Open the Doors, Where Are All the People?

It's reported that in Salvador, Brazil there are 365 churches, one for every day of the year, not too surprising in a country that is reportedly 70% Catholic.  What is surprising is that attendance seems to be equal to that found in many not-so-Catholic cities

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In Goiania,  I attended mass twice on Sunday, in the morning near the hotel and later in the day at the Cathedral.   Both priests were soft-spoken and received favorably by the congregation.  Neither church was even half full--very familiar.

Since then we've visited churches throughout rural and urban areas.  VISITED is the key word, because that seems to be what Brasileiros are doing as well:  photographs near the altar, smiling poses in the confessionals, and a secular interest in the history and architecture of the church.  

Babilonia: The Past is the Present

How do historic societal structures impact present social issues?
How can traditional foods give rise to anthropological study?

On our way to the funky, hip town of Pirenopolis, we stopped at a restored farm for a tour and brunch.  We were privileged to be treated to an historic journey by a vibrant, knowledgable woman, a descendant of owners of the former sugar cane plantation.

Her explanation of  colonial rule of Brazil by the Portuguese and the use of slave labor illuminates the social injustices facing today's Brasileiros.

When the Portuguese explored Brazil, they sent only men, not families.  They intention was not to settle but to gain riches for Portugal.  The slave trade was established to ensure a labor supply for economic ventures:  sugar cane plantations in the 1500s, gold mining, and later coffee.  Around 5,000,000  slaves were brought from Africa to Brazil.

The Portuguese ruled Brazil until 1822 and it was the last country in the New World to abolish slavery,  1880.    Because there were no Portuguese women, the Europeans produced offspring with Indians and Africans. According to a saying, white woman was for marrying, a black woman for housework, and a mulatto woman for intimacy.   Therefore, in Brazil, slavery did not mean legal segregation as it did in the US.  Half of all Brazilians today report begin descendant of slaves.

The farm produced cane sugar for local consumption and cotton for trade.  It took six months for burros to reach Rio where the cotton was traded for slaves.  Because the distance was so great, slaves were highly prized and not physically mistreated on this farm with private quarters housing men and women separately and families were kept together while the children were young.

The stone wall around the farm was unnecessary, but built for the purpose of keeping the slaves busy because the Portuguese did not want them to "idle."  The native peoples in the area had subsisted by gathering food and because the weather is consistently warm, never had to work to store provisions over a cold winter as those in North America did.   Hence "idling" was part of the local culture and according to our hostess, the impetus for the rich heritage of music and artistic expression in the area.

The entrance at the end of the veranda leads to a chapel,  Adorned primarily in a Catholic Portuguese style the artwork carries evidence of the lives of the slaves who painted it.  Note the chains in the wall pattern below and the mirrors which are a part of Candomble, a religion brought from Africa by slaves.

Because the ceiling painting of the saint below is unsigned it is assumed that it was painted by a slave.  At one point, educated slaves were mistakenly traded but were returned because the owners knew the dangers posed by knowledge.

Women and blacks could not enter the chapel to pray.  The slaves had their own place of worship, but the women could watch  men pray through a screen.

Our hostess's sorrow at the injustices of the past system were evident in her historical analysis.   Because the Portuguese kings exploited Brazil for it's wealth which was carried back to Portugal while forbidding institutions of higher education in Brazil (The first university wasn't established until the 1770's) and claiming racial superiority, the people of Brazil have felt inferior.  Even the "eiros" suffix on the Portuguese word for the people of Brazil, Brasileiros, menas "worker" rather than citizen which would be the suffix ianos).

She believes today's protests are needed to throw off the endurance of unjust treatment.

The visit was the first for our fellow teachers and hosts pictured below.  They were intrigued by the connections she made with colonial practices and Portuguese words today, which of course I could not appreciate:(

The tour ended with a repast of foods originating from Brazil's "Three Races":  pastries from Portugal, corn husk wrapped mantioc (yucca root) from the Indians, and leaf filled delectables from Africa.  Kibi, a meal based fried snack with Arab origins was on the table, along with a choice of Brazil's famous fruit juices.

We ate the past.

Art Deco Tour

ART DECO  A decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940, characterized by geometric designs, bold colors, and the use of plastic and glass.

Global Classroom Connection:

What does architecture tell about a city's history, values, and resources?

What can you learn about Goiania from the Art Deco style of its oldest buildings?

How does your city's architecture tell a similar story and a different story?

Under the guidance of our host teacher Liberato Santos Tourism students designed and hosted a walking tour of the Art Deco highlights of Goiania.

The tour began under the portico of the school and students pointed out the unadorned horizontal lines, the symmetry and the modern columns of the entrance which is on the National Historical registry.
The planned city was built between 1933 and 1950 to be the new capital of the state of Goias by then Governor Pedro Ludovico and the public buildings of the day feature.

