Brazzil - Year 9 - Number 136 - April 1997

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---lust last month We dedicated-me cover story to corruption in public life in Brazil. A fresh new scandal, however, has again brought the subject to the front pages. The latest scheme, the precatorios scam, is amultimillion bond racket that is being investigated by the senate. After weeks of daily doses of the unfolding story that involves dozens, maybe hundreds of people from several states, most people still don't know what precatorio — a kind of IOU issued by government to pay for judicial debts — is. The latest get-rich-quick intrigue is

bringing a record number of viewers to watch TV Senado, while the legislators interrogate those suspect of misappropriating public funds. As most people in Brazil, these viewers have a hard time understanding the financial terms being discussed by the Inquiry Parliamentary Commission, words like hedge, debenture, municipal bond. All they know is that all those millions they are talking about and that are lining some fat-cat swindlers' pockets came out of their own pockets. And they also know that this money is gone forever. Any reason for hope? Should Brazilians accept still another assault on the public safe as the price for doing business? The solution is education, is the unanimous answer. And education is our cover

http://www.brazzil.com story. Most people seem to believe that only through education of the younger generation Brazil will be able to create a more generalized respect for the law and the public money. As we show, Brazil has been spending an adequate amount of funds to solve the problem. But once again, due to corruption and incompetency, half of the money assigned to education never gets to the schools. It ends up building roads, paying friendly contractors, or is simply embezzled by the "smarter" set. R.M.

CONTENTS

10

28

Cover

Short story

In education, Brazil gets an F

Julio C. M. Martins's Made in Brazil II

18

36

Politics

Travel

Another big scandal, just another one

Cover by Frantz

Brazilian empire: the birth of a nation

21

40

Economy

Music

Opening the doors to imports

Skank: the national boys of pop

24

54

Impressions

Special

When Catholicism and Candomble do mix

The pragmatic Marxism of President Fernando Henrique TIME TO RENEW?

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5

Law

She-Man Bosom Blossom With doctors forbidden to use silicone for breast implants in the United States, many American women looking for more voluminous chests have been flying down to Rio. More than 1,000 of them have already made the cosmetic trip, according to plastic surgeon Munir Cury. "Only with silicone are we able to model the huge breasts Americans are so fond of," says Cury.

Sex Games There are more than thre dozen products being sold in Brazil with soccer clubs' logos. They range from the predictable beer mugs to school notebooks. Soon condoms might join the ranks. Since the condom in Brazil is called camisinha (little shirt), the ad campaign could go like this: "Support your team. Wear their shirt and their r little shirt." Clubs seem eager to cash in on the idea, but they haven't decided yet if the teams' trademark will be printed on the rubber itself or Just on their boxes. And it is not true that the clubs will do anything for a buck. Despite the promise of big bucks, some of them have refused to have their names used by cigarette companies and none have allowed their symbols to adorn coffins.

Roberta Close is one of the most striking Brazilian beauties and she might be a mother very soon, but she still is unable to get Brazilian documents that will classify her as a woman. For eight years she has been trying to change the name on her ID, which says Luis Roberto Gam bine Moreira. Her case came to the Supreme Court last February. but Flavio Giron. the federal viceprosecutor. opposed the change, arguing that "the expert exams carried out have concluded for the male sexuality of the petitioner." La Close, who lives in Switzerland she is recognized as a woman there — with her Swiss husband Ronald Granacher, is the most famous Brazilian transsexual. She underwent an operation to extirpate her penis in 1989. Recently Roberta declared. "I am Brazil's happiest woman because, at last. I could reunite my body to my soul which has always been deeply feminine." In Augut 1996, she posed for very revealing pictures to the lenses of photographer Tripoli in an essay he made on her for Sexy magazine. In February she repeated the dose with the same publication. In Brazil for Carnaval. she didn't want to comment on the prosecutor's decision, but some voices stood up for her. Among them was that of writer and Academy "immortal" Joao Ubaldo Ribeiro. pocrisy, too much hypocrisy, this business of denying Roberta Close the right of being a woman, when she already is patently a woman, only forced to carry a masculine name." he wrote in his column in the weekly Ahnichere magazine. "Let's give the girl the new ID card, let's stop being pharisees." As for being a mother — Roberta wants a girl she intends to use her own semen.

BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

National Blockbuster Gay's Hell Brazil is not in very , good company. Together '• with India, Romania, Colombia, Nigeria, and Iran it has been identi•fied by Amnesty International in its latest report as one of the countries with more violence against homosexuals. • This shatters the image - of an everything-goes, unprejudiced kind of 1. country. Amnesty cites the case of Northeastern gay city councilmember Renildo dos Santos, who was assassinated in 1993.

Smellin On average, American multinational companies last year had a 3.98% profitability rate in their overseas operations. In Japan, it was a paltry 1.15%. That explains why the U.S. has been feverishly investing in Brazil. According to the U.S. government, Yankee firms committed $7 billion to Brazilian businesses in 1996 and were regally rewarded with a 12.1% profitability rate. Suddenly they have become the biggest investors in the country.

War Games Bill Clinton's knee injury made the White House postpone until summer the President's South America trip, previously scheduled for April. But even before that, his visit to Rio was almost scrapped after Washington received a recommendation by

BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

Fsibio Fonseca, a busi- Gongalo. Goncal is the ficnessman who &On& huge. titious sailor who ill be narfreezer-warehouses all over rating the adv nture of Brazil, has never made a Pedro Alvares abral, the movie in his life. But it was Portuguese that iscovered his movie that was an- Brazil. nounced reSalkind cently in a be ieves in spread in Varith project so ety, the film inch that he dustry bible. In has already association spent with Holly$3 0,000 to wood legend licize the Ilya Salkind, fi m, even the man behind th ugh the the Superman in vie is still series, Fonseca in pre-prois putting up 20 ction. On percent of the V lentine's $50 million rey, planes quired to make fl w low over an epic about th Hollythe discovery od stuof Brazil. Brazilians will be dios, drawing earts and celebrating the new pulling a banner that read: millenium as the 500th year "Gonaalo. The, Strongest of their discovery in 1500. Man on Earth Has Heart." Even though Fonseca Three studios are negotiatdidn't write the final script, ing the rights to distribute he wrote the first draft and the super production. Spanfor years has spent a fortune ish actor Antonio Banderas, traveling to Hollywood and as the star, Marlon Brando, paying consultants to im- Sonia Braga, and director prove on his idea. While the Michael Cimino as have all film is being called Brasil been invited to j An in mak1500 in Brazil, Salking is ing the film. Shooting should using the working title start at the end of the year.

The FBI Is Coming The FBI is moving to Brazil. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations will be opening an office in Rio in less than a year. The city of Rio de Janeiro had been courting the American federal police for some time, arguir.g that their presence in the former capital of Brazil would be more much more helpful than in Brasilia. Many of Rio's favelas (shanty towns) have been taken over by drug lards, and the FBI is expected to help the city and Brazil fight drug trafficking. Initially, the FBI office will have from 10 •-,o 12 agents and will be working from a space paid for by City Hall. They will be allowed to carry weapons, track down bz nk accounts of suspects, and even arrest those being sought by American justice. Not everyone is happy. "This is an absurdity," says former Navy Minister Maximiano da Fonseca. "An FBI office in Rio hurts our national sovereignty. Fa Ily, the FBI will become involved in matters that are un erexclusive Brazilian jurisdiction."

American agents to skip ri the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City). In a V! lengthy report, they i! talked about the firepower of Rio's drug lords and cited the recent police seizure at the Jacarezinho favela (shanty town) of a Swedish-made bazooka capable of launching rockets at a distance of 800 feet. Just before that, the Camea police had announced that they are exchanging their old sixshot 38-caliber revolvers for 9-mm automatic pistols, capable of discharging 17 shots before needing a new clip. They will be using weapons that only the Armed Forces could have until now. Are they ready for the anti-tank missiles of the bandits?

Begging for Dollars Governador Valadares in the state of Minas Gerais has 230,000 residents. It would have more than a quarter million if it weren't for the 27,000 Who moved to the United States since 1985. Thanks to all these immigrants, the city had an economic boom. In the last 10 years, 400 new buildings — not including houses and shops — were built, half bought by the American-Mineiros, who invested $154 million in real estate. But now Govemador Valadares is going bust. With the introduction of the real and the end o uncontrolled inflation, the dollar lost much of its glitter ancf,Valadarenses

ITTflT are choosing to keep their investments here in the deep pockets of Uncle Sam. Up to 1994, they were sending back to their hometown $30 million a year. Last year this amount was cut in half. However, the fever to emigrate continues unabated. Since coming to the U.S. legally is getting very tough, several schemes exist to help with the move. A complete package, including airfare and the services of a coyote to cross the frontier between Mexico and the U.S., costs on average $6,000.

D.O.A. Marcelo Cavalcante Mendonca, 26, a radio announcer from Sao Jose dos Campos in the interior of Sao Paulo, almost made it to what he dreamed as his Promised Land, the United States. It took him and friend Josias de Castro, 24, two and a half months to make the journey to the Mexican city of Reynosa, on the frontier with the U.S.. They used a small plane from the Brazilian airforce, buses, and hitchhiking to travel through Central America and Mexico. In Colombia they were robbed of all their money. At the end, it was impatience that did Mendonca in. He wouldn't wait for a boatman to take them to the other side of the Rio Grande and decided to swim to American territory. Despite being a good swimmer, he never made it, drowning the same way 250 other desperate people do every year. Coming to the U.S. was

Vade Retro Carnaval has been a time of total licentiousness in Brazil, foul mouthing, heavy drinking, indecent exposure and rabid sex, the way the devil loves it. The situation is so out of hand that even the Catholic church has given up admonishing believers to stay clear of it all. But in Recife (Pernambuco state), where Carnaval reigns supreme, things seem to be changing. Thanks to Recife's, first lady, Jane MagalhAes, songs from the hot group E o Tchan were banned from the Municipal Ball, one of the most animated Carnaval parties in town. Jane, who is an undaunted Presbyterian, stated the songs were "in disaccord with the principles dictated by God." A song she has a special disliking for "Xo Satands" (Buzz Off, Satan) by the band Asa de Aguia (Eagle's Wing), which has become a national hit and seems tailor-made for a born-again AA meeting. To Jane, the song lacks "the due love to God." Take a look at the lyrics and listen to the music at our WEB page http://www.brazzil.com

X6 Satanas Buzz off, Satan Durval Lelys, Marcelo Brasileiro, Renato Galego

Eu era um bebado E vivia drogado Hoje estou curado Encontrei Jesus Encontrei Jesus Encontrei Jesus Na casa do Senhor nAo existe Satands X6 Satands X6 Satands X6 Satands Eu tava na-vida Quase a me perder A minha tentacdo Foi amar voce Corn tanta loucura Eu nao agtiento mais X6 Satands X6 Satands X6 Satands

I was a drunkard I was always stoned Today I am cured I've met Jesus I've met Jesus I've met Jesus In the Lord's house There is no Satan Buzz off, Satan Buzz off, Satan Buzz off, Satan I was almost Getting damned in my life My temptation Was loving you I can't stand anymore So much craziness Buzz off, Satan Buzz off, Satan Buzz off, Satan

ehavio

Bring the Baby Goiania is taking the sin out of sin business. Couples with babies, honeymooners, grandpas and grannies celebrating their 25" wedding anniversary, and show-biz celebrities have been seen making line on the wham-barnthank-you-ma'am kind of motels in that city. By the way, contrary to the U.S., by definition motels in Brazil are not places to sleep. There are at least 100 of these motels in town (this without counting the seedy •places catering to cheap prostitution), all doing brisk business. Frequenting motels seems to have become family pastime number one in the capital of Goias state, and people from neighboring towns are flocking to these fast-sex joints. Some of the lodges are Five Star. The Imperial suite at the Solarium motel, for example, can accommodate four couples and features a common area with waterfalls and a private area with individual rooms. The business has been so good that farmers are selling their properties and cattle to invest in peoples' desires, with a twist. The biggest and most popular of the sex lodges is the Afrodite, whose suites come equipped with, you'd never guess, a crib!

an old dream for Mendonca. He tried to get a tourist visa without any luck. He even tried to enter the country as a laborer for a reforestation company. Once again, the Yankee consulate nixed his hopes. Marcelo tried a third time still for a legitimate visa before deciding on the adventure that took his life March 1st.

Dollar Up? World-respected Oxford Analytica, a British consulting company, in its latest report on Brazil shows some misgivings about the economic future of the country. They are predicting that the Brazilian government might soon devaluate the real. They base their predictions in part on the current political climate. According to them, the Cardoso administration was only able to get a Constitutional amendment approved by Congress in exchange for favors that will cost the Treasury $850 million, which would contribute to the federal budget deficit. "The argument in favor of faster devaluation," they wrote, "is reinforced by the extent to which inflation — now expected to be under 5%, as opposed to 10% last year -- has fallen."

Sweet Idea A sugar that doesn't cause cavities, is great for diabetics, doesn't make you fat, is all natural, and doesn't have a bitter aftertaste like artificial sugar? Is it possible? That's what the "new-sugar" is, guarantee

BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

Collor for President, No* the Brazilians who developed the product for SIX years and are now launching it on the market. The product was created by Unicamp's (Universidade de Campinas) Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (Food Engineering School), together with Usina da Barra, one of Brazil's largest sugar mills. The product will be on supermarket shelves by the end of 1998, but before that it will be used for sweetening soft drinks and other industrial comestibles.

Absentee Father There were 1,500 people at the Santos (state of So Paulo) Assembly of God Evangelical Church on February 20. They had all come to see the wedding of Sandra Machado Arantes do Nascimento, 32, and Ozeas Felinto, 29. But everybody seemed to be thinking about an absent person: the father's bride. He had been in town one month earlier for the wedding of another child, Edinho, and there was really nothing that prevented him from giving his daughter away. Sandra was more than one hour late for the ceremony, but the father, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, never showed up. Sandra is the daughter that Pei& Brazilian Sports Minister, never accepted even though she

BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

The impeachment made Former Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello, 47, ineligible for ny public post in Brazil until 2002, but the former President is planning a comeback to Brazilian politics before that, even though the popular resentment against him is still very fresh. Talking to the new Brazilian weekly E ro-Brasil Press early in March, Collor de Mello reaffirmed his innocence and called his return to public life in Brazil "inexorable." Moreover, he said that he plans to be a presidential candidate next year. How could this happen? "I am sure I will have my rights back by then," he said. A recent poll by CBN radio with 308 Paulis anos (Sao Paulo city residents) showed that 176 people wo ldn't vote for Collor. More revealing is the fact that 1 2 might. Starting in August, Collor will become a guest p ofessor at the University of New Mexico. He was invite to teach International Relations. Collor lost his temper, shouted, and slammed his fist on the table during a recent interview with TV GI bo, while denying any knowledge of the links between ate Paulo Cesar (PC) Farias, his ex-campaign treasurer, and the Italian Mafia. He talked from his home in Miami about the alleged involvement with the mob of the m n who is believed to have masterminded the corruption s heme that led to Collor's impeachment in 1992. When asked by the reporter if he knew any of he people cited in the investigation, the ex-President screa ed: "Why should I know them? I am an ex-President. I was judged and declared innocent by the highest court in the land. I can demand respect for my suffering." Summer

Topless not toothless If you are heading down south to Rio's beaches, chances are you will be meeting Marinara Costa. When she is not working — and she is not a fanatic for toiling — Marinara likes to take in all the sun with as little cover as she can. Getting up close and personal with the Ipanema model is quite simple since the beach beauty is very accessible. But we would not get either too personal or too close. Or you could end up as a funk gang did recently. Witnessing her skimpy tanga and bare breasts, the boys started teasing: "boobie. boobie, boobie." No sweat there. Marinara knows how to keep her cool and appreciates even a little more-risque gallantry. But she wouldn't take it when one of the pranksters decided to show her his documents, lowering his trunk and exhibiting his virile member. "My name is Marina. police officer," she presented herself. "Pleased to meet you." The funks weren't that pleased to make the acquaintance of the special detective for the Delegacia Especial de Atendimento ao -Turista. a tourist police force. Next thing they knew. they were at a police station trying to explain their misbehavior.

has been authorized by the courts to use her father's name after DNA tests concluded that she was indeed the daughter of what many consider the greatest soccer player ever. Sandra is the fruit of Pele's youth love affair with Anizia Machado, a 19-year-old maid who was a virgin at the start of a tryst that lasted three months. The legendary player never helped Anizia. Proud, she was always against her daughter trying to be recognized by the father. For many, Pete missed a unique opportunity to show integrity and character. As some people commented during the wedding: "This occasion will never come back."

Brazil Bound There is competition in the air. Under a tentative decision announced by the U.S. Transportation Department, Continental and Delta Airlines will soon be able to fly to Brazil. The Brazil-USA corridor represents a market of 2 million passengers a year. Delta is expected to have a daily flight from Atlanta (Georgia) to Sao Paulo, while Continental would also fly daily from Newark (New Jersey) to Rio. There are other airline companies interested in getting a piece of this growing market. Tower Air has already shown its desire to send their planes south.

ducation in Brazil is in chaos. A little e than 30% of students ever finish \ tary school. Teachers' salaries are a ith so in is little as 1.30 ar and r 45°body is happy. There are ellence in some private er education is reasonabl ittle for the eighth larges orld if it wants to make rtthe next millennium. MERSON LUIS

ID

BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

ince the Dr. Jose Borba Elementary School in the small town of Santa Maria da VitOria in the interior of Bahia had its inaugural class given by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso in 1 9 , the 395-student institution has not only, gained notoriety, but also a series of benefits. In the wake of the presidential visit, the state elementary school has received new equipment, plenty of instructional material with a satellite dish and a top of the line videocassette system on its way. However, when the new school year started last February, Necy Braga, Dr. Jose Borba's director, was dealing with a serious problem: she had no teachers for several classes and students were at risk of missing an entire school year. The teaching staff, which was already small, has shrunk to six after the recent retirement of five teachers. And the six remaining instructors were working 40 hours week with each one in charge of 16 classes. The Escola Estadual de Primeiro Grau Dr. Jose Borba's story is emblematic of the sorry state of education in Brazil. With a philosopher-sociologist in the presidency, meaningful and lengthy discussions have been made about the subject, and there have been constant promises of improvement. Reasonable money is even being spent, but the results have been dismal. On paper, Brazil offers the best education in the world worlds. The constitution assures free and compulsory education for every child from age 7 to 14. In the South and Southeast, there is plenty of educational opportunity for everybody, and 95% of children enroll on first grade when it is time to do this. Even in the poorer states of the Northeast, enrollment for beginners can reach 80%. The problem starts in second grade, since a quarter of students never reach that level. On average, children frequent school for 8.4 years, but are not able to move beyond the fifth grade. The differences between the South and the Northeast are striking. While in the South the illiteracy rate is 10% — a number close to that in the First World — in the Northeast, the situation is much closer to that of Africa. There are around 40 million children attending primeiro grau (equivalent to an eight-year elementary school) and segundo grau (secondary school including grade 9 to 12) in Brazil. Statistical data from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) show that only 33% of students who enter first grade stay in school until the end of eighth grade, taking an average of 11 years to complete the 8-year series. In basic education, Brazilians are in last place in Latin America. Eleven million students fail the grade every year. Official data just-released by UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) in its 1997 report on the situation of children around the world show that 5 million Brazilian children from ages 5 to 14 are already working, despite the fact that it is illegal to work in Brazil before the age of 15. The study was done in 1995 and 1996 with working children from Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais state), Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul), Goiania (Goias), Recife (Pernambuco), and Belem (Para). One third of these children started working before they were 10 years old. Generally they have to work to help BFtAZZIL -APRIL 1997

their families make ends meet. Among them, the rate of repeating the year in school is between 60% and 70%. Since the beginning of the century illiteracy in the country has been decreasing at a rate of 6% a decade. „19,41,e in the first decade of this century, 65% of the 'population was illiterate this number had fallen to 39% in 1960,33.1% in 1970,25.5% in 1980 and 20% in 1990. Waste and Fraud Despite the fact that 1996 was the Year of Education in Brazil, teachers had a tough year. Almost anyon in the country — including household servants has a good chance to earn a better salary than a chool teacher. Alfredo Bosi, a professor of Brazilian literature at USP (University of Sao Paulo) did a study of the compensation paid elementary te chers across the county and found that a teache makes an average $2 per class. To make $500 a onth, a teacher would need to work from 10 to 1 hours every day. In some s tes such as Paraiba, a teacher earns $104 a month or $1.30 per class. In Minas, where a supposed r volution in education is going on, monthly sala es are $255, or $2.70 per each class. sao Paulo, th richest state, is also the one that pays the best: a iserly $2.98 per class. By actually teaching, it i impossible for a teacher to earn the monthly $79 that according to DIEESE (Departamento Intersi dical de Estatistica e Estudos Sociais/ Inter-Union epartment of Statistics and SocioEconomic St dies) is the minimum a family of four needs to surv ve decently. The feder lgovernment has proposed a modest minimum $310 a month salary for teachers across the country. ongress approved the measure, but the pressure y governors and mayors has delayed the impleme tation of the legislation. In a recent article on dal), newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, Bosi comme ted: "The primacy of things over people conti ues. Without teachers who are respected and imulated, computers and TVs by the thousands ar virtual refuse. Didactic books without tutors w o read them and work with vim and enthusiasm e piles of paper destined to the trash of oblivion." The lack • f schooling has hindered the ability of Brazil to ompete internationally. According to the CNI (C nfederacao Nacional da Indastria / National In ustry Confederation) a substantial amount of srkers who studied up to sixth grade are unable t properly read and write and cannot deal with si ple mathematical concepts, such as multiplying r dividing. Hurt by the lack of schooling of their orkers — it is estimated that this is responsible or a 20% reduction in productivity — many comp nies are creating their own schools inside the f ctories to teach courses from basic education toj high school. Even Bolivia and Uruguay, considered less developed thai Brazil, are in much better shape educationally. lor every 100 students in Uruguay, 86 conclude th eighth grade. In Bolivia, a country with a per-c pita GDP (Gross Domestic Product) three times mailer than Brazil's — $1,531 compared to Br il's $4,951— twice as many students (64%) stay ii school until the end of primeiro grau. 11

And the maiii problem is not money. Followings Mexico, which itses 5.2% of its GDP, Brazil is the Brazil's first educat ejlie Jesuit priests who beg arriving in the country in 1549. For 200 years, they wer essentially the only fulfilling this role. Interested in spreadin Catholicism, they started several missions to "civilize" th Brazilian Indians, and it was in Jesuit schools that the mos privileged learned how to read and write and were taugh Latin, Greek, and philosophy. These students were bein prepared to study in the Universidade de Coimbra in Portugal. When the anticlerical King Jose I's minister, Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e MeloitheMarg uis of Pombal (1699-1782) and the Portuguese chiefininisterfrom 1756 to 1777, decided to expel the JesuitsTroinPnitugal and all of its colonies, the responsibility for eduittOtt wasg i Yen to the regal instructors ho were paid by thi'„Crown.To finance that effort, the Crary subsidy tax wasereated: of the Jesuits a blow to Brazilian culture It would take half a century 'and *apo eon to reinvigorate ational education. During his stay in Brazil, after fleeing the Napoleonic invasion of Portugal, D. Joao VI created the 'military and naval academies. The first institution of higher

learning in Brazil was the Escola Medico-Cirnrgica da Bahia, a medical school founded soon after the arrival of the Portuguese sovereign. Little: attntioi, however, was given to elementary schooling. lared independence from Since 1822, when the notion that education is Portugal, the country has 'the state's obligation. The 1824 constitution pledged "free lementary schooling to all:Citizens". The 1827 Lei Geral da Instrucao Pablica (Publid• Instruction General Law) was the 'first legislation ever to deal with elementary schools and establish that girls also had the right to study. It also ordered e creation of first-grade schools in every city, town, and village, a mandate that was not implemented. It was also in 1827 that the Law Academies of Olinda (state of Pernambuco , and Sao Paulo were created. In 1911, the minister of Public Instruction, Post Office and Telegraphs Rivadavia Correia (1866-1920), prepared the !Organic Law, which introduced the concept of free teaching without the interference of the state. This measure made possible the creation of seittirschools to teach pharmacy, edontology, and law inh most populated centers of the country. The first univetsty was created only in 191 ,became the Universidade}eral“do Parana. In the 1920s and 1930s, infred by the European Ne ool movement, several andstate Bahia, i'ding Sao Paulo, Rio de ro, Minas Gerais promoted reforms to reinvigorate education taking into consideration the psychological of the students. Several great educators left their marks, includ ing Fernando de Azevedo, Anisio Teixeira,, zmetida Junior and ,Lourenco Filho The changes drew fire a fromh the traditionaliSts who were more interested in offering large number of ditciplines,to, tie studied than quality Instruction. The 1934 con stitini on detiltY*Ae first time with educaion as something owed titi,;eliery—eitlien by the state. A new astitution in 1937 emphiSized the professional side o education, stimulating the creation of technical courses. Still .another constitution in 1946 made primary education compulsory and gave the Union the power to regulate eeducationn one w al levels. The federal and state Foett of do created in 1962. The CFE (Conselho Federal deEdUelao/F 4 f fEducation) was responsible starting in 1967 for a series of reforms that changed the structure of Brazilian college instruction. In 1971, the same CFE extinguished the old primarto and ginasial, grouping themt together eg se undion gqu t hreescola ; de primeirolrau. It also instituted h (formerly known as colegial), which from then on had th onto offertubjeets in professional disciplines. Thi ent was struck down, however, irt ' 12

second biggest spender in education in Latin America, dedic ting 4.6% of its GDP, and 17.7% of the federal bidget to this sector. Why, despite spending $26.6 billion last year, is the education system in Brazi4 still so dismal? According to the MEC (Ministers) da Educacao e Desportos/Ministry of Education and Sports), the money applied hasn't been endagh to improve the situation because the resources have been badly distributed, badly administ*ed, and in many cases, used for other purposes.; "Money diversion is very common,” says Eunice Ribeiro Durharrl, MEC's secretary of education policy. "Municipalities use the money in their truck fleets, they build roads, they pave streets and so on." The IPEA (Instituto de Pesquisa Economica Aplicada/Institute ofApplied Economic Research) estimates that Al% of all resources destined for education is divarted to something else or is simply embezzled. IVIirror of Injustice Nobody is happy with this situation starting with Paulo Renato Souza, the federal education minister, who likes to point out that the educational chaos is just a mirror of the social injustice that permeates the cotintry. The minister has repeatedly talked about the need to improve education and the ' ways he intends to do it. One of his first measures was to start a media campaign with the catchy slogan "Wake Up, Brazil. It's Time to Go to School," to make society aware of the problem. Souza says that his main achievement was the creation of the Development Fund for Fundamental Teaching and Teachers Valorization, which should be implemented in all states by January 1998. The Fundaras incorporated into the constitution and mandates that states and municipalities put aside 15% qf their annual budget for basic , schooling. The ministry nas been monitoring the learning of students via;SAEB (Sistema Nacional de Avaliacao de Enisino Basico/National System of Basic Teaching Waluation). At the end of last year, the federal government also started to gauge the quality of college instruction thanks to the socalled provab (big exam), a voluntary test taken by students at the end of the school year that will give ubsidies to the INE (Conselho Naci nal de Educacao/Nat. nal Education Couns 1) in order for the body to decide on renewal of licenses to offer courses. "It is important to stress the importance of the approval, after eight long years, of the Lei, de Diretrizas e Bases da Educ*Ao (Law ofDirective d BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

Bases of Education)," says Souza. "Here is a law that is clear, direct and that opens new possibilities in all levels of teaching. Thanks to this law, students will be able to enter college without a vestibular." Many people are betting on the new Lei de Diretrizes e Bases to help turn the situation around. Approved in December by Congress, the legislation gives schools much more freedom to elaborate their own curricula than before. Very few schools, however, had the time to adapt to the new rules for the current school year, since they were approved so late in the year. Nowadays, the only way to get into a college in Brazil is via a multiple-choice test called the vestibular. The government, for the first time this year, will have a national test for students finishing high school. The education minister hopes that the results will be used by colleges as one of the criteria to fill their vacancies. The vestibular practice has created a very profitable industry that prepares students to pass the test. In an interview with Jornal do Brasil in February, minister Paulo Renato Souza assessed the situation of education in Brazil: "We have good quality public universities. In the last 25 years we were able to create the best system of post-graduation of any developing country. But we also have low quality colleges and very serious problems in the primary and secondary levels, in public and private schools. I would say that our big problem is the quality of teaching in the elementary school. The level of evasion and years being repeated is way too high." Souza says the problems have been accumulating for decades. "In 1960, we had a good public school system, but only 60% of the children aged 7 to 14 were in school. Today 95% of these children are in school. We lost the quality due to the lack of resources that didn't match the system's necessary expansion. We need to break this circle. Our system is socially perverse because it discriminates. Only 50% of the students finish elementary school, but those who conclude get a quality education. We had a closed model in which we had the luxury of taking care of a high quality little segment and practically abandoning the rest. But today this is not possible anymore." President Fernando Henrique Cardoso believes that the measures taken by his administration are "simple, objective and useful. All we need is perseverance and a desire to succeed," he declared. "The government must do its part but education is far too important to be only the government's concern. It must be an objective of the society as a whole. The parents must supervise and stimulate their childrens' studies at home and not hesitate to ask for information and participate in school life. The media, which divulges the problems in the BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

The Pyramid The educational system in Brazil, a Federative Republc with 26 states and a Federal District, is a partnership between the Union, the states, and the municipalities. The federal government organizes and finances the programs. The Union is also directly responsible for several universities, and schools offering medium-level technological education, and agricultural and technical schools. There are two education levels in Brazil: basic or elementary and higher. The first level goes from first grade to eleventh and the first eight years are obligatory. Creches (nursery schools) deal with children from 0 to 3 years and pre-schools attend to children from 3 to 6. Basic Education Primeiro grau also called ensino fundamental: for children from 7 to 14. Close to 70% of these schools are administered by the municipalities, 25% belong to the states, 6% are private and a mere 0.1% are federal. Segundo grau also known as ensino medio: for youngsters from 15 to 17. Close to 70% of these schools are administered by the states. 24% are private, 5% municipal and 2% federal. Level

Duration Hours a Year

Age/Requirem.

