So I'm just sitting around in my living room right now watching day time television on Globo. The city's Carnaval glow has certainly worn off, and about half of everyone I know here is a under the weather from last week's festivities.
I'm going over a few ideas for my next video and browsing the internet...and guess what I come across. In the New York Times today, the featured travel story is "36 Hours in Salvador, Brazil." Well, Mr. Seth Kugel, your 1.5 days better have been well spent, because tomorrow I will be writing a scathing critique or offering a glowing review of your article. Boa sorte, sir. But really, I'm just curious to see where he ended up going in Salvador.
Carnaval officially ended for me the way it began. After returning home a few hours before daybreak, I was up again at ten in the morning to celebrate the last event of the weeklong festival. The sun was scorching, but two American friends and I made our way to the Barra Carnaval circuit, Avenida Oceanica, where much of the past week’s party had taken place. The entire city was calm, mellowed by a mass hangover - fatigue induced by six straight days of pre-lenten celebration. Finally we began to hear the booming bass of the final performance and positioned ourselves behind the trio-electrico of Timbalada, the same band we saw perform on Carnaval’s opening day.
This performance was open. There were no cords and entrance fees. The frenetic dancing that typically followed the trio was replaced by what could be characterized as a festive procession. Hundreds of people making the most of the last bit of the week’s revelry, but also saying farewell to a week’s worth of memories and welcoming the slow end of summer in the southern hemisphere.
As the procession continued, we slowly started to lag farther behind the trio carrying the band. My half-hearted samba shuffle slowed to a slight skip in my step. Then I assented to just nodding my head with the music as I walked along with the hundreds of other Bahians, Brazilians, and foreigners in the streets.
The sun continued to sear down on the pavement and I wrapped my shirt around my head and neck to protect the slight sunburns I had from previous days on the beach. Instead of the typical light Brazilian beer, I opted to buy a pop and bottled water from the vendor on the street. On the side of the road, the camarotes, the temporary structures lining the streets that had housed private parties with prime views of the Carnaval circuits, were literally being dismantled. A few of the camarotes were still partly filled with small groups of onlookers, but most were now only inhabited by construction workers, unscrewing nuts and bolts, jump-starting the city’s transformation back to normality.
The sun was starting to become unbearable when a slight mist began to rain down. It rained almost everyday over the past week, sometimes drenching everyone and everything, but today the drizzle remained light and refreshing. Some members of the procession raised their arms to the sky, thanking God or the spirits of Carnaval, for the rain or Carnaval – perhaps both. The trio continued to outpace my continually slowing steps, and the music, like Carnaval, faded away. After the trio finally finished, an army of city employees with rakes and brooms flooded the streets and began to sweep away the garbage in the streets. Municipal cars and trucks followed with tanks of soap and high-powered water hoses. The streets were cleansed and in a matter of minutes the remnants of Carnaval had been washed away. The music was over. The crowds dispersed.
Today is the last day of Carnaval. One more evening of festivities. And once things die down I expect to have more time to continue blogging and video making.
Carnaval has officially begun. First night festivities are fairly low key compared to the following days. But "low key" in Carnaval terms is still quite a scene to behold. My brother’s band was able to play on a trio in the Campo Grande circuit while my sister and her friends all dressed up like Minnie Mouse and paraded in the Os Mascarados. Os Mascarados was a group that anyone could join if they were wearing a costume. I went out with a group of about eight Americans for what was planned to be a relaxed night, everyone content to observe the first hours of Carnaval from the sidelines . But once we were out and saw all the costumes we knew we had to partake in the first night festivities. We all made make-shift Mascarados outfits by buying multi-colored Indian feathers, synthetic fluorescent afros and pink and/or rainbow ties from vendors on the street.
Unfortunately there will not be much filming of actual Carnaval in the street. A camcorder would make for a pretty tempting target for a thief in crowds. Last week my brother played a show in the city’s historic center, the Pelourinho. It was a lot of fun and the crowd’s energy was much like that during Carnaval – but on a much smaller scale.
