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Bringing People Together: Electronic Voyages to Brazil Part 6
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By Joe Lopes
June 21, 2007
Here is the sixth and final part of Joe's article, recounting some of the stories he has had resulting from articles he has written. To read the previous parts click the relevant links at the end of the article.
We‘re All Connected
While Fabiano and friends were getting the boys and girls together to join in the capoeira chants and ritual "baptism," I seemed to recall a recent TV special broadcast in my area not too long before this live exhibition. That special, which was shown on the Discovery Channel and transmitted in wide-screen High Definition, was part of the "Discovery Atlas" series of programs devoted to different countries and their respective cultures.
The show I had in mind, "Brazil Revealed," was an excellent two-hour excursion into various aspects of the country‘s life, among them an all-girl soccer competition in Manaus, an elaborate Carnival presentation in Rio, one of the few women helicopter pilots in São Paulo, a Brazilian-style Easter parade in the North, and, of course, a local capoeira school in Salvador da Bahia.
What grabbed me most about the capoeira segment was that it started off telling the story of Jackson dos Santos, a bright but troubled 13-year-old who had lost his father in a drug shootout and was himself tempted to deal drugs on his neighborhood‘s meaner streets.
At his estranged mother‘s insistence, the sullen and directionless boy, who lives with his grandmother, was taken under the wing of a robust senior citizen named Boa Gente ("Nice Guy"), a decent and protective soul more interested in the welfare of the wayward youth placed in his care than the ever-present threat of drug lords he, too, once had to battle.
"I‘ve been asked to sell drugs, to use drugs," Boa Gente confided to the camera, "but I had the chance to take different paths." These paths, he explained, ultimately led him to capoeira, and to the discipline and stamina required to successfully achieve his goals in life and in this uniquely Brazilian dance and martial art form.
In a relatively short time, Jackson‘s confidence in his own capoeira abilities were kindled, as we watched him evolve from a dour street dweller (with the dead-end potential of another Pixote in-the-making) into a normal, smiling teenaged boy full of eagerness and hope for a better future, thanks to Boa Gente‘s firm-but-gentle guiding hand and his active involvement in the cultural and social life of his community.
Looking at how Boa Gente, on television and in Bahia, and Fabiano, in the flesh and at a North Carolina museum, were able to so quickly take their charges‘ raw talent and energy and organize them into something constructive and sound-while at the same time give these kids a structure and foundation in something as socially acceptable as capoeira-drove the message home that we are indeed living in marvelous times where people can be truly connected to one another by more than just Ma Bell.
As an endnote, one of the persons involved in the post-production work on "Brazil Revealed" turned out to be former DJ and radio announcer Julinho Mazzei, Marjorie Mazzei Raggo‘s brother and the son of soccer legend Professor Júlio Mazzei.
Talk about a small world, this planet‘s shrinking by the message unit.
Copyright © 2007 by Josmar F. Lopes
A naturalized American citizen born in Brazil, Joe Lopes was raised and educated in New York City, where he worked for many years in the financial sector. In 1996, he moved to Brazil with his wife and daughters. In 2001, he returned to the U.S. and now resides in North Carolina with his family. You can email your comments to JosmarLopes@msn.com.
To read previous articles by Joe Lopes click below:
Bringing People Together: Electronic Voyages to Brazil Part 5
Bringing People Together: Electronic Voyages to Brazil Part 4
Bringing People Together: Electronic Voyages to Brazil Part 3
Bringing People Together: Electronic Voyages to Brazil Part 2
Bringing People Together: Electronic Voyages to Brazil Part 2
Bringing People Together: Electronic Voyages to Brazil Part 1
Misunderstanding Brazil‘s National Anthem: A Crash-Course in the Hymn of the Nation
Brecht, Weill & Buarque: The Brazilian Play's the Thing! Part 1
Theater, the Brecht of Life: The Influences on Chico‘s "Modern" Street Opera, Part II
A Walk on the Weill Side: The Influences on Chico's "Modern" Street Opera Part 2
A Walk on the Weill Side: The Influences on Chico's "Modern" Street Opera Part 1
Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 5
Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 4
Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 3
Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 2
Heitor Villa-Lobos: The Brazilian Bach Part 1
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 11
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 10
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 9
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 8
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 7
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 6
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 5
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 4
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 3
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 2
Two Brazilian Charmers Part 1
Teaching English In Brazil Part 21
Teaching English In Brazil Part 20
Teaching English In Brazil Part 19
Teaching English In Brazil Part 18
Teaching English In Brazil Part 17
Teaching English In Brazil Part 16
Teaching English In Brazil Part 15
Teaching English In Brazil Part 14
Teaching English In Brazil Part 13
Teaching English In Brazil Part 12
Teaching English In Brazil Part 11
Brazil: Thrills, Spills, and... Oh Yes, No Ifs, Ands or Head-Butts, Please
Teaching English In Brazil Part 10
Teaching English In Brazil Part 9
Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 4
Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 4
Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 3
Brazilian World Cup Debacle: Just Wait Till 2010! Part 2
Brazilian World Cup Debacle: Just Wait Till 2010! Part 1
Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 3
Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 2
Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia's Fragile Wings Part 2
Brazil: A Fever Called Corinthians Part 1
Brazil: Taking Flight on Florencia‘s Fragile Wings Part 1
Teaching English In Brazil Part 8
Teaching English In Brazil Part 7
Teaching English In Brazil Part 6
Teaching English In Brazil Part 5
Teaching English In Brazil Part 4
Teaching English In Brazil Part 3
Teaching English In Brazil Part 2
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 4
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 3
Teaching English In Brazil - Part I
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 2
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest Part 1
"Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 3
"Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 2
"Down in Brazil," with Michael Franks Part 1
Brazil: A Candid Talk with Gerald Thomas
Getting to the "bottom" of Brazil‘s Gerald Thomas
A Brazilian Diva Torn Between Europe and Brazil
The Enraged Genius of Brazil's Maestro Neschling
A German Ring in the Brazilian Rainforest
Brazil‘s Musical Polyglots: What Was That You Were Singing?
Did Bossa Nova Kill Opera in Brazil?
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6/21/2007
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