Not compulsory Nursery Kindergarten

variable 3 years

0 to 3 4 to 6

Compulsory Elementary (1st degree) Secondaty (2nd degree)

variable variable

8 years 720 3 years 2.220

7 or + Pt degree

University

2-6 years variable

Post-Graduation

variable variable

2nd degree and pass vestibular to be a graduate of a college

Graduation

educational system — and that's good — should also report those experiences that deserve to be praised. Mayors and town councilors need to respect education, and make sure that the funds are well spent." Teaching Teachers There has been a series of isolated efforts to change all of this. Minas Gerais, a leading state in the attempt to improve the situation, has a simple but ambitious goal for the year 2000: eliminate repetition of grades. Minas is being helped with a $40 million financing package from the World Bank and is concentrating its effort on training its 90,000 teachers via Procap (Projeto de Capacitacdo de Profissionais de Educacdo/Competency Project for Education Professionals). Together with these 180-hour reengineering courses for teachers, the state department of education has created the so-called Ciclo Basico de Alfabetizacao (Basic Literacy Cycle). The CBA eliminates the notion of grades and repetition of year, creating a continual course that goes from first to fourth grade. "We will compensate for the prob13

lems of learning with extra attention to the chil"This was possible," director Bete Marujo exdren using extra-curricular reinforcement," said plained to form/ do Brasil, "thanks to a program Education co-secretary Joao Batista dos Mares that allows students to carry to the next grade the Guia in an interview with Rio's daily Jornal do classes they failed, as is common in college. RemeBrasil. dial classes are given on Saturdays," The school The state of Rio Grande do Sul decided that the j htt also developed the concept of the environmentbest way to achieve excellence in education is room. Children do not stay in one classroom but through the granting of financial autonomy to its circulate among them every 45 minutes, the dura3,344 schools. The intention is to eliminate a* tion of a class. Each discipline has its own room series of bureaucratic hurdles allowing directors,. with special decoration and materials pertinent to who are elected in their own communities, to,. the subject being taught. program and pay for expenses without governA new phenomenon in the public schools is the ment interference. In November increasing number of 1995, the state legislature apmiddle-class students. proved the Lei de Gestao DemoHigher Education They have been flockcratica (Democratic Management ing to them in the last Brazil, like many of its neighbors in Law) that put the changes in few years due to the Latin America, has concentrated its replace, but the legislation did not soaring price of private sources on the university level. Every year, take effect until November 1996. education. "This is one the country turns out 10,000 new doctors, However, since 1989, Rio Grande of the best news in edumasters, and post-graduates. Close to $1 do Sul has instituted direct eleccation this end of debillion is used yearly to help the small tions for school directors and encade," says Minister universe of colleges. While Brazil spends couraged democratic participaPaulo Renato Souza. $140 a year on each elementary-school tion in the administration of "This will help the pubstudent, it lavishes $8000 — 57 times schools through the Conselhos lic schools to improve. Escolares (School Councils). The more — on each college student. We have examples that state has become a success story There are close to 2,000 courses in clearly show that many with a greater than 90% rate of post-graduation and doctoral studies in public schools with the children passing from first to secstructures they have tothe country. But in this case quantity is ond grade in the first attempt. day and better salaries definitely a foe of quality. By the EducaSao Paulo state started its are good when the partion Ministry's own admission, more than escolas-padrao (model schools) ents participate in the half of the courses should be closed for project in 1992. Two years later PTA." being inferior or plain useless. In addithe state already had 2,225 of This change is more tion, there is an average of 15 professors these schools in every municivisible in the center and for every post-graduate class in Brazil, 'panty. One of their unique charthe south of the country. four times more than in the U.S.. In 1995, acteristic is the extended school Between 1970 and 1994, the weekly magazine Veja revealed that year. While regular schools have private pre-schools lost the Universidade Federal da Paraiba's 800 hours of classes a year, the almost half their stuphysics department had a post-graduate escolas-padriio offer 1,200 hours dents. While in 1970, the course with three students and 33 profesof courses. In these schools, private schools had teachers have to dedicate 33 hours sors, consuming $700,000 a year. 40.8% of the preweekly to the school, with seven The number of undergraduate college schoolers, this number of them reserved for extra-curhad fallen to 27.9% in programs has also exploded in the last few ricular activities. Since 1988, Sao 1994. In Rio, Sao Paulo, years. There were 110 in 1986. Today Paulo increased from three arid a and Brasilia, the same there are close to 2,000. Moreover, more half to six hours the time first and trend appears in the elthan 60% of all college institutions are in second-grade children spend ementary schools and, to the Southeast. Seventy-five percent of daily at school. a lesser degree in the seccolleges are private, 10% are municipal, One such escola-padreio is ondary schools. It is es9% are administered by the state and 6% Escola Estadual Padre Tiago timated that this year, are federal. Twenty two percent of college Alberione in Cidade Julia, one of 70,000 students from the students are in federal colleges, with 59% the poorest neighborhoods of Pnu/ista (from sao Pauin private schools, 13% in state colleges Greater Sao Paulo. With 2,780 lo) middle class transand the rest in municipal establishments. students, the school has achieved ferred from private to With a few notable exceptions, private some dramatic changes since the public schools. For most colleges generally have poorly trained new program started in 1995, of them, it was the first such as lowering the rate ofthose teachers and no infrastructure, when they time they had ever enrepeating the year from 25% to are not plain moneymaking traps. tered a public classroom. 1.67%. The number of children According to the Sao abandoning school has also dePaulo Department of creased from a rate of 27% to , •Education, elementary 7%. Even the fact that the school is close to Favela and secondary private schools lost 10% of their Buraco do Sapo (Frog's Hole Shantytown), a students in1997.SM Rio, at least 15,000 children refuge of outlaws, hasn't dampened the spirits at also abandoned their private schools this year. In the establishment. Closed to the community on '1995, 8,000 Rio students transferred from private weekdays, the school opens its gates on weekends •topublic schools and last year, the number doubled so the children from the neighborhood can use the to 14,800. sports facilities. 14

BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

the computer . That means that in the hotter states of the North, for example, the rooms will need air conditioning, a rare luxury in any part of the country. Brazil. has more than Mobral's failure 10,000 teachers already preMobral (Movimento Brasileiro de Alfabettzapared to help their students 00/Brazilian Literacy Movement) was created with computers. There are amid great fanfare at the beginning of the 1970s close to 500 computer labs by the military regime during the so-called lost in state and municipal decade. Their lofty goal was to eradicate illitschools around the nation. eracy from Brazil in 10 years. For that, the whole Since 1971, when the Unisociety was called on to make its contribution. versity of sao Paulo (USP) Churches, prisons and private houses became in sao Carlos started using schools for those who had already passed their computers in the classroom school years and still couldn't read or write. to teach physics, thezountry Every municipality in the country was reached has been romancing the idea by the action, but in a few years the enthusiasm of using computers in eduhad passed and many of the new readers had cation. In 1975, Unicamp already forgotten the little they had learned. (University of Campinas) in Studies have shown that 90% of the people who a program developed with participated in these courses ended up becoming MIT pioneered the use of the functionally illiterate. machines for teaching chilIn November 1985, President Jose Sarney, dren. Educom, the first nathe first president after the military surrendered tional program to computerpower in 1980, signed Mobral out of existence. ize education, started in There were still 20 million adults incapable of 1984. It was this initiative reading or writing at the time. Today, Brazil has that gave birth to the research 40 million people who barely know how to write centers that are now giving their own names. technical support to the Commenting on the demise of Mobral, schools. Vicente Barreto, the last president of the moveEducators do not seem to ment, said: "As with almost everything else in the military regime, Mobral suffered a deformaagree on the so-called tion of its activities. At the end, the literacy programa de informatizacelo project had been forgotten, but the movement (computerization program). was sheltering even groups in defense of the There are those who defend golden lion tamarin." it as a sine qua non of Brazil's Since the demise of Mobral other projects to development. According to teach adults basic literacy were started with little American Frederic Litto, scisuccess. President Fernando Collor de Mello entific coordinator of USP's created the PNAC (Plano Nacional de AlfabeEscola do Futuro (School of tizacao e Cidadania/National Literacy and Citithe Future), even if only 20% zenship Plan). The program did very little and of the students learn how to was abandoned for lack of interest and money. operate the computer, the The plan was put in place by Education Minister program can be considered a Carlos Chiarelli. His successor in the post, physisuccess. Others are not so cist Jose Goldemberg, scrapped the whole project, sure. And there are many critcalling it a waste of time. Goldemberg started the ics, like Unicamp's Eduardo trend to put more effort and money into elemenChaves, an expert in comtary education and this way avoid another genputers in the classroom. "To eration of illiterate adults. buy computers is the easiest In 1993, Itamar Franco, who took over the way the government has to presidency when Collor was impeached, joined say that it is doing someUNESCO and 70 other countries in a ten-year thing for education," he says. plan to stamp out illiteracy by the year 2003. The For him the main probFernando Henrique administration, however, lem is not the lack of comseems to have reneged on this commitment. For puters, but the lack of what the first time, basic schooling gets the lion's to say. "It won't be a comshare of the available resources while colleges puter that will solve the probget the rest. Illiterate adults, however, get nothlem of a teacher who is not ing. able to teach well," Chaves Why was Mobral a failure? "The movement adds. Critics have also indidn't work because it dealt with illiteracy as if sisted that the Education it were a campaign. Teaching literacy is a conMinistry spend the close to tinuous process and cannot be solved with half a million dollars put magic," says Silvia Telles, an expert in alphabetaside to buy computers.to imizing adults. prove infra-structure in the schools and increase teach• ers' salaries.

High Tech After its TVSchool program that only got lukewarm reviews, the Education Ministry is spending big bucks in another controversial program: $480 million until March 1998 that will buy 100,000 computers to be distributed in schools all over the country. Almost half of the money (46%) will be used to train the teachers how to use the equipment. The South and the Southeast will get most (58,300) of the machines, with 21,800 staying in Sao Paulo. The state of Rond8nia will get the least: 200. All the computers should be in place by the end of next year. Six thousand secondary schools will benefit from the program. The acquisition of the computers will be done through international bidding monitored by the World Bank. Aware that most of the TV equipment from the TV-School plan that included a satellite dish and a VCR is collecting dust due to the lack of interest and training — many teachers never learned how to use and program the VCR — the ministry is doing its homework this time. For two years now the program has been discussed with experts from Brazil and foreign countries. Technicians from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and London University were consulted. By year's end, 7,500 teachers will have finished their training. And to receive the equipment, the school will need to have an adequate and safe space to keep BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

15

WELL XEROXED Mr. Bosque's article ("Looking Back at Collor" - Brazzil Sep. and Oct. '96) is a very good copy of all the articles that came out on magazines like Veja and Isto E during the period of President Collor's impeachment. I am a student of Latin American history myself, and therefore I was expecting much more of Mr. Bosque's article. I was expecting something new. President Collor was never convicted of any crime. He was judged and sentenced guilty by the Congress. It was a political trial. I would also like to ask Mr. Bosque if he knows where most of President Collor's political adversaries are today? Since he is an expert in this subject, does he know where Ibsen Pinheiro is? I can give you 1001 reasons why Mr. Collor was the most important and reformist President Brazil has ever had. Arnon de Mello Via Internet

COLLOR BLIND At times it depresses me to be a Brazilian. The infamous Collor couple betrayed, looted and raped the people of Brazil. Yet there are those "compatriots" who go out of their way to greet them ("The Collor Charm - Brazzil March '97). Thank God our Argentinian neighbors seem to be vested with a better sense of indignation. When we choose to overlook corruption in favor of the "glamour" of celebrity, we not only sell our souls, but we end up with a country that has no choice but to continue declining. Yara Morton California Via Internet

DATA TRACKING In your February, 1997, issue you refer to a poll done by the "Gallup Institute" which compared 46 countries and found that Brazilians had the highest optimism rating. I have been trying to track clown the original source of this clipping. I contacted Maura Strousberg, the Research Librarian, at The Gallup Organization, but she says she does not know of any such poll, she knows only of a twenty nation poll which did not include Brazil. Is it possible that it was some source other than the Gallup Institute? Or is the Gallup Institute different from The Gallup Organization? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. I would be particularly interested to find this figure for past years, if these polls have been done periodically. Ted Goertzel, Prof of Sociology Rutgers University Camden, New Jersey

invaluable source for me to pass my very difficult English exam at the University. I think I was able to pass only because Brazzil allowed me to combine the pleasure of reading news on Brazil with the obligation of learning English! Congratulations to all the volunteers who make the magazine possible and I would like to assure you that even in the heart of the Tuscan region, in Italy, there are people rooting for you. Cristiana Martins Lucca, Italy

an enthusiasm and love for Brazilian popular music and a scholarly understanding of the elements of the music. Paulinho da Viola is a favorite of mine and I'm anxious to get Bebadosamba. Where is it available? I last saw him perform in 1987 in Recife. Also, where can I get Martinho's CD? I look forward to Bruce's next article. • Fred Dobb, Ph.D. California Dept. of Education Sacramento, California

INFORMATION, PLEASE

I have been living in England for nine months as a student. Since I will be marry ing this year, I believe I will stay here for along time and that's why I need information from my country. A friend at school gave me your address and I am very interested in subscribing to your publication. Miss M. M. A. Carmo Sutton/Surrey, England

1 am representing my freshmen world geography class at the Marlboro academy, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could send us sortie recent information about Brazil, such as the current head of state, what kids our age (14-15) enjoy doing there and what they are like, as well as maybe the popular sports and activities in the country. Do they listen to the same music we do? Do they like the same things? How is Brazil different from the United States? What is Brazilians' daily lifelike? Our school is not very rich and we have very little information that is up to date. I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me this information as soon as possible. Thank you for your time. Aziz A nsari Via Internet aansari714AaoLcom

WORTH EVERY PENNY I started receiving your magazine several months ago. It's the best $3 I ye spent in a while. I really liked your series on visiting Rio. Someday I may be able to make the trip. Keep up the good work. F. M. Bennett Clifton Park, New York Via Internet

BRIDGING THE GAP Since my Brazzil subscription expired, I found myself even more distanced from Brazil. Then I realized that the magazine really brings part of Brazil to the reader. Therefore, thank you for shortening the distance that geography places between my beautiful country (Brasil) and myself Muito obrigada mesmo. Karin Heines Salinas, California

FROM THE HEART AND MIND Bruce Gilman's two recent articles on Paulinho da Viola and Martinho da Vila were outstanding. His writing reflects both

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Scam du Jour Brazilian politicians love the scandalous get-rich-quick schemes. It seems that they will not get their kicks before they are caught red handed transferring public money into their own pockets and those of their Friends. There is no other explanation. Or how can you explain that several governors and mayors from around the country were using the same illegal plot to get money in the latest racket in the country? Read fast. Today this might be old news. We are sure now that there is already a new scandal in the making. ALESSANDRA DALEVI What else is new? As predictable as getting a busy signal when trying to use the telephone in Rio, generation after generation, administration after administration, season after season, the scandals, bribery scams and embezzlement schemes are one of the few sure things in Brazil's public life. The latest racket is called CPI dos precatorios (a congressional inquiry into a multimillion bond scandal — with a cost now up to 1.2 billion). But it is not very different from other recent dirty tricks: os an5es do orcamento (the 1993 budget dwarfs — cost: $100 million); a mdfia do Previdencia (the 1991 Social Security Mafia -- cost: $550 million); o rombo do Banco Nacional (the 1996 Banco Nacional imbroglio — cost: 5.4 billion); and the 1992 esquema PC-Collor (the PC-Collor scheme — cost: $350 million or up to $1 billion according to other estimates). Since the beginning of the latest scandal, the Central bank has already closed down more than a dozen financial institutions. By tradition, however, all of the swindling has the same ending: the public money privately pocketed never reappears. The latest Brazilian racketeering feat, like a good suspense movie is still provoking ahs and chills almost every minute while an Inquiry Parliamentary Commission (CPI) investigates and interviews witnesses and big shots involved in the sometimes convoluted plot. Other scandals have been circumscribed to a relatively small Mafia. The precatorios scam, however, has dozens of people from all around the country involved. And everything happened, it has been shown, due to the dereliction from the entities that should be watching the coop: the Central Bank and the Senate, both of which approved beforehand the tricky deals. The Central' Bank, for example, advised against authorizing Alagoas and Santa Catarina to issue bonds, due to their debts, but the Senate approved the operations anyway. Nobody knows where this so-costly soap opera is going to end because the script has been rewritten every day. Lately, Fabio Barreto Nahoun, the owner of Banco Vetor, a brokerage house from Rio, has been in the spotlight. After weeks of hearings, the congressional committee seemed sure that Nahoun was the head of the operation that put some money in the hands of cities strapped for money and millions into the pockets of a few unscrupulous helpers. 18

BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

Preca what? Everybody has been talking about precatorios these days in Brazil. Just a few weeks ago, however, the immense majority of the population had never heard of such a word. Among those few in the knowing were the people who should have benefited by these papers, but who usually have to wait for years in line to get them. Precatorios are money certificates issued by the states and municipalities to pay for cases they lost in court. So, for example, when the owner of a property is expropriated, goes to Court asking for bigger compensation and wins his case, he gets a precatorio, a document saying that he is owed that money by the government. To pay for these judicial papers, state and municipalities are allowed to issue bonds. That's where the precatorios scheme enters in the picture. Governments started to issue bonds for fictitiousprecatorios so they could use the money for other projects. Much of this money ended up in a few greedy mouths. The precatorio has called attention to two sides of a scandal: in one, people inventing precatorios that don't exist to make some fast cash and on the other, generally poor, old, and invalid folks waiting for justice to be done. A famous case of precat6rio that seems close to an end is the one involving Teresa Fiel, the widow of workman Manuel Fiel Filho who was tortured and assassinated by the military in 1976. It has been almost 20 years now that she was awarded punitive damages in the amount of $281,000. Soon after becoming President, two years ago, Fernando Henrique Cardoso showed personal interest in the case and promised a quick solution. Teresa is still waiting. Another famous case, which became a joke in the country, is the money received by Carioca (from Rio) teacher Marieta de Sena Pinto. In December 1988, an Army jeep crossed a red line and totaled her Fiat. She won her case against the military and has just received the total amount of her damages: 42 cents, that's true, less than two quarters. In protest, she decided to spend $700 to go to Brasilia and present her payment (a precatorio)as a gift to the senators from the CPI. A Large Network The size of the embezzlement and the network of corrupted hands involved are only now being discovered, but the Inquiry Committee on the scam was created on November 26, 1996, after Santa Catarina state senator Vitor Kleiniibing announced that there were irregularities with bonds issued by his state. The Senate action has had at least the virtue of avoiding the issuance of another $3 billion in new municipal and state bonds, all being prepared by the same gang. The more the senators dig, the more they find unanticipated connections. At the end of March, Senator Roberto Requiao, the CPI's reporter, announced that the investigations would be BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

broadened to also probe contractors and suppliers who had been left out of the congressional grilling. Some states and municipalities that were not included in the first phase of the investigation noW should also be reviewed. Initially the inquiry concentrated on the states of Santa Catarina, Alagoas, Pernambuco, Sao Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, besides the municipalities of Sao Paulo, Guarulhos, Osasco, Campinas (all in sao Paulo state) and Goiania, the capital of Goias. Parallel to the senate investigation, the Central Bank has been examining other problematic issuances of bonds in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Goias, Paraiba, Sergipe and Mato Grosso. The Alagoas imbroglio is a good example of what this whole precat6rio mess involves. To raise $301 million, the Divaldo Suruagy administration created inexistent debts, paid astronomical commissions and even falsified the signature of impeached President Fernando Collor de Mello, who was governor of Alagoas. The money supposedly intended for paying judicial fines ended up lining the pockets of friendly contractors and sugar mill owners. The same state that for seven months didn't pay its teachers and doctors used $31 million to reward the company that built years ago the concrete stand in which pope John Paul II celebrated mass. The CPI is looking for two kinds of frauds: municipalities and states that illegally issued bonds that weren't allowed and banks and brokerage firms that had exorbitant profits selling these certificates in the financial market. The brokerage houses acquired the bonds in auction (the only way these papers can be sold), but in some cases the bid was done in a way that nobody elSe besides the company that bought them kne N they were available. To hid the fact that they were having obscene pro fits, the brokers funneled all this money to several front companies, which received from 0.2% to 0.3% to perform this role. Nobody knows, however, where the money is. It probably went to some foreign fiscal paradises including the United States through the services of dollar ealers and it will be back in Brazil when the veather gets better. Orange Juice While the Collor de Mello CPI was crowded with fantasmas (ghosts), people who signed checks and made tons of money, but didn't exist, the precatorios CPI has been flooded with laranjas (literally oranges, the term also means naïve and front). Laranjas are real men or women who rent their own names or companies to other people or businesses. Close to 100 of those façade firms have been discovered, all of them under the supervision of a laranja. The first laranja to confess his role in the scandal was Ibrahim Borges Filho, a salesman for Mon kkmour Cosmeticos and whose IBF Factoring company was only a façade to launder the mone obtained viaprecatorio bonds. Regis19

tered with a capital of $10,000, IBF had an incredible $100 million net profit last year. "I needed the money," said Borges Filho, after being threatened with prison and after crying for half an hour at the CPI. "I did research to know what money laundering was and found out that this is not really a crime." Before the end of his deposition, he would also admit that at least 30 doleiros (dollar dealers) participated in the scheme sending money overseas and, in come cases, bringing it back already washed. One of the mentors of the scheme, Wagner Baptista Ramos, Sao Paulo City Hall's coordinator of Public Debt, was the man responsible for an operation that issued $947 million in bonds during the Paulo Salim Maluf administration, Sao Paulo's mayor until the end of 1996. This same operation seems now to have defrauded the city's coffers of $10 million. From the close to $1 billion raised by the city of Sao Paulo, only $147 million were used for what the money was intended: paying precatorios. There is only $80 million left over, with the rest of the money having been used to pay salaries and other expenses. Despite the less-thankosher scheme, some governors and mayors took notice of the successful program and contacted Ramos to do something similar for them.

tice in the financial market that brokers and others privy to the scheme would prefer that people would never know: the healthy profits they get dealing with municipal aild state bonds. It is estimated that there are right now $10.4 billion of these government certificates in the market all linked to precatorios. During the period being investigated alone (1995-1996), they amounted to $6 billion. They are a gold mine because they are initially placed on the market at a much lower than face-value price, giving a much heftier return rate than any federal paper. The CPI show being beamed across the country by TV Senado became a hit. More than 900,000 Brazilians have been tuning in daily. Some people are so hooked on the hearings that they stay up watching and listening to the witnesses up to 3 in the morning. Via an 800 number (0800 61-2211) people are encouraged to participate, ask questions, and make suggestions. An average of 100 people has been calling everyday. •

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Big Fish For Celso Pitta, the just-inaugurated mayor of sao Paulo, the situation has been getting more complicated every day. He denies any involvement in the scandal, but the facts seem to conspire against him. Most of the scams were done with the help of Pitta's aides during the time he was Finance Secretary for Maluf. Pitta immediately fired Wagner Baptista Ramos when it was discovered that he was one of the mentors of the national bond scam. Pitta defends himself: "I want to testify before the CPI. I did nothing wrong and have nothing to hide, but every day now I have to explain myself." Pitta guarantees that he had no contact with Fabio Nahoun and Ronald Ganon, the owner of Banco Vetor, which got the lion's share of the easy money. Banco Vetor, however, paid for 18 trips that Pitta's aides made to other states to teach them how to issue fraudulent bonds. To complicate things, the CPI has found that the bank in March of last year paid for two weeks for a car with a chauffeur who took Nicea Pitta wherever she wanted. The bill was $6,000. Nicea is the mayor's wife. The precatorios scandal has exposed to the public an old prac20