Today our group is going out with the Timbalada bloco, a very popular group that mixes axe rhythms and African style percussion. It promises to be a lot of fun. I’m hoping to focus more on writing more about Carnaval to make up for the inability to take quality video. But if you would like a quick introduction to better understand what the size and scope of the trio and blocos and the craziness of the pipocaread here to get a brief explanation of what Carnaval is really all about.
Carnaval starts tomorrow!!! But everyone is on pins and needles - it looks as though there may be a little less sun then usual. But the party will continue - rain or shine. A few days ago I spent a couple of hours with a good friend of mine on the beach at Porto da Barra. He has been here in Salvador for a few months now, and I wanted to get his perspective on the terra de magia e alegria.
Traveling to Brazil without experiencing the beautiful game is unforgivable. Here in Bahia, like the rest of the country, everyone has their favorite team. In the Northeast of Brazil, the most popular team is Esporte Clube Bahia. Almost everyone in Salvador is either a die hard Bahia fan, or they support the crosstown rival, Vitoria.
Bahia fans are proud of their club’s history. Founded in 1931, the team won their first national championship in 1959 by beating Pele’s Santos and were also crowned Brazilian champions in 1988.
Unfortunately the team has come under some hard times and a few years ago was relegated down to Brazil’s third division for the first time in the club's history. But even in the third division, the team still averaged attendance of over 40,000 people per match.
In 2007 during the third division championship match, a section of Bahia’s stadium, the Fonte Nova collapsed. Bahia won the title and were promoted to the 2nd division but 40 people were injured and seven fans died in the accident. The state government announced that the stadium would be partly demolished and a new multiuse arena will be constructed in its place. Bahia now plays it’s games at the Estadio Pituacu.
Yesterday Davidinho and I went with my brother, father and uncle to Bahia's state tournament match against Feirense, a small town team from the interior.
I tried my best to do my best monotone PBS narration impression in the video. Make sure to watch it in high quality - without that it is super blurry.
Bahia started off slowly, and Feirense scored the first goal. However, Bahia began to control the game and equalized. After that, things only got worse for Feirense. After all was said and done, Bahia were victorious, winning handily, 4 to 1. After a few cervezas, everyone felt compelled to let the world know their true love for their club, the famous Bahia!
My favorite commenter sent me an interesting article from the New York Times. It is about how the drug trade is starting to affect the upper-class of Brazil more and more. Fortunately, the company that I keep here in Brazil stays completely drug free. But I was especially interested in this story after watching Tropa de Elite.
In other news, filming is going well, and I should have some interesting videos up by tomorrow.
I really should've taken some VES (Visual and Environmental Studies) back during my undergrad years. Planning, filming, editing and publishing videos online, all while trying to make sure my camcorder doesn't get snatched up by an opportunistic thief, is not all that easy. iMovie on my Mac is pretty intuitive, but actually planning the subjects I shoot, creating some form of story arc, and making videos that might be vaguely interesting to other people is a daunting task.
Today I was talking with the new study abroad student that's staying at my Brazilian family's house. Her perspective is much like mine, and my fellow American colleagues, when we were studying in Bahia. She noticed right away the racial issues that exist here and how they mirror, but also differ significantly, from issues of race and racism in the States. She also mentioned the different forms of privilege, racial and socio-economic, that one has to come to terms with when traveling to a place like the Northeast of Brazil. Poverty, under- and unemployment, and the very obvious levels of social stratification here are much more stark than in the United States.
In my home, for example, people are constantly coming in and out of our house - mostly family and friends, but also hired help. And even though my family would probably only be classified as middle class, two maids work full time at the house. They are in many ways treated like family (when I first stayed here, it actually took me a couple weeks to figure out who was a maid versus who was just family helping out around the house) but they are still paid employees. And our household definitely seems like the foundation of a rather large extended family. Cousins periodically stay in the home for weeks at a time and are always over for lunch, or before and after work and/or classes. Much of my original reason for bringing my camera in the first place was to try and make a mini-documentary about my Brazilian family, chronicling the weeks surrounding Carnaval. And admittedly, part of this project was really just a way to help me actually get my head around my crazy network of Brazilian family and friends.
