Brasil Observer #27 - English Version

B R A S I L O B S E R V E R LONDON EDITION

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ISSN 2055-4826

MAY/2015

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WORLD CLASS

WHY BRAZILIAN UNIVERSITIES ARE GOING GLOBAL

TAKUMÃ KUIKURO From Alto Xingu to London, the mission of an indigenous filmmaker ALICIA BASTOS

FLAVIA COELHO With more beats, the Brazilian singer presents a new album to the UK BERNARD BENANT

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

SUMMARY 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 21 24 26 28 30

IN FOCUS The role of the BRICS in a changing world

LONDON EDITION

GUEST COLUMNIST Atila Roque writes on the reduction of criminal age in Brazil

Is a monthly publication of ANAGU UK UN LIMITED founded by:

PROFILE Takumã Kuikuro and the preservation of the indigenous tradition

ANA TOLEDO Operational Director ana@brasilobserver.co.uk

GLOBAL BRAZIL Experts explain the meaning of the high education internationalization BR-UK CONNECTION British Council debuts teacher-training program in São Paulo

GUILHERME REIS Editorial Director guilherme@brasilobserver.co.uk

BRASILIANCE Bill that frees outsourcing of labour goes to the Senate

ROBERTA SCHWAMBACH Financial Director roberta@brasilobserver.co.uk

BRASILIANCE The debate on political reform has two opposing projects

ENGLISH EDITOR Kate Rintoul Kate@brasilobserver.co.uk Shaun Cumming shaun@investwrite.co.uk

CONECTANDO From Marabá, a youth collective that makes the difference GUIDE Exclusive interview with Brazilian singer Flavia Coelho

LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC DESIGN Jean Peixe peixe@brasilobserver.co.uk

CULTURAL TIPS COLUMNISTS

CONTRIBUTORS Alicia Bastos, Ana Beatriz Freccia Rosa, Aquiles Rique Reis, Átila Rique, Franko Figueiredo, Gabriela Lobianco, Ítalo Moraes, Michael Landon, Raquel Britzke, Ricardo Somera, Wagner de Alcântara Aragão

WELL BEING TRAVEL

PRINTER St Clements press (1988 ) Ltd, Stratford, London mohammed.faqir@stclementspress.com 10.000 copies DISTRIBUTION Emblem Group Ltd.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

IN FOCUS

THE ROLE OF THE

BRICS A At the end of April a panel discussion organised by the Global Diplomatic Forum in London brought together, senior officials and an academic to discuss the evolving role of the BRICS (group formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in a changing world scenario.

The panellists were Obed Mlaba, High Commissioner of South Africa in London; Virander Paul, Deputy High Commissioner of India in London; Alexander Kramarenko, Deputy Ambassador of Russia in London; Alexandre Parola, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Brazil in London; and Jan Knoerich, Lecturer in the Economy of China at King’s College London. Younes El-Ghazi, Chief Executive of the Global Diplomatic Forum, led the conversation with audience participation.

In general, all the panellists made sure to point out, right at the beginning, that the BRICS are not an anti-hegemonic group. In other words, it is not the intention of the member countries to create mechanisms to replace the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. These institutions, created after the so-called Bretton Woods Agreement, effectively shifted the control of the world economy to the United States after the Second World War. The idea for the BRICS is to create complementary forms of global governance, especially with the New Development Bank, or the Bank of the BRICS, created last year during the sixth group summit held in Brazil.

“We are not an alliance in the traditional meaning. We are not in a war against other nations. It is a matter of economic development, to promote the national interests of member countries,” said Alexander Kramarenko. The same line was followed

by Alexandre Parola, who added: “The media often portrays us as anti-hegemonic, but it is not true. We are not against anyone; we are in favour of ourselves”.

But what about China? What is the Chinese interest? For Jan Knoerich, who was not representing the official position of the country, the focus of Chinese interest is the high demand for infrastructure investment in member countries and regions in which they are inserted. “China has the necessary expertise and needs the other BRICS to increase its influence in other forums,” said Knoerich. “But the idea is to supplement, not replace. It is more efficient to reshape

the current system than create something new,” he added.

Echoing this sentiment, Obed Mlaba recalled that the Bank of the BRICS plan is not only to finance infrastructure projects of member countries, but also in other emerging countries. “There are many opportunities in Africa. From north to south, from east to west, the African continent is not connected. There is huge demand in infrastructure, so that to enable African countries to do business with each other,” he said.

The speakers also stressed the fact that there are no impediments for a member country to produce bilateral agreements with other nations. At this point, it was obvious that the general perception is that the current global system is insufficient to promote the necessary advances to the populations of developing countries. “The austerity of the West does not bring development,” said Alexander Kramarenko. Virander Paul added that “the mere fact that the BRICS group has been created is proof that the world has changed”.

Near the end of the debate, a member of the audience asked if the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), between the United States and 11 other countries, including Japan, can affect the economic ambitions of the BRICS. Given the fact that such a partnership has not been seen before, no one seemed willing to make assumptions. But Alexandre Parola used this as an example to reflect on how things have changed. Parola said that the 21st century world is post-hegemonic, no longer centralised in one or two super powers. The very idea of South-South cooperation is nothing more than a way to break the political and economic centralisation, that means there is no need for intermediaries when it comes to two countries of the same region, or with the same challenges to make agreements; it is a simply matter of developing common interests in a sovereign manner.

From this perspective, the role of the BRICS seems to be that they contribute to a world moving towards a multipolar order, where the performances of countries will no longer be in blocks, but in interconnected networks. Those who will come out on top are those who can act and influence as many networks as possible, in various topics of interest.

AGENDA g

Gala Dinner and Personality of the Year Awards 2015 The Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain will recognise the achievements of two business leaders. The recipients of the 2015 Personality of the Year awards will be Marcos Molina, the chairman of Marfrig Global Foods, and Sir Martin Sorrell, founder of WPP. Brazil’s finance minister, Joaquim Levy, will be the keynote speaker.

When: 12 May (19:00) Where: London Hilton – 22 Park Lane Tickets: Individual Members: £215 Non Members: £270 Info: www.brazilianchamber.org.uk

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John Hemming presents ‘Naturalists in Paradise’ Amazon expert John Hemming presents his latest book, which charts the adventures and achievements of three British naturalists (Alfred Wallace, Henry Bates and Richard Spruce) in South America in the midnineteenth century, recounting their experiences and assessing their research that changed our conception of the natural world.

When: 12 May (18:30-20:00) Where: Canning House – 14/15 Belgrave Square Tickets: Free but registration is required Info: www.canninghouse.org

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Brazil: What happened?

British Ambassador to Brazil, Alex Ellis returns to King’s College London to discuss the recent developments in the country. In particular, Alex will focus on why and how Brazil has gone from being a celebrated exemplar of a “rising power” to an emerging country seemingly engulfed by intractable economic and political crises.

When: 13 May (18:00-21:00) Where: King’s Building Strand Campus Tickets: Free but registration is required Info: www.kcl.ac.uk

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The role of Brazil Marcelo de Almeida Medeiros, from the University of Oxford, reviews Brazil’s pursuit for international influence by discussing its search for new partners.

He will present an overview of the historical, cultural, and political features and analyse its participation in two major crises, the Honduran constitutional crisis and the Iranian nuclear crisis.

When: 19 May (18:30-20:30) Where: King’s Building Strand Campus Tickets: Free but registration is required Info: www.kcl.ac.uk

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Memories of Dictatorship in Brazil Canning House and Instituto Cervantes are co-presenting a series of talks that looks at military dictatorships in 20th Century Latin America and their legacies to present day.

In May, it turns to the Brazilian dictatorship of 1964-85.

The panellist is Anthony Pereira – Professor and Director of the Brazil Institute at King’s College London.

When: 20 May (18:30-20:00) Where: Instituto Cervantes, 102 Eaton Square Tickets: Members: £5 Non-members: £10 Info: www.canninghouse.org

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

GUEST COLUMNIST

FROM PROGRESS TO REGRESS Reducing the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 in Brazil would be a tragic step toward barbarism

By Atila Roque g

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Atila Rique is Executive Director of Amnesty International in Brazil

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Since the return to democracy, Brazil has advanced in the acquisition and maintenance of human rights. It is true to say that often, progress goes at a slow pace, but firm. However, the election last year of the most conservative Congress since the military dictatorship confronts us with serious risks. Reducing the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 is perhaps the most outrageous one.

We need to deconstruct stereotypes about who are these 16-18 years old adolescents and all the arguments that demagogically manipulate the legitimate fear in society – fear amplified artificially when laying on the backs of young people and adolescents with a false responsibility for violence. After all, these young people (16-18 years) account for less than 1% of crimes committed in Brazil. Young people who, day after day, are relegated to the margins of citizenship; whose fundamental human rights such as health, education, culture, housing, sport and mobility, are repeatedly denied; and still end up being wrongly accused of raising the crime at high levels in Brazil.

The response of the authorities to the public safety crisis cannot be to reduce the age of criminal responsibility. These young people, often black, poor and living in slums are the main victims of violence.

In 2012, 56,000 homicides were recorded in Brazil. In more than 50% of the murders (30,000), the victims were young people between 15-29 years old; 77% of them were black. Data from the Homicide Index in Adolescents also show that more than 42,000 adolescents aged 12 to 18 may be victims of homicides in the country by 2019. And the growth curve continues upward.

Over the past decade, for example, the lethal violence among young whites fell 32.3% and among young blacks, increased 32.4%. That is, the black youth homicides are one of the main pillars supporting the increase of lethal violence.

The other pillar is the indifference with which society and the state generally treat these deaths, as if they are natural.

Some think: “The world really is a violent place.” No. Brazil is violent.