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The strength of the real, and lower tariffs among other things, are making Brazil a world-class importer. And Brazilians are enjoying their new role With more American ports offering service to Brazil, rates should continue to fall, offering greater opportunities for U.S. exporters. On the other side, distribution continues to be a bi problem. JULIET KONG..; BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

It has never been easier to import in Brazil. Better shipping schedules and rates, availability of financing, automated Customs releases through a new computerized system called Siscomex, infrastructure developments have all helped to improve the way imports flow into the country, and the tendency is for things to get even better. Brazil is importing like never before as a result of generally lower tariffs and reduced non-tariff barriers, as well as the strength of the Brazilian currency relative to the dollar. In 1996, the country imported over $53 billion in products, a huge increase over the $15.9 billion imported in 1990, when then President Fernando Collor de Mello first started the process of trade liberalization. With business booming, the Brazilian waters are crowded with steamship lines chasing a slice of the trade pie. Major ocean carriers like Cho Yang, Hanjin Lines and Maersk Lines have entered the market lately. Others, like Companhia Maritima Nacional and Columbus Line have greatly enhanced their services between the U.S. and South America. As sailing schedules become even more frequent, and more American ports begin offering services to Brazil, rates should continue to fall, offering greater opportunities for U.S. exporters sending cargo to Brazil. For air cargo, the scenario is the same. While Varig and VASP continue to serve a wide range of points between the U.S. and Brazil, other cargo carriers like Polar Air, Tower Air and American International are proposing a massive increase in capacity on the already well served Sao Paulo market, as well as Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state. Obtaining financing for imports has become easier for Brazilian traders. Bradesco, the biggest private bank in the country, financed 248% more in 1996 than in the previous year. According to Ant8nio BOrnia, executive vicepresident of Bradesco, "This reflects the growth of imports. Just look at the trade deficit ($5.539 billion in 1996) and you will understand." Financing international trade was a major investment for the Brazilian banks in 1996 and will continue to be so in 1997. To implement the import operations, starting on January 1, 1997, the Secretariat of Foreign Trade's computerized trade documentation system — Siscomex (Sistema Integrado de Comercio Exterior — International Trade Integrated System) — was set up in Brazil. 21

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CESAR VASCONCELOS People have been asking: "How is the Mercosul doing?" The reply is, "Splendid, thanks." Free trade and democracy are no longer just buzzwords. Nowadays it has become a common place rather than the exception in Latin America. We are living in a historical moment indeed. With the exception of communist Cuba, we never had it so good. Throughout Latin America, economic stability and prosperity are no longer a farfetched dream. The result of these historical times can be accurately measured and quantified. Regional differences have been put aside, and mutual cooperation has now become a tangible e reality. The main objective of Mercosul is the free movement of people, goods, and services. In addition to these trade liberalization measures, the Mercosul treaty entails the lifting of tariffs and duties between the Mercosul members. In order to qualify for the 0% tariff rule, the products traded by the Mercosul members must have a nationalization content of 60%. Another important rule of the Mercosul treaty is the educational integration, with school diplomas being valid in all member states. A dentist who has graduated from the University of Argentina, for example, can now practice his trade in Brazil under the Mercosul integration approach. Visas and passports are a thing of the past. They are no longer necessary and people are free to find work in whatever place he/she sees fit. Additionally, Portuguese has become a mandatory foreign language in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Conversely, Brazilian students are now supposed to learn Spanish in the classroom. All of this has set the stage for a true integration in the region similar to the European Common Market. Comprising Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil, the Southern Common Market, known as Mercosul in Brazil and Mercosur in the other countries, represents a population of 190 million people and covers an area of 12 million square kilometers. The total combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of these nations is approximately $715 billion. Brazil is the dominant economic force of the region. With an estimated GDP for 1994 of $500 billion and a population of 155 million inhabitants, Brazil's economy is by far the largest, Argentina comes in second with a GDP of $255 billion and a population of 33 million people. Argentina's economy has been posting an impressive 8% annual growth rate. Paraguay has 4.6 million inhabitants and a GDP of $6.8 billion. Uruguay has only 3.1 million inhabitants, and a GDP of $11.4 billion. What Uruguay lacks in geographical size, it more than makes up for in other significant areas. The country has a bustling economy making it an important international financial center. With a highly dynamic economy, and its strategic location, Uruguay is a perfect gateway for products flowing between Brazil and Argentina and or Paraguay. The Free Trade Zones created before 1994 can fortunately operate normally under the Mercosul. Nevertheless, new Free Trade Zones are no longer allowed amongst the member nations. The total economic integration of Latin American in a free trade block will have far reaching implications for years to come. This wave of trade liberalization will no doubt require specialized labor. Jobs, a worldwide rarity, are expected to be created in vast numbers. Fortunately for the region, they have realized that the only way they can catch up and prosper in these competitive global economic times is by joining forces. There are many well-qualified people who have left Latin America during the troubled 80s. This brain exodus was a terrible loss to Latin America. The good news is that these exiles are anxiously waiting for the right opportunity to return. The time has arrived for Latin America to bring all this talent back home. These now seasoned Latin Americans will bring with them knowledge and precious professional experience acquired abroad. They can help their countries become a formidable competitor in the global economy. For the sake of the region, let's hope that Latin America will seize the moment. 22

This computerized system was first started in 1993 to control the exportation flow, and has greatly reduced the paperwork that slowed the process of releasing cargo leaving the country. Siscomex now attempts to bring uniformity to the import procedures, to improve Customs, administrative and exchange controls, to reduce the costs related to the import operations as well as to speed the release of cargo by automatically filing, registering and processing all import licenses, besides linking all this to the Central Bank databank for exchange and collection purposes. "Nowadays, the import process is much faster, mainly after the initial problems were overcome, " says Samuel Nebenzahl, executive secretary for the ABTI (Brazilian Association of International Carriers). He admits that in the first weeks after Siscomex was established, the biggest problems were caused by the lack of preparation of importers, exporters and customs brokers who did not believe that this sophisticated computerized system was really going to start operating overnight. In time, he expects that the reduction in wait for the release of imported goods will be 50%. Of course the import process in Brazil is not without its share of difficulties. Due to box-handling capabilities at many ports, distribution in Brazil is still a problem. At the Port of Santos, for example, in addition to limited berthing space, there is a lack of equipment to make efficient transfers from ship to rail or truck. Adding to the problem, the government strictly requires that Customs physically inspect all loads, congesting the ports even more. Also, the costs to move containers at most Brazilian ports is very high. For example, at the port of Rio de Janeiro, it costs $550 to move a container, whereas in Jacksonville, USA, the average is $200. However, the Law of Port Modernization, which passed in February 1993, mandating that the ports decentralize its administration, incorporate users in port councils and permit the formation of labor pools to diminish restrictive work practices, is already making progress in improving port conditions. "We can say, for sure, that the privately owned terminals have a cost reducBRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

tion of 50%," says Sergio Barroso, vice-president of Cargill, a private-owned terminal in Santos. The savings are so significant that Barroso has already announced the construction of a terminal for sugar that will involve investments in the order of $35 million. This terminal will be ready by the end of 1997 and will move one million tons of sugar. The costs to move goods by land are equally high, and the conditions of the roads are precarious at many places. The distance between sao Paulo and Santos is 45 miles through the mountain range of Serra do Mar. For one container to get from one city to the other, the cost is between $500 and $750. It's the same price charged .for the 450mile trip between Hamburg and Frankfurt in Germany. To change that, the Brazilian government passed the Federal Concession Law in February 1995. It requires all services provided by the public sector to be open to concession. If the law is followed, foreign firms will eventually be able to bid on all projects of transportation. Already, a number of transport projects are underway to improve distribution in Brazil. The

Tiete-Para a Waterway project, for example, involves 45 miles of primary waterways and 340 miles o secondary stretches that will allow the mu ltim dal transport of goods in large scale between th agricultural land in the southeast nd center-west with transportation inks in Sao Paulo and Santos. The "Mercosul Waterway " will 'mprove the flow of cargo through he Brazilian borders by providing ood navigation conditions for 1250 iles between Itaipu and Buenos ires. Many railroad projects are also under development, like the CenterEast Railroad at Unai-Pirapora, and the Bauru-Corumba Railroad between the Bolivian border and the Brazilian Center West. In the short term, importing in Brazil will continue to increase. The growing need for raw materials, infrastructure and consumer goods that the country cannot produce internally guarantees a steady increase in mports over at least the next five years. In addition, the high cost of manufacturing in Brazil continues to make importing a less expensive alternative. For all these reasons, imports should continue to outstrip exports in Brazil's near future, making this a boom time for American and other foreign firms exporting to Brazil. •

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23

The smell of church, but ripening fruit the priest drew me to a little finds out the captive. In a cage pilgrim has hanging from a also prayed to tree, a blackbird Yansa, Santa nipped at a piece Barbara's of fresh orange. orixa counThe ground was terpart, and covered with split forbids Ze apples and stiff from enterdarkened banana ing. The penipeels. Nearby, the tent refuses to Igreja Nosso Seleave, and as nhor do Bonfim exploitation in Salvador overand street looked the Bahia drama swirl de Santos. The around him, gold cupola like a he is killed on crown, reigned the steps. over the neighOnly then borhood. The does he enter squat brick houthe church, ses lining the hill carried seemed to carry Christ-like the cathedral on atop his Brazi as endured a history of political instability their shoulders. cross. and poverty. The belief in divine intervention, Just blocks away, Gomes' common to both Catholicism and the Candoimble, stood the houses play illusoften provide spiritual sustenance to fragile lives. In of the affluent trates the a sense, the religious history of Europe and Africa where palm church's hiscame together and formed a third religion fronds covered torical resisin the New World. the sidewalk from tance and gardeners trimgrudging tolKATHLEEN DE AZEVEDO ming trees. Broerance of ken glass glued to Candomble. the tops of the walls surrounding these elegant homes, The Portuguese settlers brought to Brazil Counter-Reforthreatened all possible intruders. mation Catholicism, which in its efforts to hold back the Inside Bonfim, a large crowd for Friday Mass spilled Protestant sweep of Europe, revitalized saint worship and into aisles and doorways. I stood in back of the church and its mysticism. At the same time, the slaves brought their scanned the heads, a sea of morena hair, a variety so deities from Angola, the Congo, Ghana and Nigeria. Brazilian: tight oiled curls, free-flowing waves, straight Brazil's expansive area became difficult for the clergy to coarse manes. Black men and women dressed in white, exert its control over New World Catholics. The power took the empty seats nearest the altar. These seats used to centralized around the latifi'indios (large estates) instead be reserved for the wealthy, but times have changed. Now of the church, and came under the authority of the patriin spite of the standing-room Mass, the congregation left arch and the guardian saints of his family, instead of the these seats vacant on purpose. It was hot. The collective priest. murmur of the GlOria mingled with the thick flutter of As a result, the orixa and the saints were honored side missals. The worshippers in white followed the mass with by side, each gradually taking on the identity of the other. familiar ease; the white clothes boldly displayed their The official laws forbade the practice of Candomble, and devotion to Oxala, the most powerful Yoruban deity of in an act of resistance that forever affected Brazilian the orixa. culture, the faithful "hid" their orixa in the identity of the The orixa are worshipped by practitioners of saints, and continued practicing their African religion at Candomble, the African-Brazilian religion of Bahia. There will. For example, Oxala is often portrayed wearing white are many theories of its origin, but one belief is that garments and a silver crown. Oxala's reputation for his mankind sprung from a single ancestor, and some of the beauty, purity and as the creator of man syncretize him to descendants achieved divinity which enabled them to Jesus Christ/the Lord of Bonfim. When the Portuguese control natural forces such as disease, thunder, and the placed 0 Menino Jesus dressed in a white gown and small oceans. These ancestors with special powers make up the imperial crown on their altars, it was as if master and slave orixa, and their spiritual energy, or axe, enters their ironically spoke in almost the same spiritual tongue. contemporary descendants during a ceremonial trance. Historical habits don't survive without present need. The Catholic Church, the official religion of Brazil, Worshippers don't necessary choose between Christ and does not officially accept Candomble. In fact, many BraOxala, on the contrary, the two deities are often worzilians are embarrassed by its presence. Alfredo Dias shipped together, their divine forces combined. It is a way Gomes' play and award winning film 0 Pagador de to "cover your bases" so to speak. Brazil has endured a Promessas (The Payer of Promises), tells of Ze do Burro, history of political instability and poverty. The belief in a simple and devout man from the country, who has divine intervention, common to both Catholicism and the dragged a cross a long distance to fulfill a pledge made to Candomble, often provide spiritual sustenance to fragile Santa Barbara. Ze's wish is to place the cross inside the lives. People can't exist without hope. I was raised CathoBRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

lic but share a lot of the cynicism of my generation. Witnessing the ambivalent relationship between the Catholic church and the Candomble, I began to admire the tenacity it takes to sustain faith in lives beset by uncertainty and hardship. The religious gift shops around Bonfim, which sell crucifixes and rosaries, were overshadowed by efforts outside to sell colorful ribbons, or fitas. Fitas come in a variety of colors, each color representing a particular orixa. As my husband and I got off the bus to come to Mass, small children flew at us, waving ribbons in the wind. Others draped ribbons over my shoulder, enticing me to buy. "Pra voce, Oxum," one said handing me a yellow fita. Oxum, daughter of Yemanja, is the orixa of wealth and of freshwater, as delicate as the bubbling streams and as forceful as the raging waterfalls. Should I be flattered? Dowels heavy with fitas, were propped up on the iron fence surrounding the church and attracted those coming from a distance like bold colorful banners. These ribbons, purveyors of good fortune, are worn around the wrist; the wearer makes three wishes and must let the ribbon break on its own, or risk bad luck. I met a small girl, selling acaraje, wearing two fitas on each wrist and three on her ankle. She explained the matter simply: "I just have so many wishes." I removed my fita the day after I got it, impatient with its chafing. Since I was raised Catholic, I ignored the warnings of bad luck as superstition, yet wondered later if my subsequent near-mugging had to do with this act. My husband wore his ribbon until it frayed away months later. One of his wishes was for my cousin's husband, a highly educated engineer in Rio, to find a job in a job-scarce Brazil. I wanted so much for this wish to come true, and even tried offering prayers too. Wait. Was I in fact, following the same logic as others at Bonfim by eliciting as many heavenly powers as possible? Not quite. I lost patience with my fita as I tend to lose patience with prayer. Yet faith is about having patience. The patience of many here put me to shame. The ex-voto room at the side of the main church is an example of this faith. This room, sweetened with the resin smell of incense, filled my ears with pleadings and prayers. On the ceiling, hung the ex-votos, molded plastic arms and feet and heads and hearts, translucent and yellow — offered by faithful parishioners whose prayers for cure had been answered. The walls of this chapel were covered with photos and with testimonials on slips of paper thanking Senhor do Bonfim for His miracles. The photos presented heartache fearlessly: pictures of torsos taped by adhesive, skin peeled and raw, car crashes, a drawing of an electrocution and a consequent apparition of a crucifix — evidence that a life had been spared, a note concerning a depressed friend liv,ing in Sao Paulo "the city of stone." As further thanks, people had given away their most prized possessions, now displayed in the small museum: bullets extracted from just-near-the-heart, watches, sports jerseys, keys to cars and houses. In the U.S., Masses offer prayers for the sick and the dead, but the sense of human travail is not BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

as strong as in razil. In America, the envelopes for mission donati ns may show a hungry child "asking for your h lp," but the hunger is far-off. The envelope can e tucked away, leaving only the image of earne t eyes peering from the rack in the backs of the p ws. Here, suffering is veiled and many do not se sickness graphically because medical advancem nt hides the wounds. If a family member dies, he body disappears in the flurry of funeral home rrangements. The hymns in Amencan masses ar often cheerful; remanents of 60s folk mass tune crop up as do religious lyrics set to the music of ndrew Lloyd Webber. God is our friend, never v ngeful, and the priests do not speak to us 8ternly. Because life is easier here, U.S. Catholics'as a hole have not had to experience the same type of h irdship as the Bahians. Hardship for Americans seems distant and often God's charity is taken for granted. All this "ease", however, robs us of experiencing l the tension between hope in moments of pain, and joy in its relief The portrotal of suffering is prominent in Brazil's churches, but oftentimes, the torment of slavery remains in the periphery. In the cobblestone square of the Pelourinho stands the Igreja Nosso Senhor do Rosario dos Pretos painted in bright porcelz in blue. The church was built by blacks for bluks. I stepped into a late afternoon Mass. The congregation clapped and sang to music belting out of an electric organ. A little cat ambled around their feet, gave the corner of the pew a rub, and slipped out the door and through the iron gate. In a courtyard off to the side of the church, I found the shrine of Anastacia Escrava (Anastacia the Slave). The weathered picture painted on tiles showed Anastacia Escrava with her mouth strapped in a muzzle. Small jars of flowers had been set at foot of the picture and small candles burned in her honor. Anastacia, an Angolan princess, was brought to Rio as a slave and became the mistress of her white master. When his wife found out of the affair, she had Anastacia "silenced" with a ceramic disk secured by a leather strap. This form of torture eroded the mouth which led to starvat on. Anastacia is sanctified, thought not consider ;d a "saint." In other words, many followers reg rd her as holy and claim miracles on her behalf, b t she has not been canonized by the Catholic chur h. Nevertheless, Anastacia's attempt to voice her o pression and her martyrdom became an inspiratio to other blacks who pay their respects. To get a s nse of the African voice, I needed to step away fro the churches and look to the terreiros around Salv dor, where Candomble celebrates black heritag and the vigor of their community. I had mixed f elings about going to a Candomble ritual. I was arned not to go by one family member. I was enc uraged to go by another:There were Candomble t urs for tourists, which conjured up the idea of a ritual-as-show. In the Pelourinho, I was plied wit offersto buy tickets to a Candomble. I refused the all. Then I met a tour guide in one of the church m seums, a Bahian. When he spoke of rococo art, is manner was animated, his smile 25

wide and generous. When he spoke of his Salvador — his people — his eyes softened. "Many people think of Candomble as superstitious and don't take it seriously," he said as he rubbed the three wornout fitas on his wrist, "but you must think of it as a religion. You don't need to worship it. Just consider it the religion of my people." And so, I went with him and a small group of others, to a Candomble ceremony that night. Golden streetlights glowed over the women carrying grocery bags up the steep hills. From outside, the terreiro, was much like other small red brick homes; a small iron gate opened to a porch where everyone removed their shoes. The larger terreiros have several rooms, with the peji, or altar, being in one room, and the dancing taking place in the adjoining barracao. Many poorer communities have the peji and dancing in one area. This terreiro was one small oblong room. Fringed white crepe paper flags covered the ceiling. The men and women were separated and instructed to sit on the benches alongside two walls, facing each other. Two congo drums stood at one end of the room near the front door. On the other end, the peji was covered with vases of flowers, a statue of the Virgin Mary, a brown bottle of water, ceramic dishes and paper bags of bread. Hidden in every peji are the stones which contained the axe, the spirit of the orixa. The ictos, the young women who have been initiated into the religion, the "brides of the gods," greeted each other before the ceremony. They wore white lacy blouses, colorful graceful skirts that swept just above their ankles, and scarves tightly wrapped around their heads, emphasizing the dark bold beauty of their full faces and graceful cheekbones. Three elderly women, the equedes, moved with confidence as they placed their hands on the young women's shoulders, giving advice. The equedes act like priests, supervising and protecting the ceremony. A large man with strikingly white skin, worked his way through the crowd a bit clumsily, knelt in front of the altar, and covered his face with his hands. Two young men, drummers, set themselves at the congas and their fingers hit the leather, rolling out a rhythm. The three equedes sat together near the drums. One by one, the young iaos reverently bowed low to the ground at the elders' feet, brought their hands to their lips then with the same hand, stroked their own hair as if anointing themselves. With the same motion, they paid respects to the drums. With the drums' constant rhythm, the younger women began dancing gently, gracefully lifting their elbows so their arms helped to undulate their ribcages. The tall man rose from his meditation, and started dancing. I recognized him to be the babalorixci, more commonly called thepai de sant°, the spiritual leader of the Candomble. He stamped his feet and lunged forward, hooted and whirled around, his dark loose curls flopping over his eyes and the sweat flinging off his skin. Meanwhile, a young man who had been sitting in the sidelines, began to waver, his eyes half-closed. Suddenly he 26

jolted up. An equede lead him to the floor. He gave another jerk then began spinning, elegantly bent forward and sweeping the air with his curved arm. He stopped, dazed and the old woman gently guided him back to his seat. The babalorixci stopped dancing and went to one of the young :was, took her face into his hands, and chanted a short incantation. Others, including the practitioners sitting in the sidelines, lined up and he cradled their faces and blessed them as well. The pai de santo picked up a small boy and lifted him high. The little one grinned, tickled by the crepe paper fringe on the ceiling. The lads began slipping into trances as if falling asleep, some nodded back resisting, while others let themselves be taken by the persistent drums. People broke out singing samba songs; others made the sign of the cross. Remarkably, the dreamy-eyed danced so gracefully, while trashing and shuddering and sinking down onto their knees. The old equede caught the celebrants before they dropped and eased them down. One of the lag's, a beautiful lean woman, collapsed with her head falling forward; her turban slipped off, letting loose beautiful thick wavy hair. An old woman gently picked her up, and pulled her locks away from her sweaty neck, then helped her to the altar. The more lucid celebrants looked at each other knowingly and murmured the names of various orixcis. The pervasive drums and singing had the strange ability to grow on me, and though I remained un-tranced, I felt cleansed. The ceremony ended as everyone returned to a waking state. They looked happy, relieved, their faces shiny with sweat. They stroked each other's hair and embraced. As people left the terreiro, thepai de santo stood at the door with the bags of bread and handed each one a roll, a bit like communion. He was gregarious, if not a bit jolly. I wondered what he did during the day when he was not functioning as a pai de santo. Outside, voices coming from the lighted houses on the hill tinged the cool and quiet evening. The practice of Candomble and Catholicism varies between Brazilians. Some ignore the African element completely. Others see the African religion as a source of identity, resistance and liberation. In the case of Candomble, I saw a joy that is a part of worship. The strength and drama of these two religions make the spirituality found in Brazil unique. In a sense, the religious history of Europe and Africa came together and formed a third religion in the New World. The glory of three continents! No wonder the white of the Eucharist and the white of Oxala's robe could not help but come together in celebration of misery and hope, enslavement and fr edom, and death and resurrection. Additional Sources: African Religions of Brazil: Toward a Sociology of the Interpretation of Civilizations by Roger Bastide, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1960 Divine Inspiration by Phyllis Galembo, University of New Mexico Press, 1993 BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

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— Oi! —01! -- Voce esta me seguindo de carro desde a outra esquina... — E... E que eu achei voce bonita... Muito bonita... -- Voce ndo estava sentado no Maxim's mais cedo, junto corn uiti coroa meio ruco que mexeu comigo? — Ha! Voce' me viu la?... E, era eu, sim. Aquele outro era um amigo meu de muitos anos, o Alemao. Ele é uma pessoa engracada, principalmente quando bebe. E ele já tinha bebido um bocado... Falou que queria te dar urn beijo na boca... Voce ficou chateada? — Eu? Ndo... E ainda bem que foi s6 na boca que ele falou... Aquele seu amigo toda noite senta au i e toda vez que eu passo ele diz a mesma coisa e na noite seguinte ndo lembra mais do que disse e repete tudo igual. E engracado mesmo. Parece que sempre que ele me ye é a primeira vez... Acho que a bebida esta estragando a memoria dele. — Voce já saiu corn ele? — Ndo, nunca. E, pra dizer a verdade, eu nunca vi aquele cara saindo corn ninguem. Acho que ele gosta é daquilo mesmo, de ficar aui olhando a gente passar — E, eu acho que sim... Mas se eu perguntar, ele vai dizer que Ele conta cada historia... Acho que nem ele mesmo acredita nelas... — E ele deve esquecer que já contou e deve repetir as mesmas hist6rias todas as noites. Igual como ele faz corn a histOria do beijo. — Exatamente. E preciso ter urn pouco de paciencia corn ele. Mas ele é super legal. Quando eu conheci o Alemda, ele era diretor de cinema, fazia documentarios muito bons, muito fortes, sobre o submundo, as favelas, o jogo clandestino, essas coisas... — Sobre as mulheres que faZem a vida tambem? — Tambem, claro... — Ainda bem que eu nao era nascida naquela epoca... — Voce 6 tdo novinha... — Quantos anos voce acha que eu tenho? — Deixa eu ver... Vinte e um. — Poxa! Voce acertou... Foi o primeiro que acertou... Todo mundo diz que eu pareco ter dezoito, dezenove... — E parece mesmo. — Entdo como foi que voce adivinhou? — Ndo sei. Observacdo. — Voce observa muito as pessoas? — Eu you muito ao cinema. Acho que é isso. BFtAZZIL - APRIL 1997

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Part 2 of 2

— Que engracado! Escuta, vamos dar uma saida? — Beni, eu... eu... — Voce nao disse que gostou de mim? — Gostei, gostei mesmo! Mas é que eu... é... quanto e? — Quanto e? Vinte dOlares. TA legal pra voce? — TA legal... Mas é que eu... — Olha... Como e o seu nome? — Alexandre. •—Olha, Alexandre. Eu costumo cobrar cem dOlares. Eu estou cobrando vinte porque eu... sei la... eu fui corn a sua cara... Voce parece uma pessoa legal... Vamos? — • Esta bem. Entra aqui. — Voce vai me levar pra algum motel? — Motel? Ndo! Eh... Ndo. Eu you te levar pro meu apartamento. Ta born pra voce? - Esta Otimo. Onde voce quiser. — Quanto tempo... voce vai poder ficar comigo? — Hum. SA() duas horas agora. Voce me deixa de volta antes das cinco, ta? — Antes das cinco... TA legal. Como ë o seu nome? — Isabelle. — Isabelle... Ndo é urn nome muito brasileiro. — Ah, eu acho que corn voce eu ndo preciso dessa frescura. 0 meu nome é Conceicdo. Isabelle 6 o meu nome de guerra por aqui. Urn deles... — E. Conceicao eu gosto mais. Eu fico contente por voce ter confiado em mim e dito o seu nome verdadeiro. Muito prazer, Conceicao. — Muito prazer, Alexandre. — Voce já reparou como a lua esta bonita esta noite? — Parecem dois chifrinhos no ceu... — E o crescente oriental. Os Arabes adoram esta lua. Eles pintam o crescente em toclas as bandeiras dos paises deles. Toda vez que eu vejo a lua assim, eu me imagino num oasis do deserto, entre as odaliscas, num conto das Mile Uma Noites. — Eu vi urn fume uma vez na televisdo que tinha essas "odaliscas", corn um you, ndo e? Elas dancam de um jeito muito bonito. — Voce gosta de dancar? —Eu adoro. Quando eu cheguei no Rio eu fui dancar numa boate, a Barbarella... — JA ouvi falar. — Pois é, mas ilk) era legal nao. A gente ficava muito exposta. Eu prefiro urn homem de cada vez. 29

Send° parece um circo. Parece que a gente esta sendo leiloada. Alias, parece ndo, estd! A cafetina fazia o major lend° por fora enquanto a gente estava dancando, e a gente depois nem sabia. Ndo via nem a cor do dinheiro. Por isso que eu parei. Ndo gosto de boate, ndo. Prefiro trabalhar na rua. Ou entdo na discoteca Help, que a gente fica mais livre pra escolher. Vamos dancar? — Eu ndo sei dancar direito. — Entdo quando a gente chegar na sua casa, voce coloca uma m6sica legal, que eu you dancar pra voce, td? — Dancar pra mim? Ta otimo! — Dizem que eu sou muito sensual dancando... — Eu posso imaginar! So de te ver andando, eu... — Voce o que? — Ah, voce sabe, Conceicao... — Eu sei sim. Eu vi os seus olhos naquele bar.

