Reflections on Brazil

This dialogue was an informative and enjoyable experience. During the morning class and site visits, I learned about the various ways energy is produced from both renewable and non-renewable sources. As the course continued, we discussed the pros and cons of the implementation of each of these technologies. We learned that the analysis of each technology could be broken down into three categories: the environment, the economy, and society, on both a microscopic and macroscopic level. To put what we learned in context, we analyzed energy usage in Brazil compared to the US. From what I ascertained, Brazil has been much more successful than the United States in the implementation of alternative energies. Our classroom discussions were geared towards figuring out what Brazil has done that we can implement back in the United States and around the world. While lectures facilitated my understanding of the technologies, site visits helped me to visualize the concepts we discussed.

Brazil has policies that are much more favorable to the development of alternative energy technologies than in the US. The city where we resided, Sao Paulo, was strategically chosen to provide understanding to the aforementioned statement and to our alternative energy course. As we learned in a lecture from Milton Lautenschlager, the sub-secretary of renewable energy in Sao Paulo state, Sao Paulo is often referred to as the locomotive of industry for Brazil, which encompasses the industry of alternative energies. With the Paulista energy plan, Sao Paulo anticipates an increase from 55% to 69% renewables by 2020, which is over six times the world renewable index as of 2009. Their efforts can be seen walking down the streets of Sao Paulo. In the United States, two thirds of owners of a flex fuel engine don’t know they have one, as we learned in our visit to Bosch. This is because the production of ethanol is not economically viable, the carbon emissions saved are cancelled out by those used to produce the fuel, and the issue of land allotment. Therefore, the industry has remained small, not readily available in gas stations, and the individual economic benefits of the engine have not been advertised. In comparison, Brazil, particularly Sao Paulo has ideal conditions for the expansion of the industry: they have wide availability of land to grow the sugar cane for the fuel, the carbon emissions saved are greater than those used to produce the fuel, making this technology widely available and economically viable. Just walking around the city, you notice that there is ethanol in every gas station and that the majority of cars are small and compatible with ethanol.

In the afternoons and on weekends, I participated in various cultural events and explored the city. This is when I formulated my impressions of the Brazilian people and culture. One of the first cultural events I experienced was samba night. Samba is a genre of dance and music that is embedded in Brazilian culture and is of afro-Brazilian origins. Brazil is a melting pot of many different cultures: the indigenous people, the Portuguese colonizers, the African slaves, the Japanese, the Lebanese, the Jews and immigrants from the surrounding Spanish speaking countries. All of this has helped form the Brazilian identity: from the language to the formation of Samba. I was apprehensive to attend samba night because of my Aspergers, but I am glad that I overcame my anxiety. We arrived early to avoid the line to get in. The space was small and cozy, with dimmed lights and a band playing samba music elevated above the dance floor. Within the band, four of them sang and played instruments while several others accompanied them. The instruments they played included the tambourine, which we were later given instruction on how to play in class, and various other percussion and brass instruments. In preparation for the Samba club, Kelly and I watched a four-minute video on how to Samba, all of which proved of little use when it came time to implement what we learned. The Brazilians in the club seemed to dance with such simple, fluid movements, but samba really entails some intricate footwork. We all learned this when we attended samba class in the Endereço neighborhood post-samba club. From what I could tell from the moves we were taught, Samba is a dance performed to the rhythm “quick, quick, slow”, with weight changes and alternating feet. There were the complex steps, performed by the instructors, and the simpler steps, such as the strut, at which I was adept. Given this requires no more than simply walking forward to the rhythm, but nevertheless I was able and willing! We were then assigned partners to implement what we learned, but in unison and with music! The rhythm was difficult to pick up initially and I might have stepped on a few toes, but eventually I got into the swing of it. Personally, I found it difficult to figure out how to deal with my arms, and when it came time to spin my partner around, it led to some entanglement. I may need a couple of more samba lessons before I go back on the dance floor at the samba club! 

Another genre of music and dance we learned was Capoeira, which again are of Afro-Brazilian origins. We went to the Centro de Capoeira Angola Angoleiro Sim Sinhô for instruction and a demonstration. The dance can be described as a style of martial art dancing: the capoeiristas, as so they are called, dodge and attack one another, reacting to each others movement so as to not hit one another. Through this process of acting and reacting, the Capoeira philosophy is that energy is transferred. The result is a flexible, powerful but elegant dance that is much different than many of the styles of dance to which I am accustomed. In the demonstration by the professionals, they performed an improvised dance that nevertheless seemed polished. The two attempted to fake each other out without becoming fazed. It seemed as if at any point, their dance could switch to an actual fight. The two moved together as one entity, and it was awe-inspiring to watch. It was a different story when it came time for our group to attempt some of the simplest moves of the dance. I found it difficult to achieve the proper leverage and balance for several of the moves as we traveled across the floor. Despite my inexperience, I was energetic, tried my best and had fun! After we were taught the basics, we gathered around in a drum circle to learn the musical aspect of Capoeira. Music is integral to Capoeira: it creates the rhythm to which the opponents fight. If the opponents were on different rhythms, then they would risk hitting one another, so the music prevents that from happening by setting the pace. The main instrument used is a berimbau, which is much different from any instrument that I have ever heard or seen. It has the appearance of a fishing rod wound tightly on both ends. A coin is steadily held between the rod and the cord and the player strikes the cord and shakes the shaker to determine the tempo and the style of the music. The style of music determines how the capoeiristas perform. There are lower pitch berimbaus and higher pitch berimbaus and improvisation is encouraged. Drums, pandeiros, ganzas and other percussion instruments accompany the berimbau. The instructor taught us some of the basic rhythms and chants and then urged us to go two at a time into the center of the circle and attempt the dance. I only kicked my opponent in the head once! It was a very lighthearted and fun experience to watch my friends fight, experience it myself, and then sit back down and join in on the chant!

