost anniversary of his bank accounts began to be exposed, bank accounts controlled by one perinauguration, Collor son but under many different names. was still attempting By late July 1992, there were many unanswered questions. Why did the to portray himself President need to pass money through as a reformist. his secretaries account in order to give an allowance to his wife? Why were In a speech on the there all these ghost accounts? How anniversary of his did Paulo Farias, who in 1990 owned 2 businesses, one which was losing inauguration he money, become the owner of the largstates that his est Fiat dealership in the northeast, owner of Brazil Air Taxi which had administration is just bought a $10 million aircraft, and president of Tribuna de Alagoas comcommitted to munications with investments of $5 "...honesty, million? By August, the case against Collor transparency and Farias was moving fast. A coaliand clarity." tion of Political Parties was forming to
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
guarantee enough votes to demand impeachment. The opposition was led by deputy Ulysses Guimaraes and senator Pedro Simon of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, both from the state of Sao Paulo. Also key figures were senator Fernando Henrique Cardoso from the Brazilian Social Democratic Party, again from Sao Paulo and Liberal Front Party senator, Guilherme Palmeira from the state of Rio Grande de Sul. The press, both written and on television could not get enough inforrnation for a hungry public. Impeachment seemed inevitable but there had been no precedent set. The new constitution only vaguely discussed the issue of impeachment. Leaders of the opposition bloc of the Congress, including ex-president Jose Sarney, now a senator from the state of Amapa, began to meet to discuss the issue and how best to enforce the impeachment without causing too much anxiety amongst the population. Meanwhile the press continued to report on "ghost deposits," unexplained wealth, rumors of drug connections, influence peddling and other forms of corruption in connection with Paulo Farias and his association with the President. The groups leading the call for further inquiry and possible impeachment, a coalition of the PMDB, the PT, and other opposition parties, called for organized demonstrations to be held in the first weeks of August. The first one was to be held in Curitiba in the state of Parana, which was the first city to hold organized demonstrations in 1984 leading to direct elections. Demonstrations were to follow in all the other major cities throughout Brazil. These opposition leaders wanted to use the spirit and momentum which led to direct elections and the eventual election of Collor to lead to his democratic removal. As the CPI investigation continued and stories and rumors were spread through the press, the Rio and Sao Paulo stock markets were negatively effected. There was no sense of stability as to what the next week, or month, would bring, and investors used extreme caution. As time went by, more and more information about Farias and influence peddling were reported including large real estate deals in Sao Paulo, sometimes involving city or state owned lands and how they would be developed. It was also reported that Paulo
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
By the end of August 1992 Collor had a disapproval rating of 84%. People started to wear black clothing as a symbol of support for impeachment. At an Independence Day ceremony on September 7, Collor was booed loudly. Farias had withdrawn large sums o money just before all bank account were frozen leaving him with mone at his disposal while many Brazilians were stuck with savings they could not use. In late August the First Lady's personal secretary was charged with fraud, embezzlement and illegal association with unlawful persons. Foreseeing a vote of impeachment on the horizon, Collor and Farias began to develop a strategy for guaranteeing votes of support. Farias threatened to disclose names of other politicians whose campaigns he helped finance. Collor used his resources at state banks such as Caixa Economica Federal and Banco do Brasil to secure support. Banco do Brasil controls funds used to provide subsidized finance for certain agricultural, business and social projects. According to press reports the president of Banco do Brazil, Lafayete Coutinho, offered deputies and senators willing to back Collor the opportunity to choose the municipalities that would receive investments for local projects. On the 24th of August, 1992, the Senate presented the CPI report to the public on Rede Globo Television. Now all the rumors were confirmed. It was reported that "The President of the Republic has made inappropriate use of his economic advantages during his term in office to adapt the legal procedures. These crimes can also be considered as a case of malfeasance." The CPI report goes on to list all the various crimes committed by Paulo Farias from money laundering to influence
peddling and the Senate and constitutional laws which were violated by the President. Article 85 of the 1987 Constitution, list crimes of presidential responsibility such as crimes against the union, the free exercise of power, internal security or the property of the executive branch, or failure to comply with the provisions of the budget law or judicial decision. The report also lists the ghost accounts held by the President's personal secretary and the First Lady's personal secretary, and the huge deposits made from companies owned by Paulo Farias. Collor continued to insist that the CPI investigation and the talk of his impeachment were only the result of a power struggle. He denied the depths of his association with Paulo Farias which were stated in the CPI report and that he could not know what everyone in his administration was doing. He stated that the political turmoil was only a way for his opponents to influence the upcoming municipal elections due in October. Demonstrations continued in all the major cities, many times led by students but also participating would be civil servants, teachers, even housewives and children. The demonstrations were peaceful and often times had a party atmosphere to them. The Police and Military either could not or would not get involved. The press reported facts gathered by the CPI and the demonstrations justified the public's belief in those facts. The question of the military taking aggressive action was always present but the military was no great ally of Collor, who had little experience in national politics to foster ties with the military, and the public sentiment was so strong in favor of impeachment that a coup was not the right thing. Historian Raimundo Fararo stated, "The purely political use of impeachment always raised the suspicion that it is being used because a coup-d'etat is not an available option." It was 'much wiser for the military to let the public make the decisions. The antiCollor movement had carried out hundreds of popular mobilizations, some involving up to 700,000 demonstrators without one personal injury or broken window. Collor was soon to be Out of power and it was wiser for the military to let him be removed peacefully. Opposition to Collor had grown so much that military and Church offi-