— Chegamos. Pode entrar. — Minha Nossa, que bagunca! — Ah, desculpe... Eu devia ter avisado. E que eu trabalho a semana inteira e... — Mas é uma bagunca linda! Tern tanta coisa bonita espalhada por aqui, que a gente nem sabe pra onde vai olhar primeiro. Esses quadros, sdo lindos! — Sdo posters... Eu ainda nao ganhei dinheiro para comprar quadros de verdade.... — E esses bichinhos de barro... Que gracinhas! — Sdo feitos pelos indios. Artesanato kadiweu. — Voce tern muitas coisas bonitas... Tantos livros... E esses desenhos... — Sdo feitos a pastel. Uma especie de lapis de cera, sabe? Esses fui eu que fiz... — Voce?! Voce que fez esses desenhos todos?... Poxa, Alexandre, entdo voce é urn artista?... — Born, eu gosto de desenhar. Quando eu tinha tempo... — Que coisa linda! Este parece uma floresta... E este é um coracdo batendo no peito de uma mulher, certo? — Certo. — Que legal! Eu acertei! Voce trabalha como artista? — Na verdade ndo. Eu atualmente trabalho em processanento de dados 30

numa empresa. Computadores, sabe? Sei, mas ndo gosto muito. Acho meio chato. Prefiro voce como artista... Coloca uma masica... Que tipo de mirsica? — Uma müsica lenta. Born, este é urn disco que eu gosto muito. Chama-se "Magico". — Quern é que toca? — E o Egberto Gismonti e uns outros, acho que sdo alemdes... — Poxa, e voce tern uma rede dentro de casa. Eu adoro rede! Me lembra a minha infancia Ia na Bahia. Posso sentar na rede? — Claro! — Senta aqui comigo. Vamos ouvir a sua masica. — Esta gostando? — Al, que mirsica linda! Parece que a gente esta voando... Ainda mais aqui na rede... Hum... Como e gostoso... Posso tirar a roupa? — Claro! — Tira a sua tambem... Pronto... Voce é tao bonita... —Voce tambem... Tern urn rosto tao fino, um olhar assim... inteligente, brilhante, e uma voz... Hum... que parece corn essa Posso te dar urn beijo? — Claro, vem... Ahh... Eu jd estava louca pra te beijar, desde aquela hora Ia no carro. Fiquei corn medo que voce nao me convidasse pra entrar... Ainda bem que voce gostou de mim... Deixa eu te beijar de novo... Vem ca.. Ahhh, que beijo gostoso... Faz mais... — Eu estou ate meio tonto... Entdo vem, entra dentro de mim... Vern... Entra todo... Assim... Agora me beija...

— Alexandre, eu já perdi a conta das vezes que a gente fez amor hoje... Eu tarnbem... E eu olho pra voce, esse rosto tao bonito, esse cheiro no seu cabelo... Que eu sempre quero mais. Se eu pudesse, ndo saia mais de dentro de voce. Nunca mais. Que coisa mais linda! Voce fala de urn jeito tao bonito... Voce e diferente, tern classe, sei la.. Sei que voce é diferente... Parece um principe... Born, voce é artista... Eu nunca sal corn artista antes... — E mesmo? — E... Voce deve ter urn monte de mulheres atras de voce o tempo todo, ndo 6? — Ah... Born... Acontece, ne?

Eu sabia! Claro! Elas nao devem te deixar em paz... Um homem como voce... Devem ser aquelas bonequinhas ricas, de familia, inteligentes como voce... Me diz uma coisa: por que foi que voce saiu comigo entdo? — Eu gostei de voce. Logo que te vi passando. Voce costuma apanhar mulheres na rua, assim? — Ndo, foi a primeira vez... — A primeira vez?! Sei! Voce' diz isso pra todas... — Mas é verdade, Conceicao... — E... Pode ate ser... Um homem como voce ndo precisa sair corn prostitutas. — Ndo fale assim sobre voce mesma. —Mas é verdade! 0 que é que voce quer que eu diga? Esse e o meu trabalho. Eu sou prostituta. — Essa palavra é tao pesada... Ndo combina corn voce... Voce é uma mulher, sO isso... E eu confesso a voce que, estranhamente, o fato de saber que voce trabalha nisso tido esta me causando nenhum problema. E esquisito....mas eu estou achando tao normal. E verdadeiro, que rid° me causa nenhum mal-estar. Pelo contrario. Voce é uma profissional. Muito pior sdo as amadoras, que ndo se assumem e nem fazem as coisas direito... —Voce esta pensando em alguem? E s6 uma observacdo. —Ndo, Voce é o que é, sem disfarces, sem hipocrisia, e isto, ndo sei por que, me uma sensacdo de paz, de seguranca... — Pois é... Voce me acha uma boa profissional. Mas eu sei que eu nao sou. Eu rid° dou pra esse negOcio... Estou ja no Rio hd oito meses, fazendo a vida, e ainda ndo me acostumei. Estou doida pra voltar pra minha terra, sei casar, ter filhos, ter uma vida normal. — Serio? E onde é a sua terra? — Eu vim de uma cidadezinha, uma praia do Sul da Bahia, chamada Caravelas. Nos eramos muito pobres Mas eu era feliz. Meu pai e pescador, e no verdo nOs montdvamos uma barraquinha de peixe frito para os turistas. Eu ajudava a minha mde na barraca. Eu limpava os peixes, cortava e ela fritava. NOs sO vendiamos peixe frito corn cerveja ou entdo cachaca, e ganhavamos no verao mais dinheiro que no resto do ano inteiro. Era tao born! Eu era uma moleca. Subia na drvore pra corner jaca no pe. Ate subir em coqueiro para apanhar coco eu subia. — E por que voce veio pra ca? — Ah, foi uma amiga... Ela tinha vindo antes, junto corn uns turistas... A Nilzete... Ela é bem atrevida, sabe como? Bern saida, alegre assim... Depois ela voltou pra Id e me trouxe BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

corn ela. Nos viemos de carona de caminhao, voce acredita? Ela me aticou. Eu estava doida pra conhecer o Rio. La em Caravelas passa muita novela de televisdo, e eu queria conhecer os artistas... — E conheceu algum? — Conheci, lá na boate, mas ndo achei grata nenhuma... E depois, quando nOs chegamos da Bahia, tinha uma cafetina... — Eu acho essa palavra tdo engratada, "cafetina"... — Por que? — Sei la. Acho que é por causa de urn flume que passou quando eu era crianca, uma comedia chamada "0 Enterro da Cafetina"... E uma palavra pouco usada fora dos circulos... como direi... especificos da sua area de atividade. — Nossa, que complicado! Born... Mas essa cafetina deu vestidos pra nos, ensinou a gente a dantar, a falar, a corner corn educatdo, segurando o garfo direitinho, porque ate eu vir pro Rio eu s6 comia corn a mdo. Ate hoje eu s6 gosto de corner corn a mao. Quando eu estou sozinha... Mas, sabe como é, pra sair corn os gringos, que s6 levam a gente a restaurantes finos, tern que saber segurar os talheres, corner corn a boca fechada, ndo falar de boca cheia, essas coisas todas, que foi ela quem ensinou. Tern umas coisas de sexo que ela ensinou tambem. — E ate hoje ela é sua cafetina? — Ate hoje. Cafetina nao solta a gente assim ndo, Alexandre... Por isso é que eu quero sair daqui e viajar. Ou entdo voltar pra Caravelas. — Ela flea corn uma parte grande do que voce ganha? — Metade. Mas s6 que corn a outra metade eu tenho que pagar aluguel, condominio, comida, maquiagem, roupas, tudo... E quase nal° sobra nada. — Eu imagino entdo que voce tenha que sair cada vez tom mais homens por noite para sobrar dinheiro alem das despesas... — Ndo, ndo é so corn quantos voce sai. Os italianos e os suicos pagam ate cento e cinqiienta Mares. Corn os alemdes, espanhOis, outros gringos, sabe, ja é mais fraco... Cem Mares, as vezes ate menos. Brasileiro é urn horror pra pagar. Eu so saio corn brasileiro se eu gostar muito do cara, mas al já por outras razOes. — Que razOes? — Ah, sei Atratdo, tesdo... Se eu acho urn homem interessante assim, que nem voce... Ai eu saio. — Born, vote disse hd pouco que lido se considerava uma boa profissional. Mas pelo jeito... — Sabe o que e? E que eu sou muito derretida. Muito emotional, assim, Puta romantica, sentimental, sei BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

ndo pode ser assim ndo. Acaba pobre e sofre muito. Por exemplo, eu tenho horror a homem muito velho. E sato os que pagam melhor, sabia? Teve urn que queria que eu fosse morar corn ele. Tern uma mansdo linda Id em Sdo Conrado, corn piscina corn cascata e tudo. Falou pra eu cozinhar pra ele, que ele me dava uma pensdo alta e ainda me deixava sair a noite. Ele falo que "comprava o meu passe" d cafetina. Mas o velho roncava tanto a noite que eu tinha vontade de dar um soco nele... Al, de manila, antes dele acordar, eu fugi de casa... Ndo apanhei nem o dinheiro. Eu ndo dou pra esse negOcio... Isso é born pra Nilzete, que parece que nasceu pra isso. — Voce as vezes me parece pura... Tdo mais pura do que as pesso que eu conheto... — Eu? Pura? — E... Voce tern uma be leza pura, primitiva, natural, tanto por fora quanto por dentro... —Hum... Que interessante... Nuncia ninguem me falou isso. — Masé verdade... Escuta, Conceicdo. Ja sdo cinco e quinze da manhd. Voce me pediu que eu te deixasse lá as cinco horas. Mas eu gostaria muito que voce dormisse aqui comigo. Eu you ficar muito feliz se puder dormir e acordar ao seu lado. Tern uma outra coisa que eu preciso te dizer: quando eu convidei voce para entrar no meu carro, eu ndo tinha os vinte Mares que voce pediu. Eu sei que fiz mal. Mas se eu ndo mentisse naquela hora, eu perderia voce pra sempre. Na verdade, eu nao tenho dinheiro nenhum. Eu ganho pouco e o meu saldrio voa todo nas contas do inicio do mes. Mas se voce quiser, pode escolher o poster ou o desenho que voté. mais gostar e levar contigo. E sO o que eu posso fazer pra te pagan.. — Hum... Olha, Alexandre, voce agiu muito errado... — Eu sei. — Ndo se sai corn uma prostituta sem o dinheiro combinado. Nos vivemos disso. E a nossa profissdo. Se em vez de mim fosse outra, voce corria o risco dela fazer urn escandalo aqui no seu apartamento, daqueles de acordar o predio intpiro e chamarem a policia. E born voce ficar sabendo disso. Mas, quanto a mim, como eu te disse, eu ndo tenho muito jeito pra esse neg6cio, entdo eu you aceitar o quadro que voce me ofereceu, aquele da mulher corn o coratdo, e you aceitar tambem dormir corn voce hoje.

— Mas voce ndo precisa, se lido quiser. — Eu sei, seu bobdo. Mas eu quero. Sera que voce ndo notou ainda? Eu sou urn fracasso como puta. Eu estou apaixonada por voce. Pronto. Falei. Agora eu you ate a cozinha ver o que vote tern Ia e preparar alguma coisa pra gente corner antes de dormir. — Conceitdo... — 0 que e, seu pilantra semvergonha? — Eu tambem estou apaixonado por voce. — E eu ja sabia antes que voce ndo tinha dinheiro...

— 0i, meu amor. — 0i, meu amor. — Já acordou ha muito tempo? — Mais ou menos. Estava te olhando dormindo. Tdo bonita... Fiquei esperando voce abrir os olhos. — E tdo born acordar e ver voce... Que horas sdo? — Quase oito da noite. Que hora de acordar,, hein... — E a hora que eu acordo mesmo. Nao, mentira. Em geral eu acordo la pelas cinco da tarde. — Voce quer urn café? Urn chd? — Voce tern urn olhar tdo bonito. Parece artista de televisdo. Tern uns cilios compridos. Um olhar meio triste. — Mas eu nao estou triste. Eu estou muito feliz. — Que born ouvir isso... — Eu fiz urn chd, quer? — Ndo, eu quero voce. Vern! Sobe aqui...

—Alo, Ramiro. E o Jodo Paulo. — 0, Jodo Paulo. Tudo born? — Tudo. Desculpe eu te incomodar no domingo. Voce esta aonde? — Estou numa churrascaria, corn a minha familia. — Ta legal. Eu you falar rapid°. Eu andei pensando no caso do Wagner... — Espera al, que aqui esta muito barulhento. Eu you ate o banheiro e a gente conversa... — Alo, Ramiro? Tudo bem? — Tudo bem. Estou sentado na privada. 0 que que tern o Wagner? — Eu andei pensando naqueles negocios que a gente fez corn a Brazil 31

Jet. 0 negocio pode complicar pra empresa. Cheques de "fantasmas", essas coisas. Os homens agora resolveram levantar tudo. Comecou a temporada de "caça as bruxas". E se o Wagner numa dessas disser que tambem é sock), ele pode ser chamado pra depor e colocar a empresa no fogo... Entdo a gente tern que tirar isso da cabeca dele. Eu pensei o seguinte: amanha ou terca voce chama ele pra uma conversa e diz que a empresa vai descentralizar as atividades, abrir urn sistema de franquias, e que cada ski() vai ficar corn um certo niimero de concesseles de franquias, como proprietario das concessOes, que ele vai poder implantar ou negociar corn outros como quiser, tudo isso em troca da cota dele de participacdo na empresa. Al voce mostra pra ele documentos assinados por mim e por voce abrindo mao das nossas partes e faz ele assinar um documento igual. Depois a gente rasga os nossos e fica corn o dele na mao. 0 que é que voce acha? — Td bem bolado. Mas sera que ele aceita? — Mas tido tern o que "aceitar"... E uma mudanca estrutural da empresa, corn contrato .,social novo e. tudo. Voce apresenta pra ele como fato consumado... — E o tal sistema de franquias, vai ser feito mesmo? — Tanto faz, Ramiro. Isso depois a gente ve. Isso é o de menos. 0 importante agora é tirar o Wagner da jogada... — Vamos fazer o seguinte. Vamos almocar juntos amanha. Ate la eu penso nisso. E al voce elabora melhor o piano e me explica. Eu tenho que voltar Ia pra mesa. — Tudo bem. Amanha, meio-dia, no Antonino. — Combinado. Tchau.

— Sonho corn acircar e canela... Que delicia! Eu nunca podia pensar que urn homem soubesse fazer sonhos... — Aprendi corn a minha mde. — Qualquer dia desses eu you fazer uma moqueca de peixe pra voce. Voce deixa? — Claro. — Eu juro que ndo faco muita bagunca na sua cozinha... — Ela vive baguncada mesmo... — Sabe, Alexandre. Eu ndo posso me envolver muito corn voce, porque eu acho que you viajar no mes que 32

vem. Aqui no Rio nao da mais. Fora do verdo, rid muito pouca grana... — Voce vai pra onde? — Ndo sei ainda... Ou pra Espanha ou pra Porto Velho... — Poxa, que extremos! Deixa eu verse entendo direitinho...Na Espanha o que • — E que uma amiga minha que esta morando lá chegou no Rio pra passar urn mes e quer me levar corn ela. Disse que Ia esta Otimo. — Sabe, Conceicao, eu as vezes leio nos jornais sobre esta coisa de brasileiras na Europa. Elas vdo cheias de ilusOes, chegam la, e viram escravas brancas, entende? Longe do pals, ndo tern como se defender, e ficam dependendo de urn esquema la, de uma mdfia, que as explora. Elas ficam bem por um tempo, mas no• final acabam drogadas e perdendo tudo. Essa mafia ndo deixa voce voltar de lá corn dinheiro acumulado. E tudo uma armacdo... E Porto Velho? — Porto Velho tern o garimpo. Ld tern muito homem sozinho. E a gente recebe em ouro. E as vezes ate casa por la, corn urn deles. Serio! Isso aqui, pra mim, ndo tern futuro... — Garimpeiros... Posso ate imaginar... Voce indo pra cama corn aqueles homens imundos, doentes, desdentados, que pulam em cima de voce sO atras de urn buraco onde se enfiar. Parecem porcos no cio... Voce tern muito estomago pra agrientar isso... — Mas é born.. Eles sdo ,pessoas corretas... Tem palavra... E gente simples como eu... E a gente ganha muito dinheiro... Sera que voce ndo entende isso? — Eu entendo. S6 nao entendo é voce dizer que ndo dá pra esse neg6cio e ficar fazendo pianos desse tipo. Eu prefiro que voce nem me conte... — Ah, e? Se eu ndo conversar sobre isso corn voce, you conversar corn quem? Corn a cafetina? Sabe, Alexandre, de todos os tipos de homem, pra mim voce é o pior. Voce e igual aos outros, sO quer me usar, e eu nao ganho nada corn isso... — Eu? SO quero te usar? E voce, não esta me usando tambem nao? Voce me acha urn lixo, por acaso? E outra coisa, a razdo por que eu nao gosto que voce me conte esses pianos de viagem é porque eu sofro quando penso que you ter que ficar longe de voce. SO isso. Nao porque eu no queira escutar os seus problemas. E claro que eu

escuto... — A Nilzete é que esta certa. Ela sempre diz pra eu ter cuidado corn homens como voce, que tern uma conversa danada, levam a gente no papo, usam a gente de graca, e depois tchau! E so enjoar, e jogam na cara da gente na primeira oportunidade que a gente é puta e que nao vale nada... — Conceicao, voce pensa isso mesmo de mim? — Ah, ndo sei... Eu estou confusa, insegura... Eu ndo sei... — Voce tern que pensar pela pr6pria cabeca e decidir por si mesma o que voce quer. Essa Nilzete e as outras vivem te enchendo o ouvido de besteira, fazendo a sua cabeca, que é pra voce rap sair nunca mais desse tipo de vida. Ou voce pensa que elas ndo ganham dinheiro por fora pra te levar nessas viagens? Claro que elas ganham por cada mulher que elas aliciam. Elas s6 te puxam pra baixo o tempo todo e voce WA() ve... — Ndo vai dar certo, Alexandre... 0 que e que voce pode querer corn uma garota como eu? Voce é da elite. Eu ndo tive educacao nenhuma... Ter caso corn um homem de elite nao dá certo... E so por urn tempo, e logo eles cansam da gente... — Eu ndo you me cansar de voce... Eu gosto de voce... Mas pensa bem, Conceicdo. Mesmo se for como voce diz, o que é que voce tern a perder por tentar?... Que é isso?... Voce esta chorando?... " — Eu... ndo acredito... que voce goste... de mim... de verdade... - 6, meu amor... 6, meu amor... Ndo chora ndo... — Voce... e muita coisa... pra mim... - 6, meu amor... Para corn isso... Olha... Olha pra mim... Eu tenho uma proposta pra te fazer. Vamos morar juntos. Amanhd mesmo. Voce se muda pra cá ou a gente aluga outro apartamento. A gente ndo se separa mais. Palavra de garimpeiro! — Voce jura que voce quer isso? — Claro! Foi o destino quem colocou voce na minha vida. E eu sabia que ele ndo ia falhar comigo. Voce aceita? — Eu aceito. Mas como é que nos vamos fazer? — Born, eu tido tenho dinheiro pra "comprar o seu passe" da cafetina... — Mao, isso eu dou urn jeito... Eu estou pensando e como e que n6s vamos viver... Voce ganha pouco. Eu tenho algum dinheiro que economizei, mas urn dia ele acaba... — A gente vai dar urn jeito. Se for preciso eu vendo o carro... — Escuta... Voce ndo falou que gosta de mim do jeito que eu sou? — Falei. — Voce ndo me conheceu trabaBRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

lhando? — Conheci. — Entdo, por que é que voce ndo me deixa trabalhar, pelo menos ate voce melhorar a sua situacdo? Trabalhando eu posso ajudar mais... — Po, eu ndo sei... Ai quem precisa ter estomago sou eu... — Mas 6 so trabalho, meu amor. Eu ndo gozo corn homem nenhum, so corn voce. E prometo que nem beijo na boca eu dou. 0 meu amoré so seu. E so o que eu you pensar o tempo todo é na hora de voltar pra casa, pra voce... Se ndo for assim, ndo vai dar... Eu ndo quero viver sustentado por voce, e nem voce tern condicOes de me sustentar agora... — Mas sera que eu agiiento isso? — Claro que sim. E a minha profissdo. Como se eu fosse massagista ou enfermeira, entende? — Nao é a mesma coisa... — E sim! E a mesma coisa! — Voce ndo tern medo de pegar Aids? — Eu me cuido.Ndo tern perigo. Eu so transo corn preservativo. — Mas comigo voce nao exigiu preservativo... — Eu sabia que voce ia dizer isso... Mas e que eu sabia quern voce era. De homem, eu entendo, ndo se esqueca disso. E voce, ndo correu risco comigo tambem? — Corn. Mas foi urn risco calculado. — Entdo. 0 meu tambem foi urn risco calculado... Mas eu prometo que eu ndo corro esse risco corn mais ninguem. Alern disso, eu ndo sou louca. Eu ndo quero morrer! — Esta bem. Eu deixo voce trabalhar. Tres dias por semana, td born? — TA otimo! Eu so preciso do fimde-semana. Mas voce trabalhando a semana inteira, ndo vai fazer questa() de ficar comigo nos fins-de-semana? — Eu you largar o emprego amanha. Eu ja estava pra fazer isso. Assim, nos teremos os dias da semana inteiros para ficarmos juntos, os dois sem trabalhar. Enquanto isso, eu you ficar de olho num emprego melhor. E se precisar, como eu te falei, eu vendo o carro. — Sabe o que eu queria? Que voce voltasse a fazer esses desenhos. Eles sdo tdo lindos! Eu tenho certeza de que daqui a pouco voce vai ganhar muito dinheiro corn eles. — Voce acha? Já faz tempo que eu nao desenho... Mas, td legal. Eu you voltar a desenhar. Nos fins-de-semana, td? — Quando voce quiser, meu amor. Voce é urn artista... Eu ndo you deixar voce desperdicar o seu talento... — Meu Deus, que loucura... Isso parece urn sonho... — Urn sonho... Ou vai ver que é o tal "destino" que voce falou... BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

— Entendeu agora, Ramiro? NAt tern jeito. Vai ter que ser assim. — Eu já tinha entendido desde 6 comeco. Eu so queria ver se ndo tinha furo nenhum no esquema. Tudo bem. At6 o fim desta semana eu converso corn o Wagner. Eu nAo you fazer isso agora, porque eu preciso que ele resolva umas coisas pra mim. Antes que ele, de repente, se empombe e puxe o carro... — Ele ndo vai fazer isso. Ele vai ficar corn o salario dele. A gente pode ate dar um aumentozinho como premio de consolacdo. E como voce disse aquele dia, ele ja esta velho, ndo vai botar em risco o emprego... Ele cai muito nestes dois anos. Ndo vai te pique pra procurar outra coisa... Mas que é que voce precisa que ele faca pr voce? — Eu quero que ele de urn dun numas pessoas la. Eu botei urn funcionaria la pra fazer umas demissOe pra mim, mas ela e muito fraquinha. E you deixar ela terminar esse servico depois you pedir pro Wagner demiti ela. — Por que voce mesmo ndo demite — Ndo, deixa o Wagner fazer isso. Eu nAo quero me aporrinhar co demissdo... — Isso esta me cheirando a outr coisa... Voce comeu a menina, ndo gostou, e agora ndo tern cara pra se livrar dela... —0, Joao Paulo... 6, meu irmdo... — Calma Ia, eu ndo sou vascaino ndo... E ou ndo 6 o que eu estou dizendo? — E isso mesmo... — Ndo gostou da gatinha porque? — Ah, ela 6 legal. E bonitinha. Mas tern uma cabeca meio complicada... Sabe mulher quando complica as coisas? Vern corn aqueles papos... — Ndo é nada disso. Voce so queria corner a mop e pronto. Porra, Ramiro. Pensa que eu nasci hoje? JA te conheco de outros carnavais... Voce vive fazendo isso... Ndo gosta de trabalhar corn mulher que ja comeu. E o seu jeito. Deve ter Id as suas razOes. SO aquela tal de Sandra voce ndo comeu porque ela é o maior jaburu, o maior canhdo que eu ja vi... E por isso que ela esta la ate hoje. E porque ela ja viu coisas demais, já sabe demais, ndo e ndo? — Porra, Joao Paulo... - 6, Ramiro, eu sou puta velha. .

Te conheco, cara. Agora, voce cuidado, hein! Voce fica usando as pessoas, e a qualquer hora isso volta contra voce... — Volta nada rapaz... 0 que volta é — TA legal. Isso é problema seu. SO que eu realmente gostaria que voce resolvesse o caso do Wagner ate o final da semana. Prepara os documentos e manda IA ern casa que eu assino. Manda o seu ja assinado pra eu dar uma olhada tambem. — TA desconfiando' de mim, Joao Paulo? — Eu ndo confio nem na minha mde, quanto mais em voce. Faz o que eu estou falando e depois me conta como é que foi o papo corn o Wagner, td legal? — TA legal. Deixa comigo.