We are responsible for over 10% of the world’s homicides. As if these deaths were set to happen anyway. They were not. They were the result of the choices we have made – or the ones we haven’t. The criminalization of poverty and racism operate reinforcing each other in hate speeches and fear that put the middle class in a position contrary to the defence of rights previously conquered. They are the ones who fear violence, despite not being the most affected by it.

CONTEXT AND SCENARIOS The Statute of Children and Adolescents (ECA, in Portuguese) turns 25 years old in 2015. Brazilian law has become an international reference; however there are still gaps in its implementation. In reality, ECA provides that the lowest age of criminal responsibility is 12 years. Young people aged between 12 and 18 must be met by a juvenile justice system that is suitable for their rights and social and psychological development characteristics, including the deprivation of liberty as a last resort. The crime must be punished, but we must consider the differences in physical and psychological development of adolescents compared to adults.

Yet Brazil’s prison system is one of the most violent in the world. We are the fourth country in terms of prison population, behind only the United States, China and Russia. And the conditions are terrible: accommodation, food, justice. People are dehumanized there.

The justice and public security system in Brazil has historically been marked by a selective distribution of justice and impunity. This is a highly inefficient system fighting criminality, profoundly marked by police violence and prisons known worldwide for medieval conditions. Reducing the legal age would result in higher incarceration of young people in a failed prison system, overcrowded, with clear evidence of abuse, inhumane conditions and torture practises.

Putting these children under 18 years in the same installation as adults will leave these young people vulnerable to abuse and grooming by organized gangs inside prisons, dramatically affecting their rehabilitation prospects.

The recidivism rate for those who left prisons is much higher than of those of socio-educational system.

By reducing the legal age, the Brazilian state and society send a signal that they are giving up a portion of their children and adolescents, giving up their responsibilities in education and promotion of their rights. Youth from peripheral areas and slums lack opportunities for leisure, culture and education, essential conditions to build a life free of violence. The potential for creativity and intelligence of these territories must be encouraged, with enhancing established and new initiatives.

This should be the priority.

It does not promote justice and public safety by reducing the rights of those who most need society’s support and solidarity: children and adolescents at risk. That would be a tragic step towards barbarism.

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

PROFILE

TAKUMÃ KUIKURO’S MISSION From Alto Xingu to London, this indigenous filmmaker embodies the certainty that Brazil’s traditional peoples are expanding their cultural reach

By Alicia Bastos g

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London seems like a chaotic city to many of us. Imagine, then, what it seems like to an indigenous man who grew up in a remote village within the Alto Xingu Indigenous Reserve in central Brazil. “When I arrived in London, the first thing I thought was: I don’t speak English, I cannot read, I don’t know what to say to approach someone, I don’t know how to take a bus or walk on the streets.”

Takumã Kuikuro was not alone, however. Supported by Brazil’s Ministry of Culture and National Arts Foundation (Funarte), in partnership with the British Council’s Transform program, the indigenous Brazilian recently spent months two months in London to undertake an artistic residence, which will culminate in a film screening at the People’s Palace Projects.

“I’m here in London filming and promoting my work and our indigenous culture”, Kuikuro said. As a member of the Kuikuro people, Takumã grew up in the village of Ipatse and learnt about filmmaking through Brazil’s NGO programme Vídeo Nas Aldeias (Video in the Villages). Documenting the customs and culture of indigenous people, he received international attention for his films, including The Day the Moon Menstruated (2004), The Smell of the Pequi Fruit (2006) and The Hyperwomen (2011).

The latter, was screened at the Embassy of Brazil in a special event in April while Kuikuro was in London.

Brasil Observer spoke to the filmmaker to find out how he got started in film and what motivated him to come to London to present his particular vision of our planet and existence.

PASSION FOR IMAGES

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Alicia Bastos is founder and artistic director of Braziliarty (www.braziliarty.org)

Takumã Kuikuro was born in 1983.

For most of his childhood in the village of Ipatse, he had no school to attend. Until he was eight years old, he had never heard a language other than that spoken of his tribe.

In 1992, however, a local indigenous leader went to Rio de Janeiro for the ecological conference ECO-92 and ended up staying there to study. When he returned to the village in the Alto Xingu, about a year later, he organised classes to transmit his knowledge and teach the young generation what he had learned in the big city.

“He brought a few pencil and notebooks but not enough for all of us. We used to cut the pencils in pieces so everyone could have one. It was really hard for

us to learn, our elders couldn’t help us. We had no ways to practice or get more information”, remembers Takumã.

In 1996, the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA, in Portuguese) created an indigenous teacher formation course, giving support to the initiative in Ipatse, with Portuguese and Mathematics classes.

Throughout the years a few organisations and educational projects arrived in the community including Video nas Aldeias, a project that has been promoting the creativity of indigenous people and their images, teaching them video skills to document and tell their stories since 1986.

“Since the first workshop around 2002, I felt really curious about it and when I started making films, I couldn’t stop.

Vincent Carelli [the Franco-Brazilian filmmaker and anthropologist who created Vedo has Aldeias] taught me how to hold a camera for the first time”.

MATTER OF IDENTITY Takumã’s passion for making images kept growing and he felt a mission to help his community keep its values. The Cacique Kuikuro, the head of the community, was also concerned because young people were losing interest in learning the traditional culture, chants and rituals. He saw the elders dying and with them precious knowledge.

“This is my role: to archive our community’s culture, I’m responsible for documenting and teaching. We have two types of work: we document the rituals, step by step and do a simple sequence editing it, for our archives and to use it to teach young people. For them I am an example, I’m the first one that made this happen, so they want to do it like I do. They see me doing this work and want to learn, they see me travelling and want to do it too. They see me representing the Kuikuro as much as any indigenous Brazilian”.

Takumã explains that they also share this archival material with other indigenous peoples, travelling around the upper Xingu River region. They do not share or sell this to non-indigenous people, simply because the content would not be understood.

The other type of work is the films they share with the world, telling stories of the daily life in the villages, the traditional culture, rituals and so on. These films are also shown in the indigenous communities.

“When we travel the Xingu River to share my work with other indigenous

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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ALICIA BASTOS

groups, we take everything with us, a generator, equipment, all films. When we arrive in the villages we can hear the generators working and I listen to them watching my films, this is very important. It’s a very profound process for the indigenous to see themselves in the screen. They are badly influenced by the commercial television and lose interest on their culture. The screen makes us realise things, makes us learn from our own images”.

He is critical of several changes that television has brought, with the idealisation of non-indigenous people, and the temptation of material lifestyles achieve through consumption. Indigenous names started becoming rare and a fear of violence and abuse started growing. Consequently to the lack of information and some previous experiences, the indigenous people were critical about Takumã.

“It was really hard in the beginning, they thought I was going to sell everything, sometimes they even broke my camera or chucked me out of one village. They have the impression I’m getting a lot of money doing this, because I travel a lot, internationally as well. And I need to explain that is not about making money, it’s about taking our culture to the world, representing the Kuikuro and all indigenous culture. They believed non-indigenous people were behind the films and that indigenous people couldn’t have made them. Film shows everything, images, sounds, movement, and feelings. Many people don’t know how our daily life is and what happens there”.

CAMERA WITH SOUL It has taken Takumã many years to gain the trust of other indigenous groups simply doing his work. He explains that he does not earn money to travel, all his expenses are covered by grants, but he does not earn money or sell things. By teaching

people in the villages as well, they are able to experience filmmaking, understanding that is not about one person behind the camera, but a group of people working together, telling their story.

“Now we are welcome, they can understand the process better and trust me.

They now invite us to document their rituals and we teach them how to do it themselves. They tell me their stories, and want to be in my films. To explain them why these things happen to me, I can only say that it must be a spiritual gift”, says Takumã.

Indeed, Takumã reached an unimaginable thing for the most. “I learned observing. I had never left the community and suddenly I was inside a plane, such a strange thing, like a dream, I was flying”.

The dream continued. In London, during his residency, the indigenous Brazilian filmmaker toured the city with a camera to film the British capital like a village, with its different peoples and rituals. The result can be seen in the People’s Palace Project seminar on 10 June. Sadly by this time, Takumã will be back in Brazil, for there is an urgent mission: to document and give eternal life to his people.

“We don’t need a non-indigenous person to come and make their films and own our images. We have the right over everything there; we can make our own films. I say this to my people so they can value our indigenous film work. But to make this happen we need sponsorship and equipment. When people want to come and film, they send a proposal and we say what we want, that usually are cameras, cables, microphones. We have a strong belief in film, that the camera is fed with people’s soul, meaning when we film someone, we capture them in the video, and as long as the films are seen, people in them will live forever within the community.”

LEARN MORE From the colonial period to the recent battles in Congress, indigenous rights are under constant threat in Brazil. To better understand this matter, access www.brasilobserver.co.uk

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

GLOBAL BRAZIL

IN SEARCH OF A WORLD CLASS UNIVERSITY Experts consulted

by Brasil Observer explain the meaning of this obsession and the challenges to be overcome

By Guilherme Reis

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Internationalization of Brazilian universities is on the rise. Even though recent, it is clear the interest of higher education institutions in Brazil is to achieve the status of “world class university”. That is, build institutions capable of making a difference globally.

It is a necessity that arises naturally as countries develop. Faced with the need to expand the scope of higher education to a larger portion of the population, increase the quality of products and services, competitiveness and the standard of living, the existence of at least some institutions with this profile can benefit the entire system.

In the first two days of June, the Going Global 2015 conference, organized by the British Council, will discuss exactly this issue. Therefore, Brasil Observer spoke to representatives of Brazilian universities coming to London for the event, as well as British experts and a student who benefited from Brazil’s Science Without Borders program, to understand the meaning of this quest for internationalization.