Tourism is a technical program that prepares students to enter tourism careers such as travel agents and tour guides.  After our  beautiful girls and a guy introduced us to a typical a Brazilian breakfast of pao de queijo (bun with cheese) and dark coffee with sugar, they led us down the wide Paris-inspired promenade on Avenida de Goias.  We communicated in English, Portuguese, and Spanish with the help of Liberato and several English proficient students.

 Art deco floor tile from the Grande Hotel on the Avenida Goias, influenced by Parisian streets with tree-lined promenade.

The statue in the town center depicts controversial historical figure, Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva, an adventurer who came to region in search of gold.

Legend has it he tricked the indigenous Goyaz people by burning some cachaca (sugar cane alcohol) and threatening to set fire to the rivers if they didn't show him where the gold was.

His statue was a rallying point for protests last week.

We gathered with the tourism students in front of the "Monument to the Three Races" sculpted by Neusa Moraes.  The statue depicts three men--one white, one black, and one indigenous erecting the city's crest on a huge pillar.  It's a tribute to the three races that gave rise to the area.

Yoga Calm

After a long trek through the early morning dawn, I found the green stucco exterior of the Yoga/Meditation School.  Late, after so many missteps, I was reassured by the smiling welcome of the receptionist.  She led me to the stone tiled studio, gave me a soft blue bag for my eyeglasses and cell phone.  and I found myself seated on a blue pad listening the the sonorous rhythm of Portuguese.

The seventy-one year old Yogi led the class of middle aged men and women through a slow series of movements.  The stress and aches of the week's meetings and presentations were released in the trilling of the birds outside and the familiar movements of the practice.

Afterward I drank herbal tea and water from the clay filter.

Protesting Injusticos da Vida

So what's going on anyway?  An attempt at analysis.

Widespread dissatisfaction with Brazil's first woman president, Dilma Rousseff (pronounced Jilma), and her attempts to consolidate power in preparation for the next general election in 2014 contribute to general unrest.   Her popularity nosedived with mass spending for the upcoming World Cup Games 2013 and the Summer Olympics  2016 in a nation of large classrooms, overcrowded mass transit combined with a hike in bus rates, and an inadequate healthcare system.

The rise of an Evangelical Christian movement that looks askance at the passage of the gay marriage law fuels political discontent.

The perception that the government is corrupt and power seeking was furthered by Dilma's celebration of ten years of Labor Party power with a party.  This was perceived as a misuse of government funds to strengthen the Labor Party, only one in Brazil's multi-party system.

Comments from students and teachers in Goiania after the protest add to the picture:

We have to show the world that Brazilians can stand up against injustice.  We see protests all over the world and we realize we can fight for our rights.

The protest was a failure because we didn't have a goal.  I saw too many people drinking and fighting without any purpose.

The protests are just a beginning.  Once people are empowered to speak out, we need to have an agenda for the future.

We weren't organized we had to walk a long way and when we got to the Civic Center the police were blocking the entrance and we had to go even further.

The rise in bus fares means that some people can't eat from the time they leave home in the morning until they return late in the evening.  The private bus companies are gouging the public without improving the services.

The protests were safe.  Some teachers even took their small children to participate.

My own observations are based on arriving near the protest site around 7:00, two hours after the protests formally began.  Many protestors were clothed in white for peace.  I saw couples and people still dressed in business attire.  At that time many people were leaving.  When the police fired loud sounds into the air, most people streamed the other way.   Those who walked toward the police were largely young men with their faces covered.  Some picked up lightweight sticks.

Global Education Questions:  Have public protests been effective in America?  What types of social ills seem to invite public protest?

The Marketplace: El Mercado Central

Can't forget the shopping.
Ignore the beep at the beginning of this youtube to see the traditional wares and foods available in Goiania's old time marketplace

Below--the best meat filled pastry maker in the market.

Global Classroom Activity:
Create a class market place and sell goods for a profit.  Draw conclusions about the challenges faced by craftsmen.

The State of Goias: Brazil's Bountiful Basket

Traveling to a campus in Itumbiara is like driving through the rolling hills of Minnesota farm country, with a few palm trees, three rivers, and  a tropical climate (average temperatures ranging from 72º to 88º year round and 39-80 inches of annual rainfall ) thrown in.

Sugarcane, soybean, and  corn fields spread expansively under the blue sky.  White Nelore cattle dot the landscape and prosperity is almost tangible in the red soil of the savannah.  The June Festival was being held on the brand new year-old campus in the city of 1,000,000 people.  

Although the Itumbiara campus is part of the IFG educational system (remember, community college type system with emphasis on engineering and the possibility of high school, undergraduate, post graduate and adult education classes on one campus) the students seemed to be more sheltered than those on the Goiania city campus.