But to start, I'll be looking at my brother, Junior, who is the singer in an axe band. Axe is the local form of popular music that is huge during Carnaval in Bahia. As my buddy Davidinho described, it is a "fast, drumbeat heavy, synth laden, Brazilian pop music." He'll be traveling away from Salvador during Carnaval to perform in other Carnaval festivals in Bahia, but he has been doing shows in Salvador for the past few weeks. I took a few quick shots of an informal rehearsal last night.
I tried directly uploading this video to blogger because the quality on youtube.com has not been great. I might try vimeo.com as well. If you know of any other good video sites please let me know. And if you have any suggestions for how I should go about making the family documentary, or any other ideas for videos, please let me know.
And to all the wonderful people that have commented: I will try and keep garbage bins out of most of my videos. I will also avoid will.i.am and/or the Black Eyed Peas as much as possible. If I ever get back to a cold weather climate, I will most definitely invest in a smoking jacket. And, although the subjects of most of my films will not be me, I promise to make at least a few cameos - but even if you don't see me, I promise I'm having a great time.
All is right in the world. My luggage was delivered to my house yesterday. And I took a bus with my fellow gringo Davidinho out to Patamares (a neighborhood that's a decent distance down the coast) where we played a pick-up game with some of his area friends. My touch was a little rusty, and I had to get used to their slippery field turf, but we both held our own. Afterwards we hung out Brazilian style - plastic tables and chairs, bottles of Skol and Brahma, and me trying to follow along with a flurry of slang-laden Portuguese. We were hanging out with mostly older guys and the conversation jumped from Obama and politics to the newest big money Brazilian players going abroad and eventually (and inevitably) to inappropriate yet hilarious banter about women.
This afternoon I spent the late morning and early afternoon sitting out on the beach with Davidinho and my brother, Junior. Again - plastic chairs and Skol along with a nice umbrella to shade us from the ridiculous Bahian sun, and a great view of the ocean.
My first night in Salvador I went out to the Pelourinho, the historic center of the city. There are performances there almost every night and it is a goldmine for anyone interested in amateur urban anthropology or just people watching in general. Tourists mix with Brazilians, rich and poor intermingle, vendors sell "authentically" African goods to Japanese visitors with dreadlocks and young American and European women entertain their newly obtained Olodum (a popular drum corp in Salvador) boyfriends. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go into more depth regarding the Pelourinho. However, here is a music video from Michael Jackson that he shot in the neighborhood about a decade ago. It's pretty good, provides a nice visual image of the Pelourinho and the band playing throughout the video is Olodum. I was thinking about recreating the video to test out my movie making skills, but I think that after spending a couple hours on the beach today my previously sun-starved east coast skin is now a tad too dark to do a MJ impression justice.
Starting to get settled in - hopefully the airport will get my luggage back to me sometime today. Thank goodness my Brazilian family here is so accommodating, because I literally have no clothes other than those I wore on the plane.
But despite the minor baggage setback, Brazil is already starting to feel like home. The house is always abuzz - at least 20 people were in and out during the course of the day. I spent most of the time with my brother Junior (he's the driver in The Arrival video) and catching up with old friends and family.
I also watched Brazil's national soccer team play a friendly match against Italy yesterday on TV. Brazil came out on top and really displayed some flashes of brilliance. One play reminded me of some of the aspects of Brazilian culture that I am quickly becoming reacquainted with. It's a stunning display of sly awareness and anticipation, cunning and lighthearted deception - all underscored by a fierce joy and love for life.