— 0i, Alexandre. Vamos almocar juntos? — Eu estive esperando pra falar corn voce a manhd inteira. Mas voce mudou de sala... Vamos conversar um pouquinho aqui antes do almoco. — U6, voce limpou a sua mesa? Quem te contou? — Contou o que? — Ah... Nada ndo... Voce esta saindo do emprego? — 0 que é que voce acha, Claudia? — Acho que esta... Mas ndo 6 por minha causa ndo, 6? — Ndo. E por minha causa. Já cumpri todas as penas do purgat6rio. Vou pedir as minhas contas ao seu Wagner agora. — Olha, Alexandre... Eu acho que eu posso facilitar isso pra voce... — Ah 6? Que born! — Esta aqui urn envelope corn os doze dias deste mes. DA uma conferida al e assina o recibo, ta? — Tudo bem. Voce foi promovida mesmo, hein... — E, parece. Mas eu estou angustiada. — E a sindrome da transformacdo. Acontece corn toda galinha que resolve virar raposa. — E? E as que nao resolvem, fazem o que? Esperam ser depenadas e irem pra panela? —sao comidas de qualquer jeito. Mais cedo ou mais tarde. — Eu estou sobrevivendo, Alexandre... Voce ndo precisa se justificar. Pelo menos, ndo pra mim. Voce nem 33

pode imaginar o quanto eu tenho me tornado tolerante nesses casos. De qualquer modo, eu me sinto duplamente aliviado: por cair fora desta senzala, e por nao precisar mais acompanhar de perto o seu estilo de "sobrevivencia"... — E o que voce vai fazer agora? — Eu? Vou ficar em casa desenhando por urn tempo. Eu desenho, voce sabia? E depois talvez Va viajar... — Pra onde? — Ndo sei. Espanha ou Porto Velho — Que viagem mais esquisita... — A vida é esquisita mesmo. E o Doutor Ramiro? Esta te tratando bem? — Ele é urn bocal, como voce disse. — Voce ja colocou a bandeirinha do Vasco na sua mesa? — Para corn isso, Alexandre. —Voce esta corn problemas de consciencia, ne? Posso te dar urn conselho? Encare tudo isto profissionalmente, como se voce fosse uma massagista ou uma enfermeira... — Que conversa esquisita, Alexandre... — Guarda o que eu disse. Vai te ser — Vamos almocar? Eu quero te contar o que esta acontecendo. — Nao, eu you almocar em casa. No agiiento mais esses restaurantes do Centro. A gente fica parecendo uma multiddo de famintos da Somalia esperando a vez de receber uma tigelinha de arroz de um avid() da ONU. Eu you fazer um born espaguete na minha casa, sem pressa... — Posso ir corner urn espaguete corn voce na sua casa no domingo? — Ndo, domingo é dia de jogo do Vasco. Voce vai estar ocupada. — Alexandre, voce esta sendo muito duro comigo... — Fica tranquila. Voce vai sobreviver. Todos nOs vamos sobreviver. 0 destino se encarrega disso. — 0 destino a gente escolhe. — As vezes ele escolhe a gente. Sabe como é... Urn dia, escravo, outro dia, feitor... Urn dia garimpando no lugar errado, outro dia a pepita de ouro aparece... E a gente come uma moqueca de peixe pra comemorar... Agora eu you seguir o conselho de urn velho amigo meu, que eu ndo posso repetir pra voce... Um beijo. Te cuida. — Boa sone! 34

— Eu tenho! — Eu estou desconfiado de que esse negocio que voce esta me propondo é uma sacanagem. Uma punhalada nas costas. Sendo voces teriam me chamado pra decidir isso junto corn voces, e ndo me apresentariam assim a coisa já resolvida... — Que besteira, ô vascaino... Voce acha que alguem aqui ia fazer sacanagem corn voce? Se fosse assim, a gente entdo esta fazendo uma sacanagem conosco tambem, porque a mudanca é igual pros tres. — Eu preferia como era antes. — Como era antes, pode dar zebra a qualquer momento. 0 nosso cOdigo esta nos disquetes que a Policia Federal apreendeu na EPC. A gente tern que torcer pra eles nao conseguirem decifrar o troco. Essa nova empresa em sistema de franquias, 6 Wagner, é um bote salva-vidas pro nosso capital. hi& continuamos os tres no mesmo barco. 0 barco e que mudou. — Ramiro, posso ser franco? Ha muito tempo eu venho desconfiando de que voces dois vem me passando para trds. Aqueles halal-19os sempre negativos que voce me apresenta... Eu so vejo voce comprando carro importado, jet ski, casa em Angra, que porra é essa? Voce acha que eu sou crianca? — Voce tambem comprou urn carro zero este ano, e já encomendou urn Omega todo equipado... Voce no esta ganhando dinheiro aqui? Entao... E eu tenho urn negocio pra voce. Vinte por cento reais a mais no seu salario, e voce esquece aquele papo de retiradas do lucro. Que alias, voce nunca faz mesmo... 0 que é que voce esta perdendo corn isso? Nada! — Eu you virar empregado a esse altura da minha vida? — Voce sempre foi, Wagner. Caia na real. —Chega de conversa. Eu ndo quero mais papo nao. Me dá essa merda desse papel pra eu assinar... — 0, vascaino... Nao fica puto Neg6cio é negocio... Negocio porra nenhuma! Isto é chantagem. Voces garfaram os meus

quinze por cento, seus filhos-da-puta. Toma essa merda desse papel. Enfiem no rabo. Hoje eu you sair mais cedo. Segunda-feira a cabeca estamais fresca, e a gente volta a conversar. — Mas n6s no combinamos de domingo eu te apresentar ao Calcada?... — Eu quero que o Calcada se foda! Eu quero o meu! Alias, eu quero que voce e o Jodo Paulo se fodam tambem, seus crocodilos. — Crocodilos?...

— 0i, amor. — Quanto e?... — Cento e cinqiienta dOlares. — Pago cem. Suite do Champion, tá born? Se ndo estd, vai a merda. — Calma, querido. Tudo bem. — Entra ai. — Que carro lindo o seu... Adoro esse cheirinho de carro novo. Dirige devagar, td? Que voce ja bebeu... — Devagar é o caralho! N5o fode, porra... — Olha, se voce for me tratar assim, pode parar aqui mesmo na Avenida Atlantica que eu you saltar. — Tudo bem. Como é o seu nome? — Dominique. E o seu? — Meu nome e Wagner. Mas pode me chamar de boi-de-piranha... — Já sei. Voce é o boi e eu sou a piranha, certo? — Hah, hah, essa e boa... Voce ate que tern humor, garota... Ate que tern humor... This is the first time "Made in Brazil" (the original title) is published. Its author, Julio Cesar Monteiro Martins, was born in Niteroi, in the Greater Rio, in 1955. He has published several shortstory books: Torpalium, Sabe Quem

Dancou?, A Oeste de Nada, As Forcas Desarmadas, and Muamba. Monteiro Martins is also the author of three novels:

Arterias e Becos, Barbara, 0 Espaco Imaginario and a volume of essays: 0 Livro das Diretas. He is one of the founders of the Brazilian Green Party and from 1992 to 1994 has worked as a lawyer for the Brazilian Center in Defense of Children's Rights. He has taught literary creation at the Goddard College in the US and is now a professor in Italy, teaching literary creation and Brazilian literature in colleges in Piza, Florence, Lucca and Pistoia.

BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

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Until the 1950s Brazil's place in the world economy remained that of an exporter of agricultural commodities and importer of manufactured goods. First there was the sugar monoculture; then came coffee and rubber.

On November 29, 1807 Napoleon's army marched on Lisbon. Two days before the invasion, 40 ships carrying the Portuguese prince regent (later known as Dom Joao VI) and his entire court of 15,000 had set sail for Brazil under the protection of British warships. When the prince regent arrived in Rio, his Brazilian subjects celebrated wildly, dancing in the streets. He immediately took over rule of Brazil from his viceroy. As foreigners have been doing ever since, Dom Joao fell in love with Brazil. A great lover of nature, he founded Rio's botanical gardens and introduced the habit of sea bathing to the water-wary inhabitants of Rio. Expected to return to Portugal after Napoleon's Waterloo in 1815, he stayed in Brazil The following year his mother, mad Queen Dona Maria I, died and Dom Jodo VI became king. Despite demands to return to Portugal and rule, he refused and declared Rio the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Brazil became the only New World colony to ever have a European monarch ruling on its soil. Five years later he finally relented to political pressures and returned to Portugal, leaving his son, Pedro, in Brazil as prince regent. According to legend, in 1822, Pedro pulled out his sword and yelled "Independencia ou morte!" (Independence or death), putting him/

BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

self at the country's head as Emperor Dom Pedro I. — often of mi ed Portuguese and Indian extraction was Portugal was too weak to fight its favorite son, not to able to eke ou a living. mention the British, who had the most to gain from The south as another story. Settled by farmers from Brazilian independence and would have come to the aid of the Portugues Azores who brought their wives with the Brazilians. The Brazilian Empire was born. Without them, the are was economically backward. Few could spilling blood, Brazil had attained its independence and afford slaves. he Indians had been clustered in the Jesuit Dom Pedro I became the first emperor of Brazil. missions far to he west to save them from the bandeirantes. Dom Pedro I only ruled for nine The south was, and remains, Brazil's years. From all accounts he was a most European region. bumbling incompetent who scanLampPS Slave Revolts & Abolition dalized even the permissive BrazilSlavery in Brazil was not abolished Every country has famous bad guys ians by siring several soccer teams until 1888, 25 years after the USA and somewhere in its history. The USA has its of illegitimate children. He was 80 years behind Britain. Resistance to Western outlaws the UK has its highwayforced to abdicate, paving the way slavery grew throughout the 19th cenen, Australia has its bushrangers and for his five-year-old son to become tury and the specter of Haiti —the site razil has its cangaceiros (bandits). emperor. of the first successful slave revolt — At the end of the 19th century, the Until Dom Pedro II reached adohaunted the Brazilian planters who, as arsh poverty and social injustice in the lescence, Brazil suffered a period a result, became more brutal towards drought-plagued sertcio of the Northeast of civil war under the rule of a weak their slaves. caused the formation of gangs of outlaws triple regency. In 1840, the nation In Bahia there were several urban known as cangacos, who attacked towns, rallied behind the emperor, and his insurrections between 1807 and 1835. fazendas (ranches) and army outposts. The 50-year reign is regarded as the Most were led by Muslim blacks — most famous cangaceiro was Lampido, most prosperous period in Brazilthose who were free and those in slawho terrorized the sertao,for more than 20 ian history. He nurtured an increasvery. The uprising of 1807 in Bahia years. ingly powerful parliamentary syswas carefully planned so that slaves Lampido was a cowboy until hiS,partem, went to war with Paraguay, from the sugar plantations would meet ents were killed by a cruel landowner. He , interfered in Argentine, Paraguayan the city slaves at the entrance to the city and his brothers swore revenge and headed and Uruguayan affairs, abolished and together attack the whites, seize for the serf'do to join the roaming outlaw , slavery, encouraged mass immigraships and flee to Africa. However, the ands. tion and became the first man in plot was betrayed and the leaders killed. Around 1920, years after he had Brazil to have his photograph taken The following year, a similar plan was become a cangaceko, Lampido became and to speak on the telephone carried out and the blacks were dehead of his own gang. He gained his nick(though not at the same time). Ultifeated in battle. In Minas Gerais, 15,000 'name, the Lamp. because of the bright mately, he forged a nation that slaves congregated in Ouro Preto and flashes given off by his rifle when he would do away with the monarchy "fought the police. Unlike other cangago 6000 in So Jodi) do Morro, demanding forever. freedom and a constitution. The last leaders, who were known for their generIn 1889 a military coup supbig slave revolt in Bahia was in 1835, osity to the suffering people of the sertao, portedby the coffee aristocracy and and was almost successful. ampido was renowned for his cruelty. a popular wave of republican sentiSlaves fought their oppressors in With his band, that numbered between ment toppled the antiquated Brazilmany ways, and many managed to es15 and 50 men, he roamed the backlands ian Empire. The emperor went into cape from their masters. Quilombos, of Pernambuco, Paraiba, Alagoas and exile and died in Paris a couple of communities of runaway slaves, scatCeara. His fame grew as stones and songs years later. A military clique ruled tered throughout the countryside, were of his deeds spread throughout the NorthBrazil for four years until elections common throughout the colonial pewere held, but because of land and riod. In 1929 he met Maria Bonita, who literacy requirements, ignorance The quilombos ranged from small became his lover and the first woman to and threats, only about 2% of the groups hidden in the forests, called join the cangago. For another nine years adult population voted. Little mocambos, to the most famous, the the cangaco continued to be a thorn in the changed, except that power of the great republic of Palmares, which surside of the state and federal governments, military and the coffee growers invived through much of the 17th cenwho tried many times to bring Lampido to creased, while it diminished for the tury. Justice. Protected by the frightened gensugar barons. Palmares covered a broad tract of eral population and scared landowners, A New Empire lush tropical forest near the coast of the cangaceiros became careless. One night At the beginning of the 19th northern Alagoas and southern in July 1938, they were surrounded by century, Brazil was a country of Pernambuco states. At its height, 20,000 group of *licia militdr, from Sergipe. masters and slaves. There were people lived under its protection. Most Lampido and Maria Bonita were both about three million people, not inwere black, but there were also Indians, killed, along with nine other gang memcluding the Indians, and roughly mulattos, mesticos (of mixed European bers. Their heads were cut off and for one million of them were African and Indian parentage) and bandits. They almost 30 years remained on display in the slaves. In the poorer areas there lived off the land, growing mostly corn. Salvador Medical Institute. They were fiwere fewer black slaves, more poor Agriculture was produced as a collecnally buried in 1969. whites and more Indians. The centive and productivity was higher than The last cangaceiro and surviving tral west region — Minas, Goias, on the slave plantations. member of Ltunpiaces band, Corisco, was the Mato Grosso— was only settled Palmares was really a collection of killed in 1940, and the era of thecangavos in isolated pockets where precious semi-independent quilombos united came to an end. metals had been found. The Northunder the rule of one king to fight off eastern interior, the serteio, was the the Portuguese forces. Led by Zumbi, most settled inland part of the counwho had been a king in Africa, the try. Although the arid seraio was citizens of Palmares became pioneers unable to sustain much agriculture, cattle could graze and of guerrilla warfare and defeated many Portuguese atsurvive. It was a poor business, constantly threatened by tacks. Fearing Palmares' s example, the government desdrought, but the hardy sertanejo (inhabitant of the Serta0) perately tried o crush it. Between 1670 and 1695 Palmares BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

37

was attacked on an average of every 15 months, until preaching and prophesizing the appearance of the Antiit finally fell to a force led by Paulista bandeirantes. christ and the coming end of the world. He railed against Palmares is now the stuff of movies and myths, but the new republican government, and eventually gathered there were many quilombos in every state. As abolihis followers (who called him the Counselor) in Canudos, tionist sentiment grew in the 19th century, the quilombos a settlement in the interior of Bahia. received more support In Canudos, the government and ever greater numsensed dissenting plots to return bers of slaves fled. Only Brazil to the Portuguese monarabolition itself in 1888 chy. They set out to subdue the stopped the quilombos. rebels, but miraculously, a force Insurrections of state police and then two atHenry der Wickham was the man who punctured th With the settlements tacks by the federal army were Brazilian rubber boom. A classic Victorian character, it's su separated by enormous defeated. ,prising that no film has ever been made about his famous "se distances, with few Hysterical demonstrations in snatch" from the Amazon transportation or comthe cities demanded that the reThe ,idea of establishing rubber plantations in the itish munication links and an public be saved from the revolucolonies in Ceylon, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies was one economy oriented totionary-monarchist followers of which had not escaped the crafty British botanists, but the ward European markets the Counselor, and Canudos was believed that the seeds or seedlings of the Hevea brasilie rather than local ones, again besieged. A federal force could never survive the very long journey to England. the Brazilian nation was of 4000 well-supplied soldiers In 18,76, Wickham, who had been drifting through weak and there was took the settlement after feroAmerica for some time, made a deal with Sir Joseph Ho little sense of national cious house-to-house and handKevii Gardens ho assured him he' very identity. Throughout to-hand fighting. The military rubber sei could provide, the 19th century the was disgraced and suffered have it, on M` As kin Brazilian Empire was heavy casualties and the federal Amazonas, entire cargo stolen fro eks in M plagued with revolts by overnment was embarrassed, Wickham cha d the ship and instructed the captain to local ruling elites deut Canudos was wiped out. The once and meet him in Santarem. Wickham himself went u manding greater aumilitary killed every man, by canoe to a spot already chosen for the large numb tonomy from the cenrubber trees that grew there. woman and child, and then tral government, or burned the town to the ground to For the next week he and his Indian helpers collected even fighting to secede. erase it from the nation's by listening for the sharp crack of the exploding seed ca Rio Grande do Sul was memory. that scatter the seeds up to 50 meters from the tree. H torn by a civil war, The epic struggle has been packed the precious cargo between dried banana leave called the Fampos Restored them in cane baskets. When they boarded the Ama memorialized in what is considbellion. There were inin Santarem he had 70,000 rubber tree seeds with him. ered the masterpiece of Brazilsurrections in Sao Paulo As they reached the Brazilian Customs House in Bele ian literature, Os Sert5es (Reand Minas Gerais, and captain held the ship in the harbor under a full head of bellion in the Backlands) by others swept through while Wickham visited the customs officials, declaring " Euclides da Cunha. More rethe North and Northavi here are exceedingly delicate botanical specimen have cently, Mario Vargas Llosa east in the 1830s and lyd enof sesignate for delivery to Her Majesty's own wrote of Canudos in The War of '40s. the End of the World The bloodiest and I med on arrival in Le Havre, en route to Liverpool, most radical was the Wickham d ashore and caught a fast boat across the Coffee & Rubber Cabanagem in the state Channel. ly arrived at Kew Gardens at 3 am, and wokefe Popular legend has it that the up a surpri of Para. The rebels laid ft Joseph Hooker, who sent a goods train to coffee bean was introduced to the Amazonas and ordered workers to clear siege to the capital of Brazil in the early 18th century Belem, appropriating he he ts other tropical plants in anticipation of by Francisco de Mello Palheta, and distributing supshipm an officer from Maranhao, who Tb thewhole operation succeeded in bringing live plies. They held the city went to Cayenne in French rubber to England, and in August of the same ye for a year before their Guiana in order to settle a borfirstsi S were shipped to Ceylon â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thus ensuri defeat at the hands of a der dispute. He reputedly won colla e Brazilian rubber industry, large government the heart of the governor's wife, was nicknamed the 'Executioneio force. The peasants fled who put some coffee beans into by the Rraziflan rubber barons. He went off to s. to the jungle with the his cup as a parting gift. On his trying to grow tobacco and coffee in army in pursuit and return to Brazil, he planted them. Australia.. In 1920 he knighted by eventually 40,000 of It was to be another 100 years, services to the plantation industry. the state's 100,000 however, until coffee rose to people were killed. become Brazil's new monoculThe most serious ture. insurrections, like the Cabanagem, spread to the opThe international sugar market began a rapid decline pressed peasants and urban poor. The empire always in the 1820s. The sugar planters had depleted much of struck back and the revolts all failed, in part because their best soil, they had failed to modernize and were the upper and middle classes, who led the revolts unable to compete with the newly mechanized sugar mills feared the mobilized poor as much as they feared the in the West Indies. As rapidly as sugar exports fell, coffee government. production rose. The 19th century was also a period of messianic Coffee grew poorly in the harsh northern climate, but popular movements amongst Brazil's poor. Most of flourished on the low mountain slopes of the Paraiba the movements took place in the economically devalley from northeast of Sao Paulo city up to Rio de pressed backlands of the Northeast. Canudos is the Janeiro state and along the border with Minas Gerais. As most famous of these movements. From 1877 to 1887, these lands were snatched up, the coffee plantations moved Antonio Conselheiro wandered through the backlands westward into Minas Gerais and Western Sao Paulo. 38

WOZZL.APML1997

Coffee production was labor intensive. Because of the large investment needed to employ so many workers, production excluded the small fanner and favored large enterprises using slave labor. The master-slave sugar plantation system, complete with the big house and slave quarters, was reproduced on the coffee fazendas of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais. Coffee exports increased rapidly throughout the 19th century and profits soared with the introduction of mechanization and Brazil's first railroads. In 1889 it totaled two-thirds of the country's exports. The modernization of coffee production also eased the coffee plantations' transition to a free labor force with the end of slavery in 1888. During the next decade, 800,000 European immigrants, mostly Italians, came to work on the coffee fazendas. Millions more immigrants — Japanese, German, Spanish and Portuguese — flooded into the cities from 1890 to 1916. Brazil was still a rural society — only 10% of the population lived in cities in 1890 — but cities were growing rapidly. Sao Paulo and Rio in particular were the main beneficiaries of the coffee boom. In the last decades of the 19th century and the first of the 20th, the Amazon region was the scene of another incredible economic boom. It was Hevea brasiliensis — the rubber tree — a native of the American tropics that was the bringer of this good fortune. Things started to inflate in 1842 with the discovery of the vulcanization process which turned rubber into an important industnal material. Demand really increased in 1890, with the invention of the pneumatic tire and the expansion of the fledgling automobile industry in the USA. The price of rubber skyrocketed bringing huge wealth and rapid progress to the main Amazonian cities of Belem,

Manaus and Iquitos, as well as a large population increase to the region. In 1912, Manaus boasted electric lights, trams and a magnificent opera house. Rubber production that year reached its peak, when 42,000 tons of latex were exported; nearly 40% of Brazilian export revenue. It was second only to coffee on the list of most valuable export commodities. Then the puncture occurred. Unfortunately for Brazil, in 1876, seeds from the rubber tree had been smuggled out of the Amazon and sent to Kew Gardens in England. The seedlings quickly found their way to the British colonies in Southeast Asia, where large rubber plantations were established. These plantations started to yield in 1910 and proved to be extremely efficient. The price of latex plummeted on the wbrld market. The Brazilian rubber boom became a blowout. Brazil's place in the world economy remained that of an exporter of agricultural commodities and importer of manufactured goods. Some Excerpts from Bra:-// seeds of modernization had .4 Travel Survival Kit been planted, but there was no economic take-off, no 3rd edition, qualitative leap forward. In by Andrew Draffen, 1917, afterrepeated sinkings Chris McAsey, of Brazilian ships by GerLeonardo Pinheiro. mans, Brazil entered WW I and Robyn Jones. on the Allied side. The proFor more information duction of foodstuffs during call Lonely Planet: the war years restored a brief (800) 275-8555. period of prosperity, but afCopyright 1992 Lonely ter the war there were conPlanet Publications. tinuing economic crises and Used by permission. local political revolts.

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_4 BRAZZIL-APRIL1W7

39

Shut Up and Dance They have been compared to other musicians from Minas Gerais state like themselves, but Skank has created a sound that defies any resemblance to the well-accepted music of the region. With their compelling music, they have made the first team of Brazilian pop. BRUCE GILMAN

It's Friday night and everybody at CafĂŠ Danssa in West Los Angeles is dancing to a tune that has been dominating Brazilian radio for months with irresistible rhythmic punch and torrid lyrics that speak of a dream girl steamed in vapor. Pumping through the sound system is Skank, a band that has seduced the public with an infallible formula that addresses two national glories Brazilians cultivate from the crib: women and soccer. Their monstrous hit is, of course, "Garota Nacional" (National Girl). Skank, the latest sensation of Brazilian pop, emerged from Belo Horizonte, the capital of mountainous, mineral-rich Minas Gerais, a city where the music scene at the beginning of the '90s was divided between the cult of the Clube da Esquina â&#x20AC;&#x201D; devotees of Milton Nascimento, La Borges, and Beto Guedes; and the disciples of heavy-metal. Skank is neither. Embracing Jamaican pop as its foundation, Skank succeeded because of their riveting, unrelenting sound and because they have never been solely a reggae band. What came directly from Jamaica to the music of Skank was electronic reggae, the digital keyboard and drum sound of Sly & Robbie. Although some contend that the band's name came from the Bob Marley tune "Easy Skanking" on his Kaya LP, and others say that it is a derivative of the word used for laboratory grown marijuana; the name, in reality, is an allusion to the Jamaican rhythm ska. Skanking is something like dancing to ska. Comparisons between Skank and other composers and musicians from Minas like La Borges are inevitable. But by performing their own breed of reggae, Skank has created an unparalleled sound that is aggressive, but sweet, a sound that defies any resemblance to the well-accepted music of the region. 40

Because they have a knack for writing coherent tunes, which sound simple, yet shine with unusual brilliance, Skank's compositions have conquered the public at large as well as other successful composers and notable musicians. Lo Borges, a Skank fan himself, recently commented that the quartet's sound is one that Brazil has needed for a long time. Daniela Mercury invited Samuel Rosa, Skank's vocalist and guitar player, to record the duet "Minas corn Bahia" by Chico Amaral on her most recent project. And Jorge Benjor, another Skank fan, asked Samuel to appear on Homo Sapiens, Benj or' s latest project. Besides writing tunes with contagious rhythms and flirtatious lyrics, the quartet evokes a euphoric mood. They are heirs of the pop music reveler tradition dating back to the accordion of Luiz Gonzaga and the trio eletrico of Luiz Caldas. Setting a record for 1995, they made 170 appearances in 18 months to promote their second release, Calango. Their fee is roughly $41,000 per show while the reggae group Cidade Negra, who in 1995 sold almost 1 million discs, receives about $15,000 for a performance. Skank's success is intriguing because of its similarity to the recent spread of axe music, which originated with black groups in Bahia. Axe exploded in Brazil only after being presented by Daniela Mercury. The same thing happened with Brazilian rap, which became a national mania only after Gabriel o Pensador' s first release. Exploitation of black music by white artists has been an astonishing and widely recognized phenomenon that has been successfully employed since Elvis Presley. The only trick is that the formula works only when the artists involved have talent. Skank went through a curious growth process, different from the majority of groups from Belo Horizonte. The band members were local musicians who played at different bars. Once in a while they got together at a bar called Janis to play in Skank and do cover versions of tunes by Tim Maia (godfather of Brazilian funk) and Jorge Benjor, never imag-

