Brazilian Culture in 2012 London Olympics Festival

With the exciting London 2012 Festival, you will be able to enjoy some of the best of contemporary Brazilian culture and creative productions. The celebration will happen from 21st June to 9th September 2012.

The sterling culmination of Cultural Olympiad will create opportunities for all  Brazilian artists. Thus, it will create relationships with established as well as emerging British artists.   The Brazilian program during the festival features "Rio Occupation in London", Carnival Collaborations, Gilberto Gil and Back2 Black, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival and Grupo Galpao.

 Seb Coe, chair of London 2012 Organising Committee said, 

“People around the UK, in Brazil and right across the world will be able to enjoy the results of this vision during the London 2012 Festival, in the build up to Rio 2016 and beyond.”

The Secretary of State for Culture of Rio de Janeiro, Adriana Rattes said, “The London 2012 Festival and Rio Occupation London will (...) create a platform on the world stage for the best work of artists emerging in Rio, bringing to life the Olympic spirit through our artists and creating a legacy for Rio 2016.”

For those who are looking for more information and latest updates on 2012 London Olympics, just log on to www.londonolympicstickets.com  Register to our sign up section and you would be provided with emails and newsletters related to 2012 London Olympics! To catch the glorious event at fullest, you must book online advance 2012 London Olympics Tickets at best prices.

Source:  http://www.free-press-release.com/news-brazilian-culture-in-2012-london-olympics-festival-1332742676.html

Bossa Nova Day! Meet the girl from Ipanema

On January the 25th, Brazil celebrates the beautiful and magical rhythm of Bossa Nova.   Do you know what Bossa Nova is?  


I  bet you have already heard the song "The Girl from Ipanema", and now that even the "Girl from Candem" has recorded her unique version of this Bossa classic, Bossa Nova is still surely in good hands! 


In Brazil, to do something with "bossa" is to do it with particular charm and natural flair, as in an innate ability.    In 1932, Noel Rosa used the word in a samba, which went "O samba, a prontidão e outras bossas / São nossas coisas, são coisas nossas" ("The samba, the readiness and otherbossas / Are our things, are things from us"). 


As yet, the exact origin of the term "bossa nova" remains uncertain. What is certain is that the term "bossa" was used to refer to any new "trend" or "fashionable wave" within the artistic beach-culture of late 1950s Rio de Janeiro. The term finally became known and widely used to refer to a new music style, a fusion of samba and jazz, when the now famous creators of "bossa nova" referred to their new style of work as "a bossa nova", as in "the new thing."  (adapted from Wikipedia) 

This music style originated on the 50's,  in the wealthy neighborhoods that sprouted along the beaches of the city of Rio de Janeiro and both its music and lyrics were composed by middle and upper-class musicians and marketed to the same economic group. For this reason, bossa nova was criticized by some for emphasizing a carefree way of living that little resembled the life of most Brazilians, the great majority of which belonged to the working class.

Indeed, bossa nova compositions often spoke of love, the beach, and beautiful women and seemed to be a depiction of the author's bohemian life rather than a tale of Brazilians' daily struggles as usually happened with samba, a music genre popular among the working class. "The Girl from Ipanema," which became popular outside of Brazil both in its original Portuguese form and in translation, is a perfect example of a bossa nova song.  (adapted from eassortment article) 

The Ministry of Culture team recognizes the historical value and contribution of the genre in the composition of national identity. It considers that the new commemorative day will contribute to the institutional goal of recognition, promotion and protection of Brazilian culture, and render homage to a great icon of the music of the country.

Bossa nova was born in Brazil in the late 50's, as a new way of playing and singing the samba, a soft and minimalist way. Over the years, it became one of the Brazilian musical movement known all over the world, associated with names such as João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa.

Some music critics highlight the influence of American jazz from the postwar period, as one of the influences of this new way of composing and singing in Brazil. An embryo of the movement were the meetings of musicians from middle class, in the southern Rio, especially in the apartment of the singer Nara Leão this meeting, the group of friends gathered to hear and make music. Among the participants were Billy Blanco, Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal, Sergio Ricardo, Chico Feitosa, Joao Gilberto, Luis Carlos Vines, Ronaldo Boscoli, among others.  (adapted from article published on Ministry of Culture website)


Did you know that the "Girl from Ipanema" who inspired the composers really exists?  

Yes, her name is Helô Pinheiro, she was just seventeen and she would stroll past the popular Veloso bar-café, not just to the Ipanema beach ("each day when she walks to the sea"), but in the everyday course of her life. She would sometimes enter the bar to buy cigarettes for her mother and leave to the sound of wolf-whistles. 


In the winter of 1962, the composers watched the girl pass by the bar, and it is easy to imagine why they noticed her—Helô was a 173-cm (five-foot eight-inch) brunette, and she attracted the attention of many of the bar patrons. Since the song became popular, she has become a celebrity.  [adapted from wikipedia)

Helô Pinheiro at 17 years old

Here you can appreciate photos of Helô Pinheiro when she was just a "passer by" in Ipanema Beach and how she looks today.  Still very pretty!  



  

Tupy or not Tupy, that’s the question.

This phrase was coined by Oswald de Andrade, a Brazilian writer who published in 1928 the Cannibal Manifesto, a way to provoke society to think of the Brazilian culture as a by-product of the European Culture, after it has been "eaten" along with the indigenous and African influences from the new land.  This was a quest for a national identity in the world of arts, especially.   

Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro

Tupi is the name for an extint Brazilian indigenous language, originated amongst the Tupi people and spoken by other 5 different indigenous groups in Brazil.   The word that names the famous area in Rio and also names the famous Brazilian club in London, Guanabara, is an example of an indigenous word used in current Portuguese.  The name for the cashew fruit in English comes from the Portuguese Cajú, which has originated from the indigenous "acajuá', in Tupi-Guarani ( group of more than 20 different indigenous languages). 


Oh, and the now so famous Siri for the iPhone, do you know that this is a Tupi word?  The word siri was used by the indigenous people to designate any type of crustacea (sea animal).   But I have no idea why Apple chose the word to designate their voice command software...  I love eating siris with molho de côco...      


By now you probably know that the Portuguese language spoken in this new land of Brazil is not the same as the one spoken in Europe and also, you understand that the language has suffered influences from a vast array of other European languages, African and Indigenous languages in Brazil and just as much as the Brazilian cuisine is so diverse, the language also reflects this vast multicultural  country.  


I have met a linguist once who told me that if we really want to "flavour" the culture of a group of people, we should look into their untranslatable words and expressions.   He would always mention the Brazilian word "cafuné", a word brought by the Africans, which is the act of stroking one's head with the fingers, caressing the hair.   Just like English has so many words to describe weather elements - I was amazed when I first learnt them, Portuguese has a few different ones to describe affection.  

Another example is in  the World top 10 list of untranslatable words: 


Saudade
Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” Fado music, a type of mournful singing, relates to saudade. (Altalang.com)  You can find the complete list here.


"Saudade is particularly difficult word to explain because it combines several emotions at once: fierceness, longing, yearning, pining, missing, homesickness, or all or none of the above" , says Roberto Taddei, in his excelent article "Saudade".   


So, next time a Portuguese speaking person says that she/he is feeling saudades for you, now you know that besides being a complex feeling, it can be cured by being present and near to that person. Maybe a cafuné can also help cure saudades? 

What is the longest word in Portuguese?

If you answered "anticonstitucionalissimamente" , I am sorry to say, but you are wrong! 

Despite having 29 letters and 13 syllables, the word has lost its edge. The new champion has
46 letters and 20 syllables and describes the condition of people suffering from a rare disease caused by inhalation of volcanic ash.

The "Guia dos Curiosos - Portuguese language" by Marcelo Duarte, published by Panda Books, has the answer to this and other curiosities.



Did you know that the word "perereca" (type of frog) comes from the indigenous Tupi language " pere reka" and means "hopping"?   


Did you know that besides Portuguese, the official language of Brazil, there are 192 living languages ​​in the country?   

Marietta Baderna

 And my favourite finding: Did you know  the word "baderna" became a synonym with "confusion, riot" because the ballerina dancer Marietta Baderna (see picture) used to lead her fans to the height of excitement?



Marcelo says that the idea for the book arose when going through his database: In letters, Emails or questions from readers during his talks, the most recurring theme was the origin of certain Portuguese expressions.

"We repeat these expressions over and over, without knowing how they appeared... And some stories are amazingly curious. ", says Marcelo

Marcelo researched from the history of the alphabet to the history of the media. How the words were "born", how they evolved, the influence of different communities on the languages ​​of other peoples, neologisms. There are curiosities of our major writers; the origin of the names of animals, flowers, Brazilian states, acronyms, truck bumpers sayings and proverbs, names of one hundred local artists, a chapter dedicated only to football expressions and words.

And for those who are curious to know what the longest word in Portuguese language is, here it goes: 


pneumoultramicroscopicossilicovulcanoconiótico



Original text published in Almanaque Brasil.  (Portuguese Language)

Welcome to the Jungle Games!

On November 5th,  the 11th  Indigenous People's Competition has finally started! 

The  Competition is considered one of the biggest sports events celebrating the culture and tradition of American Indigenous groups.

...........................................................................................................
 

The 11th edition of the Indigenous Games began this Saturday (5) in Porto Nacional (Tocantins). The games are considered one of the biggest sports events of cultural and traditional American Indian.

The aim is to promote the sport as a social identity tool,  promoting  the indigenous citizenship, integration and the original values​​.

This year, the program will be divided into two themes. The first is aimed at the Indigenous Social Forum and the Rio +20, with a focus on International Environmental Conference and discussions on the green economy, and issues related to sustainability and preservation of indigenous traditions. The second is the exchange of sports and cultural ethnicities and debate proposals on the inclusion of indigenous heritage in the 2014 World Cup and Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2016.

Do you know what sports are played during the Games?

Archery, tug of war,canoeing, athletics, Race with log, Xikunahity (It is a kind of football, but one can only kick the ball using the head. It is a sport traditionally practiced by indigenous groups Paresi Salumi, Irantxe,and Enawenê Mamaidê-Nawê in Mato Grosso. It is played by two teams that may have eight, ten or more players and a captain. It is played on clay courts, so that the ball  gains momentum and speed.), football, javelin throw, wrestling, swimming, blowgun and rokra (two teams of 10 or more players on each side, the players use a baton  to hit a small ball (coconut) and try to roll it upon the bend line of your opponent side of field.  This sport  is very similar to one of the most popular sports in Canada, Lacrosse, considered to be originated from indigenous tradition in that country.). 

To read more about the Games, in Portuguese language, click here


To see pictures of the event and learn more about the indigenous people in Brazil, click here


And to enjoy scenes filmed during the event, just hit 'play' on the video below.