WHY GOING GLOBAL For the professor of physics and former director of international relations at the University of Campinas (Unicamp), Leandro Tessler, the greatest benefit of internationalization is the opening of Brazil to the world.

“Brazil was a self-referenced economy for decades. This had disastrous consequences for the development of our industry and indirectly reached the higher education system. Our best universities were irrelevant to the world.”

In Tessler’s evaluation, “training people connected to what happens in the world qualifies the formation and allows us to integrate our graduates with what’s most advanced.”

Carlos Alexandre Netto, president of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), said that science is a universal narrative, so universities should know no boundaries. “The effort to internationalize is extremely beneficial as it gives opportunity for Brazil to contribute to science. The real integration between people – which is higher than the economic relationship between the countries – depends on the academia

and experience of young people. They are ambassadors of the culture and create better understanding and mutual acceptance”.

A similar view was shared by Maria Inês Gariglio, a professor responsible for international relations of the Federal Centre of Technological Education of Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG), for whom Brazilian universities need to increase the level of internationalization to become more competitive to generate fruits of their investments in research. “The presence of workers, teachers, researchers and international students provides, in any country, the development of intercultural skills, which contribute to overcoming prejudices, to increase tolerance.

Society can only benefit from this.”

All of them stressed the strategic value of the process. “In the past, it the formation of doctors in research areas related to oil and gas, aerospace and agriculture, was promoted; today Brazil has real leadership in these fields. The major scientific and technological challenges are local and global. If we can build solutions together, regardless of language and border, it is much better. The university loses nothing with internationalization,”

said Carlos Alexandre Netto.

“I do not think there is such a conflict [between internationalization and the defence of national interests], since what is sought is a partnership and therefore equality. In collaborative work the skills of each of the participants define the relationship. There is a thought of a colonizer/colonized relationship that needs to be overcome,” said Maria Ines Gariglio. For Leandro Tessler, “the country will not achieve any strategic interest remaining isolated from the academic world.”

KEY-FACTOR: MONEY What does make a university succeed in the internationalization process? Phil Baty, editor of Times Higher Education (THE), told the Brasil Observer that there is perhaps one single key factor for a world class university: money. “Universities need resources to attract and retain the top academic talent and to provide the infrastructure for cutting-edge research and teaching. There is no getting away from that simple fact that money talks in global higher education.”

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

There is no perfect formula for the success of internationalization, but the necessity is inevitable: money

REPRODUCTION

Phil Baty pointed out, however, other essential elements, in his opinion. “I think universities need autonomy – they must not be overly controlled by the state, or stifled by too much red tape and bureaucracy. They must be allowed to be dynamic and response to the changing world, and able to move quickly and to innovate. They must also foster on campus a spirit of free enquiry and openness.”

On Brazilian universities, Phil Baty said they are still “too inward looking”.

“Salaries are not attractive enough to attract top staff and it is too difficult for international academic staff to build careers in Brazil, or even to navigate the bureaucracy. English language – the global language of scholarship and business usually demanded by international faculty and students – is still not widely spoken. But at least there is an acknowledgement that more needs to be done.”

The most exciting development, according to Phil Baty, is Science Without Borders, a program launched by the federal government in 2011 in order to send more than 100,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students abroad. “This initiative should not only help Brazil’s top talent

gain international experience and force international contacts; it will also help institutions form lasting global networks.”

HETEROGENEOUS PANORAMA The challenges for Brazilian universities are considerable. And the process is far from uniform, since the differences between institutions are large. Thus Brazil hasn’t got a national model for internationalization.

“With institutional autonomy, each university search strategies and partnerships to meet their goals. There are institutions that have been developed with teachers coming from other countries, especially Europe and the United States: these were born internationalized, leading the process and have certainly increased visibility in the world. Other are taking the first steps and mainly relying in Science Without Borders to start the journey,” said Carlos Alexandre Netto.

Leandro Tessler pondered that for many institutions, internationalization comes down to sending students abroad.

“In this regard, the Science Without Borders program is quite unique by the size and the intentions. In practice, however, is still having an impact below what I expected on the engineering degree programs in Brazil.”

Asked what these expectations were, Leandro Tessler said: “How is it possible, in the United Kingdom or the United States, to form a better qualified engineer than in Brazil, in less time and keeping them in the classroom no more than 15 to 20 hours per week? The training of engineers in the developed world is facing skills while here people still care about content. Unfortunately most coordinators resists to understand this and just don’t recognize the credits brought by students, which are not exactly equivalent to those offered here.

If it is to do the same thing, why spend money sending students abroad?”

The Unicamp professor said he hopes that this will change, mainly by pressure from students returning from Science Without Borders. “Building more creative engineers with social and environmental awareness is essential for the country to generate wealth,” he said.

For Maria Inês Gariglio, most universities are working to build international partnerships not just to exchange students and teachers, but to build joint research projects and lasting relationship.

“Perhaps we can say that all institutions are seeking to build a multicultural and multilingual university campus. The effort for the use of English has become a key part. In addition, rethinking academic curricula and new courses formats are already actions that were put on the agenda of the internationalization of Brazil’s universities.”

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS King’s College London’s relationship with Brazilian universities is an example. The institution, with more than

8,650 foreign students from 140 countries (33% of total), opened an office in Brazil last year.

Joanna Newman, King’s Vice-Principal (International), explained to Brasil Observer before entering into agreements, they look at overall rankings of universities and evaluations of specific programmes. “Our partnerships are with the top-ranked universities in Brazil like University of São Paulo (USP), the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).”

Joanna Newman said some agreements are broad, others focused on specific areas. “One recent trend is for joint PhDs. Our joint PhD with the Institute of International Relations at USP is starting this year, with four students from the IRI are preparing to come to King’s in September, and applications are being accepted for the joint PhD on the King’s side now – students from King’s would go to USP in 2016.”

Other partnerships are still being studied, according to the vice-principal.

Pharmacology at King’s is exploring the idea of a similar joint PhD at USP while the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies at King’s is interested in a joint PhD with their counterparts at UFMG. “These joint PhDs don’t just involve student mobility, but hold out the potential for research partnership”.

NOTES AND INFORMATION g

For the second consecutive year, Brazil didn’t have any universities among the 200 best in Times Higher Education (THE) ranking. The ranking shows in its latest edition (2014-2015) a slight improvement of the University of São Paulo (USP), which increased the range of 226 to 250 seats for the range of 201 to 225 seats.

The other Brazilian university that appears in the ranking is the University of Campinas (Unicamp), which repeats the placement of the previous ranking (301 to 350 places).

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According to Folha’s 2014 University Ranking, the top five Brazilian universities in internationalization – which assesses international citations and the proportion of publications in international co-authorship – are, in order: Foundation of the Federal University of ABC (UFABC); São Francisco University (USF); University of São Paulo (USP); Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ); and Federal University of Ceará (UFC).

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The total grants implemented by the Science Without Borders since 2011 has reached the mark of 78,173.

Most of them, 61,542, were for graduation mode. Second modality is doctorate, with 8,064. United States and United Kingdom are the two most popular destinations, with 22,064 and 9,115 grants implemented, respectively. The main study area is ‘Engineering and other technological areas’, with 34,545 grants.

FUTURE LEADERS Bruno Belmonte Martinelli Gomes is 21 and lives Uberaba, in Minas Gerais State. He is currently attending the seventh period of the Biomedicine course at the Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro, he spent a year in the UK between 2013 and 2014 as part of his graduation at Durham University, with Science Without Borders.

To Brasil Observer, Bruno revealed that when returning to the country, he had a “reality check”. This situation, however, is not necessarily negative. “I imagine, and I’m not the only one with that thought, that the greatest legacy of Science Without Borders is the desire to change,” said Bruno. “We look at our reality and want to change it with our own hands, following the examples we have had abroad. There is much we can do and there is much more that needs to be done. Those who have the opportunity to experience what works overseas has the obligation to propagate this knowledge here.”

As said by the president of UFRGS, Carlos Alexandre Netto, the greatest challenges facing society nowadays are simultaneously local and global. Fostering an internationalized learning environment is therefore essential for Brazil to be able to, evaluating what is done around the world, face more efficiently and strategically national demands.

Thus, the country can be a more important international player. Future global leaders are certainly being formed in global classrooms.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

BR-UK CONNECTION CAMILA PICOLO

Presentation of World Voice Brazil 2015

WORLD VOICE DEBUTS IN SAO PAULO Program developed by the British Council in more than 12 countries trained teachers of the public school system for the use of singing in the classroom

By British Council

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Developed by the British Council in more than 12 countries, the teacher-training program for the use of singing in the classroom, World Voice, was first held in São Paulo from 23 March to 2 April. The program was promoted in partnership with the City Department of Education (SME, in Portuguese) and Guri Santa Marcelina program.

In order to ensure children and young people the opportunity to use singing in the classroom, World Voice has a multiplier effect. British teacher Sharon Durant promoted workshops on education centre (CEU) Caminho do Mar with children of the 2nd and 4th years of primary school and teachers of the public education system.

In order to show how the methodology can be applied in the classroom, teacher training began with the observation of activities with children. 32 students from the 2nd year participated (children around 7 years old) and 31 students of the 4th year (9 years) in four day workshop (with a total workload of 10 hours). In teacher training, 54 participants were divided into two groups, with a workload of 18 hours over six days of activity. This action could benefit, indirectly, more than 1,000 children, according to the organizers.

As part of the program’s precepts, the British Council sought, in partnership with SME, to draw the most suitable format for action in this first edition; and Sharon Durant, with teachers, sought to

understand the curriculum needs to better target the choice of songs and musical games. From these specifics presented, different focuses were addressed, by teaching music with Brazilian and English games, and also songs from Senegal, Argentina, South Africa and Jordan.