Watch the clip and I think you might get a brief tutorial in Brazilian culture. Or maybe I'm just trying to find an excuse to post Robinho's awesome goal from yesterday's match and get non soccer aficionados to watch.
Also, for all of you fans of the beautiful game and/or patriotic Americans, the United States is playing their first match in the last round of World Cup Qualifying. And the game is against Mexico! This is huge! Viva la red, white, and blue. Anyone know of bars in Salvador that might be showing the game???
I'm still getting the hang of using this camera. I made a pretty silly little intro and took a few shots during the trip from Washington, DC to Salvador da Bahia, Brasil. I added some catchy music and voilà - Broken Compass Productions video #2. I hope you enjoy. And constructive criticism is definitely wanted and appreciated, I know I could use it.
I am finally in Salvador! Unfortunately my luggage might be in Recife. But a lost bag cannot get me down. The sun is shining and the weather is warm, and now that I'm back in a cidade de alegria, it feels like I never left. A new video is uploading as I write this, so expect a follow-up post shortly!
I stayed securely under the speed limit the entire ride. My driver side window remained slightly open, letting the cool pre-Spring air into the car as I cautiously navigated the narrow twists and turns of Rock Creek Parkway. My mind was fixated on making sure I got to the airport without incident. But the glint of the Potomac River still caught my eye as my car passed over the Arlington Memorial bridge and I could not help but admire the white crosses of Arlington Cemetery that line Jefferson Davis Highway. I passed the colossal confines of the Pentagon and its sprawling parking lots as a republican Senator critiqued the recently proposed national stimulus plan and economic rescue package on CSPAN-Radio. I turned the dial from CSPAN and past NPR to a local music station and while listening to Jamie Foxx, Kanye West and T.I. my mind slowly drifted away from DC and politics.
Earlier in the day I finished packing my bags. I checked and rechecked, making sure my phone charger made its way into my luggage and that I hadn’t overlooked any of my laptop or camcorder accessories. I packed gifts for my Brazilian family and friends along with clothing sufficient for a few weeks in the tropics. All of it fit into a medium sized duffle bag. I spent the morning talking to customer service representatives and city treasury employees on the phone, making sure all my bills and taxes were in order. I habitually checked the side pocket of my jeans, reassuring myself that I would under no circumstances forget my passport.
I parked my car in the garage at my office, a building in Arlington less than a mile from Reagan National Airport. I briefly met up with two of my work colleagues for lunch. They were keeping busy and productive with our client’s issues – issues that were slowly starting to fade into a distant place in my memory. One of them gave me a lift to the airport and shortly I had my boarding pass, made my way through security and was comfortably seated, waiting to take my seat on the plane. The TV screen by my departure gate shows Barack Obama urging the passage of the economic plan he supports. According to pundits, his popularity is still high, but it is clear that he has a tough job ahead of him. I am reminded of the general pessimism associated by our current economy, but those worries seem abstract and far away as I watch airplanes take off every few minutes from the runway visible from my terminal’s floor to ceiling window. I have not yet boarded my plane or taken off, but sitting in the airport I feel few miles away from the passed year and a half of my life. I find myself tapping my toes to subtle samba beats and bossa nova refrains as I subconsciously hum songs like the Girl from Ipanema and tunes from past Carnavals under my breath. A voice over the airport intercom calls for passengers on Flight 1219. The journey has begun.
The District warmed today. The final remnants of last week's snow have finally melted, exposing drab yellow grass and a landscape still recovering from winter. I tooled all around the Metro DC area running last minute errands this morning and afternoon with a friend gracious enough to act as my chauffeur for the day. I stopped by my old apartment in Virginia and visited my former roommate to pick-up the random assortment of mail that still gets sent to that address. My passport and VISA seem to be in order. I worked my way through my 2008 tax returns. Most importantly, I got that crisp line-up at my barbershop (and I was reminded again how much I love barbershops - but that's a whole 'nother post.) Later in the evening I was able to purchase gifts for my Brazilian family. I bought my Brazilian mother, sister, and cousin Barack Obama t-shirts from Urban Outfitters (Obamania has no borders.) For my host brother - an Extreme Couture shirt (he's really into jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts) and for my father a workout shirt (he likes to work out.) I'm also bringing down assorted electronics as a sign of my appreciation and thanks (in advance) for their hospitality.
