The Dialogue of Civilizations in
Sao Paulo was my first international experience. I have done minimal travelling in the United
States, and attending this dialogue was an entertaining dive out of my comfort
zone. Immersing myself in another
country for a month allowed me to discover many cultural practices that I would
not have been able to enjoy otherwise.
It also reminded me not to take certain things about life in the United
States for granted. Reflecting on my
likes and dislikes from the trip taught me several things about myself. I was able to learn what customs Brazilians
hold dear, while weighing my value system against the overarching ideals of
Brazilian society.
Brazilian Soccer
My understanding of culture is that
it is behaviors stemming from civilization.
Culture is a product of society, and societies with different value
systems lead to different cultural practices.
The popularity of soccer in Brazil vs. in the United States is a thought
provoking example of this fact.
Anywhere in the world, a ball
rolling across the ground will automatically attract people to play with
it. There is an innate need for humans
to practice athletics. During the
soccer history lecture, we learned that soccer has been used since the Han
Dynasty in China as a means of training warriors. I found it interesting that soccer has been
connected to military applications from very early on. Across the world in Mexico, the Aztec’s used
soccer as a means of religious expression, further proving the bond between
soccer and societal development.
Gus offered an explanation as to why
sports are a ubiquitous element of culture; sports are just a domestication of
the human instinct to hunt. Since the
early stages of culture, humans with spare time could use athletic competition
as a means to develop their own physical strengths. In fact, the development of strict rules in
soccer came about during a time of intense societal change. During the industrial revolution, soccer was
used amongst work crews to encourage team building. Rules were implemented because if a worker
became seriously injured they would be unable to work the next day. In this way, rules in soccer were a result of
the domestication of players into the industrial work force.
Chinese soccer used
to train warriors-image shared by sports radio personality conducting lecture
Charles William
Miller is considered to be the father of Brazilian soccer. He was the son of a Scottish immigrant in
Brazil and attended school in England.
Miller was invited to play in Brazil in 1892 and helped develop the Sao
Paulo Athletic Club. The Corinthians, a
Brazilian soccer team, bears the same name as the club he played for in
England.
Like many Estados Unidenses, I do
not have a strong interest in soccer. Yet
attending the Sao Paulo vs. Corinthians match at Morumbi Stadium was one of the
most interesting cultural experiences from the trip. One difference immediately noticeable as
compared to United States sports was the way chants were conducted. In Brazil, there are organizations dedicated
to leading the fans through. Everyone in
the fan section was coordinated in one cheer that was signaled by a drum. This was reminiscent of a priest leading a
congregation, symbolizing the Brazilian treatment of soccer as a borderline
religious experience.
Corinthians Fan
Section
The political implications of soccer
in Sao Paulo stem even deeper. The local
government has invested heavily in building soccer stadiums for the World Cup
and the 2016 Olympics. This has fueled some
public unrest. Many citizens of Sao
Paulo do not support this decision because they see it as an unnecessary speculation
in private sectors. Instead, the
Paulistas would prefer to see the money used to upgrade public facilities such
as schools, hospitals, and public transportation. Discontent regarding the soccer stadiums is
one of many causes for the protests over the last few months. I have even heard the argument that stadiums
pushed people out of their homes to the periphery of the city.
Sao Paulo Subway
Map
The public
transportation system is also linked to political unrest in Sao Paulo. A plan to increase fare prices was abandoned
due to the protesting. There is also a
complaint that the subway does not service the periphery of the city. However in my experience trains conveniently arrive
at a stop about every three minutes.
Another noticeable fact about the
soccer game was the high police presence.
Choque troops (Sao Paulo riot police) were positioned at the entrance
and around the perimeter of the seating sections. Just outside the entrance I could see
policemen on horses and riot shields waiting in a van. The potential for civil unrest shows how
seriously Brazilians take soccer. Police
presence was intensified due to protests throughout July. Whether or not the public unrest is
justified, the political implications of soccer in Brazil are undeniable.
To summarize, soccer in Brazil was a
medium through which I learned about current events in Sao Paulo. With all this background information about
soccer in Brazil, this dialogue helped me find interest in a sport I would
otherwise feel little connection with.
