tysontrips

30 October, 2005

What Is A Brazilian?

Donald Rumsfeld is giving the president his daily briefing. He concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed."
"OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!"
His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the President sits, head in hands. Finally, the President looks up and asks, "How many is a brazillion?"

Part I: Bye, Bye, Bahia
Recife, Brazil – Well, life goes on. My parents were here in Brazil visiting last week and I basked in luxurious travel. Although only a brief glimpse of air-conditioned hotels, quality food and non-dormitory-style sleeping, it was a much appreciated vacation inside of a vacation – a veritable victory lap of some of the mostly vastly varied spots in coastal Brazil. But the party seemingly ended as I said goodbye to my parents and headed north out of my thus far favorite state of Brazil (and dare I say world?), Bahia. Reason for departure? If I am even going to pretend to honor the expiration date of my already fully extended Brazilian visa, then clearly, in my one remaining month I had better start trucking the thousands of kilometers of coastline and river I have in front of me before I arrive in the Amazon – my gateway to Venezuela. But I didn't make my Bahian exodus without shedding a proverbial tear. Leaving the welcoming and relaxed and tropical Bahian atmosphere behind was heartbreaking, and I worry I may not be able to easily replace the wonderful effects those small Bahian beach towns had on my psyche. At least not until I arrive at my first small, tranquil Northeastern beach town. You see, there are thousands upon thousands of uninterrupted (white sand) beaches flanking almost the entire Atlantic coast of Brazil. Now in Recife in the state of Pernambouco, the enormous metropolis of over two million, the city dwarfs and engulfs me, although this may be a good thing. The city doesn’t cater to the gringo tourist. But it accepts me. Most noticeably, on first site of the metropolis, I see – yet again – a new type of Brazilian: The Northeasterner. The differences are many: The language, the culture, the walk, the talk, and most noticeably, their look. It's yet another ethnic makeup which first catches my eye and begs the question, "What is a Brazilian, anyway?" But to me, more important that what a Brazilian looks like (a factor which might distinguish groups of Brazilians) is what a Brazilian acts like (a factor which might be unifying of Brazilians).

pelourinho

Above: Salvador de Bahia's Pelorinho

Having my parents around for the last 10 days has provided me a renaissance of my original impressions of the Brazilian people – those impressions which, over five months, I have come to accept or even take for granted. My folks noticed some of the exact same nuances of the Brazilian character (if the character can be summed up and stereotyped) that I noticed upon arrival, and thus solidified my premonitions as to what a Brazilian is. As my mom and dad toured various cities in Brazil with me they were in contented disbelief as to some of the quite visible and seemingly omnipresent characteristics of the people of Brazil. Here is what they observed:

"They are friendly, non-confrontational, content with life, carefree, and kind."
It's all true. And there is one Brazilian custom, which takes the form of a hand gesture, which can sum up all these highly-varied qualities in one digital movement: The thumbs-up. In Brazil the extension of one thumb has an extremely wide-ranging connotation, but its nature is never ambiguous – the thumbs-up is always used to indicate something positive rather than negative. Almost anything at all: hello, goodbye, how are you, I am fine, thanks, you're welcome, it's all good, smile – you are in Bahia, and don't worry are just a few of the possible expressions signified by this gesture. I have seen personal conflict, with a certain outcome of physical violence, averted and resolved by a mere thumbs-up. Nothing more. This omnipresent, omnipotent motion is a testament to the good nature and non-conflict-driven personalities of the people of the only South American country who gained freedom from their colonizers without an armed conflict. By the time my parents parted ways with me they weren't speaking much Brazilian Portuguese, but they were nearly fluent in 'thumbs-up,' thus resolving 95% of their problems in Brazil – the other 5% being solved by 'obriagado' (thanks).

"They are so athletic."
The beach is the ultimate showcase of Brazilian athletic prowess. On it you will see football of amazing caliber and competitiveness, skilled volleyball matches, and a mind-boggling, unfathomly difficult mix of the former two, called fútvoli. You most surely will also see freestyle gymnastics, surfing, swimming, capoeira and dancing. Brazilians are an active, outdoor-oriented culture (men much more overtly than women). Unlike many other cultures, from a young age they thrive in the water and act almost as accustomed to it as to terra firma. I like to believe that Brazilians are some of the most talented people on earth. If they truly put their mind to something (read: World Cup soccer) they will become extremely successful at its execution, often looking effortless as they excel.

"They are socially aware, orderly, open-minded and relatively less conservative."
I couldn’t agree more. In Rio, the three of us paid a late night visit to a Samba School, which, in essence, is a warm-up for the huge processions of meticulously decorated, gargantuanly lavish floats which glide down the streets of Rio during Carnaval, and are featured on the national news in every country during that time of year. As we joined the seeming chaos of the school around 2 am, boxed-in in every direction by young, excitedly dancing and drinking youth school supporters, amid chaotic beats resounding from an enormous drum section in the balcony above, we were never shoved nor pushed nor stepped on. We were only smiled at and accepted as dancing, singing and parading dominated the atmosphere. Chaotic order was the name of the game and it only added to the excitement of the party. The men in the mixed crowd exhibited less machismo than I would normally expect from a Latin crowd. Perhaps this is due to the generally more sexually open, less conservative, less clothes wearing culture which thrives in Brazil.

"The people and the culture seem to be less affected and influenced by the US than other countries."
Maybe this is because Brazil is so large and self-reliant and diverse that the populous is generally able to form their own distinct culture which flourishes outside of the US, despite the always present US mega-media – arriving in the form of movies and pop radio – which is force-fed to Brazil and the rest of the world. But the sharing goes both ways, as Brazilian music, dance culture, cuisine, and martial arts have serious inroads into American and especially European culture – and without the thrust of corporate giants. Just as it is culturally, Brazil is also hesitant to become entwined politically and economically with the United States, as the Brazilian government has continually shirked American aid and governmental partnerships, maintaining economic solidarity and political and financial independence in many ways. That all said, I recall a conversation I had with a friend a few months back as I was being generously shown around a new city by car. My driver, a sarcastic and witty local who spoke virtually no English, observed as she drove, "Notice all the Brazilian character in this town!", as she sounded out sign after business sign in her thick local accent – signs which were written at least partially in English: 'Delivery'; 'Self-Service'; 'Sleep Center'; 'Language School'; 'Rental Car'; 'Sandwich'; etcetera. Some American and English language influence is definitely noticeable, but much less than other countries. So what is a Brazilian? My parents would probably say, 'A kind, happy, potentially successful, culturally independent, liberated, socially aware resident of the country of Brazil.' And I would tend to agree with them.

Next time: Part II – What makes Brazilians what they are?

rio

Above: Rios Praia Vermelha from posh hotel window