On Saturday, 28 March, the auditorium of the CEU Caminho do Mar was the scene of a choral presentation of the students who brought the result and part of the workshop process with the children. The event was attended by 160 people, including parents and family.

In an interview with SEM, Cissa Carlini, coordinator of Special Programs and CEUs, said that music should be increasingly present in schools. “It was exciting! We realize that art opens a window of their life that will never close. We perceive them to joy showing their families they were singing; the joy of having lived with this group”.

“Parents came out thrilled,” said Viviane Oliveira Santos, coordinator of the cultural projects nucleus of the CEU Caminho do Mar, who believes that “the project aroused the interest of the entire community - parents, students and teachers.” For Professor Michel Rodrigues Curcho, it was very rewarding. “I love music and if I can use it in favour of the learning of my students, I think I will change my class and my methods. For the student it will be very significant.”

The training of multipliers (Master

Trainers) was simultaneously conducted in partnership with the Guri Santa Marcelina program. Over two weeks, four teachers from the Guri - Luciana Elisa Hoerner, Valeria Zeidan Rodrigues, Lidiana Mincov Elbert and Alexandre de Oliveira Leite – participated and helped in the conduct of the World Voice workshops with children and teachers. Besides the Guri teachers, four Young Leaders attended the training; they are: João Junior, Daniele de Almeida, Vanessa Albino and Lucas Borges.

For Valeria Zeidan, pedagogical coordinator of Guri program and Master Trainer of the World Voice, “it is rewarding the possibility of expanding the program to other cities and states.” She stressed the importance of music to be back in the school curriculum after 30 years of absence. “We know the need for teaching music in schools, as well as the limitations and challenges for teachers. Therefore, programs that take music and quality education are important.”

Valeria also stressed the network that forms from the work of the British Council in different countries. “The World Voice seeks to learn local cultures and, when travelling to another country, uses this culture. It will create a repertoire and a network of people interested in music and culture.

This is very special. Songs of each country are part of the bank, which brings together recordings, lyrics, translations and music of traditional songs from each place.”

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

BRASILIANCE TOMAZ SILVA/AGÊNCIA BRASIL

Protests against the outsourcing bill were held in major cities, like in Rio de Janeiro (pictured).

UNRESTRICTED OUTSOURCING KNOCKS THE DOOR Demonstrations intensified against the bill passed in the Chamber of Deputies that frees companies to hire outsourced labour.

In the name of reducing costs, the country is in danger to increase precarious labour relations

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In the month in which the International Labour Day and the abolition of slavery in Brazil are celebrated, the country has seen a hard clash sparked by a proposal that will increase precarious relations between workers and employers.

The bill that largely frees the outsourcing of labour has now passed to the Senate, after the final text was approved by the Chamber of Deputies on 22 April.

The proposal has intensified class struggle and served also as a negotiating instrument between the different interests in Congress, and between Congress and the Executive.

The very moment of the discussion denotes opportunism. The bill was presented in 2004 by the then federal deputy Sandro Mabel (Brazilian Social Democracy Party – PSDB). After ten years going through all the procedures, the project was stopped in the Chamber of Deputies in April 2014.

Coincidence or not, the proposal was placed on the agenda by the President of the House, federal deputy Eduardo Cunha (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party – PMDB), exactly when the government needs to have massive support of the Legislative to approve fiscal adjustment measures. In 2013 Cunha (at the time not president of the Chamber), had filed an application asking urgency of the matter, but only now managed to make it go on – weakening the base of support to President Dilma Rousseff (Workers Party

By Wagner de Alcântara Aragão

– PT) in Congress, dominated by an “independent” PMDB. It was implicit, or almost explicit, that an agreement that followed this line: in exchange for the fiscal adjustment approval, the government would not create major obstacles to the outsourcing project. Through the finance minister, Joaquim Levy, the government agreed with parliamentarians that the text does not include any item that represents decrease of tax collection by the Union. It is true, however that the ruling Workers Party (PT) and other left-wing legends guided their benches to reject the bill in full. There was not, however, any more offensive action of the government to prevent passage of the bill.

President Dilma Rousseff has not taken a position rejecting the project.

Not even during a meeting with representatives of Brazilian unions, which took place on the eve of 1 May, Rousseff hasn’t made clear whether she is going to veto or not the matter when it arrives in her hands. The president criticised aspects of the project approved by the Chamber of Deputies, but cautioned that the country lacks a regulation of outsourced labour market – around 12 million Brazilians are employed today as outsourced workers. “From our point of view, the regulation needs to keep the differentiation between intermediate and final activity. For us, it is necessary to ensure that the worker has the guarantee of the rights won in wage

negotiations. And also to protect Social Security from the loss of resources,” said the president.

The chorus in favour of a presidential veto thickens between trade unions, left -wing politicians, progressive social movements and defenders of labour rights.

Given the score that marked the passage of the bill in the Chamber of Deputies – 324 votes in favour, 137 against and two abstentions, and the conservative profile of the Senate, workers estimate it will be hard to reverse the bill in the Congress. If in recent weeks demonstrations against the project led thousands to the streets of the largest cities in the country, should not be different now that the matter is between the senators.

‘BRAZIL COST’ From the tide of the business class, industrialists are among the most ardent defenders of regulation and expansion of outsourced labour market. The São Paulo State Industries Federation placed prime time television advertisements in which the organisation’s president, Paulo Skaf personally appears praising and asking for support to the outsourcing project. The Rio de Janeiro State Industries Federation, once the proposal passed by the Chamber, also publicly celebrated the fact. Both organisations and the National Confederation of Industry, among other business entities, argue that the regulation of outsourced work

will foster job creation and, in addition, ensure that outsourced labour rights are met by companies.

The manifestations of these entities have not emphasised, however, the point that suits big industry best: lower labour expenditure. Being free, by law, to hire an outsourced employee in the core activity of their business, the company does not have an obligation to pay for social security and guarantee funding for training, holiday pay or other labour rights.

Labour charges are mentioned by companies as a major component of the so-called “Brazil cost”, that is, a set of expenses which increase the costs of production and provision of services and thus slow the expansion of enterprises and economic development. According to a survey by the Brazilian Association of Machinery and Equipment (Abimaq) entitled “The impact of the ‘Brazil cost’ in the competitiveness of Brazilian industry of capital goods” – in this sector the labour costs account for 20% of net revenues of sales. According to the study, almost 4% of these expenses relate to what the survey calls “non receivables taxes”, that is, expenses without any return to the business activity. The development of mechanical capital goods sector is the beacon of the industrial development of a country and therefore the economy itself, remembers the Abimaq survey.

Although there is consensus on the need to reduce the “Brazil cost” betwe-

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

en workers and employers, between progressive and orthodox politicians, cutting this through labour flexibility is far from the appropriate. This view is shared by the minister of the Secretariat of Strategic Affairs, Mangabeira Unger. If the president has been cautiousness in her words, Mangabeira Unger has spared no criticism on the bill.

One day after the session that approved the project, the minister publicly condemned the measure. “We cannot move forward focusing on precarious work and wages and disqualification of the workers.

We cannot thrive in Brazil as a China with fewer people,” he told reporters. Weeks later, Mangabeira Unger ranked the outsourcing law project as a “neoliberal euphemism of labour market flexibility”.

For the minister, while the informality in the labour market fell from 60% to 40% in recent years, there has been an increase in insecurity, mainly represented by the outsourcing process. Mangabeira Unger defends a regulatory framework, but in accordance with Brazil’s Consolidation of Labour Laws, which fixed the rights of formal workers in the country. “The question is the following: will we allow the majority of Brazilian workers to be thrown into economic insecurity, or will we rescue them, creating a new system of laws that protect, represent and organise these workers?”, he said.

NO HURRY By ideological conviction or political dispute with Eduardo Cunha and the Executive, the President of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party – PMDB) has positioned himself against the text approved by the Chamber of Deputies.

More than that: going against the will of Cunha, Renan Calheiros warned that he has no intention of voting the project so fast. He said the project will

One part of the bill that has particularly concerned the federal is the regulation of the outsourcing of the labour market in Brazil is the risk of the Union loses in revenues from taxes. President Dilma Rousseff has given speeches on this topic and the Finance Minister, Joaquim Levy, at a public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies, admitted that it is an eminent fear. “The important thing, from the Finance point of view, is that outsourcing will only have chance of success if it is neutral in term of taxes. The project cannot be a gimmick to pay less tax”.

For the minister, the text that came out of the Chamber of Deputies does not address the government requirements. “We proposed tax simplification, which is the withholding tax.

Before paying the contracted, the contractor retains [the taxes] at source. This reduces the exposure to legal uncertainty and simplifies the whole

WHAT THE BILL SAYS

SOURCE: SENATE AGENCY

The law project approved by the Chamber of Deputies provides, among others, the following rules for outsourced labour market: g

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PERMISSIONS Companies can hire outsourced workers in any field of activity to perform any task, including their business’ core activity. Currently, outsourcing is permitted only in support activities such as cleaning, security and maintenance. The outsourcing of final activities is the point that generates more controversy because it enables a company to have zero employees by outsourcing all functions of its activity.

RESPONSIBILITY The provider and the contractor have joint responsibility: both can respond in court by rights not honoured.

FISCALISATION The contractor must examine if the provider is up to date with salary, holidays, transport vouchers, and other rights.

SYNDICATION When outsourcing is between companies in the same economic category, employees of the provider will be represented by the same union representing the employees of the contractor. It was removed the need to observe the relevant agreements and collective agreements, which weakens the worker-employer relationship, leading to job and workers’ rights insecurity.