The Art of Sao Paulo
Abstract mural in a
courtyard at ESPM, the college we attended for classes. The university focuses
on marketing and it is one of the top educational institutions in the
city. Murals, which could be considered a
form of grafite, are ubiquitous in the university.
One thing I will miss about Sao
Paulo is the prominence of quality street art.
On the ride from the airport to the hotel, it was undeniably evident
that graffiti is treated much differently in Brazil than in the United States. Empty walls are a rarity in Sao Paulo, and
the quality of the work frankly outdoes the typical line style tags that can be
seen in Boston.
Beco do Batman
(Batman’s Alley) in Vila Madalena
In fact, the Brazilian government
passed a law in 2009 that decriminalizes graffiti. The only caveat is that the artist must have
permission from the owner. Brazilian
culture actually distinguishes from street artwork, referred to as “grafite”
and tagging which is called “pixe”.
Throughout Sao Paulo, I have seen
street art used for a variety of purposes.
In Vila Madalena, I observed a wall painting depicting a city street
with “1+1=3”posted on billboards and street signs. The equation is also in the thoughts and
words of the city dwellers. Also note
the police presence in the picture. This
is an expression of skepticism against the government and propaganda. In Sao Paulo I have seen street art used for advertisement,
decoration, cultural symbolism, public awareness, and political expression.
Graphite near ESPM
used as a public service announcement
I learned more information regarding
the artistic history of Brazil at the Pinacoteca do Estado. The Pinacoteca is the oldest art Museum in
Sao Paulo, founded in 1905. Beforehand,
it was an educational institution and a government building. The Pinacoteca houses sculptures and
paintings from local artists, supplemented by contributions from artists around
Brazil. The museum does an excellent job
of preserving the history of Sao Paulo by documenting portraits of royalty that
has overseen the state. I was less interested
in these however and more drawn to the landscape paintings.
Pinacoteca do
Estado-Group Photo
This painting
captures trees with roots above ground, something I saw for the first time in
Sao Paulo
This is my favorite
painting from the Pinacoteca; the waterfall was painted very realistically and
the sunset is an excellent touch. The
man sitting by the rainbow is my favorite detail.
When I signed up for the dialogue, I
intended to expose myself to experiences that are strictly Brazilian. This is why the capoeira class was absolutely
invaluable to my time in Brazil.
Capoeira is a form of dance martial arts invented in Brazil. The fighting technique has very obvious
African and Indigenous American influences.
In fact the word capoeira comes from the Tupi (Brazilian native american)
language. The game was developed by
African slaves to conceal capoeira’s identity as a martial arts style. I think it’s incredibly fortunate that
Brazilian culture preserved the dance form as a testimony to the contact zone
between Native Americans and African slaves.
Playing capoeira is
based on evasion and momentum redirection.
It does not involve blocking strikes or grappling. This differs from the art of karate most
people are used to seeing and adds to the dancing effect.
The instructor and his assistants
kept hammering home that the key to capoeira is to have fun. In fact, capoeira matches are referred to as
“playing capoeira”. I found this really
interesting, because no one every uses the words “play kickboxing” or “play
karate”. The entertainment value of
capoeira was reiterated in the way the game is conducted. For example, matches are played within a
circle of instruments. The game is
initiated by a progression of instruments joining into the beat (berimbau,
tambourine, then drum) which gives capoeira an ominous but spirited feel. This also preserves the African roots of
capoeira. Capoeira is a unique part of
Brazilian culture and encompasses arts such as music, dance, martial arts, and
gymnastics. The dodging moves we were
taught to do remind me distinctly of something from a Hollywood action
film. I think this represents what a US
citizen would find interesting about capoeira.
A second
unique Brazilian dance form we were able to explore was Samba. Samba became an urban sensation in Rio and
Sao Paulo in the 1920’s. The dance is
also mentally associated with carnival, further ingraining it in Brazilian
culture.
The leader does the following moves
and the follower does the opposite feet.