Cver flt t CD BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

ining that five years later Benjor would invite their singer to appear on one of his recordings. The first venue Skank started playing with any regularity was a churrascaria (a restaurant featuring barbecued meat) called Mister Biff. Every night after the gig, their clothes would be inundated with the smell of meat and smoke. But the worst part of the gig was that the band never even got dinner. They were allowed a snack, which was limited to a choice between a hamburger or a potato. Struggling to survive in the artistic world of Belo Horizonte by playing the bar scene was grizzly. It was a milestone for the quartet when they created a joint savings account to spur the Skank project. Instead of proceeding like many other groups, who make a demo tape and try their luck with the big record companies, Skank invested their $10,000 collective savings in a CD and a video clip. They had 3,000 copies of the CD pressed and sent half to radio stations, record companies, and the press. The other half was sold at gigs to cover their investment. While the band was busy trying to shop their product, their manager negotiated a deal with Sony's Chaos label. Sony bought the master for $10,000 and invested another $10,000 for a remix providing the first release with a more polished sound. The deal was a bargain for Sony who at the time was reticent about contracting any new talent. The first disc sold 150,000 copies, more than enough for the standards of Brazilian rock when you consider that the superb disc Da Lata (From Tin) released in 1995 on EMI by rock diva Fernanda Abreu, singer and sex symbol for the preeminent rock group Blitz, sold roughly 100,000 copies in one year. Although Skank's first release wasn't the earth shattering success of Mamonas Assassinas, it was enough to show that Brazilian pop music had a future and that it was not necessary for Brazilian bands to sing in English or to mimic the fashions that were in vogue abroad, like hip-hop music or grunge. The members of the quartet were born and raised in Belo Horizonte, and they still live there. Guitar player and vocalist Samuel Rosa, bass player Lelo Zaneti, and drummer Haroldo Ferretti live on the same street. Keyboard player Henrique Portugal lives in an apartment two blocks away from the others. They play soccer together every chance they get and are often joined by their close friend La Borges. Their passion for the game is obvious by the official soccer jerseys they wear on stage and by their refusal to book gigs on days when there is an important match between the two principal Mineiro soccer teams, Atletico and Cruzeiro. They have even signed an exclusive contract with the brand of sports' products that BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

Samuel Rosa -fteeimes,.

sponsors the uniforms of the top Brazilian teams. Nonetheless, they have refused offers of $250,000 to promote products like slippers and beer. It's not that they are adverse to the advertising world. It is just that Skank has tried to avoid the over-exposure that pulled down groups like RPM, the Brazilian rock sensation of the 1980s. The members of Skank never imagined they would attain stardom, and that is the secret of the rapport they have established with their fans. They are like a soccer team that wins the World Cup playing with athletes who were just promoted from the juniors. Selling more discs than the king, Roberto Carlos, and more than any sertaneja duo, Skank dominated Brazilian music sales in 1996. Their third disc 0 Samba Pocone (the name was forro inspired) has continued to maintain its position high on best sellers' charts in Brazil and is proof that Skank's success was warranted and not fabricated. Only the sound track from the soap opera Rei do Gado (King of the Herd) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; pushed by Globo media conglomerate and adorned by a dozen different artists â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sold more than the Mineiros. Maybe the wind will change, but it is still strong enough now to bet on Skank as a favorite for quite some time. In absolute numbers, 0 Samba Pocone is followed closely only by Na Cabeca, e na Cintura (In the Head,, In the Waist) from the Bahian group E o Tchan and by the most recent disc by Zeze Camargo and Luciano, both with sales above the 1.5 million mark. Released in June 1996, on the Sony label, 0 Samba Pocone has already sold over 1.8 million copies. In comparison, the disc A Tempestade (Storm) by Legido Urbana (Urban Legion) sold less than half as many copies despite the commotion over the death of singer Renato Russo. Propelled by the racy lyrics and its scorching rhythmic drive, the latest project has brought record crowds to their electrifying shows. Skank communicates with their fans via a highvoltage energy level that moves through a throng like electrifying waves. Attending a Skank show has become the dream of the young people who championed Mamonas Assassinas. Fans stay up until three in the morning dancing and trying to get closer to their idols. "E uma Partida de Futebol" (It's a Soccer Game), narrated with a magic reminiscent of the Benjor classics, "Fio Maravilha" (Mar41

Garota Nacional

National Girl

Samuel Rosa, Chico Amaral Aqui nesse mundinho fechado ela 6 incrivel Corn seu vestido preto indefectivel Eu detesto o jeito dela, mas pensando bem Ela fecha corn meus sonhos como ninguem

Here in this closed littli' she is incredible In her infallibe bladk di I detest her manner,bui second thought She matches my drm no one else

Conhece-te a ti mesino e eu me conheco Sou urn qualquer vulgar, bern, as yens esqueco E finjo que nao finjo ao ignorar Que ela me domina no primeiro olhar

Know yourself and 1 k myself I am anyone well, so I forget And I pretettel that pretending at igno That she dominates first glance

velous Fio) and "Ponta de Lanca Africano" (African Point Man) never fails to ignite Skank supporters. Aside from soccer, the liveliest tunes on 0 Samba Pocone talk about girls. The charm here lies in the understated manner the group has of expressing its particular form of romanticism. Even when the lyrics are disheartening, the music is joyous. This happens with "Eu Disse a Ela" (I Told Her) mItich talks about a separation:

Porque ela derrama urn Because she pours banquete, urn palacete a small palace Urn anjo de vestido, unit: An angel in a dress libido do cace libido la 6 tdo vistosa que talvez She is so good loo seja mentira maybe it's a lie Quem dera minha cara I wish my face alto fosse de sucupira expression Beat it laun,daun daun Beat it loom, dap'n claim Beat it laun, baun baun Eu quero te provar Cozida a vapor Eu te quero te provar Sem medo e sem amor

Beat it laun, Beat it loon), dap Beat it laun,,baun

Quando eu disse a ela Que o amor morreu A cidade sutilmente Estremeceu

I want to taste you Cooked in steam I want to taste youWithout fear andwi

When I tpld her That my ilove died The city subtly Shook

Eu Disse a Ela I Told Her Samuel Rosa, Chico Amaral Quando eu disse a ela Que o amor passou A cidade levemente Flutuou

When I told her, , That love has pasi. The city lightly Floated

Ondas amarelas Na Contorno cheia A cidade simplesmente Me odeia

Yellow waves On the crowded a The city simply Hates me

Quando eu disse a ela Que o amor rnorreu A cidade sutilmente Estremeceii

When I told her That my love died The city subtly Shook

Batas e janelas Extase no breu A cidade nos meus dentes Tu e eu Mesmo sabendo que a vida nos engana Mesmo sabendo que a Opala tido ĂŠ plana Mesmo sabendo que a dor cartesiana Mesmo sabendo que so musica baiana Eu disse a ela que Eu disse a ela entdo Eu disse a ela que Eu disse a ela ndo

' dwin windows kn., Ecstasy eastist' y 1linn, the nry ''dtiLth, Yhoeu cand I . Even knowing that life d

l it

us Even knowing that the Opa i E noteflat v Even knowing ng that the pain Cartesian Even knowing that it is only Bahian music I told her that I told her then I told her that I told her no

It's not Chico Buarque, but the group makes no pretension of flying so high. The idea is to be simple and direct without butchering the grammar, as many rival bands have. Another subject that Skank touches on is cinema. Three tracks from 0 Salba Pocone talk about the seventh art, one is a homage to the comic Ze Trindade. The newdisc successfully employs female background vocals, thick percussion tracks, and some of the sweetest horn section arrangements I've heard in years. After two months of confinement in a sao Paulo studio, the completed 0 Samba Pocone emerged, without exaggeration, as one of the best recorded projects ever to come out of Brazil. Reggae once more is the foundation, but the project ventures through rock, ska, baicio, and carimbo as well. This diversity has resulted in a recording that has the capacity to hook listeners abroad as well as in Brazil. Almost all the music was composed by singer Samuel Rosa. Chico Amaral, the thirty-nine year old sax player who is considered by many to be the fifth member of Skank, wrote the lyrics for 8 of the 11 tracks. In addition, Amaral composed both the music and lyrics for "Um Dia Qualquer" (Any Day) and "Pocone." The quartet acknowledges that Amaral's contributions BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

have been decisive. Returning the praise, Amaral has referred to the group as a fraternity of talent. Bass player Nando Reis from the group Titus, a musician who has written some of the biggest hits for Marisa Monte and the reggae group Cidade Negra, makes his debut as Samuel Rosa's writing partner on the aforementioned "E Uma Partida de Futebol," the disc's forceful opening track. Even before delivery to the stores, the project was a hit. The tune "Garota Nacional" — satiric defense for those wonderful girls that populate the erotic dreams of all healthy guys — was given premature air-play all over Brazil long before stores received the product. To supplement the early radio exposure, Skank hatched a video, displaying a stable of beautiful, nearly naked girls in stimulating poses. Skank's manager, Fernando Furtado, used to be a porno movie critic known as Dr. Penetration. Needless to say, the video turned the heads of a generation of Brazilian youth who devour MTV videos. "Garota Nacional" has commanded the charts for months and remains the biggest hit from 0 Samba Pocone so far, although it is followed closely by "Os Exilados" (The Exiled) and "Eu Disse a Ela." Three months after its release, 0 Samba Pocone guaranteed the band another Disco de Platina. Without a doubt, the CD is one of the best releases of Brazilian pop in years. It will inevitably set the standard for some time, just as 0 Eterno Deus Mu Danca (The Eternal God of Change) by Gilberto Gil and Cabeca Dinossauro (Dinosaur Head ) by Tins did in the 1980s. The comparison to these touchstone recordings is validated by Skank's impressive instrumental and vocal musicianship, their unequaled writing, and by the recording quality itself. Well produced and highly

Te Ver Samuel Rosa, Lelo Za Chico Am `Fever e nao te querer iniproyavel, e impossivel Te vet e ter que esquecer msuportavel, é dor incrivel

To see you and not want you Is improbable:it is impossible To have you and have to fix Is unbearable, it is incredible

is like divisig in a river and not getting rnergulhaiminAo e nao se wet molhar itis hice not dyirii of cold in the polar Eco rnorrer de fib no gelo ice polar It is to have an empty stomach and not • • E ter estomago vazio e nao almocar eat lunch •E ver o ceu se abrir no esti° e nao se It is to see the open sky ht the siuntno0,, • anitnar and not be happy 7 Ec

E como esperar o prato e nao salivar •Sentir apertar o sapato e nao descalcar Ever alguem feliz de fato sein alguem pra amar E como proc,urar no mato estrel do

It is like waiting for the dish and not salivating To feel the shoe pinch and not take it off It is to see someone really happy , without someone to love It is like searching for a star in the bushes

E como nap sentir calor em Cuibá Ou como no Arpoador nao veto mar E cow nao morrer de raiva corn a politica Ignorar que a tarde vai vadia e mitica

It is like not feeling the heat in Cuiabá Or like not seeing the sea at Aqoador It is like not dying of rage To ignore that the evening isgomg leisurely and mythically

E coin° vertelevisao e nao domnr Vet inn bichano pelo chao e no sonir E como nao provar o nectar de urn undo amor Depois que o coracdo detecta a fina i or

It is like watching television and not getting sleepy To see a cat on the floor and not smile It is like not tasting the nectar of a beautiful love After the heart detects the finest flower

The Exiled Samuel Rosa, Chico Am Meu coracAo tá bat .o , De amor e de cans o Saudade de abrço Do morno reg 9 Onde eu dei ei Um pedaco de rn

My heart is beating My love is tired Longing for a hug In the warmth of your bosom Where I left A piece of myself

Meu coracao parec Um lobo rubro, ço sFicoit Mud° no a 0 de veludo o I , Corn queen ci Um pedaco de v ce

.); heart A h4 eart steelwolf That bee mute In your embrace It ist h awvheil cvhetIlass . piece of youtled

• Corn voce eu you ma's to e Que os cristos, que as cren as Que o bonde de Vale ea Corn voce eu you mais lo ge, Corn voce eu you mais longe Que a ilha de Mallorca Onde a porca tome o rabo E o diabo nos esconde Meu coracao parecendo Urn troco, um erro crasso Tipo "lost in the space" Nao entende o estilhaco Que é so, eu sei Um balaco ,de anor Meu coracao é o s Seu coracao e o BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

To See Y

from Calango)

With you I go much farther Than the christs, and the beliefs Th the streetcar to :tlenrca With you I go much fart farther With you I go much her Than the island of Majorca Where the pig twists her tail And the devil hides us My heart seems An object, a big mistake Type 'lost in the space" That doesn't understand the debris That it Is only, I know A bullet of love My heart is yours Your heart is mine 43

Tao Seu So Much Your Samuel Rosa, Chico Amaral Ca sabe que eu sinto a sua falta Nao posso esperar tanto tempo assim 0 nosso amor é novo E o velho amor ainda e sempre Nao diga que nao vem me ver De noite eu quero descansar Ir ao cinema cam voce Urn filme a toa no Pathe Que culpa a gente tern de ser feliz Que culpa a gente tern, meu bem 0 mundo bem diante do nariz Feliz aqui e no alem

ce sabe que eu fag() tanta coisa Pensando no momento de te ver A minha casa sem voce é triste E a espera arde sem me aquecer Nao diga que voce nao volta Eu nao you conseguir dormir A noite eu quero descansar Sair a toa por al

You know that I miss I can't wait so long Our love is new It is the old love again forever Don't tell me you w come to see me In the evening I w rest To go the movies you A film of any tyki Pathe Who can blame us being so happy Who can blame us, love The world is in fro our noses Happy here and no beyond You know that I pi many things Thinking of the morn that I will see you My home is sad vir you And waiting for you without warming me Don't say that yo. coming back I cannot sleep In the evening I w rest To hang out.

Que culpa a gente tern de ser feliz Eu digo eles ou nos dois 0 mundo bem diante do nariz Fehz agora e ndo depois

Who can blame u being so happy I tell them or the two The world is here in of our noses Happy now and " afterwards

Me sinto so, me sinto so, me sinto tao seu Me sinto tao, me sinto se e

I feel helpless, I feel helpless, I feel so mu yours I feel So muth

sou teu

helples$ iWd lam IOU

danceable, the disc follows admirably in the footprints of their 1994 mega-success Calango, which propelled Skank to a national career and landed the group their first Disco de Platina. Practically every track on Calango was a hit. Blessed by their success in Brazil, the group is now pushing toward the international market without any significant promotional work and singing in Portuguese — a language that has not helped exportation. Success in the markets abroad may be a stiff challenge for the quartet largely because recordings by Brazilian artists released outside of Brazil are typically labeled by record companies as "Latina Music" and handled as such, not because Brazilian music is so small a slice of the market and the Spanish speaking market is so huge, but because these large companies don't seem to know what to do with Brazilian music. Curiously, the Brazilian act that has taken off outside Brazil played music with a heavy-metal emphasis. Still, Skank's expectations for an international career are formidable. If nothing else, the band has become a notable statistic with tremendous potential. The international version of the disc 0 Samba Pocone with a bonus track of "Garota Nacional" in Spanish was released in ten countries in Latin America and exported to France, Spain, and Portugal. Among all the South American artists contracted to multinational Sony music, Skank has been the most successful outside their country of origin for the last 10 months. Last December the band made a small tour to Chile, where "Garota Nacional" was receiving extensive airplay; it even became a jingle for a cigarette commercial. Sony's enthusiastic manager of international development for Brazilian artists stated recently that the responses they have been receiving from markets outside Brazil is unanimous: Skank is a marvelous product. It appears that Skank will soon have the support abroad from the North American Epic label, the same division responsible for recordings by Michael Jackson. And if an international campaign corresponds to their ambitious expectations, the quartet will become the most successful Brazilian group outside Brazil, a position occupied today only by another band from Belo Horizonte, Sepultura — the heavy metal head-bangers whose most notable success has been achieved outside Brazil. Contrary to the laborious heavy-meddlers, who "sing" in English and live abroad, Skank intends to remain in Belo Horizonte and to sing in Portuguese. Bruce Gilman, music editor for Brazzil, received his Masters degree in music from California Institute of the Arts. He leads the Brazilian Jazz Ensemble Axe and plays cuica for escola de samba MILA. You can reach him through his Email: cuicaAinterworld.net

44

BRA77IL -APRIL 1997

Short Takes JORGE DA SILVA With renewed emphasis on the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim coming from all directions, three newly released CDs from the Warner Archives Series make a timely and noteworthy arrival for Brazilian music fans. These three CDs cover a remarkably creative period in Jobim's career, and help to put his creative direction into perspective. With so much emphasis being given to the newly released A Twist of Jobim, and the countless tribute recordings that have been released over the past two years, I thought that it might be a good idea to remember where all the inspiration came from in the first place. In 1964, both Jobim and Brazil were undergoing major changes. His phenomenal recording success with Stan Getz and Joao and Astrud Gilberto in New York heralded the rise of bossa nova in the US with "The Girl From Ipanema" even as his homeland plunged into dictatorship. Dissolved from his early alliance with Polygram Brasil (a relationship that he would later return to for his Passarim recording) and allied with producer and conductor Claus Ogerman, Jobim once again set his sights on New York City to produce the recordings contained within these three CDs. The first of these, The Composer, is a chronicle of his work from 1965-1967, years that expanded Jobim's international

stature as a songwriter. The 28 tracks are taken from three recordings and a wealt of previously unreleased material to stan in marked contrast to his earlier Poly gram releases in both content and approach. One of these, A Certain Mr. Jobim (now discontinued, and one of our all-time favorites), was recorded scant days after completing his work with Frank Sinatra, and it carries an air of spontaneity and unfettered joy; elements curiously absent from his set with Old Blue Eyes. With a wonderful mix of instrumental and vocal favorites like "She's a Carioca," "Surfboard," "Zingaro" and "Photograph," The Composer moves from song to song with all the grace of a seagull in flight. Various projects kept Jobim busy through the early 70s, during which time he recorded several albums for CTI & A&M, including Tide, Stone Flower, and Wave. These recordings focused on his use of stronger orchestral settings, and incorporated many ofthe top US sidemen of the day, including bassist Ron Carter (from Miles Davis), Tonight Show drummer Bobby Rosengarden, reedman Joe Farrell, and percussionist Airto Moreira, who both would soon join with Chick Corea to form "Return To Forever" and flutist Hubert Laws, who was already well on his way to establishing a strong presence with popular jazz under the direction of Creed Taylor. Through all of this, Claus Ogerman remained close, personally and professionally. By 1976, Jobim had become a household word in the US and around the world, and his Urubu from that year reunites his music with Ogerman and Warner to celebrate a joining of Bossa

with MPB and to illuminate a new focus: the ecology. Urubu was inspired by Jobim's intimate ties to nature with songs like "Correnteza" (The Stream), "Boto" (Porpoise) and "Ligia," and it continues to invite comparisons to the finest works of other 20th Century composers, including George Gershwin and Heitor Villa-Lobos. It was also different. Here Jobim moved away from his pop music sense to record an album that blurs the lines between jazz and classical, between the traditional folk styles ofthe Brazilian northeast and the bossa rhythms Jobim helped to create. Critically acclaimed, Jobim would waste no time getting back onto more familiar ground. The culmination of Jobim's influence during this period coincided with a new decade and the 1980 release of Terra Brasilis (Brazilian Land). Jobim, who once observed that he enjoyed writing in English "because it is a well-stolen language," sheds new light on "Dreamer," "Sabia" and "Dindi." This opus also contains several beautifully crafted instrumentals among its 20 tracks including "Maria" and "Estrada do Sol", here presented by Jobim's solo piano. And "Voce Vai Ver" (You'll See) with daughter Ana pre-dates Jobim's musical vision for his ultimate phase, the gentle unisons and close harmonies of The New Band seven years later. Individually, each of these three albums convey Jobim's talent in extraordinary ways. Taken together, they represent 15 years of creative growth from melodic adolescence to musical maturity and Bob Blumenthal's liner notes provide a personal insight into Jobim and his music.

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Movies Rio 0 Carteiro e o Poeta (The Mailman and the Poet) - Written by Antonio Skarmeta and directed by Aderbal Freire-Filho. With Rogeno Froes and Marcos Winter. The story about the imaginary friendship between Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and the mailman who delivered his mail when Neruda was in exile in Spain. Canta Brasil, Quem Pode Pode (Sing Brazil, If You Can You Can) - Musical comedy making fun of Brazilian traditions and habits. Written and directed by Brigitte Blair with Isabela Costa and Keila Muniz. Master Class (Master Class) - By Terrence McNally with Marilia Pera and Caio Ferraz. Maria Callas's adventures during the time she spent at the Julliard School of Music in New York. 0 Romance dos Dois Soldados de Herodes (The Two Soldiers of Herod's Romance) - Ordered by Herod to kill babies in Bethlehem, two soldiers disobey the orders. By Osmar Lins. Directed by Nelson Xavier with Nelson Xavier and Via Negromonte.

Sao Paulo Bar Doce Bar (Bar Sweet Bar) Musical comedy. A group of friends discuss and sing their Fives under the watchful eye of a caring waiter. Written by Luis Alberto de Abreu, directed by Ednaldo Freire. Aldo Avilez, Fernando Petelinkar and Tico d'Godoy star. Corpo a Corpo (Clinch) - Adman has an existential crisis in a world a little too competitive for his taste. Oduvaldo Viana Filho wrote. Directed by Eduardo Tolentino de Araujo. With Ze-Carlos Machado. No Olho da Rua (Thrown on the Street) - The little daily adventures in the big city. Twenty stories of passion, friendship and misunderstandings. Written by Luiz Cabral and Ricardo Soares. Directed by Beth Lopes. With Amadeo Lamounier, Bel Kowarick, Luiz Carlos Rossi, and Rosanna Seligmann. Vacalhau & Binho - Sketches based on Ze Fidelis, an old-guard radio comedian. Carlos Alberto Soffredini wrote, adapted and directed. 46

American films just released: Dante 's Peak (0 Inferno de Dante), The Trigger Effect (0 Efeito Domino), Albino Alligator (Ciladas da Sorte), The People vs. Larry Flynt (0 Povo Contra Larry Flynt), Blood and Wine (Sangue e Vinho), Evita (Evita), House Arrest (Uma Familia Quase Perfeita), Magic in the Water (A Magia das Aguas) Beautiful Thing (Delicada Atracc7o) - England - 1996 - A couple of adolescents (both are 16) fall in love and decide to face the music and fight their families for their right to live together. By Hetti MacDonald with Linda Henry and Scott Neal. Corisco e Dodd (Corisco and Dada) - Brazil - 1996- The story happens in Bahia in 1927. Cangaceiro (backlands outlaw) Corisco kidnaps Dada who is still a child. She will grow up to love him and to be a real can gaceira herself. Directed by Rosemberg Canry with Chico Diaz, Dira Paes, Antonio Leite and Regina Dourado. Crede-Mi (Believe Me) - Brazil - 1996 Experimental film with Northern backlands people playing Thomas Mann's The Elect. Directed by Bia Lessa and Dany Roland. Gabbeh (Gabbeh)-Iran/France - 1995 Old lady tells the story of the vanishing Iranian nomadic tribe known for making the gabbeh, a big carpet. With Abbas Sayaki. Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbat. Pequeno Diciondrio Amoroso (Little Love Brazil - 1996 - A chance Dictionary) meeting between two youngsters develops into a torrid love story. Directed by Sandra Werneck with Andrea Beltrao, Daniel Dantas, and Tony Ramos. Ponette (Ponette, a Espera de um Anjo) France - 1996- The drama of a four-yearold girl after her mother dies in a car accident. Directed by Jacques Doillon. With Victoire Trivisol, Marie Trintignant and Xavier Beauvois. Salam Cinema (Salve o Cinema) - Iran 1995 - The big commotion provoked by a casting call when 5,000 people show up willing to play a role. Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbat. With Azadeh Zangeneh, Marvan Keyhan, and Feizolah Ghashghai. Shine (Shine: Brilhante) - England/Australia - 1996 - The story of pianist David Helfgott, whose career is interrupted by disease. He then returns to the concert circuit. Directed by Scott Hicks. With Geoffrey Rush and Armin Mueller. Trois Vies et une Seule Mort (Tres Vidas e France/Portugal - 1996 uma So Morte) - Marcello Mastroianni interprets three roles: a salesman, an Anthropology professor, and a businessman. Directed by Raoul Ruiz.

Books

best-sellers Fiction 1. 0 Mundo de Sofia Jostein Gaarder 2. Novas Comedias da Vida Privada Luis Fernando Verissimo 3. 0 Xango de Baker Street J6 Soares 4. Cinco Dias em Paris Danielle Steel 5. Mas Serci o Benedito? Mario Prata 6. 0 Paciente Ingres Michael Ondaatje 7. 0 Homem que Calculava Malba Tahan 8. Quase Memoria - Carlos He itor Cony 9. Cruzando o Paraiso Sam Shepard 10. Legitima Defesa Jonathan Kellerman

Nonfiction 1. Chic - Um Guia Bdsico de Moda e Estilo - GlOria Kalil 2. 0 PrincIpio Dilbert - Scott Adams 3. A Arte da Guerra: os Documentos Perdidos - Sun Tzu 4. Noticia de um Seqiiestro Gabriel Garcia Marquez 5. Homens Sao de Marte, Mulheres Silo de Venus - John Gray 6. 0 Mundo Assombrado pelos Demonios - Carl Sagan 7. Cronicas de Reporter - Pedro Bial 8. 0 Rio do Meio - Lya Luft 9. Vislumbres da India - Octavio Paz 10. Vinhos para Leigos - Ed McCarthy! Mary E. Mulligan

Self-Help/New Age 1. Inteligencia Emocional Daniel Goleman 2. A Profecia Celestina James Redfield 3. A Decima Profecia - James Redfield 4. 0 Monte Cinco - Paulo Coelho 5. A Inteligencia Emocional e a Arte de Educar Nossos Filhos John Gottman e Joan DeClaire 6. As Sete Leis Espirituais do Sucesso Deepak Chopra 7. Almas Gemeas - Monica Buonfiglio 8. Sem Medo de Viver Zibia Gasparetto 9.A Cura Atraves da Terapia de Vidas Passadas - Brian L. Weiss 10. Minutos de Sabedoria Torres Pastorino According to weekly newsmagazine Veja BRA7_ZIL -APRIL 1997

000

000

ECOLOGICAL TREK The same Ze do Pedal, who traveled by bicycle from Brazil to Spain for the Soccer World Cup in that country and then repeated the feat in Mexico and the U.S., is now getting ready to pedal his way all the way doivn the Amazon river. He wants to raise the public's awareness about the region, and help to protect the Amazon forest and its native population. He will start his two-and-a-halfmonth trip in Peru and end it in Belem do Para, in Brazil. An Ecuadorian friend, who is an Indian, will tag alon to help out. Some of his equipment is already in place, but he still needs some essentials and he is struggling to get sponsorships and donations from private individuals. A site in the Internet will give daily details about the trip. Ze do Pedal's E-mail is hplaza@uio.satnetnet and he has a homepage at: http://bymedia.com/ sosamazonia/ There, you will find all you need to know about him and his adventures.