RIGHTS Outsourced workers are entitled to the same conditions offered to contractor’s employees: food, transportation services, medical care or outpatient, courses

process,” argued the minister. According to Levy, in the way the project is it will cause loss of revenue, which would not be appropriate at this time when the government is striving to meet fiscal adjustments.

In addition to avoiding revenue losses, the government is still committed to pass the scissors on the costs, even if it entails decrease in resources that could impair the provision of public services or even halt investments.

Until 20 May, Rousseff must define which budget cuts will be applied in the Federal Budget 2015, sanctioned on 20 April, after a tense appreciation in the Congress.

The cuts are the only way to meet the primary surplus target of 1.2% of GDP in 2015. Primary surplus is what government saves to pay interest on public debt. With the cuts in the budget and the measures taken so far, the Union should cut expenditures up to 80 billion reais.

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and training when necessary.

SUBCONTRACTING The company that provides workforce may subcontract workers of another company in the case of highly specialized technical services and when there is contractual provision.

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DISABILITY Companies will have to account all direct and outsourced employees to calculate the share of employees with disabilities to be hired, which may vary between 2% to 5%.

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SOCIAL SECURITY The labour provider will pay 11% tax rate on gross revenues to Social Security.

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PENALTY If the rules are violated, the violator will be subject to a fine equal to the minimum amount stipulated today for inscription on the outstanding debt of the Union (1,000 reais) per worker harmed.

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PROHIBITION The contractor company cannot use the outsourced workers to different tasks than those set out in the contract.

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DOMESTICS The law does not apply to domestic workers. An amendment to the bill also vetoed the application to port guards.

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TAXES The company that hires outsourced workers must pay in advance part of the taxes owed by the contracted company.

MARCELO CAMARGO/AGÊNCIA BRASIL

GOVERNMENT FEARS LOSS OF REVENUE

go through the “normal course” in the Senate, and will be fully discussed. The first major debate involving various entities was scheduled for 12 May. On 28 April, Renan Calheiros held two meetings on the matter. First, he met with the president of the National Confederation of Industry, Robson Braga de Andrade. Then he received unions’ presidents. The president of the Central Workers’ Union (CUT), Vagner Freitas, left the meeting showing optimism about the possibility of corrections in the project that can be made in the Senate. “[Renan Calheiros] clearly put that deregulation is bad for Brazil. By the time Brazil needs revenue and economic development, rip the labour legislation will not bring any revenue in that sense,” Freitas told the press. “Brazil has some important values that we have been built throughout history. President Getulio Vargas left a legacy, the Consolidation of Labour Laws, which is at risk of being lost,” he said.

The outsourcing bill promises to be the focus of clashes in the coming weeks. The CUT itself, for example, does not rule out a general strike. The enterprise-class, with expertise in lobbying Congress, also seems willing to invest in convincing public opinion through advertisements. It is expected that the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, or more precisely Renan Calheiros and Eduardo Cunha, will also be in shock if senators don’t treat the project with the expected priority, or promote substantial changes in the text.

Depending on the outcome, there will be time for President Dilma Rousseff take a final position: meet the economic interest and try to regain the support of the business class or enforce campaign commitment, which was crucial to her victory while not reducing with the rights of workers. That is the question put to the president now.

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Finance Minister, Joaquim Levy

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

POLITICAL REFORM, YES, BUT IN WHAT WAY? It should be noted how different the projects on the agenda are: Eduardo Cunha is looking for private financing and facultative votes, and the Coalition for Democratic Political Reform and Clean Elections logic is public funding and the empowerment of parties and ordinary citizens

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By Francisco Fonseca g

Brazil’s current political system was structured during the last military government (1979-1985), commanded

by General João Baptista Figueiredo and articulated by Golbery do Couto e Silva. The goal was to contemplate democratic demands (multi-party system) while maintaining the status quo, which led, on the one hand, to unpunished military atrocities and, on the other, to limited structural reforms: political, social and economic.

The democratization came and the backbone of the political system has not changed, because:

another from and another party; the logic that the defeated parties also govern, on account of the need for parliamentary majority at any cost; the controversial disproportionate representation in the Chamber of Deputies; among others; e) The institutional/legal mechanisms of supervision, although improved, were not able to undo the logic of public life privatization; f ) The depoliticizing role of the mainstream media has formed generations of citizens easily manipulated and incapable of minimally reflecting on the fundamental aspects of the political process.

a) The multi-party system was brought to its final consequences: today 28 legal parties participate in the political game, most of them considered “balcony parties”, interested in exchange of favours; b) The funding of political parties and electoral campaigns was consolidated in mixed form (public party fund and legal private funding), but with a third decisive form, illegal: the so-called “caixa dois”, or slush fund. Government priorities pass through the composition of governments (power distribution to groups with very different interests) and the logic of “governability” with immense “bases of support”, making the slush fund an informal institution. Regardless of parties and governments, what can be seen, since the return to democracy, is a succession of scandals, which are rooted from the financing of parties/campaigns with legal and illegal private money; c) The “governability at all costs” deepened to an extent that any coalition government pays a high political cost – notably the ideological parties, when they win elections to the Executive – to rule, losing identity (notorious case of the ruling Workers Party). d) The most distinct distortions have occurred: coalitions in proportional elections, implying that the citizen vote for a candidate and elect

Due to this set of problems, there have been many political reform proposals since the return to democracy. Thus, two major proposals have been consolidated since last year as clearly antagonistic projects – and that should get attention now that Congress evaluates a number of measures that could change the rules of Brazil’s political game.

From the conservative side, there is an Amendment to the Constitution Proposal, authored by former Federal Deputy Cândido Vaccarezza (Workers Party) and taken over by the current president of the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Cunha (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party) that practically institutionalizes the private financing of political parties and electoral campaigns through a system of “choice”, that is, whether public, private or mixed; establishes the facultative vote; and prevents re-election to executive positions; among other measures, more or less conservative, but less relevant because the first two are sufficient to waive the entire struggle for reforms and institutionalize the worst things in the country’s politics.

The so-called “privatization of public life” - private funding (legal and illegal) as a true pillar, making the price of electoral campaigns stratospheric; prevents small ideological parties from having a chance to compete with the major parties

that “play the game”; transforms the powers of the State and much of its actions in “business balconies”; encourages the existence of infinite political parties and attracts politicians without any commitment to democracy and without the slightest sense of “public service”; makes politics elitist, preventing structurally popular reforms; discourages political participation of ordinary citizens, paving the way for company lobbies and all forms of influence trafficking. All this supported, coordinated and amplified by the media apparatus, a kind of “organic intellectual” of the capital and middle classes that manages it.

The facultative vote is basically the overthrow of any vestige of popular democracy, which is a paradox. After all, in a country where people historically disbelieve State institutions and the political system, the optional vote – whose image is the idea that “rights are not obligatory” – strongly tend to exclude the poor from political life.

The plutocracy closes the circle: the origin, via private capital, and the dynamics, through the vote of the middle classes and the rich.

On the opposite side, several organizations have been organized around the Coalition for Democratic Political Reform and Clean Elections, which brings together more than a hundred entities, including Brazil’s Order of Lawyers (OAB), the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), trade unions and numerous others, from most distinct natures, but with a single purpose: to reform the Brazilian political system in a truly democratic perspective.

The pillars of the proposal, which needs 1.5 million signatures to be presented to Congress, are based on the prohibition of private financing to parties and candidates; the list’s vote in two rounds for legislative positions: in the first round vote to a list of candidates submitted by the party and, in the second round, on a specific candidate; end of proportional coalitions; parity between men and women on party lists; and strengthening

of direct democracy mechanisms with the participation of society in important decisions.

The project seeks to empower two actors: first, the political parties, by voting in preordained lists, in which parties become protagonists rather than candidates as individuals. Second, women are equally empowered with parity between men and women on the list offered to voters. The project considers it essential that women are protagonists in political/institutional life, since not only are the majority of the Brazilian population (51%, according to the last census), as its share - in the three state levels - is historically diminished. Despite the law of 30% of places reserved for women candidates to parliament by party, female participation remains small.

Regarding direct participation mechanisms, the idea is to equalize representative democracy (institutional) and direct democracy so that they complement each other. There is no incompatibility between the two, as management councils of public policies, local, regional and national conferences, various forms of participation, including digital, among others, are already part of Brazilian social dynamics, although without the formalization of a law that would be the case of the presidential decree that would institutionalize these mechanisms.

It should be noted how different these projects are. Although in both there are other issues, such as prohibition of re-election, the pillars of both projects are anchored in the form of financing, mandatory voting or not and formations of the electoral system. The victory of one or another will certainly impact generations.

There is much at stake. g

Francisco Fonseca is master in Political Science and doctor in History, professor of political science at Getulio Vargas Foudation. This article was originally published in Le Monde Diplomatique Brasil.

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

CONECTANDO

Marabá

COLLECTIVE SELF-ESTEEM How youth collective Rios de Encontro is changing the Brazilian Amazon community of Cabelo Seco

By Thiana Biondo – from Marabá, Pará g

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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In a small town near the Carajá Mountains, in the same Brazilian Amazon region where the largest mines of quality iron are still found, young people from the collective Rios de Encontro are promoting art as a way to preserve their local riverside culture. This report went on a visit to Cabelo Seco, a community situated in Marabá, a town in the state of Pará, where they work, to find out about their efforts.

The collective, set up by the arts educator and cultural manager Manoela Souza and writer and fine artist Dan Baron, has 14 micro-projects underway, all of which encourage the idea that development does not necessarily have to mean destroying local rivers and forests.

