Brasil Observer #19 - English Version

FREE BEBEL GILBERTO

LONDON EDITION SEPTEMBER 11 – 24

ISSN 2055-4826

Set to arrive in England for two performances in early October, the Brazilian singer gives us an exclusive interview >> Pages 8 & 9

LEIA EM PORTUGUÊS

HENRIQUE GENDRE

www.brasilobserver.co.uk LEANDRO DE BRITO

WIN, WIN HOW THE BRAZILIAN SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS PROGRAM IS BENEFITTING BOTH BRAZIL AND THE UK

>> Pages 10 & 11

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IN FOCUS The main debate

04 05

BRASILIANCE Brazilian economy in check

LONDON EDITION 06

BRAZIL IN UK Brazilian cultural centre opens in Birmingham

EDITOR IN CHIEF

PROFILE

08 09

Ana Toledo ana@brasilobserver.co.uk

Bebel Gilberto

EDITORS

10 11

FRONT PAGE Brazil and the UK together through education

Guilherme Reis guilherme@brasilobserver.co.uk Kate Rintoul kate@brasilobserver.co.uk

Aécio Neves’ trajectory

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PUBLIC RELATIONS

CONECTANDO

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CONTRIBUTORS

2014 ELECTIONS

A beer before lunch

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BRASIL OBSERVER GUIDE Bahia’s Orchestra and much more…

Roberta Schwambach roberta@brasilobserver.co.uk

Alec Herron, Antonio Veiga, Bianca Dalla, Gabriela Lobianco, Marielle Machado, Michael Landon, Nathália Braga, Ricardo Somera, Rômulo Seitenfus, Rosa Bittencourt, Shaun Cumming, Wagner de Alcântara Aragão

LAYOUT wake up colab

16 - 17

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20

22 -23

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16 | 17 GUIDE COVER STORY 18 NINETEEN EIGHT-FOUR 20 GOING OUT 22 | 23 NEW CANVAS OVER OLD 24 MUSIC TO WEAR 25 TRAVEL

digala@wakeupcolab.com.br

GRAPHIC DESIGN Jean Peixe ultrapeixe@gmail.com

DISTRIBUTION Emblem Group LTD mpbb@btinternet.com

PRINTER Iliffe Print Cambridge iliffeprint.co.uk

ACCOUNTING ADVISORY Atex Business Solutions info@atexbusiness.com

E D I T O R I A L

BRAZIL AND THE WORLD

By Ana Toledo – ana@brasilobserver.co.uk

As the summer comes to an end and the schools and universities open again, the focus of this edition is on education. Have you ever heard about the Science Without Borders program?

Brazil’s Federal Government scheme gives opportunities for Brazilian students to complete a year of undergraduate and post-graduate abroad. This September the UK will receive 2,700 students from Brazil. It’s about the internationalisation of higher education institutions in the two countries that the news report of Guilherme Reis addresses.

As we have said many times in this space, 2014 is the year that Brazil does not stop. We’re getting closer to the day that millions of Brazilians will go to the polls to choose the representatives for various elective positions, among them the

most important, the President of the Republic. For you who have been following our election coverage, this edition is the time profile of the candidate Aécio Neves.

In Brasiliance, following the trend of what is guiding the electoral debate in Brazil, Wagner de Alcântara Aragão explains why the country is in ‘technical recession’. Looking at what is happening in the Brazilian economy and what could keep the country out of a ‘deep recession’.

On the cover story of Brasil Observer Guide, on page 15, Gabriela Lobianco writes about the Youth Orchestra of Bahia, who will make presentation in London on 17 September, at the Southbank Centre.

Have a good read and stay in touch!

BRASIL OBSERVER is a fortnightly publication of the ANAGU UK MARKETING E JORNAIS UN LIMITED (Company number: 08621487) and is not responsible for the concepts expressed in signed articles. People who do not appear in this expedient are not authorized to speak on behalf of Brasil Observer. The contents published in this newspaper may be reproduced if properly credited to the author and to Brasil Observer.

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IN FOCUS

WHAT ‘NEW POLICY’ DO BRAZILIANS WANT? A broad debate on a “new policy” to govern the country is underway in Brazil.

This is taking place at a crucial moment for democracy in the country as, in less than a month, 140 million voters will go to the polls to choose their state and federal deputies, governors, senators and of course, the next president.

Since the protests that shook Brazil in June 2013, citizens have developed a broad and diverse desire for change. A Datafolha poll released on 30 August showed that 80% of respondents want the next president to take different actions to today.

But exactly what kind of changes does the population really want? And which presidential candidate represents the yearnings of Brazilian society best?

An answer to these questions will be given unerringly on 26 October, the date of the probable second round of the presidential election. But until then it’s possible to analyse the proposals of each candidate, along with the polls of voter intention collected so far to see which one offers the best prospect of change.

At the launch of the book Brazil: The Trouble Rise of a Global Power, which took place in August, at King’s College, the author Michael Reid spoke on this subject, confirming that “Brazilians want a new kind of state”. Asked which kind of state it would be, Michael Reid, who also writes for The Economist concluded that a less interventionist policy by the federal government would be necessary, which in turn should reduce public spending and at the same time improve quality of services provided.

Although the journalist preferred to sidestep giving an answer on which candidate would be more capable for the task, with less intervention in mind, it seems likely that his choice would be Aécio Neves, from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). After all, the PSDB candidate has always preached the so called “management shock” approach, doing more with less. Beyond that, Neves represents the policy of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, also

Mídia Ninja

By Guilherme Reis

In Belo Horizonte, votes are collected for the popular plebiscite organised by social movements

from PSDB, the party that governed Brazil from 1994 to 2002 with an agenda of privatisation and alignment to the international market, making the party popular with big businessmen and foreign investors.

A possible policy of austerity, as suggested

by Michael Reid, however does not seem, to be in the desires of Brazilian society, who have seen the impact on the European populations like Spain, Greece and Portugal, squeezed between the loss of social rights and high unemployment rates. The fear of austerity is perhaps why Aécio Neves has been pushed third place in the recent polls with 14% of voter intention, according to the Datafolha survey from 3 September.

The same survey indicated that, at this time, the two candidates who are seen to best represent the changes that Brazilians are hopping for are Marina Silva, from the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), and the current president Dilma Rousseff, from the Workers Party (PT). As contradictory as it may seem, as people want change from the current PT government’s approach, 35% of voters say they are intending to vote for Rousseff, while Silva reaches 34%. If the same figures were collected in the election, this would lead to a technical draw in the first round and in a possible

runoff between the two, Marina would win by 48% to 41%.

Stepping up as the presidential candidate for the PSB after the death of Eduardo Campos, Marina Silva’s main asset is the possibility of breaking the hegemony that has lasted 20 years. Since 1994, only the PSDB and PT were main parties with enough support to have elected presidents and build coalitions in Congress that guarantee governability. Silva has broad support among those who do not see any difference between the two parties and consider the decades of polarisation between them as harmful to the country. As a result, Silva has claimed that if elected she would be able to form a government with the best politicians, without distinction between party affiliations. For her and her supporters, this would represent a new policy, as it would prevent coalitions forming purely for electoral rather than public interest.

It is worth adding another factor that has boosted Marina Silva’s candidacy: the anti-PT vote. After 12 years in federal government, the PT is probably facing it’s toughest time and staunchest criticism, both from those on the right, condemning the party for the allegedly widespread practice of corruption, and those from the left

who criticise the party for moving away from their roots while in power to make alliances with former rivals and abandoning historical beliefs. It is not hard to imagine, therefore, that the overwhelming majority who vote for Neves in the first round would vote for Silva in an eventual second round, just to see the PT defeated.

Given this situation, Dilma Rousseff has used her time on TV to show the achievements of the PT’s 12 years in federal government, in an attempt to show that she is the most qualified to address changes that people want. She has even compared Marina Silva with former President Fernando Collor, who won the presidency in 1990 without a majority in Congress and eventually suffered impeachment two years later. Such a comparison, however, seems contradictory and potentially damaging as Collor is now an ally of Rousseff in Congress.

Following the protests of 2013 and with the intention of meeting public demands for the greater participation of society in government action, Rousseff signed a decree in the first half of 2014 that established a National Policy for Social Participation. She also declared support for a Popular Plebiscite for an Exclusive and Sovereign Constituent of the Political System, this is a consultation organised by social movements who argue for, among other things, the end of private funding for political campaigns and a law of media democratisation.

Such initiatives, however, have been branded as Bolivarian and authoritarian by virtually all sectors of the opposition to Rousseff’s government, even by those who advocate a “new policy”.

In these circumstances, it is difficult to measure exactly what change Brazilians want or to discern what approach best meets the desire of the country’s citizens.

While it’s clear that an appetitive for change is universal, however, there is a risk that Brazil might elect someone who preaches change purely as a way of keep everything the same once in power.

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brasilobserver.co.uk

BRASILIANCE

ECONOMY IN CHECK Poor performance of the Brazilian GDP in 2014 so far puts the country in ‘technical recession’. Job generation, income rise and signals of recovery in the second half, however, keep away risk of a deeper recession

By Wagner de Alcântara Aragão Divulgation

Brazil’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the sum of the production of all economic activities that the country accumulates in the first half of 2014 saw a tiny increase of 0.5% over the same period last year.

In the last 12 months, the situation is a little better: up 1.4%. However, the performance of GDP in the second quarter (April, May and June) signalled a warning and reignited a discussion: is Brazil living through a recession?

For many analysts, including professor Pedro Henrique Evangelista Duarte, PhD student in Economic Development and professor at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), it is correct to say that yes, the country is going through a period of “technical recession”. However, according to Duarte, that does not mean that Brazil is in “a framework of recession”. Although the performance of the GDP is facing low growth, job creation and income continue to grow.

The teacher himself explains the difference between the two similar concepts.

He told Brasil Observer: “You have to understand what technical recession means. Technical recession is a term used in economics to describe the occurrence of two consecutive quarters of decline in some economic indicators. As Brazil had a negative GDP in the first two quarters of 2014, then we can say, yes, we are facing this picture. But a cadre of technical recession does not necessarily mean a framework of recession. Assuming that the Brazilian economy is in a recession is a shallow and fallacious assessment.”