A PhD Chemistry professora with her daughter

A loving couple

Their festival booths featured local foods, fruit juices, and their costumes depicted traditional rural life.  The music was rock and country and the decorations colorful and handmade by students.

The new library was packed with carefully selected titles.
The students spoke excitedly about an upcoming trip to Rio for a book fair, and the principal explained the city's plans to donate land for shared stadium with the school and the community.

While our thoughtful host shared concerns that the funding for education is not allocated equally throughout the country, Itumbria might be a Utopia of Brazilian proportions.

Global Classroom Question:

How does Brazil's savanna compare to America's breadbasket?
Analyze the different components of agricultural production and how they impact production?
How do natural resources impact government policies regarding education?

Designacity--No not the Sims, it's Brasilia!

A city built in a day.  Well, not really a day;)  But in about four years, from 1956-1960,  the seat of the Brazilian government was created by President Juscelino Kubitschek.

From the air the shape of the city can be detected:  a bird? a plane? It's a super city.

Named by UNESCO as a world heritage site, Brazilian's impressions of the city are often contradictory:

Roberto, life long resident and English speaking tour guide, speaks with pride of the organized neighborhoods, the logic of the street names, and the modernism of architect Oscar Neimeyer.

Andrea, architectural design teacher in nearby Goiania calls it cold and distant, a city created for the government, not the people,

A US Embassy official in Brasilia calls it a 1960s vision of the future, a city for George Jetson.

Whatever the opinion, the world's largest city new city raises questions:

How would you design a perfect city?
Where would people, live, work, play, and govern themselves?
How would the different areas connect?
What architectural styles would you use and how would you landscape your city?

In other words, how should we live together as we moved into the 22nd century on this planet.

Democracy: Brazilian Style

Our meeting with the student senate on the IFG campus (think community college with an emphasis on engineering programs and teacher training) was electrically charged.  Students are led by Gabriel, the son of an activist of the dictatorship period in Brazil (1964 to 1985).  He spoke passionately about social injustice, racial prejudice, gender discrimination and his willingness to take to the streets to effect change.









Gabriel led the students in a protest against a city-wide increase in bus fares and said the fares had been lowered last week.  He said he'd  "taken it in the head" by the club of military police who fought back the protestors.  A group of about twenty students nodded in agreement as he spoke about unequal distribution of wealth, harsh penalties for drug use in the absence of rehabilitation, and gender discrimination.  Some of his fellows reminded him of improved opportunities and the possibilities for change.

I was struck by his belief in his voice as a vehicle for improvement.

If this is the world's future, our children are in good hands.

A video of the protest in Sao Paulo.

A Capital Education: Public Vibrancy and Private Excellence

Two worlds--one goal. Elefante Branco Public (yes, that would be white elephant) and Marista Private (as in Catholic Marist religious order) provide Brasilian two students with some of the best educational experiences in the capital city. Elefante Branco, a white square building (think Neimeyer) located in an area of churches and exclusive schools is facing a deteriorating infrastructure. The 2,000 students come from middle class families all over the city. Within minutes of our arrival we were talking with students in rusty Spanish and newly acquired English (Portuguese took a back seat) in the din of voices and singing. Students were creating their idea fair project boards in the common area. The director, elected by the faculty, students, and community, hastened to explain that today was not a typical day because of the altered schedule and the group work on projects. The excitement, the idea fair, and our arrival would keep us from observing the typical classroom. Darn;)

Later students shared various Spanish and English translations of the"Cup Song" from the American film "Pitch Perfect." We circled on the floor as they attempted to teach us AND their chemistry teacher the beat with red Solo cups. We joined them in another classroom where the English translation group competed with that of the Spanish class. The winner? Spanish class students all knew the lyrics and the beat, but a great male voice emerged from the English group. You vote!

Over lunch, teachers shared with us their job security, superior pay to most other teachers, and 100% pensions for twenty-five years work. They shared frustrations about student lack of motivation and also their interest in the political aspects of teaching. Cadres of teachers join together to campaign for director and assistant director of the school. Students are involved in the process and debates are conducted among the various factions. Directors are elected for a period of three years. They don't directly oversee or evaluate the teachers, but make budgetary and policy decisions for the school. Bye bye school board. A fifteen minute drive brought us to Marista Private.

I held my breath at the beauty of the gated lower level entrance to the white modern glassed-front building of the campus. The pristine area was as immaculate as the vows of French founder of the order, Jean Claude Colin. The common area was quiet and a few girls an boys lounged on the modern sofas listening to iPads. They glanced up casually as a bright, knowledgeable English speaking senior student led us into the second of two auditoriums. She and the gold-heeled, young woman in charge of public relations, joyfully explained the school's history, extracurricular activities, and successes to us. Their excitement about the upcoming World Youth Day during which Pope Francis will visit Brazil was contagious.