The excitement is building. I might try and pick up some more little gifts for the rest of the galera (gang.) Any suggestions? And if there are any requests for gifts from Brazil, let me know!
Music in Brazil is incredible. I really feel as though people in Brazil could not survive without music. It is something that completely infuses daily life in the country. Live performances are everywhere. And each region seems to have its own distinct musical traditions and styles. Samba clubs are now synonymous with the with the eccentric Carnaval parades of Rio. While Carnaval in the Northeastern regions of Bahia are more known for axe, a distinct, upbeat form that is not as internationally known as samba from Rio (even though Bahians will argue that Samba originated in the afro-Brazilian communities in the Northeast.) My Brazilian brother is even the lead singer in an axe band. When I hit the ground, I'll definitely make sure to get a live recording of one of his shows. Many other Carnaval groups in Bahia are dedicated to heavily drum-laden rhythms, explicitly tied to the African roots in the region, and the traditional sounds that accompanied the early, African religious traditions that black Brazilian slaves practiced when they first arrived in Brazil and have kept alive to this day. Once I'm in Brazil and Carnaval has begun, I will explore the myriad sonic forms and rhythms that define Salvador. But today I wanted to share two of my favorite contemporary Brazilian artists. Seu Jorge is a singer from Rio de Janeiro who combines traditional samba and pop sounds. You may recognize him from the movie "The Life Aquatic." He, not suprisingly, was the random Brazilian dude playing the guitar. And he also has a lot of great songs on that soundtrack - many of which are Portuguese covers of classic David Bowie tracks. He's obviously a talented a versatile artist. O Rappa is another group heavily influenced by samba along with hip hop, rock and reggae. Both their sounds are amazing, and their lyrics and music videos touch on many of the interesting, and complex social issues that make Brazil the conflicted and colorful country that I have basically become obsessed with (as most of you know, this is my fourth time visiting the land of felicidade y amor.)
Please enjoy the videos and let me know what you think. And if you know of other Brazilian artists please comment and pass the information along. I'm always trying to expand my iTunes collection with quality!
And seriously, the O Rappa videos are two of the most powerful works of art I have ever seen in my life.
My flight to Brazil creeps ever closer and I'm trying to surround myself with any and everything Brazilian to facilitate my complete immersion into Bahian Portuguese once I touch down in Salvador. I finally got around to watching Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad), an extremely gritty movie revolving around an officer in Rio de Janeiro's BOPE (Special Police Operations Battalion), a specialized, brutal, and almost para-military anti-drug police squad. Like one of my favorite movies of all-time, Cidade de Deus (City of God), this film explores the dual-realities of Brazil - rich and poor, black and white. Brazil is a world of extremes. The beauty and warmth of the landscape and culture cannot be fully understood and appreciated without having some idea of the economic hardship and crushing poverty that define life for so many. Cidade de Deus explores life from the perspective of young kids growing up in the favelas (slums) of Rio in the 1960s and documents how the informal, almost benign early drug trade began to grow into the violent crisis that it has become today. However, it portrays the life of the poor through fairly stylized imagery, juxtaposing the violence and death caused by the drug trade with the story of one young kid able to survive based on his wits and love of photography. The film is almost reminiscent of a fairly tale, a story of hope, friendship, and triumph amidst poverty and struggle. The style of filming and soundtrack is actually very reminiscent of another recent "fairy-tale in the slums" story, Slumdog Millionaire. Urban squalor and poverty is presented as a reality that can be overcome through friendship, love, and a little bit of luck.