Duarte continues explaining that a framework of a recession would occur “in a situation of systematic decline in economic activity,” in which not only the GDP would register “inadequate behaviour” (a decrease compared to the previous year) as well as “rising unemployment, falling income and deterioration in external accounts”. In the evaluation of the teacher, this is not the situation of the Brazilian economy. Moreover, the trend is for a better performance in the second half of the year, “due to the recovery of agriculture and the growth of trade”. This, he adds, does not exclude the need for caution.

“Once this framework is maintained [continuous fall in GDP], then yes we can

Job generation keeps growing, but the productive sector investments and industrial activity in the country remain low

enter a state of recession,” he warns.

The finance minister, Guido Mantega, ruled that risk out. “Short-term causes that led to weaker first half performance will not be repeated in the second half, so we will have a better time. We have already started the third quarter in a positive way and will end the year better than it started,” he said on August 29, when the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) released results of the Brazil’s GDP.

INVESTMENTS AND INDUSTRY The data presented by IBGE bring, however, more alarming rates than GDP itself. Two key indicators to measure the degree of development of

the national economy fared worse: the Gross Fixed Capital Formation concerning investments made by the productive sector and national industry activity. There was a drastic decrease of the first and a significant decrease in industrial activity.

Industrial activity signals recovery, but not enough to replace losses. According to the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), in July, after four consecutive months of decline, the activity returned to growth in the sector, as shown through indicators of hours worked in production (up 2.6% compared to June), revenue (1.2%) and capacity utilization (which reached 81%, or 0.6 percentage point above the use in

the previous month). “We expect moderate growth of industrial activity in this [second] half, but is very unlikely to reverse this situation [retraction of the industry],” said the executive manager of the CNI Economic Policy, Flavio Castelo Branco.

Moreover, the consumption – both from the government and families, especially the latter – continues to sustain the Brazilian economy. Household consumption ended the first half of this year featuring high on all four comparison criteria. Inflation, still in relative control (remains within the target), and especially the increase in income and employment ensure households consume and warm up the economy.

brasilobserver.co.uk 5

In the first half of this year, the number of jobs created was 1.56% higher than the same period in 2013, which in turn had been higher than in 2012. Over the last 12 months, the increase was 1.82%.

Since 2011, growth in formal employment was even higher: 12.51%.

Data is from the Ministry of Labour released in late August. For the minister Manoel Dias, Brazil has faced international economic crisis “without sacrificing the working class”.

The number of jobs created in the country between January and June was 588,671, much higher than countries like Chile (53,964), Japan (40,000) and Australia (91,320). What seems a paradox - economy growing little and heated labour market – is the fact that there is nothing contradictory, says Professor Duarte. “There is no contradiction. It is quite possible, though not common, that a country has improved in one of these variables without the same thing occuring in the other”, he pointed out.

An analysis that crosses data on GDP and indicators of the labour market allows us to identify explanations for this relationship. The jobs are being generated especially in activities that contribute positively to GDP, as in the service sector.

Duarte adds: “Looking in more detail the data of Dieese [Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies] on employment in metropolitan areas, [it is observed that] there was employment growth in industry and services, and a drop in trade. Analyzing the last twelve months (July 2013 to July 2014), employment growth was more prevalent in services and construction.

Brazil has substantial employment growth in services and construction, which have been highlighted in the general behaviour of the sector”.

Regarding the outlook for the recovery of investments by the productive sectors, they are diminished by maintenance at high levels of basic interest rate of the Brazilian economy. In September, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank decided to keep the base rate (Selic) at 11% per year. The interest rate has been since 20 years ago the main instrument of economic policy to inflation control – with high interest the loans become more expensive, holding the consumption and the price of products.

There are, however, side effects.

High interest rates discourage companies to seek financing for investment in their business. The financial sector remains the only benefit (no wonder the nation’s largest banks accumulate successive record profits). For CNI, maintaining the Selic rate by 11% per year “prolong the difficulties of Brazilian industry and the resumption of productive activity,” as said manifestation of the entity, in a statement.

José Cruz/Agência Brasil

JOBS GENERATION

BRAZIL’S GDP INDICATORS Results in each one of the comparison criteria

Agriculture g

2014 Q2 X 2014 Q1: 0,2%

g

2014 Q2 X 2013 Q2: 0%

g

Last 12 months: 1,1%

g

2014 so far: 1,2%

Industry g

2014 Q2 X 2014 Q1: -1,5%

g

2014 Q2 X 2013 Q2: -3,4%

g

Last 12 months: 0,5%

g

2014 so far: -1,4%

Service g

2014 Q2 X 2014 Q1: -0,6%

g

2014 Q2 X 2013 Q2: 0,2%

g

Last 12 months: 1,6%

g

2014 so far: 1,1% First round is scheduled for October 5

Investments g

2014 Q2 X 2014 Q1: -5,3%

g

2014 Q2 X 2013 Q2: -11,2%

g

Last 12 months: -0,7%

g

2014 so far: -6,8%

Families consumption g

2014 Q2 X 2014 Q1: 0,3%

g

2014 Q2 X 2013 Q2: 1,2%

g

Last 12 months: 2,1%

g

2014 so far: 1,7%

Goverment consumption g

2014 Q2 X 2014 Q1: -0,7%

g

2014 Q2 X 2013 Q2: 0.9%

g

Last 12 months: 2,2%

g

2014 so far: 2% Source: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics

Will the weak GDP influence elections?

Recession is never good news for the government, even with less than a month to the first round of the presidential election, scheduled for October 5.

Therefore, the main opposition to Dilma Rousseff’s re-election (Workers Party – PT); Marina Silva (Brazilian Socialist Party - PSB) and Aécio Neves (Brazilian Social Democracy Party – PSDB), must have quietly celebrated the official data showing the GDP had retreated 0.6% in the second quarter and 0.2% in the first three months of the year.

However, everything indicates that the “technical recession” should not exert great influence on the choice of the population for their candidate. Although companies have reduced their production, they resisted the expensive process of dismissing employees. As a result, unemployment in Brazil is only 4.9% - the lowest in history. The average household income keeps up with inflation. And although consumer confidence remains low, it received a

boost when the inflation of food prices weakened and the price of services went down after the World Cup. The approval rate of the government, which was in decline since the beginning of the year, has increased in August.

Even so, President Dilma Rousseff has shown concern in signal to big business in the country and international investors that, in a possible second term, would change the course of economic – indicating that could replace the current Minister of Finance, Guido Mantega.

Dilma never was the preferred candidate of the Brazilian businessmen, who naturally support, even in a disguised way, the PSDB candidate, Aécio Neves. With the possibility of a runoff election between Dilma and Marina, however, they are seeking to influence these applications to engage with the sector, with greater investment in infrastructure, less government intervention and tax cuts.

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BRAZIL IN UK

New space for culture The first capoeira studio in Birmingham intends to bring together expressions that promote Brazilian identity Melissa Becker

By Melissa Becker, from Birmingham

Under historical arches that support the rail trails on Water Street, in Birmingham, it is possible to hear the sounds of pandeiros, atabaques and berimbaus.

A banner in front of the salt glazed tiled façade explains the source of such atypical music on the streets of the second city. It is the new venue of Brazilian martial arts movement Cordão de Ouro Birmingham (CDOB), the first capoeira studio in the West Midlands. A special opening ceremony is set for September 20.

More than having an infrastructure for the practice in the region, the goal for capoeirista Samuel Mascote, founder of the enterprise, is to transform the place into a Brazilian cultural centre – possibly, the very first in England located outside London.

Although there are events promoting Brazil’s culture across England – such as Brazilica Festival, in Liverpool, or FlipSide, in Suffolk –, Mascote noted the lack of a permanent space.

“I believe that’s the first Brazilian cultural centre for arts, community, learning and events outside London. There are lots of restaurants in other cities and towns, but that’s just the food”, he observes.

The initiative will provide new possibilities, such as the organization of a Carnival party or typical Brazilian June’s party. In order to achieve that, the capoeirista invited other groups and people in the region who are involved with Brazilian culture already to join forces.

Among them, there are the Forró in Brum group and Tessa Burwood, director of Brum Spirit project, which brings different communities together.

Professor Mascote, from Nottingham, has started practicing capoeira in his hometown and has improved his skills while living for a year in Bahia, northeast Brazil. With the experience of teaching within the DanceXchange, house of dance, and of having organised an international capoeira festival during one of the main dance events in Europe this year (the Internacional Dance Festival Birmingham, IDFB), Mascote highlights that the initiative does not promote Brazil’s stereotypical image: “We would like a centre dedicated to showing the Brazilian culture to the British people in a traditional, real

Opening ceremony is set to the 20th September

way, not only for what they think Brazil’s culture is”.

Tessa (who has organised the English strand of the Espírito Mundo cultural project and has worked together with CDOB during the dance festival) sees another audience who misses a venue like that.

“There’s a quite big Brazilian population living in this region, they come here for different reasons. I have the impression that most of them feel a little dispersed and don’t have a meeting point, like in London, where there are several. It’s good to develop that”, she says.

The Brum Spirit’s director observes that the new studio’s location is advantageous not only for those who live in Birmingham. Capoeira classes and forró meetings in the city usually register the partici-

pation of people from other parts, such as Coventry and Nottingham. Apart from being in Birmingham’s central area, the venue is close to the Snow Hill station and the Jewelley Quarter, which concentrates one of Brum’s historical trades and has getting new investments in the last couple of years.

Classes at the studio started in August, however, a special weekend is being planned to mark the official opening, from 19th to 21st September. Guest teachers and masters from across Europe should be present, including the choreographer Irineu Nogueira, from London.

On 20th September (Saturday), there will be free capoeira taster at 4pm and the Tamo Junto – We Are in This Together party, featuring DJ Silence, DJ Feva,

Sticky Joe and Forró in Brum.