Amongst the projects are Latinhas de Quintal (Backyard Little Cans), winner of the UNICEF national prize of 2011, and the dance group AfroMundi, winner of the 2012 national prize Jovem Agente de Cultura (Young Culture Agent) by the Ministry of Culture. The two projects also won the 2014 prize awarded by Creative Connections, an international cultural organization, for their album Amazônia Nossa Terra and their dance performance Lágrimas Secas (Dry Tears).

The group travelled to New York in April to perform Lágrimas Secas. With the support of cofounder Dan Baron, 19-year-old dance company leader Camylla Alves created the choreography.

She explains: “The project has shown us that we have the capacity for dreaming and making our dreams come true. That we can dance, sing and be free. Lágrimas Secas shows the drama of the big rivers of the world getting dry and in fire after the construction of the hydroelectric plants and the murder of their headwaters”.

In her work, Camylla combines music and African choreography with contemporary languages to reflect the history of her people and her own ethnic roots. She was awarded a grant from Rios de Encontro to carry out artistic research, what allows her to support herself.

In a town classified among the ten most violent for young black people in Brazil, Rios de Encontro provides tools to help build self-esteem and confidence among residents. “Today we see ourselves as one big family, we share secrets and everything. The community still faces weaknesses, fights and disputes, a lot of worries at home and in the streets, but we try to overcome all that”, Camylla says.

Another project is called Radio Arraia, which won a grant from Rising Voices Amazonia in 2014. The project creates radio jingles to spread the news about the collective’s artistic productions and to create a deeper awareness of environmentally friendly practices, such as the use of solar energy. The idea is to oppose official discourse, which favours the construction of hydroelectric plants, and bring sustainable development alternatives to the discussion.

The collective’s meetings happen in two places within the Cabelo Seco community. Near the riverbanks, where the Rivers Itacaiúnas and Tocantins come together, is the Casinha de Cultura (Culture Home), where their meetings, overseen by adult coordinators Dan and Manoela, take place. There, you can learn about everything that is going on in the neighbourhood. “The window is our great communication medium,” Manoela says, laughing.

Fifty metres away is the other meeting point: a barn with covered area, where the collective puts on its artistic productions. Elisa Dias, 18, and Caroline Valente, 18, also chatted with this report.

With 14 micro-projects underway, the collective Rios de Encontro encourages the idea that development does not necessarily have to mean destroying local rivers and forests

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

MORE ENGAGEMENT The Vale do Rio Doce train, part of a large Brazilian mining enterprise, criss-crosses the 892 kilometres between the states of Pará and Maranhão, carrying over 120 million tons of ore each year. At the same time, Rios de Encontro’s artistic and cultural movement seeks to reaffirm the Amazon identity in Marabá as well as the local riverside lifestyle. The focus is on personal development and to build healthy connections as a group. “We want more engagement and not the model of development imposed on us,” Manoela says.

Besides the construction of hydroelectric dams on local rivers, the community faces another danger: of disappearing. Many of its residents have gone to live in a district created by the federal government’s social housing project Minha Casa, Minha Vida.

Without facilities such as schools and hospitals, and situated far from any nice river, the district built by the government has the name of Morada Nova (New Dwelling). Fifteen kilometres away from Cabelo Seco, the trip from one place to the other takes up to two hours because of the infrequent public transport. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and even friends start to see each other less and less.

In community teacher Zequinha Sousa’s view, Cabelo Seco runs the risk of being overtaken by the interests of a touristic business: “Cabelo Seco is a dangerous area, but everybody seems to be willing to own the place. It is a privileged place as far as its beauty. People are not truly aware of the place they live in. Many people have gone away only to regret later, because the river lends life to the town. I have been a fisherman, same way as my father. He suffered the consequences of the dam construction. There is not the same bounty as before, but it is still a place with a very special sunset”. g

This article was originally published by Global Voices (www.globalvoicesonline.org), and edited by Brasil Observer

DIVULGATION

Elisa is leader of the group Roupas ao Vento (Clothes in the Wind), a project which centres on gender questions, and she is used to advising girls on how to avoid violence at home and in the streets. She tells us how important having Dan and Manoela in her life has been: “When I got pregnant, at 15, I got a lot of support from Dan and Manoela, something I didn’t get at home. I decided to keep the baby (Pietro). I was used to taking care of my siblings. I took care of my brothers while my mother went out to wash clothes at the river”.

Caroline likes to tell stories and has become the social reporter for the project. She even created the project Nem um Pingo (Not even one drop) to register the lives of the local residents: “Rios de Encontro has made me stronger in terms of the decisions I make for myself. I created the project Nem um Pingo and it was cool. We filmed, documented and presented to the whole community. We had the chance to listen to many different and funny stories”.

The two have been with Rios de Encontro for the last seven years, since the time they and three other girls created a musical group called Latinhas de Quintal. They are still together: Camylla and Caroline are the main singers and Elisa plays the drums.

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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B R A S I L O B S E R V E R BERNARD BENANT

M O BO M O BO

H T I W K C A B IS O H L E O C A FLAVI 2 2 .

G P > > S MORE BEAT

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

GUIDE

SIMPLE INTENSITY With her new album out, Flavia Coelho performs in London this month and tells Brasil Observer, “When we do things with heart, determination and passion, we influence people…”

By Gabriela Lobianco

FLAVIA COELHO Quando: 18 May Where: Rich Mix (35-47 Bethnal Green Road) Tickets: £15 Info: www.richmix.org.uk

Brazilian singer Flavia Coelho, who has been based in France since 2006, returns to London with her band to celebrate the release of her second album, Mundo Meu (which roughly translating means My World), on 18 May at Rich Mix. The album will be officially released in the UK from 11 May. But the first single, ‘Por Cima’, is already a hit on iTunes. “It’s a song I wrote thinking about a woman with all these impossible loves,” she tells Brasil Observer by telephone from her home in Paris. “But on a positive note as this woman does not destroy the wall, she jumps over it,” she laughs with a sweet tone.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Flavia Coelho wrote almost all of the songs on the new album over two years while touring for her first record, Bossa Muffin – which was very well received by the European public, including the British. “I needed to go back to the boom boom beat from the Brazilian baile funk, from the American singer’s styles that I listen to, and only realised this while touring, writing and experimenting.” Mundo Meu differs completely from the previous album because the artist increased the electric sounds and focused more on frantic beats. “I needed more simple things, but with greater intensity,” she said.

Flavia Coelho left Brazil to discover and find her musical style, and in her words “find out the woman I am”. But she is proud to be Brazilian, frequently talking passionately about the country. She honours her homeland mixing rhythms like samba, bossa nova, rap, reggae and the unmistakable beat of the Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. “My heart asked me to leave my country to discover my musical future. But I love Brazil.”

Flavia also has great gratitude for her success abroad. “My first album rolled really well in London and people started to follow me. I toured Africa to New Zealand, played in various places.”

She proudly talks of collaboratios, thanks to “natural encounters of life.” In addition to the producer Victor Vagh, responsible for both the studio work for both her albums, Mundo Meu features renowned names, such as Patrice, the German singer from Sierra Leone, the rapper Speech, from the Arrested Development group, and the legendary drummer Tony Allen. This last one indeed has worked with many contemporary Brazilian artists, such as São Paulo trio Meta Meta, who also recently performed in London. “Tony Allen is one of the greatest artists in the world. I heard all that he recorded and did a lot of research. I wrote the afrobeat song and producer played it to him and he was really receptive. In a natural process, we recorded together.”

To finish off, Flavia Coelho, shows conviction that Brazilians shines anywhere. “When we do things with heart, determination and passion, we affect people... We Brazilians influence others.” She also reveals her need to revere her home country just by singing in her native language. “I grew up in that melting pot of Brazil and that is also revealed in my language. I have to sing in Portuguese.” However, she is reticent when asked about a possible tour in the tropical country: “I would love to! But nothing is in sight. Various comments on Twitter and Facebook, but nothing scheduled. I think there’s a good crowd. Let’s see”.

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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BERNARD BENANT

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

CULTURAL TIPS

CINEMA

ART

FUTURO BEACH DEBUTS IN THE UK

BRAZILIAN GALLERIES SHOWCASE AT ART15

On 8 May Futuro Beach (Praia do Futuro, in Portuguese), directed by Karin Ainouz and starring Wagner Moura (Donato), Clemens Schick (Konrad) and Jesuit Barbosa (Ayrton) has its UK release.

Filmed in Brazil and Germany, the feature was released at last year’s Berlin Film Festival, and tells a vibrant story of the flourishing relationship between two men and features an electrifying soundtrack including David Bowie’s Heroes and Suicide’s Ghost Ride.

The spectacular and treacherous Futuro Beach, in Fortaleza, North-Eastern Brazil, serves as the backdrop for the plot. When a Brazilian lifeguard, Donato, saves the German biker Konrad from drowning, the pair immediately develop a strong attraction. The passion between them intensifies and Donato decides to leave behind his mother and his younger brother, Ayrton, to start a new life alongside Konrad in Berlin. Years later Ayrton visits

The third edition of the global fair Art15, will bring together 150 galleries from 40 countries to exhibit masters works of modern art and new international artists in London from 21 to 23 May. Two galleries from São Paulo and one from Rio de Janeiro will be present at the event, with works by six Brazilian artists on display.

to the German capital in search of answers, and they are all forced to confront the past.

The film is being screened at three cinemas in the UK by Peccadillo Pictures, an award-winning UK film distributor of Art House, Gay & Lesbian and World Cinema titles with an impressive collection.

To find out where to watch the film visit www.peccapics.com

São Paulo’s Zipper brings works of James Kudo. Also from São Paulo, the Blau Projects exhibits Macone Moreria and Eder Oliveira (creator of the work pictured). Rio’s Mercedes Viegas Arte Contemporânea shows Robert Kelly, Marcia Thompson and Julio Viallni.