TASTE OF BRAZIL Since the beginning of March, without leaving home, Brazilians living in South Florida, are able to talk about their concerns, ask questions and listen to Brazilian music and personalities. All they have to do is to tune in on RadioBrasil, a radio program intended to unite Brazilians via a fun, matter-offact, chat-radio format. The live program hosted by Chico Moura will be on the air from 7 PM to 8 PM every Saturday at Union Radio, 1450 AM. To join the fun just dial (305) 7591450. More info? Call (305)868-3214. Or you can send E-mail to

STILL HIP BRAZIL An early hit by Joao Gilberto called "0 Pato" (The ON Duck) and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Caminhos CruzaTHEIR dos" are some of the treasures revealed in Concord's Anza:onas, the latest album by MINDS Gaucho (from Rio Grande do Sul) Manfredo Fest. Based in Florida, after having lived in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Chicago, Fest never abandoned his initial bossa nova flavor, adding more and more jazz touches in the 30 years he has been producing great music. Says the musician, "I try to balance between Brazilian compositions, Zo particularly compositions by Jobim, and American standards with a Brazilian flavor, but I try to keep the integrity of the tunes as much as pos-

The Atravessados (Out o Sync) as many other smaller Brazilian bands in the US started playing in friendly private parties and poolside barbecues three years ago. Now, the Houston-based group (from their eight musicians, six are Brazilian and two American) seems ready for prime time and they are releasing their first CD. Entitled Brasil Forever, the disc is a potpourri of humor and romance with samba, choro and jazzy rhythms. The CD includes 12 songs, all original, among them "E Brasileiro", a humorous take on Brazucas (Brazilians living in the US), and "Amor Eterno", celebrating eternal love. In "Pedido aos Orixas" and "De Frente para o Mar", Atravessados appeal to the African Gods and explode in percussion and joy.

Learn Another Language on Your Own! Learn to speak a foreign language fluently on your Wf1 and at your own pace with what are considered the fin St in-depth courses available. Many were developed by the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Departm nt of State for diplomatic personnel who must learn a language quickly and thoroughly. Emphasis is n learning to speak and to understand the spoken language. Atypical course (equivalentto a college s ester) includes an album of 10 to 12 audio cassettes (10 to 18 hours), recorded by native-born speakers, plus a 250-page textbook. Some of our Courses: $160 0 Serbo-Croatian $195 $185 0 Latin 0 Arabic, Saudi $185 0 German I $185 0 Slovak $185 $155 0 Latvian 0 Egyptian $185 0 German II $185 $245 D Greek $185 0 Lithuanian $135 0 Spanish I o Bulgarian $185 0 Spanish II $165 $ I 85 D Haitian Creole $225 0 Mandarin 0 Cantonese $185 $255 0 Norwegian $125 0 Swedish $185 U Hebrew 0 Catalan $185 0 Swahili $225 $125 0 Hungarian $195 0 Persian 0 Czech $185 0 Tagalog $295 $185 0 Polish 0 Danish $185 0 Italian $195 $185 O Portuguese $215 0 Thai 0 Dutch $125 0 Japanese (Brazilian) 0 Turkish $195 $225 $295 0 Khmer 0 Estonian $195 $195 0 Romanian $115 0 Ukrainian $185 0 Korean 0 French! $225 0 Urdu $185 $185 0 Russian 0 French II $215 0 Lakota $225 0 Vietnamese You can order now with a full 3-week money-bat guarantee. Call (203) 453-9794, fax (203) 453-9774, e-mail: 74537.550@compuserve.com Or clip this ad and send with your name and address d a check or money orderâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; or charge to any major credit card, by enclosing card number, expiration ate, and your signature. Ask for our free 56-page Whole World Language Catalog with courses in 9 languages.

rnJouaaRum

THE LANGUAGE SOURCE

Audio-Forum, Suite P707, 96 Broad Street. Guilford, CT 06437 U.S.A.

chicomraAbellsouth.net BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

47

.1 TA

is LirtiT s

1111L--CALIFORNIA GRADUATE INSTITUTE

Mo ern Ian uage Center

Jai MIL //620111I %1IIK 11 1111111*1 AS

COUNSELING CENTER Psicaterapia individual, familiar, e conjugal.

Criancas, adolescentes, e adultos. Problemas de adaptacao a cultura

Registration always open Study Portuguese in Rio, June 20 - July 18, 1997 Portuguese, Spanish, English (ESL), French, Italian

Instruction/Translation/Interpretation Small cuoups and individual tutoring Iredentialed instructors

(310) 839-8427

americana, relacianamentos, ansiedade, e depressao.

PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE SERVICES (415)587-4990 CERTIFIED TRANSLATIONS (TRADKAO JURAMENTADA)

Precos de ocordo corn disponibilidade de pagamemo " Terapia ens Portuguese Ingles

Le al, Medical, Scientitic,

ANDREA GIACOMELLI-MFCC trainee

Certified by the California Judicial Council and tiled with the Brazilian Consulate Since 1981

(714) 637-9760, voice mail #36 Supervisor Ric Camarillo, Ph.D. MFCC 22794

usiness Documents

and School Transcripts

DP. JEURSO SA CENTRO BRASILEIRO PARA „O TRATAMENTO DE VIOLENCIA DOMESTICA, DROGAS, ALCOOLISMO, DEPRESSAO, SAUDE MENTAL EM GERAL 7635 FALLBROOK AVE. WEST HILL, CA 91304

(818) 592-0402

BRAZILIAN

'111911", RIPAT • GREEN CARDS THROUGH MARRIAGE & FAMILY • EMPLOYMENT VISAS

We bring you infectious energy, a driving rhythm, and the most innovative Brazilian instrumental music

LOOKING FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN EXPOSING OR SELLING BRAZILIAN RELATED ITEMS. INFORMATION AND MAILING LIST FOR BROCHURE:

(310) 839-3788

(818) 566.1111

„••

AXE

tazitan. azz, cenzentae

iiimaarrE! WANTED PORTUGUESE-ENGLISH SPEAKING COMMUNICABLE PEOPLE $$ 2000-4000 PIT $$ 4000-8000 F/T CALL

(310) 470-2506 Li

SUMMER FESTIVAL '97

tIG

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BRAZILIAN FLAG PATCH

00, Amman N widen IDIOM Awoition

FREE IIIITIAL CONSULTATION MOWRY Ft/MINT PLAN AU [AB If

Embroidered, 2 1/4" by 3 1/2", finest materials, american made, $ 4,00 ea s/h included Caps and T-shirts available soon AGDEX, Box 262087,Houston,Tx.,77207 E-mail: louis555@flash.net

ALSO HANDLING AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS

WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THIS GALAXY,

*RA DAILY 3 PAGE SUMMARY,

kir:41,11 Teb (310) 393-2828

'iii9PTIE BRAZILIAN PRESS,'* SUBSCRIBE TO THE

I

FAX NEWSPAPER

ATTORNEY AT LAW/ABOGA00/ADVOGAO0 MEMBER, STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA

DS VOLUNTEERS FOR

A MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SERVICE BY

(818) 897-3661

PROOFREADING WRITING

AGENCIA ESTADO

MAINTAINING MAILING LIST & EVERYTHING ELSE

FAX YOUR REQUEST FOR A ONE WEEK FREE TRIAL TO (800)237 -8236 (305) 285-6980

IMMIGRATION MATTERS DEPORTATION DEFENSE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY CALIFORNIA

213-255-8062 brazzil@brazzil.com

I WANT MORE INFORMATION ON ADVERTISING IN bang PLEASE SEND ME A MEDIA KIT.

COVPANY: CONTACT: ADDRESS: CM', ST, ZIP: PHONE: FAX: PRODUCT: RETURN THIS FORM TO:

BRAZZIL - P.O. BOX 42536 LOS ANGELES, CA 90050 OR CALL (800)354-4953

FOR AD, CALL NOW 213 255-8062 48

BRAZZIL - APRIL 1997

FEIRA LIVRE OPEN MARKET Own your own full or part-time business. Entrepreneurs sought for billion-dollar US network marketing company expanding to Brazil. Highest paying company in industry. Call 1 (800) 994-6238 for information. [137]

HOW TO DECIPHER TH I MENU, KNOW THE MARKE I FOODS & EMBARK ON A TASTING ADVENTURE. Ginkgo Press, Inc.. PO Box 5346M, Madison, WI 53705. $14.95 postpaid. Tel: 608-233-5488 Fax: 608-233-0053 [134]

Secretary needed to work in the Palos Verdes area. Some computer background. Possible living quarters available for those wishing to relocate to the Beaches area. (310) 541-9512 [136]

Westside Acupuncture Clinic — Chinese herbs for sexual enhancement, weight loss and sports injuries. (310) 914-1624 [132]

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

SOUTH AMERICA/EUROPE EXPANSION - Billion $ Corporate expansion looking for individuals with contacts in Brazil and Europe. High income potential. 1(800) 337-0264 [141] CATERING

ATENCAO BR kSILEIROS Fornecemos MARMITAS. Cardapio variado. (310) 438-3415 [136] CLASSES

Conversational Brasilian Portuguese Method - -I tried several methods to learn BRASILIAN PORTUGUESE, but when I started lessons with NILSON, I knew immediately that I'd found the best one. And in just a few months, I was able to communicate on a one-on-one basis.- Individual, Total Immersion, Corporate Group and Semi-Private. Phone (310) 379-0738 [136] Looking for a very fast, efficient, and pleasant way to learn Brazilian Portuguese? (415) 9913476 [141]

HEALTH & FITNESS

INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE

Prepaid International Callback Telephone Cards - Low rates between any countries. Brazil to USA for 730 per minute! (619) 738-7005 or (619) 4329709 [135]

COOKING

GOURMET TRAVEL

Visiting Brazil—and planning to eat there? A great pleasure of travel is experiencing cuisines of faraway lands. The authoritative -Eat Smart- guidebooks cover foreign cuisines fortravelers who enjoy learning about a culture by exploring its culinary delights. You'll find they add an extra dimension of pleasure to your travel and take the guesswork out of exotic, unfamiliar foods. EAT SMART IN BRAZIL: MW_BL-APRIL1997

NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES

Jornais e revistas do Brasil. Recebemos jornais diarios e todas as principais revistas. incluindo masculinas e femininas. Tel. (800) 589-5884

JOB OFFERED

PERSONAL

Precisa-se de urn padeiro corn muita pratica; principalmente parafabricacao industrial de PAO DE QUEIJO E SALGADOS. Boa oportunidade,. Telefone (213) 266-0899 - Area de Los Angeles. Chamar pela Dra. Cynthia Cho. [135]

WOMAN SEEKS MAN

Precisamos de sambistas para shows. (213) 812-7393 [140] Procuro pessoas sexo feminino para ajudar limpar casas. Pago bem. (818) 786-6742 [135] Urgente! Wanted PortugueseEnglish speaking communicable people. $$ 2000-4000 p/t, $$ 4000-8000 f/t. Call (818) 8120256 [141] MISCELLANEOUS

Delightful Brazilian Cooking by Eng Tie Ang, two for one sale $14.95, plus $5 shipping and handling. Over 130 authentic, quick and easy recipes. P.O. Box 30818 - Seattle, WA 98103 Phone and Fax (206) 789-3693 [142]

FEIRA LIVRE RATES: 500 a word. Phone is one word. 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. Your canceled check is your receipt. Please, include address and phone number, which will be kept confidential. DEADLINE: The 25th of the month. Late material will be held for the following month if appropriate. TO PLACE AD: Send ad with check, money order or your Credit Card number (plus your name and expiration date) to: BRAZZIL P.O. Box 42536 Los Angeles, CA 90050-0536.

BIKINIS - The most beautiful from Rio, Biazios, and Sao Paulo. Different styles to fit your taste. (For Brazilians and Americans). Great designs and colors. Prices starting at $35 (310) 246-0827 [136]

Music Brazilian Music in its totality. Samba, bossa nova, chorinho, bald°, axe, and more. Merchant Express (800) 589-5884 Music for all occasions. Live, D.J. or Elvis impersonator. Affordable (213) 469-2204 - Gerry [138] Norma Blase - soft Brazilian jazz, bossa, samba. Vocal/guitar duo to larger ensemble. Oakland (510) 451-3639 [135]

Americana corn coracao brasileiro, bem educada. que adora a musica. o samba, a cultura, a lingua e o povo brasile ros, queria conhecer um brasileiro solteiro de 40 anos ou mais, em boa forma. morando em New York City ou pertinho. E-mail: sylvia2125@ aol.com [130] Single lady, 35, studying English, very happy. wants to correspond with nice American gentleman 35 or over for friendship or more. Vale -la - Rua Jaguarari. 2544 - Lagoa Nova 59064 -Natal. RN - B -azil [134]

PERSONAL MAN SEEKS MAN

Goodlooking athletic American M 32 6 185 brn/blue seeks other aoodlooking guys 18-30 for rriendship or more. Letter and photo to: Peter Eliason: 4960 Almaden Exp. #179; San Jose. California 95118 — E-mail: sjsharks7q-r)aol.com or 1-800761-4983. [128] 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 — Portuguese/ Spanish/ English. (310) 656-6987 [137] Emotional & psychological help - Elizabete Almeida MFCC licensed psychotherapist. English/Portuguese. Reasonable rates. (310) 281-7536. [146]

PERSONAL MAN SEEKS WOMAN

Americano, 28, entrepreneur seeks Brazilian lady 18-36, open mind and attractive. Send letter/ photo. Chris - 109 Minna St. #338 - San Francisco, A 941053728 [136] Sort-of-American, orp orate jaguar, very succesful, 33, needing some serious stre s relief... looking for a very s xy, furry Brazilian kitten to pl with. If you are 22-32, in Braz I or USA. no problem... I'll fly)' u. Letter with photos to GS, 34 S. Highland Ave. #14A. Pittsb rgh. PA. 15206. USA [138] Sudamericano, ci dadano USA, 38, attractive, all, educated. seeks Brazilian I dy, same qualities, for dancing movies. sports, and?? (818) 95-2021 Carlos [135]

REAL ESTATE

Winds of change and opportunity are blowing in Brazil. Buy a prime piece of Rio's future. Choice property available 21.000 mt sq. Near Barra. AK. PO Box 7843 Santa Rosa, Calif. 954070843 [135] TAX

A TTT Services - Tax & Translation & Travel and Notary (909) 627-2171 [146] TRANSLATION & INTERP.

English to Portuguese, technical translation. Precise, fast turnaround - Ricardo Paoletti (716) 839-5310. Fax: (716) 839-5410. E-mail: paolettribm.net Tocantins Communications Portuguese translation services. Fast, reliable, affordable translations. (818) 248-3667. [134] 49

ax our Ca lendar info to 213) 257-3487, E-ma ilit to brazzil # brazz il.com - mail to P.O. Box 425 36L.A., CA 90050 or ca ll (213) 255-8062. Deadline: the 5t

calendar - april 97 - u.s.a. TV & RADIO COAST TO COAST SHORT WAVE RADIO Radio Nacional da Amazonia - 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 to 2:50 PM, in Spanish 15,445 Khz BOSTON Coragao Brasileiro - Every Monday, 8:00 PM - 10:30 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 Marlon Catao CHICAGO The Sounds of Brazil - Every Saturday, 10:00 pm Midnight, 95.5 FM, WI\IUA with Scott Adams Show Brazil - Every Friday, 8:00 am - 11:00 am, 91.5 FM, WMFO with Edna Moreno DENVER Brazilian Fantasy - Every Sunday, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm, 89.3 FM, KUVO LOS ANGELES TV Brazil TV - Continental, Channel 38 (call cable); Buena Vision, Channels 6 & 56 (Mon. - 8:30 pm); CVILBCTV, Channel 65 (Wed. 6:30 pm); CVI, Channel 27 (Tue. - 8:30 pm) RADIO Sounds of Brazil - Every Saturday, 1.00 PM - 3:00 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

50

11111WITI491Z14-197.M& LOS ANGELES 9:00 PM - Niteroi LA Jam at Zabumba

1:1111:111Wall11111111 BERKELEY, CAL.

LOS ANGELES 9:00 PM - Nitercii LA Jam at Zabumba mi mvjr Lumm immawii

BERKELEY, CAL. 9:00 PM - Adriana & Carlos Oliveira at Nino's

9:00 PM -Adriana &Carlos Oliveira at Nino's

HOLLYWOOD, FLOR.

HOLLYWOOD, FLOR.

9:00 PM - Clauduarte Sá at Brazil Samba Café - (954) 920-4426

9:00 PM - Clauduarte SA at Brazil Samba Café - (954) 920-4426

COCONUT GROVE, FL. 11:00 PM - Live Brazilian music at Grove Place - (305) 448-2553

LOS ANGELES 8:30 PM - Banda Terraquia at Zabumba 9:30 PM - MILA Samba School at Cafe Danssa

ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:00 PM - Sergio 2000 at Ginga Brasil

111=g4111

COCONUT GROVE, FLOR. 11:00 PM - Live Brazilian music at Grove Place - (305) 448-2553

LOS ANGELES 9:30 PM - The Brasil Beat Show with Rio Beat dancers, Lula & Afro-Brasil and Ronaldo Lima at Zabumba

ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:00 PM - Kleber Jorge at Ginga Brasil 111111MM2121/Al fr l

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLOR. 8:30 PM & 10:30 PM - Raizes do Brasil and show de mulatas at Brazil Brazil- (954) 5618200

NEW YORK

SAN FRANCISCO

8, 10 & 12 MIDNIGHT - Samba Novo at SOB

10:00 PM - Entre NC's & Fogo na Roupa at Bahia Cabana

SAN FRANCISCO

REDLANDS, CAL.

10:00 PM - Pandemonium at Bahia Cabana

6:00 PM - Ana Gazzola at University of Redlands's Multicultural Festiva (909) 3077263

LOS ANGELES

ANAHEIM, CAL.

9:00 PM - Ana Gazzola at Cava (213) 658-6600 9:30 PM - ULA Samba Band at Zabumba

7:00 PM- KleberJorge with Zelao at Ginga Brazil

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLOR.

8:00 PM - SambaLa samba school at Tonys

8:30 PM & 10:30 PM - Raizes do Brasil and show de mulatas at Brazil Brazil - (954) 561-8200

9:30 PM - ULA Samba Band at Zabumba immullagaviskimm

LONG BEACH LOS ANGELES

ANAHEIM, CAL.

SAN FRANCISCO

7:00 PM - Sergio 2000 at Ginga Brazil

7:00 PM - Samba do Coracao at Bahia Cabana

LONG BEACH 8:00 PM - Sam baLa samba school at Tonys

NENETTia!mammi POMPANO BEACH, FLOR. 9:00 PM - Ricardo Fabio & Show de Mulatas at Brazilian Tropicana Restaurant - (954) 781-1113

NEWARK, DELAWARE 2:00 PM - Alma em Agua - Brazilian song and dance at University of Delaware, Mitchell Hall - Ticketmaster

SAN FRANCISCO 7:00 PM - Samba do Coracao at Bahia Cabana

WWI 4 I 4-1

=MA 4 91 I 41 BLVAI MINN LOS ANGELES 9:00 PM - Nitercii LA Jam at Zabumba BERKELEY, CAL. 9:00 PM - Adriana & Carlos Oliveira at Nino's

HOLLYWOOD, FLOR. 9:00 PM - Clauduarte Sá at Brazil Samba Cafe - (954) 920-4426

LOS ANGELES 9:30 PM & 11:30 PM - Katia Moraes & Brazil Nuts band at La Ve Lee (818) 9808158 8:30 PM - Banda Terraquia at Zabumba

ANAHEIM, CAL. BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

7:30 PM - Sergio 2000 at Ginga Brasil

SAN FRANCISCO 10:00PM - Lisa & Voz do Brazil at Bahia Cabana

NEW YORK

ANAHEIM, CAL.

8, 10 & 12 MIDNIGHT - Julieta Aquino & Manhattan Samba Group at SOB

7:00 PM - KleberJorge with Zelao at Ginga Brazil

SAN FRANCISCO

LOS ANGELES

10:00 PM - Entre Nos & Aquarela at Bahia Cabana

9:00 PM - Ana Gazzola at Cav (213) 658-6600 9:30 PM & 11:30 PM - Kati Moraes & Brazil Nuts band at L Ve Lee (818) 980-8158 9:30 PM - ULA Samba Band a Zabumba

IRVINE, CAL. 8:00 PM -Ana Gazzola at Bistango - (714) 752-5222

ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:00 PM - Sergio 2000 at Ginga Brazil

LOS ANGELES

PASADENA, CAL.

TV & RADIO TV BTN (Brazilian TV Network) 11:00 pm - 1:00 am, DCI ch. 40, S. South ch. 51, Adelphia ch. 52, Gold Coast ch. 99

8:00 PM -Sam baLa samba school at Tonys

LONG BEACH, CAL.

Luqui Corporation - Jornal Bandeirantes - 11:00 pm 1:00 am, Dynamic ch. 20, S South ch. 41, Gold Coast ch. 44, DCI ch. 45

SAN FRANCISCO

8:00 PM -Sam baLA samba school at Tonys

NEW YORK

9:30 PM - ULA Samba Band at Zabumba

8:00 PM - Sonia Santos at The Baked Potato (818) 564-1122

LONG BEACH

simmvi

I DA' SAN FRANCISCO

7:00 PM - Samba do Coracao at Bahia Cabana

=MU 1.1 I 4, 1 0217194111 LOS ANGELES 9:00 PM - Niteroi LA Jam at Zabumba .1111111111121iMiLy&AMIMI

BERKELEY, CAL. 9:00 PM - Adriana & Carlos Oliveira at Nino's

CAMBRIDGE, MAS. 7:00 PM - Brazilian Music Festival - with Francesco Cavalini (A Tribute to Jacob do Bandolim), Grupo Maracuja, and Alaor Macedo at First Church in Cambridge Congregational (617) 666-3747

7:00 PM - Samba do Coracao at Bahia Cabana 111.714 I *-14711WIIIIII

LOS ANGELES 8:30 PM - Katia Moraes & Brazil Nuts band at Hollywood Athletic Club (213) 962-6600 9:00 PM - Niteroi LA Jam at Zabumba imilafrillaguaim Y VA

1111121 12Lyitilmm SAN FRANCISCO 9:30 PM - Pre-Carnaval Dance at The International Center with Miss and Mr. Bum Bum contest - (510) 428-0698

LOS ANGELES 8:30 PM - Banda TerrAquia at Zabumba 9:30 PM & 1:00 AM - Katia Moraes & Brazil Nuts band at St. Mark's (310) 452-2222

HOLLYWOOD, FLOR.

ANAHEIM, CAL. 7:30 PM - Kleber Jorge at Ginga Brasil

9:00 PM - Clauduarte SA at Brazil Samba Cafe - (954) 920-4426

8, 10 & 12 MIDNIGHT - Katende at SOB

11:00 PM - Live Brazilian music at Grove Place - (305) 448-2553

III liavflimm NEW YORK

ANAHEIM, CAL.

COCONUT GROVE, FL.

(310) 628-9789 La Ve Lee - 12514 Ventura BI. - Studio City - (818) 980-8158 Zabumba -10717 Venice Blvd Culver City -(310) 841-6525

MIAMI

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

LOS ANGELES

Brazil Samba Café - Hollywood (954) 920-4426 Scala Miami -(305) 371-5604

Yoshi's -6030 Claremont Ave. (510) 652-9200

14 Below - 1348 14th St.. Santa Monica - (310) 451-5040 Cafe Danssa - 11533 W. Pico Bl. West L.A.- (310) 478-7866 Tony's -701 Long Beach Blvd.

NEW YORK

S. FRANCISCO

Blue Note - 131 West 3rd St. (212) 475-8592 Café Wha - 115 MacDougal St. -(212) 254-3706

Bahia Cabana -(415)861-4202 Chambord - 152 Kearney St. (415) 434-3688 Coconut Grove-(415)776-1616

Ginga Brazil - 821 N. Euclid. (714) 778-0266

BERKELEY Ashkenaz - 1317 San Pablo Ave. (510) 525-5054 Nino's - 1916 Martin L. King Jr. (510) 845-9303

BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

OAKLAND, CAL.