“The main link is meeting up around the Brazilian culture, but there are room to people expressing themselves creatively in other forms. We have plans to develop a café in the venue, where people could meet each other and keep adding social and creative value to a community”, Tessa adds.

Tickets for the full weekend cost £40 (visiting students, £30). One day only, £25. For the Tamo Junto party, £5 on the door.

The new capoeira studio is located at Arch 32 on Water Street, Birmingham, B3 1HL.

g

Information about the classes on the website: www.cdob.co.uk

brasilobserver.co.uk 7

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PROFILE

Bebel Gilberto gets everything

By Rômulo Seitenfus

The Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto arrives in England for two presentations that promise a full house in October. On Saturday 4, she will animate the FlipSide Festival, an event that is focused on Brazilian literature and takes place in Snape Maltings, Suffolk (read more on page 20); on October 6, she sings at the Barbican in London.

Born in New York, the daughter of one of the biggest names of Bossa Nova, João Gilberto, and singer Miúcha Bebel, presents her first release in five years in the album Tudo, which literally means “Everything”. There are 12 tracks, including original compositions and interpretations of songs written by Tom Jobim, Luiz Bonfa and Neil Young, plus the special participation of Seu Jorge.

In direct connection between London and New York via Skype, I start the conversation questioning why Bebel has chosen the title of the song ‘Tudo’ as the name of the album. “This album is very intense, very everything. It has a similar feature with the timing of the first album. A full expression has occurred. Not that I have not fully expressed myself in others, but this is a new time after five years since I released my DVD in Rio. It’s like the birth of a new phase.”

From the balcony of her apartment in New York, it is possible to see the construction of the new World Trade Center and hear the birds singing. It was this natural soundscape that inspired the arrangement of the first song on the album, Somewhere Else.

“On weekend mornings, when there are not many cars on the street, I hear the birds a lot.

When we were making the demo, we recorded the birds singing, and then mixed it with the effects of violin added by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, who made the arrangements for this song. Michael is a very smart guy; he plays like a full orchestra. And also [producer] Mario Caldato. I had to start singing that song.”

Asked what would be the favourite recordings of her career, Bebel responds without hesitation: “I would start with Simplesmente, from my second album which was all recorded

Set to arrive in England for two performances in early October, the Brazilian singer gives an exclusive interview to Brasil Observer and talks about her new album as well as London’s decisive role in her career

in London. Then I chose Aganju, Winter and August Day Song. This last one is the first album I did with Smoke City and Nina Miranda. From this new album, I really like Areia, Tudo and Somewhere Else.”

And, speaking about London, the singer tells how the city was decisive to her international success. “London is largely responsible for me getting here. When I lived in London, I began to develop the sound of [album] Tanto Tempo.

It was when I met Amon Tobin, early on, to award the contract with Crammed Discs. To have played shows at the Barbican (for the first time in July 2000) has totally changed my life. The sound that I chose for my music passed through there.”

Regarding the decisions about the organization of the lyrics and album names, Bebel says she hears her intuition. “I’m very intuitive.

Most things I do by intuition. I’m not very rational. I’m not thinking or elaborating much.

I usually think, ‘Oh, that’s it’.”

In the recently released movie Rio, I Love You the singer appears as an angel singing Eu preciso dizer que te amo, composed with Dé Palmeira and Cazuza in the 1980s. Indeed, Bebel collects soundtracks of films like Eat, Pray, Love and Closer, both starring Julia Roberts.

“When your song is chosen to play in a movie there is not much control. I have to thank God and say: ‘Glad you used the music’. It’s not something I have any power over,” she says.

About being born into a family of accomplished musicians, I ask if she believes that her talent comes from genetics, or whether it was the result of improved practice with musical techniques.

“When you are born with talent it is much easier, but it also develops. I consider myself a blessed person because for me, it is very easy to sing. About my parents, they were very much responsible for helping me hone my raw talent.

Listening to them play, especially my father (João Gilberto), who always played instruments, definitely gave me a Bossa Nova profile, more inside his guitar. While I also sought to study the influences I’ve had in London. I was born with talent, but would not have gotten where I am if I was not their daughter.”

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This album is very intense, very everything...

It’s like the birth of a new phase

Divulgation

10 brasilobserver.co.uk

FRONT PAGE

PARTNERSHIP THROUGH EDUCATION Number of Brazilians who study or have studied in the UK under the Science Without Borders reaches 8,500; experts says the program increasingly opens up more opportunities for collaboration between universities from both countries

By Guilherme Reis

This September, more than 2,700 Brazilians are coming to the UK to do a year of their undergraduate courses in British universities under the Science Without Borders (SwB) scheme. This takes the total number of students who have come to the country since the programme launched in 2011, including PhDs and post-docs, to over 8,500.

The UK is the second most popular destination of Brazil’s federal government program – behind only the United States - whose purpose is to grant 101,000 scholarships by 2015 and that until now has granted 83,000 scholarships in all modalities available.

By the end of the program, the expectation is that the UK will receive over ten thousand Brazilian students.

Today there are about 80 British universities participating in the SwB scheme, receiving students and researchers from approximately 100 institutions of higher education from Brazil. The priority areas covered by the Brazilian program are science, technology, engineering, mathematics and creative industries focused on technological development and innovation.

According to experts interviewed by the Brasil Observer, the SwB program has been an important part in the approach and building of new partnerships between universities from both countries.

“UK universities have benefitted from receiving such students. Our departments and faculties have gained new connections through these students to departments and faculties in Brazilian universities. We are helping each other internationalise by forming closer collaborations in mutual exchange programmes like the SwB,” said Dr. Joanna Newman, Vice-Principal (International) at King’s College.

Newman pointed out as an example the agreements recently closed by King’s College with the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Foundation for Research Support of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP). “We are launching this year with USP a joint PhD programme and are organising an international summer school with FAPESP in 2015”.

For Newman, the SwB scheme is also encouraging participation the

other way. “There is a growing number of UK researchers (both postgraduate students and post doctoral researchers) who are taking advantage of the SwB opportunities to spend time in Brazil.

It is without doubt an aim of most universities involved in the scheme, certainly King’s, to encourage a reciprocal approach and provide opportunities for our staff and students to spend time in Brazilian institutions”.

This fact was confirmed by Communication Advisor of the UK High Education International Unit, Vikki Challen, responsible for Science Without Borders program in the UK. “I can confirm that we have clearly seen a strong increase in interest from academics here to spend time and do research in Brazil. This comes from Brazil’s rise in the international scientific landscape as well as the great impression that the SwB students are making here. This is also due to the excellent packages that SwB offers to incoming scientists,” she said.

“SwB has the power to not only increase mobility between the UK and Brazil but also to develop many more partnerships and collaborations between Brazil and the UK which will help cement deep, long-lasting links and bring tangible benefits to both countries,” Challen added.

CHALLENGES For many critics of the Science Without Borders scheme, the main problem of the program is to prioritize sending abroad undergraduate students.

In this phase of academic life, they argue, the commitment to scientific development is very small, so that, at the end of a year of travel abroad, the biggest gain is personal and not intellectual. In addition, many Brazilian students would not be properly prepared to leave the country - a significant portion of these students do intensive English school before starting at university classes, not counting the cases of revocation for failing to follow studies in the language.

In this perspective, the focus should be attracting high level researchers to develop projects in Brazil. It’s what James Bramwell, director and consultant to higher education from the Bri-

tish Council for the Americas thinks.

“There is a model for emerging countries where you can get a program for external mobility, such as the SwB, but at some point you need to get the attraction of people. And it is much harder to do,” he said.

“To outward mobility, you need money and need to pay people to go. To bring people, you have to worry about languages, with the appropriateness of the curriculum, a series of new questions. I think we need to restore the initial idea of SwB to attract researchers. At the moment, the main focus is on enabling the sending people”.

In fact, beyond the purpose of sending abroad more than 100 thousand Brazilian students by 2015, SwB encompasses two other programs. The first is the Young Talents Scholarship (Bolsa Jovens Talentos – BJT), whose goal is to bring young researchers to Brazil, manly Brazilians, participating in prominently scientific and technological production abroad. The second program is the Special Guest Researcher (Pesquisador Visitante Especial - PVE), aimed to foster exchange and international cooperation through the attraction of scientific leaders for one to three months per year, for a period of up to three years.

Today, however, these two modalities have not nearly the same range of modalities to send students abroad.

The number of projects approved in 2011 and 2013 calls for PVE and BJT, added, do not amount to one thousand (see sidebar with more information).

To have an idea, the Chevening Program, which finances graduates with the potential to be influential leaders and decision makers to study at postgraduate courses in British universities, will triple the number of scholarships and more than 1500 people will be benefit each year from 2015.

In the opinion of Dr. Joanna Newman, “The main barrier to sending more students and staff to Brazil is a lack of knowledge of the fantastic opportunities that exist. As programmes like Science without Borders progress, this will change as enduring links are made not just between students, but more importantly between the institutions that can start to set up collaborations”.

brasilobserver.co.uk 11 Divulgation

ATTRACTION OF SCIENTISTS TO BRAZIL Data concerning the number of projects approved in 2011 and 2013 by the Science Without Borders program on modalities Special Guest Researcher (PVE) and Young Talents Scholarships (BJT)

PVE Numbers g

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Global Total: 623 Foreigner Total: 591 Brazilian Total: 32 British Total: 50

By region of destiny g

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Midwest: 33 North-east: 99 North: 24 South-east: 349 South: 118

3 priority areas g

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Exact and Earth Sciences: 100 Biology and Biomedical Sciences: 71 Health Sciences: 70

Numbers of BJT g

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Global Total: 319 Foreigner Total: 174 Brazilian Total: 145 British Total: 17

By region of destiny g

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Midwest: 24 North-east: 40 North: 8 South-east: 192 South: 55

3 priority areas g

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Biology and Biomedical Sciences: 46 Exact and Earth Sciences: 45 Health Sciences: 39

Brazilian post-doctoral will work at MedImmune

OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESS Science without Borders (SwB) is a Brazilian government scholarship programme which aims to send 101,000 Brazilian students on undergraduate sandwich courses, PhD sandwich courses and full PhDs to study in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and creative industries at top universities across the world. Each scholarship provides an opportunity for businesses to get involved.