For more information about the fair visit www.artfairslondon.com

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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MUSIC DIVULGATION

AUTORAMAS

When: 17 May Where: Made in Brazil (12 Inverness Street) Tickets: Free Info: www.madeinbrazil.co.uk

CLELIA IRUZUN

O RAPPA

When: 11 July Where: Electric Brixton (Town Hall Parade) Tickets: £25 Info: www.electricbrixton.uk.com

RODRIGO AMARANTE

When: 20 May Where: St. James Theatre (12 Palace Street) Tickets: £15 Info: www.stjamestheatre.co.uk

When: 22 July Where: Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen (2-4 Hoxton Square) Tickets: £12 Info: www.hoxtonsquarebar.com

BROTHERS OF BRAZIL

DONA ONETE

When: 21 May Where: The Dome (2 Dartmouth Park Hill) Tickets: £13 Info: www.dometufnellpark.co.uk

When: 24-26 July Where: Womad Festival (Charlton Park, Malmesbury) Tickets: £165 for the weekend Info: www.womad.co.uk

CAETANO VELOSO & GILBERTO GIL

MARCELO D2

When: 1 July Where: Eventim Apollo (45 Queen Caroline Street) Tickets: £45.75–£67.75 Info: www.eventim.co.uk

When: 22 August Where: Electric Brixton (Town Hall Parade) Tickets: £25 Info: www.electricbrixton.uk.com

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

COLUMNISTS Clybourne Park, written by Bruce Norri

ANDREW H WILLIAMS

FRANKO FIGUEIREDO

TWO EARS TO ONE TONGUE The most important point in conducting a dialogue on stage or in real life is to be a good listener. Though seemingly simple, listening is very difficult

As a theatre professional I am constantly observing the nuances of the voice: tone, pitch, and pace. In rehearsals we measure the delivery of the words, assess how all our vocal/speech nuances affect meaning. We study the dynamics of characters’ dialogue and the innumerable possibilities of delivery. For a play to come alive, each actor ought to react truthfully to what he is listening to, but listening is where many of us fail. We often hear in theatre that “to act is to react”; I would add that “to react is to listen” – and to listen well.

The most important point in conducting a dialogue on stage or in real life is to be a good listener. Though seemingly simple, listening is very difficult. Zeno, an ancient Greek philosopher, used to say: “two ears to one tongue, therefore hear twice as much as you speak”. Listening is the de-codification of not only the meaning of the words of the person in front of you but also the person’s intention, which arrives to you carried by mood and socio-politicalcultural baggage.

Dialogue in a play tries to get as close as it can to dialogue in life. It’s not flawless communication. Miscommunication is often the engine of drama. In 2013, I directed Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris. The play is a razor-sharp satire that takes a jab at race and real estate in a fictional Chicago neighbourhood. The play begins in 1959 as a black family moves into a white enclave. Act 2 takes us back to the same house in 2009 as gentrification sets in and the roles are reversed.

The dialogue is superb. Act 2 is based around a meeting between a couple who are buying a property in Clybourne Park, their lawyer and another couple who are objecting to the sale, and what seems to start as a civilised meeting descends into a war. All because they cannot communicate, they can’t see the absurdity of their actions and are deluded to their own prejudiced views. The characters think they are having a conversation, but in fact each couple’s objective is to prove a point and win the argument. They don’t listen; instead they hurl abusive words at one another, which escalate to a full-blown fight. The audiences were in stitches every night: they could see how ridiculous the whole thing was. At the end, the characters had

become mere animals barking at one another with nothing gained in. They inhibited themselves from being honest talkers and good listeners, by talking when they should be asking questions, speaking from their assumptions, having rigid thoughts, and not listening.

Sadly, Clybourne Park reflects what is happening in Brazil and the world in general: lack of open, generous conversation. Rather than bringing us together, our talk is driving us apart. Arrogance prevails. Arrogant people feel good about themselves only through affirming their superiority to others. We are too quick to judge and growl at each other from our mighty sanctimonious thrones. We don’t stop to think, we want to make our point without considering if the other person has something to give to us that we might not have.

William Isaacs, a leader in the study of dialogue says that a big mistake many of us make is that “most often we know what we want to say and wait our turn to say it. We are closed to hearing the unexpected from others, cutting ourselves off from honest exchanges that leave us inspired to take action”. Dialogue is more than just talk. Isaacs says that dialogue “is the embrace of different points of view — literally the art of thinking together,” and “problems between managers and employees, citizens and elected officials, and nation and nation often stem from an inability to conduct a dialogue”.

In order to conduct a successful dialogue Isaacs says that we need to listen not only to others but also to ourselves, dropping our resistance and reactions; to give respect and allow rather than try to change people with a different viewpoint; to suspend our opinions, change direction, and see with new eyes and we need to speak our own voice and find our own authority, giving up to dominate.

You might think this is difficult and unattainable, but I think we ought to be vigilant of our own behaviour and strive to practice this kind of dialogue every day until it becomes a habit. g

Franko Figueiredo is artistic director and associate producer of StoneCrabs Theatre Company

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

AQUILES RIQUE REIS

GUINGA’S ENCHANTING GUITAR In his most recent album, Brazilian composer and guitarist takes you to a trip with no time to return

RICARDO SOMERA

THERE IS LIFE WITHIN THE CRISIS Casa Grande, by Fellipe Barbosa, opens wide directly, and still beautifully, the social inequality in Brazil

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The Brazilian composer and guitarist Guinga has recently launched his first solo album, Roendopinho. Recorded in Germany by Acoustic Music Records, it reveals a musician that most of us do not know, as we haven’t had the chance to listen to his compositions played only by him on the guitar. With this album, Guinga undresses his work.

Inseparable partners, musician and guitar emerge from the trust that one has on the other. Both play a brilliantly. Indeed, Guinga and his guitar put the songs in the bone.

Nothing on this album is excessive; it is the result of the guitar player’s affection for the instrument.

What you hear is a great work; the extract of an inspiration that comes to light as a child generated by the love between two people.

It amazes, the fact that he never studied music – Althier Carlos de Sousa Lemos, a dentist by profession, better known in music as Guinga, is self-taught, an example that differentiated people are given the right to become great. A genius, without exaggeration.

Guinga’s guitar is enchanting. For him, a composer with plenty of leading works, it is not just creating beautiful musical phrases, hemust make them sound like they were never heard before. There’s the truth.

For Guinga, the guitarist, it is not enough simply about reversing beautiful chords and gives them air of modernity, it is a matter of recreating them with a sound compatible with the knowledge of its creator. Guinga does not

seek the new, he is the new. And that’s what we find in Roendopinho. In its fifteen tracks, Guinga joins the verb to noun, uniting them like a metaphor that translates his music to the ears.

From these fifteen songs, thirteen are new and written by him alone, and only two have lyrics. The beautiful “Cambono” (Guinga and Thiago Amud) and “Lendas Brasileiras” (Guinga and Aldir Blanc) show why Guinga’s melodies always attract special verses – beauty attracts beauty. Soon, probably, the new tunes on this CD will also get lyrics written by great composers as Guinga now occupies a privileged place in Brazilian music, a place that he owns on absolute merit.

Ellegant concert for guitar is Guinga’s new album. Soloing music with a clear sound, it sometimes slips the erudite, sometimes popular.

Though he sees himself as a musician with “nothing special”, hearing the album, with songs from genres as varied as they are beautiful, it indicates that his humility seems not to authorize him to view the splendour of his work. But he leaves an astonished legion of musicians and fans that recognize the genius of his compositions: winding, full of ups and downs, often unexpected, but with small straight for landing.

In Roendopinho, you can travel the musical genius of Guinga as if you have no time to go anywhere, just going, listening...

The class struggle has existed forever – or since Marx and Engels coined the term. Thus, this issue has been discussed for a long time by scholars, politicians, artists and every one. The theme is also common in Brazilian cinema, but rare are the times that social inequality in our country is transmitted so directly and beautifully like in Casa Grande, directed by Fellipe Barbosa, on cinemas in Brazil.

First of all, there’s no way to read the name of the movie and not remembering the classic published in 1993, Casa-Grande & Senzala (The Masters and the Slaves, in English), by Gilberto Freyre, about the importance of the relations between the “big house” and the “slave quarters” in the political and socio-cultural formation of Brazil.

In the film, Jean (Thales Cavalcanti), a white and rich upper-middle-class teenager from Rio de Janeiro, due to circumstances discovers a new world out of his armoured car and gated private community. Due to a financial crisis in the family – caused by investments in shares of Eike Batista’s companies – Jean’s routine is transformed and enlarged.

Out the particular driver and enters the bus stop; out expensive parties and uninteresting girls and enters forró in Lapa.

But beyond the transformations in the life of a young man, the film shows how Brazilian society sees itself and behaves in 2015. Nei-

ther the award-winning O Som ao Redor (Neighbouring Sounds, in English), written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, was so clear to throw open wide the veiled prejudice that we live daily in Brazil.

Racial quotas, domestic workers treated “as if they were family”, the relationship of a young white man with a young black woman and a culture of appearance are some of the issues portrayed. Everything we can see daily in workplaces, bars, schools and universities.

Fellipe Barbosa presents us with one of the best Brazilian films of the year, in which the script, direction and performance of the actors impress us from beginning to end.

The actors are a sideshow with its unique features and new latent talents. I left the theatre without knowing whether I was more in love with Clarissa Pinheiro – whose character Rita loves having her ass kissed – or Bruna Amaya, who plays Luiza and in the first scene already makes you want to learn forró and/or live in São Conrado to find her on the bus stop.