RADIO Brasil corn S - Every Saturday, 9:00 PM with Judith King, 88.3 FM - WBGO Canta Brasil - Every Saturdday, 8:00AM -93.1 FM -WPAT Radio Amazonia - Every day, 6:30 PM on short wave - 6.185 MHZ TV Brazil News - Every Wednesday, 8.30 PM - Channel 34 Brazil Update - Every Saturday, 3:30 PM - Channel 69 Brazilians in America-TV Every Sunday, 5:30 PM -Channel 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, 6:00 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 Jerry's Cachaca (617) 666-5410 Instruction Approach Student Ctr (617) 787-5401 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 Cafe Brazil (617) 789-5980 I panema (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 Varig (800) GO VARIG Vasp (310) 364-0160 Arts & Crafts Bakari Art Studio (213) 938-0523 Folk Creations (310) 693-2844 Culture Planet (310) 441-9808 Zebi Designs (310) 391-6530 Auto Repair Cosmo Auto Parts (213) 259-9818 Banks Banco do Brasil (213) 688-2996 Catering Joy's Catering (310) 438-3415 Churches Comunid. Evang. Bras. (310) 793-8745 Ministerios Renascer (888) RENACER 52

Clothes Samba (310) 628-9789 Summer Brazil (310) 455-1772 Clubs & Associations Brazil-Cal. Ch br of Com. (310) 665-0166 Centro Cultural Gaucho (213) 256-6548 M1LA - Samba School (310) 391-6098 Sa mba La -Esc. de Samba (310) 628-9789 Consulate Brazilian Consulate (213) 651-2664 Dentists Gilberto Henriques (213) 464-0524 Events Promotion Brasil 'N You Prom. (310) 928-1770 Brazilian Nites Prod. (818) 566-1111 Pegasus - Parties & Ent. (818) 549-0383 Health & Fitness Herbs from Brazil (213) 851-7016 Westside Acupuncture (310) 914-1624 Import/Export N & R International (909) 626-3656 Instruction Brasil Brasil Cult. Ctr (310) 397-3667 Modern Lang. Center (310) 839-8427 Legal Services Meiojas & Ferraz (310) 360-0901 Music Braz. Jazz /All Occasions (310) 839-3788 Jazz - Richard Samuels (818) 798-5424 Physician Paulo Coharte (310) 285-9670 Decio Rangel (310) 828-7454 Ingrid Rodi - Gynec. (310) 451-8144 Nilson A. Santos (213) 483-3430 Psychother/Counsel. Elizabeth Almeida MA. (310) 281-7536 Dr. Jefferson SA (818) 592-0402 Publications Brazzil (213) 255-8062 Real Estate Cent. 21 - Solon Pereira (310) 633-0787 Cold. Banker - J. Freitas (818) 304-9562 Restaurants & Cafés Bossa Nova (310) 657-5070 Brazilian Tropical (714) 720-1522 By Brazil (310) 787-7520 Café Brasil (310) 837-8957 Ginga Brasil (714) 778-0266 Lulu's Alibi (310) 479-6007 Yolie's Brazilian Steak (714) 251-0722 Zabumba (310) 841-6525 Translation/Interp. Brazilian Int. Affairs

(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 (310) 202-6264 Traveland (800) 321-6336

Miami Airlines Transbrasil (800) 872-3153 yang (800) 468-2744 Vasp (800) 732-8277 Banks Banco do Brasil (305) 358-3586 Banco Nacional (305) 372-0100 Banco Real (305) 358-2433 Banespa (305) 358-9167 Clubs & Associations ABFC- As. Bras. da Fier. (407) 354-5200 Cim. Com. Brasil- EUA (305) 579-9030 ARARA - Amazon. As. (813) 842-3161 Consulate Consulado do Brasil (305) 285-6200 Dentists Arnaldo Souza (305) 595-3238 Hedimo de SA (305) 262-8212 Food & Beverages All Braz. Imp. & Exp. (305) 523-8134 Guarani Esteves (305) 345-1540 Via Brasil (305) 866-7718 Physicians Dr. Jorge Macedo (305) 271-7311 Dr. Mario Sanches (305) 541-7819 Dr. Neri Franzon (305) 776-1412 Publications Florida Review (305) 374-5235 Green Card (954) 772-7600 Restaurants Brazilian Tropicana (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 Euroamerica (305) 358-3003 International Tours (800) 822-1318 Luma Travel (305) 374-8635 Monark Travel (305) 374-5855

New Port Tours (305) 372-5007 Venture Travel (305) 379-7678 Via Brasil Travel (305) 866-7580

New York N. Jersey Books Luso-Brazilian Books (800) 727-LUSO Clubs & Associations Brazilian Ch. of Corn. (212) 575-9030 Brazilian Com. Bureau (212) 916-3200 Brazilian Trade Bur. (212) 224-6280 Consulate Brazilian Gen. Cons. (212) 757-3080 Food & Products Amazonia (718) 204-1521 Coisa Nossa (201) 578-2675 Merchant Express (201) 589-5884 Publications The Brasilians (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 (212) 581-8088 Indigo Blues (212) 221-0033 S.O.B. (212) 243-4940 Tapajes River (201) 491-9196 Travel Agencies Barb Tour Service (201) 313-0996 Odyssea Travel Service (212) 826-3019

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 Vigo-California (619) 479-VIGO

San Francisco Airlines Yang (415) 986-5737 Vasp (800) 732-VASP Attorney

Manoel Faria (510) 537-3533 Ralph Baker (510) 444-8100 Auto Nelson Auto Body (415) 255-6717 Matts Auto Body (415) 565-3560 Beauty Salon Bibbo (415) 421-BIBO Carmen's International (415) 433-9441 Neyde's (415) 681-5355 Clubs & Associations B.A.S.O. (415) 661-2788 Bay Area Brasilian Club (415) 334-0106 Brazilian Cult. Movem. (415) 437-6991 Capoeira Summer Camp (510) 655-8207 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 & Suer (415) 282-7378 Dental Care Roberto Sales, DDS (510) 451-8315 Events Promotion F. B. C. Events (415) 334-0106 Nativa Productions (408) 286-9798 Food Brazilian Coffee Dist. (415) 648-5966 California Produce (415) 586-6200 HGC Imp. Wholesale (408) 947-8511 Instruction Portuguese - A. Frame (510) 339-9289 Portuguese Lang. Serv. (415) 587-4990 Money Remittance Brasil Express (415) 673-0262 Vigo (415) 863-0218 West Brazil (415) 695-9258 Music Celia Malheiros (415) 738-2434 Damien's Intercambio (415) 595-2274 Fogo na Roupa (510) 464-5999 Marcos Silva (510) 945-0138 Terra Sul (415) 752-9782 Viva Brazil (415) 342-8508 Voz do Brazil (415) 586-2276

Musical Instruments Tamborim & Samba (415) 871-2201 Physician Dr. Guilherme Salgado (415) 832-6219 Printing M. C. Printing (510) 268-8967 Publications Brazil Today (510) 526-1115 Brazzil (415) 587-4990 RestauriNight Clubs Bahia Cabana (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 Paulo's Juice Bar (415) 437-0839 Stelladoro (415) 928-2662 Tropicana (408) 471-0294 Translation Port. Lang. Services (415) 587-4990 Travel Agencies Rio Roma (415) 921-3353 Santini Tours (510) 843-2363 Travel Americas (415) 334-0404 Tropical Travel (510) 655-9904 Tucanos Travel (415) 454-9961 Winship Travel (415) 863-2717

ashington DC 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 Clubs & Associations Braz. Am. Cult. Inst. (202) 362-8334 Inst. of Brazil. Business (202) 994-5205 Embassy Embaixada do Brasil (202) 745-2700 Travel Agencies Intern. Discount Travel (703) 750-0101 Washington Travel (703) 527-6977 BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

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Still a Marxist President Fernando Henrique Cardoso unabashedly stands by everything he ever wrote and insists that, given the same circumstances, he would write it all the same way again. His critics â&#x20AC;&#x201D; on both sides of the political spectrum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are troubled by his refusal to apologize for either his past or his present. Most Latin American leaders are trained in law, political science or economics, while Cardoso is very much a sociologist. As a sociologist, Cardoso has a profound understanding of class and group differences. TED GOERTZEL

Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President of Brazil, is the most distinguished Marxist scholar to lead a nation since the death of V. I. Lenin. As a young instructor Cardoso belonged to a group that carefully dissected all three volumes of Das Kapital and many other Marxist classics. Cardoso's voluminous academic writings include references not only to Marx, but also to such luminaries of historical materialism as Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg, Magdoff, Baran, Sweezy, Poulantzas, and Althusser. Academically, Cardoso is best known for his critique of the exploitation of th irdworld nations by multinational capitalism. Since his election to the presidency in 1994, however, Cardoso has been a vigorous advocate of free markets and privatization. He travels the globe wooing tycoons in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, and has been repaid with massive infusions of corporate capital. He's also a successful macroeconomic strategist who, as finance minister, ended a stubborn hyperinflation, which had defeated several previous governments. Cardoso's policies would be easy to understand if Cardoso had traded in his worn edition of Das Kapital for the collected works of Milton Friedman. And, indeed, Cardoso did publish his break with Marxist economic theory as long ago as 1969, when he was in exile in France because of his opposition to the military coup d' etat of 1964. But he is nevertheless proud of having mastered the Marxist opus a decade before Althusser made reading Marx fashionable, and he readily acknowledges the Marxist element which per-

54

3R47711 - APRII 199-

sists in his thinking. He unabashedly stands by everything he ever wrote and insists that, given the same circumstances, he would write it all the same way again. His critics — on both sides of the political spectrum — are troubled by his refusal to apologize for either his past or his present. On the left, the Brazilian political scientist Josd Luiz Fiori argues that "though Cardoso achieved prominence as a Marxist sociologist in the 1960s and 1970s, it can be argued — even though his early works contain a vehement, well-reasoned indictment of the course he has come to take as President — that the trajectory of his intellectual career contains no major breaks." (1) Fiori labels Cardoso a puppet of the neoliberal, new colonialist, multinational business elite. But he doesn't believe that Cardoso has abandoned Marxist theory. On the contrary, he makes the odd accusation that Cardoso is using his Marxism in the service of his new masters. On the right, the American political scientist Robert Packenham calls Cardoso an ideologue who ignores empirical evidence. Yet, Packenham observes that "no one exemplified the change in Marxist thinking in a more vivid and significant way than Cardoso." (2) Packenham supports Cardoso politically, and says he would have voted for him if he were a Brazilian, but he cannot forgive Cardoso his failure to repent his Marxist past. Fiori and Packenham raise a puzzling question. Isn't Marxism a critique of capitalism and a harbinger of socialist revolution? If so, how can such a theory be used in defense of the new capitalist world order? What can it mean to be a Marxist in a postCommunist era when almost no one believes in a centrally administered socialist economy? Cardoso has actually been more consistent in both his theory and his practice than many people assume. In 1964, Cardoso was completing his doctorate in sociology and preparing for an academic career at the University of Sao Paulo when the military coup d'etat forced him into exile in Santiago de Chile. He got a job with a United Nations think-tank where he was thrown into international debates about development policy. The result of these discussions was the book, Dependency and Development in Latin America, co-authored with Enzo

BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

Faletto, which established his international reputation. Dependency and Development had a leftist tone, which' criticized the exploitation of Latin' America by imperial powers. But it also showed that Latin American nations had, at certain points in history, been able to find strategies for development within the confines of the capitalist world system. It was more subtle and sophisticated than much of the literature on dependency, which portrayed Latin America as a helpless victim of Europe and North America. Cardoso returned to Brazil when things seemed to be easing up in 1968, and won a Chair in Political Science at the University of SAo Paulo, only to be forced out of academia by a military crackdown on the left. He and a number of prominent academics were forcibly "retired" and prohibited by law from holding university jobs anywhere in Brazil. The military leaders, however, respected their scholarly achievements and permitted them to start an, applied research institute. This had the unexpected consequence of making them much more influential than they would have been as university professors. Their most influential study, a book called Seto Paulo: Growth and Poverty, documented the suffering caused by the military's economic and social policies. It was sponsored by the Catholic Church, and helped to build a mass movement for democratic reform. As a writer and internationally renowned intellectual, Cardoso was a frequent spokesman for the Brazilian redemocratization movement. His political success owes much to the great respect that Brazilians have for intellectuals. Many business people, civic leaders and military men follow the currents of intellectual life. The leading newspapers publish lengthy scholarly essays, and Cardoso himself wrote a regular column for the Folha de Silo Paulo for many years. Cardoso has good political skills and connections, and he was able to use his base of support in the redemocratization movement to win nomination as one of the major opposition party's candidates for Senator from the state of Sao Paulo in 1978. He came in second in the election, which, in the Brazilian election system, put him in line to become Senator when the leader of the ticket resigned to become governor of the state. He was a respected senator, and served for a

time as .majority leader. He also held the posts of Foreign Minister and Finance Minister. In the latter position, he successfully ended Brazil's hyperinflation and established the conditions for a period of rapid economic growth. How do these accomplishments relate to his Marxism? Cardoso explained his view of Marxism in an article published in France in 1969. (3) At the time, he was teaching at the University of Paris campus in suburban Nanterre, a hotbed of student activism where many thought capitalism was on its death bed and socialist revolution was imminent. Cardoso disagreed. Unlike many Marxists who blamed political errors for the failure of Marx's predictions, Cardoso thought that Marx's economic theory had essential flaws. In his view, Marxist economics simply could not account for the success of the working class in Europe or for the division of the capitalist world into core and peripheral countries. Why, then, didn't Cardoso simply abandon Marxism? He did discard Marxist economics as outdated. But he thought that Marx still had value, not as an economist, but a sociologist and as an applied philosopher of knowledge. One thing, which Cardoso retained from the Marxist opus, was Marx's dialectical model of analysis, which combined formal economic research with sensitive political and sociological analysis. In his thinking about the philosophy of science, Cardoso has been influenced by his close friend, the leading Brazilian philosopher Jose Arthur Gianotti. The two of them were leading members of the Marxist Study Group oftheir youth, a group which is now famous throughout Brazil for the distinguished scholars and leaders which it produced. By emphasizing the dialectic as a key element in Marxist thinking, Cardoso infused his Marxism with a heavy dose of voluntarism. He denied that political outcomes were determined by social forces, insisting that they could be changed by strategic and tactical decisions made by leaders. Many Marxists, by contrast, thought of Marxism as a determinist philosophy, which predicted inevitable changes made necessary by the functional requirements of the capitalist system. Cardoso is not the only Marxist to reject this functionalist interpretation of Marx. The debate between

"crass materialist determinism" and more politically dynamic views goes back to the time of Marx and Engels. (4) Cardoso explained his approach to sociological analysis in an interview published in 1976: "What I try to do is to illuminate with certain intellectual categories a particular historical situation. And I try to keep up with the newest techniques â&#x20AC;&#x201D;I've done some game theory with the computer â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but the available techniques are still weak. They are based on empirical generalizations, attempting to capture the constancies, the regularities of a situation, emphasizing the most stable aspects. One can in a given investigation develop instruments for detecting the current tensions and conflicts, the values of the actors. But there is no methodology for understanding the forces that are emerging, and yet change is always my main preoccupation, what in Hegelian-Marxist dialectic would be called the negation of the situation... It only makes sense if you can combine theory, research, the historical moment, and practice â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but it is hard to play that game, to move among the levels, and it takes flexibility, both intellectual and emotional." (5) Cardoso's generation was decisively shaped by the Brazilian military coup d' etat in 1964. Many leftists of the time were tragically misled by the belief that the political crisis was caused by the failure of dependent capitalism. They thought that the only options were socialist revolution or socio-economic stagnation. In fact, there was a third option: continued capitalist development with social reforms. What kept this from happening was a political crisis, not an economic one. The moderate reformers, who had enough votes and popular support to impose a compromise, allowed themselves to be misled by extremists on the left and the right who opposed reconciliation. In his analysis of the 1964 coup d' kat, Cardoso rejected the determinist interpretation: "I do not believe that 1964 was written inexorably in the economic logic of history. Instead, I believe that the political process plays an active role in the definition of the course of events. Or, better, if it is true that inflation, the sharpening of the class struggle, and the difficulty of main-

taining the rhythm of capitalist expansion in the socio-economic conditions prevailing during the Goulart government, radicalized the political forces and moved the institutional bases of the regime, the insurrectional movement was one of the possible solutions, not the only one, as an economistic view of history would claim." (6) Cardoso did not need to abandon Marxism for another theory because his interpretation of Marx allowed him to include all of the factors he thought important. Although he was

Unlike many Marxists who blamed political errors for the failure of Marx's predictions, Cardoso thought that Marx's economic theory had essential flaws.

thinking more and more like a mainstream sociologist in some ways, he continued to be emotionally tied to his Marxist roots. In an interview published in 1978, Cardoso told an interviewer: "If you want to know my personal statement of faith, I am favorable to abolishing the system of exploiters and exploited! But this is a statement of faith, which has perhaps a biographical or moral importance. What is important is to develop a political attitude, not a moralistic attitude. What is important is to know which forces are moving in a given direction, to introduce the act of faith into the reality of the current situation." (7) Cardoso's focus on the dialectical flux of events distinguishes him from positivist social scientists who test and retest what they hope will be lasting theories. Robert Packenham, for example, has spent years testing and criticizing a set of ideas which he and others call "dependency theory." And they have found the theory, especially in its "development of underdevelopment" version, to be wrong. This version of dependency theory, most closely associated with the work. of Andre Gunder Frank, predicted that the third world countries would get poorer and poorer as long as they were involved with multinational capitalism. Their only alternative was to break out of the world capitalist system and follow a socialist path to development. Packenham, and many others, have

plenty of statistics to prove that this theory was wrong. Cardoso says, yes, of course, the world has changed. In the nineteenth century, capitalists extracted raw materials from Latin America and did their manufacturing in Europe. Today, multinational companies do their manufacturing in the third world countries, and this has allowed some of these countries to develop rapidly. Cardoso never believed in "dependency theory" in the sense that social scientists such as Packenham use the word "theory." For Cardoso, the dependency of third world nations on the world economy is an important topic for study, not a theory to be tested. Ever since his days as a student at the University of Sao Paulo, his mentor Florestan Fernandes taught him to use social theory as a toolbox from which one selects the best tool to do a particular job. As the problems change, one must put down one tool and pick up another. Cardoso's goal was not to defend Marxism or any other theory, but to understand and influence the society which was emerging around him. In the 1970s, The Brazilian capitalist economy was booming and revolutionary movements had been decisively suppressed. The issue of the day was figuring out how to make a transition back to democracy, despite the unquestioned military hegemony of the armed forces. Marxism didn't help much with this problem, so Cardoso reached into his theoretical toolbox and pulled out other ideas. He often quoted the Italian writer Norberto Bobbio on the process of democratization. In his maiden speech to the Brazilian Senate, he quoted from Max Weber, the preeminent sociologist of bureaucracy and public administration, not from Karl Marx. This does not mean, however, that Cardoso became a Weberian instead of a Marxist. Cardoso's focus is on the problem of the day, not on any particular theory. He is an applied sociologist, using whatever theories and methods he needs for the case at hand. As such, he insists that he is often a better Marxist than many of his more doctrinaire critics. He argues, for example, that the widespread belief among leftists that the rich countries will become richer while the poor will become poorer is "anti-Marxist. In the vision of Marx, the system will tend to homogenize, to become more dispersed..." Cardoso believes that, in today's world, "capi-

BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

tal is going to China and to the emerging countries, in great quantity. For a very simple reason: you have an excess of capital in the world, a surplus. And the profitability is much greater in the periphery." (9) Cardoso thinks that much of his "leftist" opposition is rooted in moral idealism rather than in scientific analysis. He observes, "consider the criticism of the government which is summarized in the phrase neoliberar . This is pure posturing, on a purely ethical plane... It is only a moral condemnation. They start from a distortion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as if the government were really neoliberal â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and they make a moral condemnation. They do not see reality, they do not see the real social patterns, they do not see that which is changing. They do not see even the facts. This prevents political action." Cardoso believes that in the postSoviet world there is no viable alternative to the capitalist mode of production. The only realistic approach in this historical conjuncture is to do whatever is necessary to make Brazil into a prosperous, modern capitalist nation. In effect, he agrees with Jose Luiz Fiori's argument that he is using his Marxism in support of the new capitalist world order. He observes that his government "is making it possible for the most advanced sectors of capitalism to prevail. It is certainly not a regime at the service of monopoly capitalism nor of bureaucratic capitalism, but of that capitalism which is competitive under the new conditions of production. It is, in this sense, socially progressive." To advocate anything else in today's world, he believes, would be moral posturing, good for the soul perhaps, but not helpful to Brazil. This does not mean that Cardoso has given up on the human concerns of the left. Like all Brazilian progressives, he is deeply concerned about the suffering of the country's huge impoverished and marginal populations, especially the landless peasants and the shantytown poor in the cities. And he is painfully aware of his government's limitations in meeting these urgent needs. He frankly concedes that his government is not the "regime of the excluded, because it does not have the conditions to be. I would like to incorporate them more, but I cannot say that this will be." In Cardoso's view, the poor are not part of the dynamic sector of the economy, they cannot be

BRAZZIL -APRIL 1997

the social basis for progress. Nor can fix the inflation, no problem. Otherthe working class be the vehicle of wise they couldn't make any promuniversal values, as Marx had antici- ises. Many Brazilians were discourpated. "What was Marx's grand revo- aged, fearing that the nation's chronic lutionary proposal," Cardoso asks? "It inflation and social problems were was that there was one class, and only .unsolvable. one, that, by its specific nature, would If Cardoso had viewed economic be the carrier of universal values. To- policy as a technical issue, he would day this is difficult to sustain, if only have accepted this economic advice, because this class, today, is diminish- and he would have failed just as his ing in quantity and changing its be- predecessors in the Brazilian presihavior... you will see that progres- dency did. As a dialectical thinker, sively the unions are no longer against Cardoso focused on the historical conthe employers, they are against the juncture. He knew that he had to solve government." the inflation problem quickly, because Cardoso wants to help the poor and only that would give him the political dispossessed, not only for ethical rea- clout necessary to make the needed sons, but also because society cannot reforms. He insisted that the econofunction smoothly with millions of mists put together a plan for monetary people at its margins. In his phrase, reform and told Congress he wouldn't the excluded are "sand in the machin- implement it unless they put aside ery" of society, and social programs enough money to keep the governare needed to integrate them into the ment running through the transition mainstream. However, these programs period. Impressed with his plan and can be paid for only if the economy is his confidence, and lacking any viable vigorous and the government cuts alternative, Congress passed his meawaste, corruption and unnecessary sures and hyperinflation was defeated. bureaucracy. In terms of practical poliIn the 1994 elections, progressives tics, he has much in common with around the world placed their hopes Franklin Roosevelt or Bill Clinton. on the leftist union leader Lula da For Cardoso, Marxist sociology is Silva and his Workers Party. Lula is a not a set of doctrines and principles good friend and sometimes political handed down from the nineteenth cen- ally of Cardoso's, and many of tury, it is a body of knowledge, which Cardoso's close friends belong to the has to be continually revised to fit Workers Party. But Cardoso declined changing circumstances. This kind of to join the Workers Party when it was sociology is very demanding, because formed because he thought it was more it requires him to "read everything" focused on moral righteousness than and make his own judgments about on political reality. With hindsight, each policy issue. The technical de- many of the Workers Party's supporttails may be left to experts, but the ers concede that he was right, at least major decisions are dependent on his with regard to the Party's stance in the analysis of the historical conjuncture. 1994 election. In a recent book, two English leftists who are strong supporters of Lula and angry critics of If Cardoso is to Cardoso's free-market policies, reach succeed in mobilizing the following reluctant conclusion: supportfor his social "Notable by its absence [in the initiatives, he will Worker's Party program] was any speneed as much cific reference to the vexed question constructive support of hyperinflation... the party still had a as he can get from the working-class mentality, born out of let. decades of wage bargaining, which found it impossible to imagine that a When it is done well, this approach national agreement between employcan be highly effective. When Cardoso ers and the government for eliminatfirst became Finance Minister, for ex- ing inflation could serve the interests ample, his team of brilliant young of workers. So the National Meeting economists told him nothing could be demanded, instead, monthly wage indone until the political system had creases, failing to see that this would been reformed. Government spending merely feed inflation in a self-defeathad to be brought under control, cor- ing spiral." (8) ruption and inefficiency had to be Fernando Henrique Cardoso won reigned in. Once he did that, they could the presidency because he had a solu-

57

tion to the nation's most vexing problem and the opposition did not. His training as a social scientist enabled him to understand and use the latest economic knowledge about hyperinflation and its remedies, making his own judgments instead of relying on advisors. As President, Cardoso has continued to do battle with those on the left who oppose privatization, deregulation and civil service reform. His first major struggle as President was to defeat a strike by petroleum workers, supported by many on the left, who opposed opening their industry up to foreign competition. He believes that Brazil's governmental bureaucracies are too large and inefficient, and that its social security system has made promises which cannot be met. The new Brazilian constitution, passed in 1988 by a constituent assembly eager to constrain future authoritarian governments, weakens his hand in confronting the interest groups. Many reforms require constitutional amendments, and some congressmen seem more concerned with political posturing than with the good of the country. There was dancing in the halls of congress when the opposition stymied his first attempt to pass a much needed social security reform. The left is split into factions without viable policy alternatives to offer, but it has been able to join with machine politicians to block reforms intended to trim ineffective government agencies. Brazilians of all political persuasions respect Cardoso as a man of integrity and exceptional ability, traits which were sorely lacking in several of his predecessors. But they wonder ifhis Marxist training and social democratic sympathies will make any real difference. His old friend from the Marxist study group days, So Paulo economist Paul Singer, insists that "all the reforms which he is implementing are those which all over the world the right is implementing. There is no difference." Perhaps, his critics argue, Cardoso's Marxism is little more that a biographical idiosyncrasy since the constraints of global economic forces mean that the best even a well intentioned social democrat can do is to better administer capitalism. This cynicism is fed by the kind of determinist Marxism which believes that no individual can do much to change social forces. How valid are these arguments?

Paul Singer is correct in observing that Cardoso's economic policies are similar to those implemented in countries such as Argentina, Chile and Mexico. Cardoso's economic advisors have been trained in the same universities, and apply many of the same state-of-the-art economic ideas as their colleagues in other countries. But there is a difference in Cardoso's broader social goals. Most Latin American leaders are trained in law, political science or economics, while Cardoso is very much a sociologist. The economists and lawyers have often temporarily fixed the economy, but failed to integrate the masses into the benefits of the reforms. When the benefits fail to trickle down, resentment builds up and reform efforts are sabotaged. As a sociologist, Cardoso has a profound understanding of class and group differences. He also has a long history of involvement in social movements independent of government and corporate circles. He and his anthropologist wife, Ruth Cardoso, have ambitious plans to mobilize non-governmental forces to address social problems. These plans have been on the back burner in the first years of his administration, when absolute priority had to be given to economic and administrative reforms. If he succeeds in consolidating these reforms, and in having the constitution amended so that he can run for a second four-year term, he may be able to do more to incorporate the country's marginalized groups. If Cardoso is to succeed in mobilizing support for his social initiatives, he will need as much constructive support as he can get from the left. He is disappointed that the left dissipates much of its energy in complaining about the lack of resources to sustain the old patronage systems, resources which in the past might have been found by inflating the currency at the expense of the poor. He believes that "the old-fashioned ideas which still dominate sectors of Brazilian thought, especially in organized groups, impede the recognition that we have to break with the bureaucratic norms of the past." Cardoso believes that too many Brazilians are caught up in a "failure mania" and simply do not believe that the country can break away from its past. These cynics recall the old saying, "Brazil is the country of the future.. .and always will be." Cardoso

is convinced that those days are gone and that Brazil is already competing strongly on the world stage. Those who are stuck to what he calls the "whining mentality" of the past must be confronted, lest their pessimism become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Cardoso's critics believe that he has gone too far in accommodating to multinational capitalism, and they dismiss his social reform ideas as mere window-dressing designed to build support for his political party and for his own reelection. In practical political terms, however, his strongest opposition is still on the right, not the left, and armed revolution is out of the question. Whatever their moral qualms, at this point in history, Brazilian progressives have no realistic alternative to supporting Cardoso in his reformist efforts. 1. NACLA Report on the Americas, May, 1995 2. The Dependency Movement: Scholarship and Politics in Development Studies. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992, p. 216. 3. "La contribution de Marx a la theorie du changement social." In Marx et la Pensee Scientifique Contemporaine. Paris: Mouton, 1969. 4. The English philosopher Jon Elster has developed this point in depth in "Marxism, Functionalism, and Game Theory," Theory and Society, vol. 11, 1982. 5. In Joseph Kahl, Modernization, Exploitation and Dependency in Latin America. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books. 1976, pp. 180, 178. 6. 0 Modelo Politico Bras ileiro e Outros Ensaios, Sdo Paulo: Difusdo Europeia do Livro, 1972, p. 65. 7. Democracia para Mudar. Sao Paulo: Paz e Terra, 1978 p. 58. 8. Sue Branford and Bernando Kucinski, Brazil: Carnival of the Oppressed; Lula and the Brazilian Worker's Party, London: Latin American Bureau, 1995, p. 65-66. 9. This and subsequent quotes are from an interview with Cardoso in the Caderno Mais of the Folha de Sao Paulo, October 13, 1996. Ted Goertzel is a Sociology professor at the Rutgers University He is the author of five books, the latest two being Linus Panting: A Life in Science and Politics and Turncoats

and True Believers: The Dynamics of Political Belief and Disillusionment. Email: goertzel*crab.rutgers.edu

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