In terms of the undergraduate programme, businesses can offer internships or sponsor an industry-linked project at a university. In some cases students have undertaken a mixture of the two. SwB undergraduate students have undertaken internships at a diverse range of organisations from the NHS (Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust) to local government (Kingston Council) from architecture firms (Barnaby Gunning Architects)

to engineering firms (MWH) and large museums (the Science Museum). Many of the placements have been specifically designed for the students.

Universities have also been able to secure internships for SwB students at some of the world’s leading brands, including Rolls Royce, Unilever, Ford, BAE systems, Shell, GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble and IBM. “I worked at IBM-Hursley for three months during my SwB year in the UK. As a Summer Software Engineer Intern in the API Management team, I took part in a project which enabled me to enhance my computer related skills and also to perfect my knowledge of the English language. Working within an internationally renowned organisation was extremely enriching and allowed me to make invaluable business connections for the future”, said Ricardo Pedreiro,

who studied Computer Science at the University of Durham.

Businesses can also co-sponsor a full or sandwich PhD scholarship student. A number of companies are already involved for example MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, announced its participation in Science without Borders. Thirty Brazilian post-doctoral fellows will work at MedImmune’s three sites in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Mountain View, California and Cambridge, UK for a period of two years.

Another example is that of the University of Aberdeen, in Scotland, which currently has an agreement with BG Brasil and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul’s Institute of Geosciences (UFRGS/PPGGEO) to offer fellowships to Brazilian citizens for dual PhD degree and post-doctoral opportunities.

12 brasilobserver.co.uk

2014 Elections

FROM SECOND PLACE TO DARK HORSE The third person in the series on the major candidates for Brazil’s presidency is Aécio Neves from the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), who was the main opponent of Dilma Rousseff and now places third in the polls on voting intentions after the rise of Marina Silva

By Claudia Ribeiro

Aécio Neves da Cunha was born on March 10, 1960 at the capital of Minas Gerais State, Belo Horizonte. He graduated in Economics, married twice and has three children. From a family with a background in politics, his destiny seemed to have been drawn since his childhood in São João Del Rey and Claudio, in Minas Gerais countryside, and later in Rio de Janeiro, where he moved with his family aged ten and remained there during his adolescence until part of his adult life.

His father, Aécio Cunha, was state and federal deputy. The paternal grandfather, Tristão da Cunha, was one of the authors of the Miners’ Manifest, an important document against the dictatorship of the New State, which occurred between 1937 and 1945. But the best known politician of his family and who had a direct influence on Aécio’s political career was the other grandfather, Tancredo Neves, a former president and one of the main symbols of the democratization process in Brazil. Elected in 1985, he was the first civilian and opposition president after two decades of military dictatorship.

FIRST STEPS Aged 21, Aécio Neves accompanied his grandfather in Tancredo’s campaign for the government of Minas Gerais. It was 1982 and Aécio was living through his first political experience. After winning the election, Tancredo named his grandson as an advisor to his mandate.

It was also side by side with Tancredo that Aécio campaigned for the Direct Elections Now. The popular movement, however, could not get sufficient votes to adopt the Dante de Oliveira Amendment, which would guarantee the return of direct elections for the presidency.

Even so, the whole country got mobilized again to return to democracy. Then another movement; Change Brazil, launched the successful candidacy of Tancredo Neves for the Republic’s presidency.

On the eve of the inauguration, in 1985, Tancredo was admitted with abdominal pain, dying after nearly forty days of hospitalization. Aécio followed everything closely and became better known by the Brazilians, as the country experienced at that moment one of his biggest domestic commotions, reinforced by extensive media coverage during the illness and death of a democratization leader.

ELECTION RECORDS From 1986, Aécio became an important figure in public life. He ran for Congress as federal deputy and was elected with 236,000 votes, the highest vote recorded in Minas Gerais until then. Thus began a cycle of records in the parliamentary, where he participated in the 1988 constitution draft and was one of the authors of the amendment that established the right to vote at 16 years old.

He had three consecutive terms as congressman and was leader of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) in the Chamber of Deputies four times. In 2001, he approved moralizing measures such as the end of immunity for common crimes committed by politicians.

In 2002, Aécio applied to the government of Minas Gerais and was the first elected governor of the state in the first round. The vote was the highest in history so far. In government, he promoted the so-called “Management Shock”, a policy of reducing public spending, including cuts in wages, even from the governor himself. He was then re-elected again in the first round in 2006, with 77% of the valid votes.

During his term, Minas Gerais was the first state to enrol children in schools earlier, which resulted in 93% of students reading and writing at the age of eight.

According to the research institutes Datafolha and Macroplan, Aécio has always been among the most popular

governors in the country. So much so that, when the government ended, Aécio had 92% approval from the state’s population. Another record he celebrated.

POLEMICS To lead a life of luxury, whether in Rio de Janeiro, where he lives, or on trips, tours and parties that he always liked to attend - most often accompanied by high society bigwigs, beautiful women and former football players such as Ronaldo - Aécio won fame for being a ‘playboy’. A subject Aécio hates is drugs. Several times, rumours circulated that he was a cocaine user. He attributes the accusation to political opponents.

“Today there is an underworld of politics. Anonymously they make any kind of accusation about opponents, hoping someone can bring this theme to serious journalism. What we are witnessing is guerrilla warfare on the internet,” he once told the newspaper Zero Hora.

In April 2011, Aécio refused to do the breathalyzer test in Rio. He also presented an expired driver license. A spokesperson for the senator said at the time he did not know that the document was expired and he was not tested because he was in this condition.

Aécio was also accused of not fulfilling the constitutional financial floor of SUS (Health Unique System) between 2003 and 2008, when he was still governor of Minas Gerais. He replied process in a civil action for administrative misconduct filed by the Public Attorney’s Office (MPE). But the Justice withdrew the suit for lack of evidence.

This year, a scandal involving the expropriation of land for the construction of an airport in Minas Gerais reached Aécio: according to Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, Aécio, when governor, built an airport on the farm of his great-uncle Múcio Guimarães Tolentino, in Cláudio, which is only 50 km from Divinópolis, a city that already has an airport.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE In 2010, Aécio was elected senator from Minas Gerais. In 2013, he was elected national president of the PSDB, and in June 2014, at the national convention, Aécio was chosen as the party’s candidate for the presidency.

Since then, opinion polls indicated he was the favourite to compete in the second round of the presidential election with President Dilma Rousseff, from the Workers Party (PT). But after the death of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) candidate, Eduardo Campos, and replacement by former senator Marina Silva, the electoral framework has changed drastically for the PSDB candidate.

According to the latest survey

by Datafolha Institute, released on August 29, Marina Silva and Dilma Rousseff have 34% of the vote intentions each, while Aécios Neves has 15%.

Aécio didn’t comment on the research. He has an extensive agenda around the country, presenting proposals and making harsh criticisms of the current government (read more on next page).

After more than twenty years attending the Brazilian public life, Aécio says he believes in the transformative capacity of politics. He represents, in general, the policy of economic stabilization of former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, also of the PSDB, who led the country from 1994 to 2002 with an agenda of privatization and alignment with financial capital. No wonder, therefore, that Aécio Neves is the preferred candidate of international investors and big business, and has broad support among the richest of Brazil. He cannot, however, reach the vast majority of Brazilians who showed willingness to vote in opposition to the Dilma Rousseff government – at least for now.

brasilobserver.co.uk 13

MAIN PROPOSALS OF AÉCIO NEVES The main proposals of Aécio Neves include reducing ministries, continuity and improvement of social programs like Bolsa Família and infrastructure commitments in an attempt to reduce barriers to further growth of the country. Aécio also promises to end the re-election. The following are the most relevant proposals:

g

Health

with a focus on improving the competitiveness of agribusiness; incorporation of the Special Secretariat of Fisheries; modernization of agricultural credit legislation; expansion of the coverage of agricultural insurance.

Land reform and property: invaded farms will not be expropriated for two years; agrarian reform to income generation; technical and technological support for the settlements.

Invest in hiring more specialists and imple- Welfare ment a career path for those who will work in smaller centres, and create special health Dignity Age Program: Increase in value of pensions above the minimum wage based on the centres.

Secure financing from BNDES (National De- variation of the price of drugs; expansion of velopment Bank) for the organization of a institutions devoted to old age and qualificaNetwork of Offices of Health in the outskirts tion of caregivers. of large cities, in the poorest regions and in Brazilian Family Program: Focus on people in a situation of extreme vulnerability listed in the violent areas.

Unified Register of the federal government; Education greater support for families with situations of unemployment and adults with little schoGrant scholarships to 20 million young people, 18-29 years old, who left school. Grantees will oling.

Northeast: Aetius presented 45 proposals to receive a minimum salary per month and will undergo professional training courses. The the Northeast, divided into seven areas, inprogram will be funded with resources from cluding Combat Poverty, Infrastructure and Competitiveness and Education. the National Education Plan and the Pre-Salt. g

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Implementation of the Youth Savings Program. Infrastructure To participate, students need to have good grades and not engage in acts of violence or Investment in roads, railways and waterways; crimes. Each year of high school completed, Clear rules for implementation and managethe government will deposit the value of R$ ment; increased investor confidence.

Saving ethanol production program; encou1,000 in an account. At the end of high school, raging partnerships with Petrobras for gas the student may withdraw the amount from R$ 3,000 to invest in his own business or to exploration. continue studies.

Security Economy Automatic and monthly transfers from the g

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Inflation and exchange rates: transparent fiscal Penitentiary Fund Budget and the National policy; combating inflation-focused central tar- Security Fund; reform of the Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure; increase the feget and free floating exchange rate.

Resumption of discussions for a trade agree- deral police force and partnerships with the ment between Brazil and the European Union Armed Forces to strengthen border surveillance; creating protocols for joint action for Civil, and flexible rules of Mercosur.