57
cials feared that if Collor was not tried to decide to start impeachment proand the impeachment vote not taken ceedings. The outcome was overwhelming in support of impeachment that riots might occur. Up to this point the demonstra- by a vote of 441 to 38. When the issue tions had been peaceful. Sao Paulo of impeachment first began to be dismayor Luiza Erundina de Souza put it cussed there was uncertainty in the this way, "Violent demonstrations had new Constitution as to the correct not taken place yet because there is majority, either as simple 50% plus 1 still a climate of confidence in the or by a 2/3 majority. This issue beinstitutions, but 25% inflation per came a moot point. Deputy Ulysses month and the millions of unemployed Guimaraes, commenting on the overare going to generate a very serious whelming vote called it a surprise and problem". It was felt that as long as a massacre. In a short period of time, three Collor left peacefully, the demonstrations would remain peaceful. years, the Brazilian people had gone In a last ditch attempt to save face, from electing a president to peacewithout admitting guilt, Collor said fully removing him from office and the country had never been so alive. thus had taken a huge step forward on But by the end of August Collor had a the road to a greater democratic socidisapproval rating of 84%. People ety. It is this step forward, and the started to wear black clothing as a ideas of democratic change, which will symbol of support for impeachment. help propel Brazil forward to achieve At an Independence Day ceremony on greater social changes. Changes in the September 7, Collor was booed loudly way Brazilians deal with many of the and had to leave. On September 11, social conditions which keep a large Rio's daily 0 Glob() reported that the majority of their people living in povFederal Police had identified Presi- erty and with ignorance. dent Collor as the head of the influIn the beginning of the summer of ence peddling scheme set up by Paulo 1992, when the question of impeachFarias. The Police came to this con- ment was starting to be explored in the clusion based on computer data seized press and with the public, senator from EPC Construction owned by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, from Sao Farias. Paulo, currently the President of BraOn the 18th of September, the larg- zil, said that raising the possibility of est political demonstration in the his- impeachment was harmful to the natory of Sao Paulo took place. Among tion for several reasons, one of which the participants were four governors was that it was a source of embarrassand mayors of several state capitals. ment. This was the farthest thing from On September 24, the president's wife, the truth. Where as many people at Rosane Collor, was indicted for em- first thought that an impeachment bezzlement involving the misuse of would tear the country apart in actualpublic funds related to the Legiao da ity it brought the country together. It Boa Vontade (Brazilian Welfare Le- became a source of pride for many gion) which she had been president of. Brazilians. The date for the impeachment vote Hasn't the American public, was set for the 29th of September. through demonstrations and the press, This was important because munici- forced the resignation of President pal elections were to take place on Nixon during the Watergate affair? October 3. Most mayoral candidates Many Brazilians looked at their situacalled for impeachment. No politician tion in comparison. In fact the situawanted to be seen as supporting Collor. tion in Brazil was often referred to as Then the Supreme Court made two Collorgate. Brazilians had done someimportant decisions: not allow the thing unique to a democratic society members of Congress to vote secretly and it placed them in the ranks of other and to allow live television broadcast democratic nations. of the roll call vote. Now each deputy Asked to respond to the fact that he would have to face the nation on live was the most applauded deputy during television and cast a vote in support of the voting session, Ulysses Guimaraes the President or against him. said, "I think it is recognition of my On the 28th of September, Army public activities. I thank God for havtroops were placed on a state of alert in ing allowed me to live as I lived and most capitals and would stay there for allowing me to reach this point of until after the impeachment vote. The my life to observe an event like this. next day, the 29th of September 1992, The triumph of the citizenry, democthe Chamber of Deputies took a vote racy and my country. It is an example
58
for all Latin America." Yes, it is an example for all of Latin America, for as we head into the 21st Century let us hope that peaceful and democratic changes are the norm, not the military and violence which have been so much a part of the history of this part of the world. After many years of struggle, from his leading of the formation of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party in the 1970s, an early and the largest political party to question military rule, to his leading for the call for the end of military rule, to his call for direct presidential elections and leading the movement for the impeachment of President Collor, Ulysses Guimardes was not able to see where Brazil is headed. Two weeks after the impeachment vote, after spending a weekend away from the press and his duties, on an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, his helicopter crashed into the sea. And so the man who led the opposition through some of the worst years of Brazilian history is unable to see where Brazil is going. On December 31, 1992, President Fernando Collor de Mello resigned from the presidency of Brazil the day before the formal impeachment was to take place. After his resignation he was cleared of all charges which may have been raised in connection with his association with Paulo Cesar Farias. Fernando Collor currently lives in Miami and occasional raises the possibility of him running for public office in Brazil. Pedro Color died of brain cancer in 1993. Paulo Farias was sentenced to six years of house arrest for crimes committed which were uncovered during the CPI investigation. In June of this year he was found shot to death along with his 28-year-old girlfriend in his home in Alagoas. Speculation continues about the circumstances regarding his death. It is reported that he had millions of dollars in Swiss banks at the time of his death. Tom Bosque is a graduate student at San Francisco State University in Latin American History with an emphasis in Brazil.
BRAZZIL - OCTOBER 1996
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