In times full of Avengers and Fast and Furious, it is good to remember that life, even in a crisis, is a large and great discovery.

g

g

Aquiles Rique Reis is musician, vocalist of MPB4

Ricardo Somera is an advertising professional and you can find him on Twitter @souricardo and Instagram @outrosouricardo

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

WELL BEING REPRODUCTION

‘LOW-CARB’ FOR WEIGHT LOSS? Despite their popularity, low-carbohydrate diets are no better at maintaining weight/fat loss in obese patients than balanced macronutrient diets

By Raquel Britzke g

GET RID OF BAD BREATH Most of the mouthwashes only mask the unpleasant smell but some complex factors can determine whether you will have pleasant breath or not By Ítalo Moraes g

Whether you have fresh breath is determined by both oral and other factors.

The most common cause is deficient oral hygiene and consequent formation of tongue coating and dental plaque.

It is quite common to think that good oral hygiene simple means brushing after food. However, the most important is cleaning all bacteria from the dental surface, especially close to the gums.

If you do not use floss every day to disrupt the bacteria in the interdental areas, you will certainly have bad breath.

Morning breath is not considered a medical problem but for some people it can be an area of embarrassment. The cause is mild hypoglycemia (reduction of blood sugar), the reduced salivary flow during sleep, and the increase in more pathogenic bacterial species. These microorganisms act on the natural balance of oral mucous and saliva proteins, generating unpleasant smells.

Poorly fitted dentures and defective restorations are also sources of bad breath as they can increase plaque retention.

Bad breath can also be caused by some medical problems. Dry mouth (xerostomia) is a condition that affects the flow of saliva. This increases the bacteria accumulation in the mouth leading to bad breath. It can be caused by certain medications, salivary gland problems or by continued mouth breathing. Other medical conditions include throat, nose or lungs infections, sinusitis, bronchitis, dia-

betes, liver or kidney problems.

If you have bad breath, you will need to make some changes in the way you clean your teeth and gums in order keep your mouth healthy and fresh.

Visit your dentist so they can conduct an evaluation to find the cause of your bad breath, clean all those areas that are difficult to reach and research the best way to keep your mouth clean.

Most mouthwashes only mask the bad breath for a short time. Though some mouthwashes are specially formulated to match the volatile sulfuric compounds responsible for bad breath, but not they do not treat the underlying problem.

One of the warning signs of gum disease is that you always have bad breath or bad taste in the mouth, usually associated with bleeding when brushing or flossing. Again, your dentist will be able to diagnose and treat the problem. The sooner the problems are found, the more effective any treatment will be.

Brush your teeth and gums effectively at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. Do not forget to brush your tongue as well. Floss once a day for cleaning the bacterias from the interdental surface in all areas. An interdental brush can be used as an alternative or supplement to dental floss to clean bacterias between the teeth.

Remember that cleaning between the teeth means cleaning bacteria, not only food scraps. g

Ítalo Moraes is a dentist, registred in the UK since 2008.

For more information, please visit www.smilepod.co.uk

Low carbohydrate diets are being promoted as a way of reducing body mass and body fat levels. But where is the evidence for the efficacy of these diets, and are there any possible adverse effects?

Considerable debate has taken place over the safety and validity of a low carbohydrate diet to lose weight. The advice to consume low-carbohydrate, high protein foods, has been promoted by some health professionals, the media and popular diet books but there is a lack of scientific data on the safety of increasing protein consumption.

Scientific studies have not found that high-protein diets without large reductions in calorie intake result in sustained weight loss or improved health.

However, it is important to note that weight loss is not the same as weight maintenance. No scientific evidence exists to suggest that the low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet has a metabolic advantage over more conventional diets for weight reduction in the long term.

Low-carbohydrate, high protein diets, appear to result in faster weight loss and fat loss for the first 3-6 months in obese individuals, but thereafter weight is usually regained. A lot of marketing strategies have been used to sell products that would lead to rapid weight loss.

The term “low carb” became trendy and started to be used even on food labels. Because of this, there is a huge misconception by the public about the effectiveness of diets that restrict carbohydrates. What makes these diets so appealing are the quick results.

But why does weight loss seem to be faster in lowcarbohydrate diets like Dukan and Atkins? One possible answer is that a high protein and low carbs diet, will induce metabolic ketosis (a form of hypoglycaemia) and this is initially attractive because it can lead to quick weight loss.

Other aspects that may contribute for this initial weight loss may be attributed in part to the diuretic effect from low carbohydrate intake and its effects on sodium and water loss and glycogen depletion. We should not forget that reduction of glycemic load and decreased insulin secretion could explain the quick results of these diets.

Insulin inhibits fat oxidation and ketosis and low glycemic index (GI) diets (low in carbohydrates and glycemic index) minimise insulin secretion. As a result, fat oxidation is enhanced. Extra protein is not used efficiently by the body and may impose a metabolic burden on the kidneys and liver. High-protein diets may also be associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease due to intakes of saturated fat, cholesterol, and other associated dietary factors.

Despite their popularity, low-carbohydrate diets are no better at maintaining weight/fat loss in obese patients than balanced macronutrient diets in the long term. g

Raquel Britzke is Bachelor in Nutrition by Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste; Postgraduate in Sports Nutrition by the International Olympic Committee; Director and Sports Nutritionist at Britzke Nutrition Clinic in London. For more information, please visit: www.raquelbritzke.com

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

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brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

TRAVEL

BEHIND THE SKYSCRAPER The Dubai you don’t see in the magazines is home to many mosques, old houses, authenticity - and a lot of sand!

TIPS g

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Taxis are the official transport in Dubai. There are no buses and the metro has only two lines that do not go to most attractions.

In case of flight connection, visas for up to 96 hours are available.

Friday is a holiday. The city only begins to “wake up” at 13h.

There are no bars and alcoholic drinks are rare; if you want to have a few drinks, head to the bars in the 4 or 5 star hotels.

There are liberal beaches but others are more conservative, so be mindful of this and do not wear your swimwear when sightseeing.

By Ana Beatriz Freccia Rosa g

Just the merest mention of Dubai and you start thinking of magnificent hotels, skyscrapers and modernity. This is all true, but, despite being considered the ‘Europe of the Middle East, Dubai still strongly preserves the region’s traditional religion and culture.

From the initial sight of the airport, which looks more like a mall, to further exploration of the city, comes the impression that everything is the same colour.

Everything is kind of beige, and what we see are new and old buildings interspersed: houses, tall buildings and a city under construction. Wherever you go, something is being constructed, there is endless activity, 24 hours a day.

Many travellers say you can enjoy Dubai in a day, (after all, it is a major connection point between long-haul flights from America and Europe to Asia) and that it is an ideal place to relax between one to another flight. But forget it! One day is not enough, especially if you or like to know more than just the main attractions. Dubai has more to offer and you can easily fill a four-day trip.

The “Old-City” has preserved historic buildings and is well worth a visit to see what the city was like before oil domination. Visit the Gold Souk in Deira, one of the most traditional Arab markets. If you like jewellery, it is the place to shop and bargain, as they have more than 300 shops and a lot of gold – even if you do not like it, you will be dazzled all the same. Visit also the Najmat Taiba shop, which has the heaviest gold ring in the world, according to the Guinness Book of records.

Leaving the Gold Souk, walk towards the Grand Souk Deira. There is no need for directions, because you can just follow the delicious smell of spices on the way. The Grand Souk Deira is also known as the Spice Souk. Enjoy the sensory experience while you snack on date palms and the mint tea.

Then, a good option is to follow the Dubai Creek, a kind of stream that tells part of the story of Dubai. The creek served as fishing area and entrance gate for products.

Today it is one of the most visited areas and yet thankfully it still retains the character of the old city. Forget modern transportation

and tour in an Abra, a traditional wooden boat, watching local and beautiful buildings. The ride is very short, but it’s cheap and you will enjoy the scenery while going through to to Bur Dubai, a historic and one of the most popular regions.

Arriving at Bur Dubai, it is just a short walk to the Al Shindagha District.

Stroll through the Arab village that still preserves its tradition and you will understand the true story of Dubai from its creation to becoming an oil super power.

In the village the house that belonged to the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum’s, the visionary who ruled the for 40 years until 1958, is still intact. Taste the food in one of the many street stalls or restaurants.

The Dubai Museum is located here along with several mosques, where you will always notice many pairs of shoes on the steps, as local people pray five times during the day.

Today the Bastakiya Quarter is the most modern area of the old town, it used to be the place where wealthy merchants lived.

There you notice the richest and most beautiful traditional Arab houses.

While there are many fantastic restaurants where you can eat top cuisine but, make sure you try the local camel burger.

Or, if this option does not please your palate, spend the afternoon sampling the delicious teas at the Arabian Tea House.

Of course, Dubai is not Dubai without the magnificent buildings so if you have time visit the Burj Khalifa, the tallest man made building in the world. If you are in Dubai on a Friday or a Saturday, be sure to watch the sunset from one of the city’s impressive skyscrapers.

Then take the train that passes through the main attractions and ends at Palm Atlantis, a magnificent resort located on the island of Palm Jumeirah. If you like adventure, take a Safari to the Desert.

Those who say a day is all you need to know Dubai must only say this because they didn’t have the time to enjoy and fall in love with this incredible mixture. g

Ana Beatriz Freccia Rosa is a travel writer, who features her journeys on the blog ‘O mundo que eu vi’ (www.omundoqueeuvi.com)

brasilobserver.co.uk | May 2015

ANA BEATRIZ FRECCIA ROSA

One day is not enough to know Dubai: the old part of the city has preserved buildings and it worth’s to go there to find out and feel what life was like before oil boom in the region

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