Creating a special secretariat for project de- Military, Federal and municipal police guards; sign simplification of the tax system; correc- creation of the Fund for the Enhancement of tion of the Income Tax to the table to ensure a Police, which will support the qualification. wider exemption range of workers.

Political reform Reducing the number of ministries and decreased commissioned positions.

Presentation of proposal for political reform in the early days of government; end of re-elecAgriculture tion, suggesting five-year terms; unification of Creation of Super Ministry of Agriculture to local, state and national elections in the same analyze investments in railways and waterways year; defence of the mixed district vote. g

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14 brasilobserver.co.uk

CONECTANDO

A BEER BEFORE LUNCH The following is an edited extract from the book A Beer Before Lunch, a mixture of short stories and blog posts on getting lost in the occasionally anarchic, always intoxicating city of Recife in the north east of Brazil

By James Young 



equally they are home to millions of ordinary people seeking only to live what Brazil’s former president Lula described as “lives of dignity”.

Then it’s time for The Ex-Girlfriend to go. Come and meet my friend Carla tomorrow, she says. She winks and is gone into the night.

We meet again the next day at Carla’s house in Neighbourhood C. Carla is bright and pretty and wears a tight pink tube top emblazoned with the legend Sexy Girl. She is the kind of twenty year old girl who, if born to a different kind of family might be getting ready to start classes at university - dreaming, as most Brazilians who go to university seem to dream, of becoming a lawyer or a judge or doctor.

It is Saturday afternoon. Carla pours me a cold beer. She goes outside and picks a few small, sad-looking flowers from the garden and puts them in a glass on the kitchen table. We sit, Carla, The Ex-Girlfriend and I, and talk. Later Carla’s friend Eduarda drags herself into the kitchen and sits with us. Outside car stereos play Brazilian funk, the unofficial sound of favela youth. When a passing car plays MC Creu the girls scream and leap to their feet and dance. Watching them I think how they could be young women enjoying the gentle idleness of a Saturday afternoon almost anywhere in the world.

After that the weekend ends quickly.

I see other friends on Saturday night, visit The Ex-Girlfriend’s family on Sunday. By Monday lunchtime I am back in Recife. As I stand at the bus stop outside the airport and feel the heat prickling my collar and the bright clarity of the air I feel as though I am home again, though of course this is not home, and perhaps never will be.

I think again of The Ex-Girlfriend and of Carla and the afternoon I spent in Carla’s kitchen.

A call comes a week later. The Ex-Girlfriend tells me how on the Thursday after I left she was walking idly with Carla in Neighbourhood C when four boys on two motorbikes pulled up alongside them. They shot The Ex-Girlfriend once in the arm and Carla eight times, six times in the head.

Carla died instantly. She had been a traficante, a dealer, but had kept it a secret. Her killers were members of a gang from a neighbouring favela.

The Ex-Girlfriend tells me she is now lying low – while she has never been involved in selling drugs, being seen with Carla makes her a target.

I stand in the street, the phone pressed against my ear. I listen to The Ex-Girlfriend’s voice. She is talking, talking, until her voice grows so small that I can no longer hear it, and then it fades like a small, withering flower. And I have nothing to say, for what could I say?

James Young has lived in Brazil for almost ten years. In addition to journalism production for several publications, he is a fiction writer.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE? Conectando is a project developed by the Brasil Observer that aims to put into practice the concept of ‘glocal’ communication, helping a local story find a global audience of readers.

You can be involved too, just send your story to us! Find out how to get involved by contacting conectando@brasilobserver.co.uk

DIVULGATION

I went back to Belo Horizonte to visit The Ex-Girlfriend. It was The Ex-Girlfriend who was responsible for taking me away from the glossy Brazil that many foreigners find themselves mired in - the shopping malls and the expensive hotels and the apartment buildings along the beach. The Ex-Girlfriend lives in a poor-ish bairro called Neighbourhood A (it is not called this, obviously, but for the moment it may be unwise to use real names in this story) in Belo Horizonte’s grubby northern suburbs. I meet her downtown at midnight. We drink too much cold Antarctica beer and talk about the past - how the Mineirão, the city’s football stadium, used to be filled with the sound of 60,000 Atleticanos on match day, whether Jamie still brews his own lethal cachaça in his bar near the apartment we once shared in upper middle class Neighbourhood B, how amongst all the things that I miss about Belo Horizonte, fresh pão de queijo and coffee in one of the city’s hundreds of bakeries is perhaps that which I miss the most.

The Ex-Girlfriend tells me she has recently made some new friends in Neighbourhood C, a favela which borders onto Neighbourhood A. This in itself is no great cause for alarm while such areas are often the scene of tremendous suffering and poverty, not to mention ferocious battles between drug traffickers and the police,

Buy ‘A Beer Before Lunch’ for Kindle from Amazon or Paperback from http://goo.gl/EIaAbz

brasilobserver.co.uk 15

Brasil Observer

GUIDE

METAL WOOD SKIN

DIVULGATION/SOUTHBANK CENTRE

Percussionist Colin Currie (photo) and the Brazil’s Youth Orchestra of Bahia, conducted by Ricardo Castro, perform new work by Julia Wolfe and Mahler’s First Symphony this month at Southbank Centre. >> Read on pages 16 and 17

Percussionista Colin Currie (foto) e a Orquestra Sinfônica Juvenil da Bahia, regida por Ricardo Castro, apresentam novo trabalho de Julia Wolfe e a Primeira Sinfonia de Mahler no Southbank Centre este mês. >> Leia nas páginas 16 e 17

16 brasilobserver.co.uk Divulgation

Bahia’s

By Gabriela Lobianco

After four years since their European debut, the Youth Orchestra of Bahia, directed and conducted by the maestro Ricardo Castro, returns for a third concert, this time with the percussionist Colin Currie at London’s Southbank Centre on 17 September.

The presentation is part of Metal, Wood, Skin: The Colin Currie Percussion Festival.

The young people who make up the philharmonic are aged between 12 and 29 years, but have had a rich and enviable artistic experience from touring the United States and European countries. “Returning to Europe at this moment, with a mature orchestra is always a sign of growth and recognition for our work and dedication,” said Ricardo Castro in an exclusive interview with the Brasil Observer.

The Brazilian musicians will present a

Youth Orchestra of Bahia will be conducted

by Ricardo Castro, who became the first Brazilian to receive the Honorary Membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society

Orquestra Por Gabriela Lobianco

Após quatro anos de sua estreia na Europa, a Orquestra Sinfônica Juvenil da Bahia (YOBA – Youth Orchestra of Bahia), dirigida e regida pelo maestro Ricardo Castro, retorna para um terceiro concerto no Southbank Centre, em Londres, dia 17 de setembro, junto ao percussionista Colin Currie. A apresentação é parte integrante do evento Metal, Wood, Skin: The Colin Currie Percussion Festival.

Os jovens que compõe a filarmônica têm entre 12 e 29 anos, mas carregam experiência artística invejável com turnês pelos Estados Unidos e por países europeus. “Voltar à Europa neste momento, com uma orquestra amadurecida, é sempre um sinal de crescimento e reconhecimento pelo nosso trabalho e dedicação”, afirmou o

brasilobserver.co.uk 17

Youth Orchestra performs in London show of the works from the 20th century,

by Gustav Mahler, and the 21st century,

by Julia Wolfe. The contemporary work of Wolfe, riSe and fLY, was specially composed for percussionist and soloist Colin Currie, who won the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award in 2000. Taking inspiration from genres of rock, folk and classical, plus American rhythms and beats from New York, the work has been intended to “take Colin to a new place and to bring something earthy and visceral to the orchestra – to break with formality and get down and dirty.”

The union of these three talents brings a perfect combination of classical music with the final touch of modernity. Ricardo Castro stressed that “one of the important points of our methodology is to put challenges in front of our youth musicians,” when explaining the choice of Mahler’s

First Symphony as part of the presentation.

The conductor said that the invitation to play with Currie was a great opportunity.

“We like Bahia’s percussion movements, but it would be a crime to limit ourselves to this unique language when we know that children and young people around the world aspire and need another kind of artistic expression.” Castro also said that since the beginning of Neojibá the number of musicians keeps growing, “today in Bahia we have more young people interested in playing in a symphony orchestra than in other musical groups.”

Neojibá The Youth Orchestra of Bahia is the result of Neojibá (State Centres for Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Bahia), in g

operation since 2007 to “achieve excellence and social integration through collective practice of music”, as described on the institution’s page.

The first Brazilian youth orchestra to perform in London played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in July 2010. They also developed a partnership of musical exchange with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO) in order to share experiences and musicality. This pioneering program is based on the acclaimed Venezuelan program, El Sistema created 35 years ago, and has led to social integration through music, on the outskirts of Salvador (Bahia’s capital), which today can be considered an international success.

For Gillian Moore, head of the Southbank Centre’s Classical Music

Department, it will be a festival of great importance to the 2014/2015 season. She argues that “the cream of today’s composers coming forward to write new works for Colin, a percussion festival is the perfect vehicle to showcase this undaunted soloist while celebrating Southbank Centre’s commitment to new music”.

Other attractions will be part of Metal, Wood, Skin: The Colin Currie Percussion Festival, as the world premieres of Steve Reich’s Quartet for two vibraphones & 2 Pianos and Percussion Concerto Andriessen’s, Tapdance - by James MacMillan and Anna Clyne.

Also, on 12 November, at The Clore Ballroom of the Royal Festival Hall, Colin Currie will perform a free concert for schools, showing different ways to use rhythm and music games.

For more information about the presentations, as well as to purchase tickets, visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Juvenil da Bahia concerta em Londres maestro Ricardo Castro em entrevista exclusiva ao Brasil Observer.