Another cultural experience was when we attended a Brazilian “futebol” game. This game was followed by a lecture from a Sao Paulo futebol radio host and a visit to the museum of futebol. Understanding futebol is essential to the understanding of the Brazilian people. In the lecture, we learned that futebol was brought to Brazil during the colonization over 100 years ago and is now the most popular sport in Brazil. Brazil now has achieved five world cup victories and has one of the best soccer programs in the world. At almost every bar or restaurant, you can find a game playing on TV. Soccer keeps alive the dying media that the people have lost trust in. Until 1910, soccer in Brazil had been an elitist sport, solely for the upper class in athletic clubs such as Sao Paulo. The Corinthians team arose from the common people. The origins of these teams represent the struggle of the Brazilian people today and are why Corinthians is the team of the people, and of course Gus’s team of choice. It is easy to see how impassioned the Brazilian people are about soccer. I don’t particularly like soccer, so at the game I found it more fascinating to observe the fans reactions (luckily we got to sit in the fans section) rather than the actual game. At the soccer game, they had massive security and police, which show how politically strained the country is at the moment. 

 

One of the main focuses of culture class was the current political state of the country. Gus and one of the leaders of the protests from Sao Paulo University explained to us what led to the protests. The immediate cause was the threat of an increase in transportation fare in order to help fund the construction of infrastructure for the FIFA world cup and the upcoming Olympics. Transportation in Sao Paulo is skewed in the favor of richer, centralized areas. Poorer areas of the city that are farther away from the center have difficulties accessing public services, such as hospitals, education and cultural centers. Furthermore, the poverty is so great in these areas that many have to choose to either spend their money on public transportation or feed their family. The government is asking for more money to erect this infrastructure while the common Brazilian doesn’t have the means to attend these events or even to afford a bus to go see the exterior of the stadiums. These infrastructures are primarily for tourists. However, the threat of this increase was only the straw that broke the camels back. The protests stem from deep-rooted political issues that the Brazilian people have endured for years. There has been long-standing unrest over the political corruption of the government and the injustices of the political and military systems. Gus explained to us that Brazilian democracy is questionable: many of the politicians are known criminals that do not represent the interests of the people and that the people have tried to impeach. The media is another area of unrest because they blatantly lie to the people, which have led to a mass movement towards social media in Brazil instead of relying on traditional news sources. In the protests, the media has been sensationalist, making the people out to be criminals. In all of the time I spent in Brazil, I never felt unsafe due to the protests or the Brazilian people. They were all nice people who were standing up for a better quality of life. Gus’s frustration is understandable; however, I disapprove of the elated attitude he demonstrated towards the reporter getting shot in the eye. It goes to show how little the people trust and respect the media. 

One of the most prevalent cultural experiences for most everyone was the Caparinha: a drink made from Cachaca, fruit, and an exorbitant amount of sugar. The fruit of choice for most Brazilians is lime but I prefer mine with berries. I was fortunate enough to be able to go Veloso, a Caparinha bar in Sao Paulo voted the number one spot for Caparinhas in Brazil! When I went to Parachy, a touristy town in the state of Rio de Jaineiro known for their Cachaca, I was able to try different types and higher quality cachaca. One of the cachacas I tried was called Gabriella, which smelled like banana bread and left a pungent aftertaste. It is typically served with desserts. The expansion of my drinking pallet was not limited to Caparinhas; I also tried several local Sao Paulo and Brazilians brews, the most notable of which were Brahma black and Eisenbahn strong golden ale. With respect to food, Brazilian food was too fried for my taste and I am not a fan of buffet style dining. However, I did find rodizio to be an interesting concept. In a rodizio, first there is a buffet, which is the restaurant’s attempt to fill up the diner before the rodizio starts so they do not take a loss. Then, the waiters rotate around the table with several different cuts of meat from many different animals. They will continue to ask if you want more until you indicate that you’ve had enough with a card. At the rodizio, I tried chicken hearts for the first time! They were quite flavorful but the texture was bizarre. I also made an attempt to try various exotic fruits during my time in Sao Paulo. The produce in Brazil was extremely fresh, cheap and of wide variety. Most notably, I tried Florida avocados, Lichia berries, starfruit, and Mangosteen.

Brazil was full of several firsts for me. I went to my first futebol game. I learned not one but two new dances. I once again followed my stomach around a new country and tried new food. I played a berimbau. I went to a samba club. I tried caparinhas! I learned the distinctions between Brazil and the US that have led to Brazils continued success in alternatives. Overall, I would say that this program was a positive learning experience that gave me a good feel for the culture of Sao Paulo.