However, Tropa de Elite presents a much more grim portayal of Rio's favelas. The story revolves around the violence of the drug trade and explores the relationship between police corruption, the drug dealers in the favelas, and the BOPE officers who despise them both and work to restore some semblance of order by any means necessary. The film also explores the roles of young, rich Brazilian who help fuel the drug trade through their casual drug use, and do-gooders who befriend dealers as a means to establish and work through NGOs to provide much needed educational and health related services to the majority of residents in the favelas who have no relationship with the elicit drug trade. The film is based on a book written by a sociologist and two former BOPE captains. It became a controversial nationwide phenomenon in Brazil in 2007 as described in this New York Times article. Tropa raised questions about police brutality and violence, but the main character became a sort of cult hero. I think my Brazilian host sister and her friends actually dressed as BOPE officers during Carnaval last year (still not sure what to make of that.)
I would love to hear the opinions of anyone that has seen the movie. And I have included the film's trailer below. I also know a lot of people who have worked with different NGOs and organization's in Rio's favelas, and would love to hear perspectives on how the presence of drug dealers and effected your work, and how that compared to, or was misrepresented in this film. And if you haven't already seen this film, definitely do! It may not become your favorite movie ever, and it's probably not as fun to watch as Cidade de Deus or Slumdog Millionaire, but it will definitely make you think. And isn't that what good art is meant to do?
Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the past few weeks in DC have been absolutely amazing. I ran into old friends from high school and college and attended some pretty amazing, sometimes star studded events. Luckily, two good friends from undergrad, DA and Max, who are now better known as the artistic duo Chester French, stopped by on the Friday before inauguration to perform songs from their upcoming album at an event hosted by the Center for American Progress. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to record their acoustic set, but their premier music video is now officially out on MTV. Check it out, and don't to forget to vote for them!
After over a year of experiencing the ups and downs of life in corporate America, I have decided that it is time for a change. We cannot take any time in this life for granted, and for that reason I have decided to go on a little adventure. I have named this blog Project Broken Compass because I really have no idea where I am going. But I have a video camera, a little bit of money, a lot of time, and an extreme sense of restlessness. The global economy may be in an irreversible death spiral, but when again will I have the freedom and opportunity to travel the world. I am sending in my letter of resignation, packing up my things, and heading south: first stop – Carnaval in Salvador da Bahia, BRAZIL! What better way to start my trip than take part in the biggest party on the planet – and visit old friends and family from years prior. And along the way I am planning on documenting everything I see and here - really exploring the issues facing the world right now from a global angle, getting in touch with new cultures and perspectives, and hopefully sharing these experiences with you through video and prose. And, as corny as it may sound, I would love to create some lively dialogue through this blog. Hopefully I can use this outlet to keep in touch with good friends and make new ones along the way. And I would love to hear your opinions on anything I write (good or bad) and get your perspectives on any issues I might raise. And also, if you have any travel suggestions, please let me know! After Brazil I have no idea where I will end up next.
The inauguration of our 44th President of the United States was an incredible sight to behold. Millions of inspired Americans convened on the National Mall for several days of events. Braving bitter cold and massive crowds, America celebrated the dawn of a new era of American leadership - mixing, mingling and celebrating under the awe inspiring shadows of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Capitol Building. I was lucky enough to share this moment with friends from across the country, both old and new. And my new camcorder came in just in time to be able to document this very special occasion. President Barack H. Obama: Congratulations on your election and keep the country safe while I'm gone!
Do you have a message to send to President Obama? Comment!
Welcome to Project Broken Compass! Armed with a video camera and an open mind, we're taking on the world one country at a time. The journey begins in the Carnaval crazed streets of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil and will end up somewhere on the other side of the Prime Meridian. We will be talking to folks from across the globe and would love to hear your perspective as well. Please contribute to this project by commenting on the blog posts and videos. Let us know what you think - the good, the bad and the ugly. And if you have any travel tips and recommendations (or warnings!) we could use all the help we can get. Enjoy!
Posts