O programa que será apresentado na noite de gala junto aos músicos brasileiros terá obras do século 20, de Gustav Mahler, e do século 21, de Julia Wolfe. Sendo que a obra contemporânea de Wolfe, riSe and fLY, foi composta especialmente para o percussionista e solista Colin Currie, ganhador do prêmio do Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award em 2000. Com inspiração em gêneros do rock, folk e clássico, além de ritmos americanos e batidas das ruas de Nova Iorque, a autora resume ter como intenção “transcender Colin para um novo lugar e trazer algo visceral e terrestre para a orquestra, rompendo com a formalidade e trabalhando profundamente”.

A junção desses três talentos traz uma

combinação perfeita entre música clássica e o toque definitivo da modernidade.

Ricardo Castro ressaltou que “um dos pontos importantes de nossa metodologia é colocar desafios diante de nossos jovens”, ao explicar a escolha pela Primeira Sinfonia de Mahler como parte integrante do programa.

O maestro disse ainda que o convite para tocar com Currie foi uma questão de oportunidade. “Gostamos dos movimentos percussivos baianos, mas seria um crime nos limitarmos a essa única linguagem quando sabemos que jovens e crianças do mundo todo aspiram e precisam de outro tipo de expressão artística”. Castro afirmou ainda que desde o início os números do Neojibá não param de crescer: “hoje talvez tenhamos na Bahia mais jovens interessados em tocar em uma orquestra sinfônica do que em outros grupos musicais”. g

Neojibá A Orquestra Juvenil da Bahia é fruto do Neojibá (Núcleos Estaduais de Orquestras Juvenis e Infantis da Bahia), que atua desde 2007 no intuito de “alcançar a excelência e a integração social por meio da prática coletiva da música”, como descrito na página da instituição.

Trata-se da primeira orquestra jovem brasileira a se apresentar no Queen Elizabeth Hall, em Londres – o que ocorreu em julho de 2010. Além disso, desenvolveu uma parceria de intercâmbio musical com a National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYO), a fim de trocar experiências e musicalidades. Esse programa pioneiro baseado no aclamado El Sistema, programa venezuelano criado há 35 anos, levou à periferia de Salvador integração social por meio da música, que hoje pode ser consid-

erado um sucesso de talentos internacional.

Para Gillian Moore, chefe do departamento de Música Clássica do Southbank Centre, será um festival de suma importância para a temporada 2014/2015 do centro cultural. Ele argumenta que, “com a nata dos compositores que compõe para Colin, um festival de percussão é a forma perfeita de mostrar o trabalho desse solista destemido no Southbank Centre e seu comprometimento musical”.

Outras atrações farão parte do Metal, Wood, Skin: The Colin Currie Percussion Festival, como as estreias mundiais de Steve Reich’s Quartet for 2 Vibraphones & 2 Pianos e Andriessen’s Percussion Concerto, Tapdance – por James MacMillan and Anna Clyne.

Dia 12 de novembro, no The Clore Ballroom do Royal Festival Hall, com entrada gratuita, Colin Currie fará um concerto para escolas, mostrando diferentes formas de usar ritmos e jogos musicais.

Para mais informações sobre as apresentações, assim como compra de ingressos, acesse o site www.southbankcentre.co.uk

18 brasilobserver.co.uk

NINETEEN EIGHT-FOUR

By Ricardo Somera

These days it seems like everyone you meet is multi talented and working on a range of complimentary projects at one time. Today no one says they are solely musicians, photographers, advertising execs or doctors. Instead we are all commentators, cultural producers, or entrepreneurs. This seems like a practical concept for the “everything together and mixed” philosophy.

With a growing number of people more talented, educated, knowledgable and experienced than before, it is in this search for a place in the world that interesting projects arise, here I focus on two and will tell you now to keep an eye on these entrepreneurial creative women because they will give us much to talk about in the future.

MANDALA DE NÓS ‘Mandala de Nós’ (roughly translated as Mandala from Us) is not just an art project, but a lifestyle that artist, advertising and art teacher Andréa Tolaini adopted for herself. The project seeks to portray the essence of people by painting mandalas, which are spiritual images that can provide inner recognition. As a consequence, it is thought that they open a path to on-going self-knowledge.

I met the artist when she had just graduated, was working as project manager in an advertising agency but was dissatisfied with the direction her life.

She dropped the shackles and went to London in search of alternatives for a more simple g

Divulgation

Creative minds and creative life. Back in Brazil, she began her experiments until mandalas came to her and eventually to us all.

There is still a long way to walk, but the first step against the pre-established models of life has already been taken.

Learn more about this story in the Colors in Motion mini-doc (http://vimeo.com/101410324).

Por Ricardo Somera

Nada nem ninguém é uma coisa só nos dias que correm. Não existe mais músico, fotógrafo, publicitário ou médico. Hoje somos jornalista/produtor cultural/empreendedor/DJ. É o conceito prático do “tudo junto e misturado”. Nessa busca por um lugar no mundo é que surgem projetos interessantes como Mandala de Nós e Salpic Cultural. Podem ficar de olho nas dicas que passo a seguir porque essas empreendedoras/mulheres/criativas vão dar muito que falar.

SALPIC CULTURAL The Salpic Cultural project,

by Camila Zupo, winner of the Young Creative Entrepreneur award in 2014 from the British Council in the category Fashion & Design, also came from the desire for transformation. For this, she became a cultural producer split into Salpic Creative Bureau, Salpic Wearable Art and Salpic Social.

Salpic Wearable Art is the fashion element of the project and is a sustainable fashion atelier which incorporates upcycling by reusing raw materials, this approach is applied to everything down to the furniture in the studio, which is upholstered in fabrics discarded by the furniture industry.

The brand also proposes a deconstruction of gender codes in discussion, seeking to recover the individual expression.

Like the mandalas of Andreia Tolaini, Camila Zupo’s bespoke projects are unique, exclusive and the personality of each client is very important.

From the 13 to 20 September, Camila will be part of London Fashion Week and will have the opportunity to share, learn and inspire other British professionals in the industry.

1f you want to know more, send a tweet to @souricardo

Criativas mentes

MANDALA DE NÓS Mandala de Nós não é apenas um projeto artístico, mas um estilo de vida que a artista, publicitária e professora de arte Andréa Tolaini tomou pra si. O projeto busca retratar a essência das pessoas através da pintura de mandalas e proporcionar o reconhecimento de si. Como consequência, é aberto um caminho para o autoconhecimento.

Conheci a Deia na época em que ela era recém-formada e gerente de projetos em uma agência de publicidade – e insatisfeita com o rumo que estava dando à sua vida. Largou as amarras e partiu rumo a Londres em busca de alternativas para uma vida mais simples e criativa através da arte. Voltando ao Brasil, começou a fazer seus experimentos até que as mandalas chegaram até ela e a todos nós.

Ainda há muito chão para caminhar, mas o primeiro Keep your eyes: Andréa Tolaini and Camila Zupo

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passo contra os modelos de vida pré-estabelecidos já foi dado. Conheça mais essa história no mini-doc Colors in Motion (http://vimeo. com/101410324).

SALPIC CULTURAL O projeto Salpic Cultural, de Camila Zupo – vencedora do prêmio Young Creative Entrepreneur 2014 do British Council na categoria Fashion & Design –, também surgiu da tentativa de fazer do seu lado B o seu lado A. Para isso, ela criou uma produtora cultural que se divide em Salpic Creative Bureau, Salpic Wearable Art e Salpic Social.

A Salpic Wearable Art – o braço fashion da Salpic – é um ateliê de moda sustentável que tem como base para suas criações o ‘upcycling’, técnica de reaproveitamento de matéria-prima. No caso do ateliê, tecidos de tapeçaria descartados pela indústria moveleira.

A marca também propõe a desconstrução de códigos de gênero como discussão, buscando recuperar a expressividade individual. Assim como as mandalas da Andréia Tolaini, os projetos de Camila Zupo são únicos, exclusivos e com a personalidade de cada cliente.

Neste mês de setembro, Camila irá acompanhar a London Fashion Week (13 a 20) e terá a oportunidade de compartilhar, conhecer e inspirar outros profissionais britânicos de destaque no setor.

Se quiser saber mais, mande um tweet para @souricardo

brasilobserver.co.uk 19

WHAT ABOUT

receiving the Brazil Observer in your doorstep for 6 editions for only ÂŁ10?

Contact us for more details: contato@brasilobserver.co.uk

20 brasilobserver.co.uk

GOING OUT

OBSERVATIONS IN BRAZIL

BRAZILIAN CINEMA

SPECIAL READINGS

12 September – 7 November

17 September, 6.30pm

24 September, 6.30pm

Where Embassy of Brazil, 14-16 Cockspur Street Tickets Free >> www.culturalbrazil.org

Where Embassy of Brazil, 14-16 Cockspur Street Tickets Free >> www.culturalbrazil.org

Where Embassy of Brazil, 14-16 Cockspur Street Tickets Free >> www.culturalbrazil.org

The Embassy of Brazil and Lucid-ly Productions present a rare collection of 50 photographs by Sir Benjamin Stone.

Curated by Rodrigo Orrantia and Pete James from the Stone archive at the Library of Birmingham, the photographs were taken during a Royal Astronomical Society expedition set out to observe a full solar eclipse in the Brazilian Amazon in 1893. Stone also documented his journey by sea to Brazil, photographing the people and places he discovered upon arrival. A keen observer of individuals, Stone captured images that portray different sections of Brazil’s already diverse society towards the end of the nineteenth century.

The lively João Grilo and the sly Chicó are poor guys living in the hinterland who cheat a bunch of people in a small Northeast Brazil town. But when they die, they have to be judged by Christ, the Devil and the Virgin Mary, before they are admitted to paradise. Born as a hit stage play by Ariano Suassuna, made into a hit TV miniseries, the story was then brought to the big screen, where it became one of Brazil’s all-time box office hit. ‘Auto da Compadecida’ (‘A Dog’s Will’) won 7 international awards and was nominated for best film at the Cartagena Film Festival in 2001. Directed

by Guel Arraes, it will be screened with English subtitles.