Marista not only has the finest facilities, but the latest in teaching practices, we observed an afternoon tutoring session with a young instructor and five students. Students gathered at a bank of computers in the airy library and the secretary proudly showed us the collection which included both Brazilian and international authors and works.

We sipped coffee and chatted with professors in the teacher's lounge. They seemed to agree that Marista is the best school in the city with conditions superior to those in other public and private schools. One man shared a horror story of an early teaching experience in a different private school where he had over 80 students in a class. To hold their attention day after day required the skills of a performer and a magician. One day he passed out from sheer exhaustion while teaching and broke his nose. After a day in the hospital he was back in the classroom. Directors at the Colegio Marista High School are selected by a board that oversees the operation of other Marista schools including the elementary across the street. The school must meet Federal mandates about curriculum just as public schools do. hmmmmm. With Brazilian Chief Justice Joaquim Barbosa an alum of Elefante Branco and Marista's recognition at the iIvy League Model United Nations, Cherry Creek graduates watch out. Question for Teachers: Where would you rather teach? What makes for the best education for students?

Capoeira with the Locals

Our cool tour guide, Roberto (pronounced Hoberto), is a Brasilian native. Since the city was founded in 1954 and he was born in 1962, he's been here nearly since its conception. Roberto knows and loves his city, so he invited our group to come to his son, Filipe's, capoeira class. Capoiera is a particularly Brasilian form of martial art to music. It came from the early slaves (est. 4,000,000 in total) who were brought from the east coast of Africa to work the sugar cane fields beginning in the 1600s. Legend has it that since the life was violent, slaves practiced fighting techniques among themselves, but when the slave owners would approach the slaves would play music on traditional instruments. The berimbaus looks like a bowed stick with a string attached to a hollow gourd held upright in the lap and played with a stick, a shaker is held in the hand. The three other instruments are the pandeiros or tambourine, and the atabaque or tall congo drum, and the agogo a samba percussion instrument with double bells or gourds of high/low pitch. The music mirrored the beat of the approaching horses and then a call and response technique was used to tell a story by the group leader. When the slave owner approached he would believe that the slaves were merely dancing. Capoeira was outlawed in 1890, just ten years after slavery was abolished and Brazil declared a Republic. It was revived in the 20s and is popular today, sometimes part of a school curriculum.

We went to a school in the north quadrant of the city where Roberto was raised and Felipe teaches. The common area was decorated for June Festival and the art teacher happened to be walking through. Felipe explained that she had designed the vibrant paintings on the walls depicting Brazil's diverse ethnicity. The richly colored paintings depicted Asian, African, European, and Indigenous faces. Our class began with yoga like stretching and then Felipe introduced the jinga, a low rocking movement that evolves into kicks, flips, and handstands. To learn the moves, we partnered with the Brazilian students: high school girls and boys, recent graduates, men and women in their twenties, several highly skilled dancers, and finally Roberto arrived with his famous handstands. We ended with the Roda and formed a tight circle clapping to the complex beat and responding to the sung calls of Felipe while two or three dancers spun, kicked, and jinga'd in the middle. People periodically trade spots among the instruments and dance. For a sexier view, check out this video by Laura: Global Education Questions: How is music used to convey social or political realities? What realities are conveyed by capoeira both historically and in present times? Choose a musical style that you like and explain the social situation it conveys.

Race in Brazil (Be patient--this takes a minute to upload)

Watch Brazil: A Racial Paradise? on PBS. See more from Black in Latin America.

Global Competency: Multiple Perspectives Show Henry Louis Gate's PBS documentary (hopefully embedded here) and engage students in a discussion about Gate's comparison between race in America and in Brazil. Global Citizenship Activity:

Brasilia: Revisioning the Republic

A Cathedral resembling a modern crown of thorns?

A dark underground entrance opening onto a sanctuary of light?

Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer designed this modernistic cathedral along with most of the civic buildings in Brasilia, the nation's planned capital city, and the UN building in NY City.
 

The open, free standing confessionals and the egg shape above the crucifix speak to the emergence of a uniquely Brazilian Church from the heavy traditions of the architecture of the Portuguese colonial past.
 

The Chalice shaped bell tower is both striking against the office buildings of the past and evocative of a modernist Catholicism.  Neimeyer's symbolic use of reinforced concrete is a centerpiece of other civic buildings.  Including the National Congress building with domes representing the two houses and the rectangular "bull ring" where legislation is ultimately passed.

Global Education Competency:  Recognize Perspectives
Examine images of Brasilia's architecture and read about Oscar Niemeyer's viewpoints.  Discuss the attitudes conveyed by his designs.
Examine images of DC's civic buildings and compare the differences and similarities in attitude and style.

Consider elements of global citizenship and design a building that might be used in a capital city of Planet Earth