The numbers represent what you are counting out during the step:
- Step forward left
- Bring right foot up to left foot
- Left foot step in place
- Step back with right foot
- Bring left foot back to right foot
- Right foot step in place
- Repeat
The steps in place take a little
more practice to carry out with rhythm.
Overall I enjoyed learning the basic moves of Samba. When the instructors performed a
demonstration, the steps were done not linearly back in forth but in sweeping
motions. This art form is crucial to
Brazilian musical culture as well as romanticism. It is a staple in
Brazil’s rich history of art.
Paraty
The
preserved Portuguese colonial town of Paraty is an illustrative excursion from
the dialogue. The history of Paraty’s
economic significance closely parallels the country of Brazil as a whole. The colony was founded in 1667 and struggled
to survive until gold was discovered in Minas Gerais in 1696. Paraty, with its shallow shores, thrived as a
defendable port to export gold to Portugal.
This represents how colonizing Brazil was a bad investment for the
Portuguese until the gold rushes of the 1690’s.
When the gold ran out in the late 1700’s, the city was abandoned. It was then revived 100 years later when the
coffee and sugar cane became the primary exports of Brazil. Today, Brazil is leading South America in the
tourism market, and tourism accounts for about 9% of the national GDP. In this way it is very fitting that Paraty is
now a tourist destination.
“Caminho do Ouro”
(Gold Trail) connecting Paraty bay to Diamantina in Minas Gerais
Several other elements of Paraty where symbolic of Brazil’s
history as a whole. For example, none of
the native poeples who names Paraty (“River of Fish”) still live in the
town. This speaks to the fate of native
americans thorughout Brazil that where either assimilated, enslaved, killed, or
relocated. Also, the town has a total of
four churches for different social groups.
The church a citizen atteneded was based on race and economic class. This is representative of racial tensions and
class inequality in Brazil. However it
can also be seen as an artifact of Brazil’s
cultural melting pot.
Brazilian Cuisine
My misconception that all Brazilian
food relied heavily on beans and rice was absolutely false. In fact, dining in Sao Paulo accounted for
many of my favorite experiences during the dialogue. The churrascaria
rodizio, which we attended early in the trip, is one of my favorite places I
have eaten. The waiters bring you meat
on swords, which has the effect of a buffet but lazier. I tried linguica, differently seasoned beef,
and even chicken hearts before I was entirely sure what they were. The rodizio also offered sushi and dessert,
which were both excellent over-the-top additions to the meal. Another testament to meat dishes in Sao Paulo
are mixcla platters. These are grilling
plates that sit on the table and I highly recommend getting them.
Caipirinha Limon
Another aspect of the Brazilian diet
that was easy to get used to was Brazil’s national cocktail; the
caipirinha. It is made from four
ingredients: cachaça, mashed fruit, sugar, and ice cubes. Traditionally, caipirinhas are made with cachaça,
which is fermented sugarcane. However, I
think they are much smoother with Smirnoff vodka. A regular caipirinha comes with lime, but I
prefer other fruits so you can consume them during the drinking process. The best caipirinha I have had thus far is
the abacaxi (pineapple) caipirinha at Veloso Bar on Rua Conceicao Veloso in
Vila Mariana. Caipirinhas were one of my
favorite aspects of Brazilian culture and I will certainly be bringing the
tradition of their consumption back to the United States with me.
There were however, two things about
Brazilian beverages that I will not miss.
The first is that almost nothing can be taken to go. In the United States, I am used to ordering a
medium iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts and getting it in a nice plastic to-go
cup with a lid. In Brazil however, ice
coffee is not available and you will get your café in a tea cup that you
obviously cannot leave with. I think
this speaks to the cultural differences where Americans are generally seen as
always in a hurry. It also highlights
the value I place on convenience as a United States citizen. The second thing I disliked about Brazilian
cuisine is that water is not free. This
is because the tap water is not always potable, making clean water a much more
valuable commodity. Water usually comes
in a 300mL bottle, so I end up ordering more than one over the course of a
meal. Dealing with this for a month
taught me not to take small luxuries for granted.