Critically-acclaimed writers João Gilberto Noll and Paulo Scott have teamed up for a special event as part of each author’s 2014 UK tours. They will be reading from their latest works and leading a discussion on subjects including the state of contemporary Brazilian literature, the short story in Brazil, and the country’s multiple social and cultural issues. Noll will be in the UK to promote the short-story anthology The Book of Rio, which contains his story Alguma Coisa Urgentemente (Something Urgently); Scott will be here to launch the UK edition of his Machado de Assis Prize-winning novel Habitante Irreal (Nowhere People).

A family festival with a Brazilian beat! The second FlipSide Festival will take place at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, over the first weekend of October 2014. Literature, art, music, food and drink, children’s events, dance, cooking demonstrations, capoeira and football will all be celebrated. October 5th is the day of the Brazilian Presidential Election, and a panel of eminent Brazilian experts will debate the state of play in South America’s no longer sleeping giant. Throughout the weekend a Brazilian street market will offer delicious street food, drink, crafts, art work and many other attractions on tempting stalls for young and old.

FLIPSIDE FESTIVAL 3 – 5 October Where Snape Maltings, Suffolk Tickets £130 (Wekeend Pass) >> www.flipsidefestival.co.uk

DIVULGATION

ADRIANO COSTA

RIO BRIO

CITY VISIONS

Until 27 September

27 September

25 September – 9 November

Where Sadie Coles HQ, 62 Kingly Street Tickets Free >> www.sadiecoles.com

Where Charleston, East Sussex Tickets £10 >> www.charleston.org.uk

Where Barbican Tickets £9.50 >> www.barbican.org.uk

Brazilian artist Adriano Costa presents his first solo exhibition in London – also his first with Sadie Coles HQ: Touch me I am geometrically sensitive. Made over a period of two months in London during the lead-up to the exhibition, Costa’s latest works harness everyday objects – mostly gathered in situ – so as to magnify their basic geometrical patterns, textures and colors. While probing the imaginative and aesthetic potential embedded in the stuff of daily life, Costa’s sculptures, paintings and installations also allude implicitly to the wider system in which art is made, validated and sold.

Adriano Costa lives and works in São Paulo.

Brazil is the destination of the moment and Small Wonder – The Short Story Festival is delighted to be hosting some of its writers. Tatiana Salem Levy (photo) was selected as one of Granta’s Best of Young Brazilian Novelists. Her debut novel, A chave de case, won the São Paolo Prize for Literature and is due for publication in the UK next year. João Gilberto Noll is one of Brazil’s most distinguished and popular authors. He has written nineteen books and won more than ten literary awards. Lucy Greaves won the 2013 Harvill Secker Young Translator’s Prize.

A season of films, talks and debates, exploring the ways in which cinema has engaged with the phenomenon of the modern city and the experience of urban life. Beginning with the cycle of silent films in the 1920s known as City Symphonies, and extending to current-day representations of life in the over-saturated megalopolises of South America, Africa and China.

Special Brazilian Film Screenings on October 5: ‘Precise Poetry - Lina Bo Bardi’s Architecture’, ‘São Paulo, A Metropolitan Symphony’, ‘Oscar Niemeyer – Life is a Breath of Air’, ‘Neighbouring Sounds’ (photo).

“Desde 1992 servindo a Comunidade Brasileira”

Mudança segura e personalizada!

Horário de Atendimento: Segunda a Sexta das 08:00h às 19:00h Sábados das 09:00h às 12:00h Escritórios em Portugal e Espanha: E-mail: info@packandgo.co.uk

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Mudança Doméstica e Internacional

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Serviço Aéreo, Marítimo e Rodoviário

Armazenagem e Empacotamento

Serviço Especializado para Antiguidades

Serviço Porta a Porta para qualquer lugar do Brasil

20 anos

Aniversário em 2012 – Vamos celebrar!

Garantia do melhor preço.

Entre em contato conosco para mais detalhes.

www.packandgo.co.uk 31/08/2012 23:05

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22 brasilobserver.co.uk

New Canvas Over Old

Bye Bye Brazil

By Kate Rintoul

So after a whirlwind six months that flashed by far too quickly I’m leaving Rio this week.

While I admit things haven’t always been easy here (finding accommodation was a nightmare, the expensive rent didn’t leave much money to enjoy the city as much as I wanted), it has still be an amazing time, one I will cherish for years to come.

I’m still undecided if I’ll be returning to Brazil in 2015, every conversation about the pros and cons comes full cycle and I guess we will only know for sure when I’ve had some space to reflect on everything that’s been and could be.

As I weigh up all the experiences and think about everything I’ve seen and done it seems like a good time to think about what I’m going to miss most about living like a carioca.

The Bakeries On one of my first days in here, when I was staying with a lovely Brazilian family, I was initiated into the eating of cake at breakfast and knew this was a country I could be happy in. Our apartment in Glória is literally five steps from a 24hour bakery and I have eaten my way through a fair share of Brazilian cakes and breads. It’s great to be able to pop out and buy a sizeable slice chocolate cake at any hour but more I am going to miss the experience of the bakery from practising my Portuguese to people watching, it’s like a little microcosm of life here and sadly there’s nothing like it waiting for me back in London.

New Friends I’ve met some truly wonderful, inspiring and lovely people here and I’m going to miss them so much. Our apartment was basically no more than 15 minutes from all of our friend’s houses so it’s been amazing to be able pop in and see friends

for coffee or dinner and a far cry from London where some of my best friends live over an hour away. Rio is a big city but also a small one at the same time. I lived in the same bit of London for six years and I longed to bump into a friendly face in the street or supermarket, here it’s happened a lot and helped make me feel really at home.

Flamengo So ok, missing the beaches in Rio is pretty predictable, but as this is like 5 minutes from my house it’s become a huge part of my life and for me, Flamengo is not just a beach, it’s a way of living. Flamengo is massively underrated, which is also what makes it so good as it’s full of local people escaping the bustle of nearby downtown and having a break from the stresses of life rather than tourists and expats. From afternoon strolls to meetings to cycling on Sundays and of course the odd sunbathing session I’ve had so many happy times there and it’s probably had the biggest impact on how I live.

The views Rio has to be one of the most breathtaking cities in the world. Nestled between mountains and sea, with a lagoon, rainforest and mini waterfalls, it’s a city of wonderful beauty.

There are so many good views here, not just from the big tourist sites but just everyday vistas like looking out from my friend’s house in Santa Teresa to the Niteroi bridge, to seeing the view of downtown in the golden light of dusk to looking up at Cristo from pretty much anywhere in the city. Even when I’ve been super busy, or stressed I’ve always tried to make sure I lake the time to always look around and appreciate these views, I’m hopping they’ll be like mental postcards I can revisit during the wintery days back in London.

brasilobserver.co.uk 23

Visit Brazil

Até logo, Brasil Por Kate Rintoul

Eis que, depois de seis meses que passaram mais depressa do que eu gostaria, estou partindo do Rio nesta semana de volta a Londres. Ainda que eu admita sem rodeios que as coisas nem sempre foram fáceis por aqui (encontrar um apartamento foi um pesadelo e o alto aluguel não me deixou muito dinheiro para aproveitar a cidade como eu gostaria), no final a conta é extremamente positiva.

Ainda não decidi se volto para o Brasil em 2015. Toda conversa sobre prós e contras vem cheia de altos e baixos, então eu imagino que só saberei com certeza depois de algum tempo de reflexão sobre tudo o que aconteceu e o que pode acontecer no futuro.

Já que me encontro considerando toda essa experiência, acho que é um bom momento para pensar sobre as coisas que eu mais vou sentir falta quando me lembrar do estilo de vida carioca.

As padarias

Chinese View (1), Flamengo embankment (2) and Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon (3)

Em meus primeiros dias no Rio, quando estava na casa de uma amável família brasileira, fui introduzida ao hábito de comer bolo no café da manhã e soube logo de cara que este era um país onde eu poderia ser feliz. Nosso apartamento na Glória fica a exatos cinco passos de uma padaria 24 horas e posso garantir que comi uma justa quantidade de bolos e pães brasileiros. É excelente poder comprar uma boa fatia de bolo a qualquer hora e, mais do que sentir falta de praticar meu português nas padarias, o que me aperta o coração é saber não encontrarei nada semelhante em Londres.

Novos amigos Conheci algumas pessoas verdadeiramente maravilhosas, inspiradoras e amáveis por aqui e vou sentir muita falta delas. Nosso apartamento fica-

va a menos de 15 minutos de todos nossos amigos, então foi incrível poder encontrá-los a qualquer hora para tomar um café, por exemplo, o que será bem diferente em Londres, onde a maioria dos nossos amigos mora a mais de uma hora de distância. O Rio é uma cidade grande e pequena ao mesmo tempo. Morei seis anos no mesmo lugar em Londres e raramente esbarrei um conhecido no supermercado; no Rio isso aconteceu diversas vezes e sempre me fez sentir como se estivesse em casa.

Flamengo Sim, dizer que sentirei falta das praias do Rio é bastante óbvio, mas como havia uma a cinco minutos da minha casa devo confessar que se tornou parte fundamental da minha vida. Pois Flamengo não é apenas uma praia, é um estilo de vida. A praia do Flamengo não está entre as favoritas dos turistas, o que também é o que faz dela tão boa, já que é repleta de moradores locais fugindo da confusão do centro e dos turistas. De encontros no final da tarde a passeios de bicicleta no domingo, e também banhos de sol, foi o lugar onde provavelmente tive os momentos mais felizes.

As vistas O Rio com certeza é uma das cidades que mais tiram o fôlego dos visitantes. Aconchegada entre montanhas e o mar, com uma lagoa, uma floresta tropical e pequenas cachoeiras, a cidade é de uma beleza magnífica.

Há muitos lugares para apreciar a vista, desde os pontos turísticos até as janelas das casas dos amigos em Santa Tereza, por exemplo. Mesmo quando eu estava cansada e ocupada, sempre dava um jeito de apreciar a vista. Espero que tenha servido para gravar esses momentos na memória como cartões postais – quem sabe não me aquecem no inverno de Londres.

24 brasilobserver.co.uk

MUSIC TO WEAR

By Bia Brunow Dalla Translated by Marielle Machado

Manoella Mariano

Tear up the rules

Sobre padrões Por Bia Brunow Dalla

Há algum tempo ganhei uma promoção de uma revista de moda e fui com tudo pago para a inauguração de uma loja de sapatos em Los Angeles.

Acho que me acharam “interessante” e acabaram me pedindo para fazer algumas matérias para o site da revista. Uma das pautas foi sobre uma forma de usar roupas “inadequadas” para meu tipo físico.

Engoli minha vergonha e fui aproveitar a chance.

Acontece que, quando se fala em segmento “plus size”, já consigo enxergar muitas pessoas se sentindo excluídas da moda tradicional e do circuito convencional de compras. Parece que só é possível encontrar panos para cobrir o corpo em lojas especializadas ou em lojas de tecido...

Eis o grande problema de toda publicação nesse sentido – na maioria das vezes, embora não seja a intenção, elas excluem qualquer pessoa fora de um padrão pré-estipulado. Eu compro roupa em tudo quanto é lugar e acho que a maioria das pessoas pode sobreviver além do que supostamente é permitido.

Nunca parei para pensar no que posso ou não usar. Para me vestir, geralmente me baseio no humor, ocasião, diversão, nas cores da (minha) moda naquele momento e na produção que vai combinar com aquele maxi brinco que acabou de chegar da lojinha virtual (quem nunca?). E acho que tem dado certo – para mim, pelo menos.

Existe uma segunda dificuldade: esse rótulo “plus size”, “curvy”, “tamanho especial”, “gordinha”, e por ai vai... Tende a me reduzir a um número.

E quando me olho no espelho, das vezes que me sinto feliz, mas também quando não me sinto, em absolutamente nenhuma delas eu sou um número.

Então prefiro ser mais que isso, embora isso seja uma conclusão quase exclusivamente minha.

Em 27 anos preferindo não ser igual, acabei me dando conta de umas coisas que podem ajudar mais que um blazer preto chique: Não importa quantos números a cinta modeladora promete diminuir, seu corpo permanece o mesmo; Cores escuras não emagrecem. E, em excesso (e com falta de criatividade), podem deixar você bem chata; Use você um biquíni de lacinho ou um blusê (vestido tido como coringa para quem está acima do peso - QUE EU ODEEEIO), quem for de falar da vida alheia, vai falar; Quando você se olhar no espelho, se olhe no espelho (risos). Não exija 100% de satisfação.

Essa coisa de “se aceitar” soa como se você tivesse fazendo um esforço. Esse é seu corpo!

Ele funciona? Então está beleza; Quando o mundo te der limões, faça uma torta de limão e jogue na cara da próxima pessoa que achar que você deve mudar. (Essa última soa adolescente, mas é uma boa coisa para se mentalizar).

A while ago I won a fashion magazine competition and got to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to celebrate the opening of a shoe shop. I think they thought I was “interesting” and I ended up being asked to write for their website. One of the features was about ways of wearing clothes usually considered “inappropriate” for my body type.

No matter how much fashion pretends to consider “plus size”, lots of people feel excluded from trends and the conventional way of shopping. It seems like plus size people can only find clothes at specialised shops, which are often not as trend-driven.

The biggest problem is that most of the time, even if not intentionally, all fashion publications, exclude anyone outside the pre-set standard of body shape or shopping habits, forgetting that plus size people can’t always shop at standard shops.

I buy clothes everywhere, and I believe that most people can actually enjoy more fashion than they are supposedly allowed to - for me, getting dressed has to be fun.

Here is my way of thinking: I never stop to think about what I can or cannot wear. To get dressed, I usually start with my mood, the occasion, then consider the colours I’m obsessed with at the time and what kind of look will match those fabulous new earrings that have just arrived. And I think it has worked.

I find that labels like “plus size”, “curvy”, “special size”, it goes on and on... tend to reduce me to a number. In reality, when I look in the mirror, whether I’m feeling happy, excited, frustrated or sad, in absolutely no case do I ever feel like a number.

So after 27 years of not wanting to be the same, I know a few things and have debunked some fashion myths when it comes to plus size dressing: No matter how many sizes span promise to slim you, your body remains the same Dark colours don’t make you look slimmer and when worn in excess they show a lack of creativity and you can leave the house with a pretty boring outfit It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a tiny bikini or a big blouse (a no-no for those who are overweight – WHICH I HAAATE) people who get their kicks from talking about other people will still talk about you When you look in the mirror, really look in the mirror. Do not demand a 100% satisfaction.

This idea of “accepting” your body sounds as if you have to make an effort to feel good about yourself. This is your body and it’s beautiful When the world gives you lemons, make a lemon pie and throw it in the face of the next person who tells you that you should change.

(Okay, this one sounds a bit juvenile. But it’s a good one to think about).

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This conversation continues on www.musicaparavestir.co.uk

Some pictures of me warring things that are usually prohibited for my body shape: horizontal stripes, colourful trousers, white and transparent fabrics

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Essa conversa continua em www.musicaparavestir.co.uk

TRAVEL Coffee country

Coffee is intimately linked to the history of Brazil. During the colonial and republican periods, coffee production had such an impact on the country that to this day, Brazil is the largest producer and exporter and the second largest consumer of coffee in the world. The legacy of this important trade can be seen across Brazil and attracts a high number of tourists and coffee lovers.

Both in it’s history and present, Brazil’s agriculture has fed the world, and for Minister of Tourism, Vinicius Lages, celebrating Brazil’s culinary history and gastronomy is an important way of attracting new visitors to Brazil. “The food was one of the features that was best evaluated by the foreigners who were in Brazil during the World Cup, with 93.2% approval,” he said recently.

Two of the most visited of these destinations are the Coffee Route in the north of Paraná State, and the Museum of Coffee in Santos (São Paulo State). Visitors not only have the

chance to taste lots of varieties of coffee, they can also learn a little more of its history with special tourist itineraries designed to highlight the importance of coffee to Brazil.

The Coffee Route celebrates the coffee culture of a region that thrived thanks to the “green gold” - as the beans were known in the last century. The trip includes visits to historical farms and those still in action, along with museums and memorials.

In total the route takes tourists through nine cities, including Londrina, once considered the “world capital of coffee”.

The historic centre of Santos is home to the Coffee Museum, where visitors can see a range of exhibits from photographs, objects and documents that show the evolution of coffee production. The collection takes visitors on a journey into the past, linking coffee to Brazil’s wider social history, beginning with the arrival of the first seedlings of the plant, to the mechanisation of plantations

and the arrival of the Japanese and European immigrant workers.

The world’s thirst for coffee has continued to grow and the third wave coffee movement of the last decade has made more foodies fascinated to know the origin of coffee and how it is produced, so Brazil’s history and excellent attractions should be drawing coffee buffs from around the world.

Coffee Route: The trip includes 34 attractions in nine municipalities in northern Paraná. To purchase the package, look for one of the accredited travel agencies at www.rotadocafe.tur.br. Between 10 November and 7 December, the region will also host the 4th Gastronomy, Culture and Leisure Coffee - Coffee Fest, with various sweet and savoury dishes, all made with coffee.

Museum of Cofee: located in the historic centre of Santos. Tickets for tours are priced at R$5. Students and people over 60 years pay half price. http://www.museudocafe.com.br

O café está intimamente ligado à história do Brasil. Do período colonial ao republicano, a produção marcou a história do país de modo que, ainda hoje, somos o maior produtor e exportador do grão – e o segundo maior consumidor em todo o mundo. As marcas desse processo estão em toda parte e geram grande interesse aos turistas.

Entre os destinos mais visitados estão a Rota do Café, no norte do Paraná, e o Museu do Café, em Santos (SP). Além de degustar cafés de diferentes tipos, os admiradores do produto podem conhecer um pouco mais desta história em visitas e roteiros turísticos elaborados especificamente para destacar a importância da bebida para o país.

A Rota do Café, na região norte do Paraná, é um roteiro turístico que resgata a cultura cafeeira de uma região que prosperou graças ao “ouro verde” – como o grão era conhecido no século passado. O roteiro inclui visitas a

fazendas históricas e produtivas, museus e memoriais. A rota é composta por nove municípios, incluindo Londrina, que já foi considerada a “capital mundial do café”.

Para o ministro do Turismo, Vinicius Lages, a gastronomia brasileira ganha ainda mais importância quando atrelada à história, fortalecendo o potencial turístico que pode ser explorado. “A gastronomia foi um dos itens com melhor avaliação dos estrangeiros que estiveram no Brasil durante a Copa, com 93,2% de aprovação”.

O centro histórico de Santos, no litoral paulista, abriga o Museu do Café, onde o turista tem acesso a fotografias, objetos e documentos que mostram como a evolução da cafeicultura e o desenvolvimento do país estão ligados.

O acervo permite ao visitante uma viagem ao passado, começando com a chegada das primeiras mudas da planta ao país, passando pela mecanização das plantações e a chegada

dos imigrantes japoneses e europeus para o trabalho nas lavouras.

Rota do Café: inclui 34 empreendimentos em nove municípios no norte do Paraná.

Para adquirir o pacote, o turista deve procurar uma das agências de turismo credenciadas no site www.rotadocafe.tur.br. Entre 10 de novembro a 7 de dezembro, a região também receberá o 4º Festival de Gastronomia, Cultura e Lazer do Café.

Museu do Café: localizado no Centro Histórico de Santos. Seu horário de funcionamento é de terça a sábado das 9h às 17h, e aos domingos entre 10h e 17h. Entre os meses de novembro e março, o Museu abre também às segundas-feiras, das 9h às 17h.

Os ingressos para visitação custam R$ 5,00.

Estudantes e pessoas acima de 60 anos pagam meia-entrada. A Cafeteria do Museu funciona de segunda a sábado, das 9h às 18h, e aos domingos entre 10h e 18h.

Divulgation

Admirers of coffee may learn a little more of its history in tourist itineraries designed specifically to highlight the importance of the drink to Brazil

País do café

brasilobserver.co.uk 25