Artistic Coincidence?

Artistic Coincidence?

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Web surfing sometimes may reveal very surprising discoveries.

(This contribution (originally in Dutch language, published in July 2007) was viewed more than fifteen thousand times, in four years time)

An art piece of Alighiero Boetti

Creativity

Everyone may have those creative ideas, which may differ greatly when realized. That is not new at all. I am no exception. When I was a student, I regularly kept myself busy with anything that has to do with paper, glue, paint, scissors, and pencil. Sometimes I was quite satisfied with the result, but more often such a creation ended as paper waste. It keeps yourself busy, as man might say.

Mercator Projection

World map

It was in the Eighties when Dutch households received some folder of the Unicef. One side was printed with a world map. However, this world map looked very different of the one I was used to. Generally, the world map according the Mercator projection is used. In the magazines, the newspapers, the news bulletins. The map is created with emphasis on the meridians and longitudes. But… the sizes of the earth surface are not correct. For example, Greenland appears much larger than the real size of two million square km. While Africa, with the real size of 22 million square km, does not appear to be eleven times larger the size of Greenland.

Peters projection

Peters projection

The Unicef world map showed the world in a stretched form. Now Africa was a giant continent, and Greenland was at least ten times smaller. The continents had bright colors. Perhaps that some Dutch may remember this map. I already was interested in country maps and world maps, and I was already wondering myself why I hadn’t seen a world map yet with the flags drawn within the national borders. For me it was the start to make such a map by myself.

My creation, early Nineties

Sheet of paper

I started with two large sheets of paper, A1 size each. I glued them together. I made copies of parts of the Unicef world map. These copies were four times the original size. I used carbon paper to mark the outlines of the countries. Gradually, the contours of the world appeared on the paper. I borrowed a book about flags of the word from the local library. There was no internet available at that time, and no actualized site about flags of the world. I started with the simplest flags. I drew the designs within the country’s borders, and painted them in the correct colors. The first nations were Poland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Indonesia. Then the enormous area of Canada was painted, with the maple leaf in the center.

Stars

I tried to draw the fifty stars of the United States, and I found out how this pattern was built up. Coincidence or not, this basis knowledge was the basis of one scientific experiment when I was a PhD student. An experiment that used morphometry (measurement of the dimensions of cells and tissue structures). Scientific literature described rasters, with impressive mathematical formulas, which were suitable for precise and reproducible measurements of round-shaped, microscopic images. On the other hand, I did not have circular images, but rectangular digital prints of microscopic images, at A5 size. I used my knowledge of the pattern of the fifty American stars, and created my raster, that proved to be reliable and reproducible. Using this raster, I have analyzed a huge number of digital images, more than ten thousand sheets. The results have been published in a scientific magazine. In this regard, arts and science are not that different….

Art piece of Boetti in Mercator projection

Soviet Union

With time, the world flag map made progress. More difficult flag patterns, such as those of Zaire, Angola, Australia were drawn and painted. When I started with this map, there was still the Soviet Union. The red flag with the famous hammer and sickle. And there were still the old flags of South Africa, Zaire, and East Germany.

Another art piece of Boetti

Toddler’s graffiti

I moved from my parents’ house to a room nearby Amsterdam, where I was studying. There I made another start with the world map, because I was not very satisfied with the first version. I have destroyed that map.
I was using the same method, the same order of drawing and painting. Many flags had changed in such a short time. For instance the breakdown of the Soviet Union, which created fifteen new nations and fifteen new flags. Including some flags that were difficult to draw, like the flag of Kazakhstan. And I still had some troubles with the spinning wheel of India; I was not satisfied with the result. I had attached my map to the wall. I almost had finished this map, when a disaster happened. When I was away, two grandchildren of the landlady noticed my map and tried to help me. They used red and blue pens to improve my map. Toddler’s graffiti.

My creation, in more detail

Coincidence?

For me, it was too much work to remove this graffiti, and I had to destroy this map, when I moved to another city in The Netherlands, to Nijmegen. But I have taken some photographs of this map.
In Nijmegen, I was introduced with internet, and I gradually became familiar with web surfing. I was searching something about art, and by accident I opened a site of an Italian artist. You cannot imagine how big my surprise was, when I noticed some of his works: they were almost similar to my amateurish world maps! Very strange, since I cannot remember that I have noticed these works before. Not in the books, not on TV, not in the museums. It is also obvious that I have made these maps in the time this artist was creating them. An artistic coincidence?

Writing with both hands.

Boetti

About this Italian artist: Alighiero Boetti was born in Turin in 1940, and died 54 years later, in Rome. Boetti is considered as a conceptual artist, and is considered as a member of the Arte Povera movement. “Poor Arts”, since the artists used simple and cheap materials. Boetti was an autodidact, and started his arts career in the Sixties. Boetti had worked with a variety of materials: cement, electricity, and woven tissues, wood. One example of his Arte Povera work is The Lamp (1966). A lamp in a wooden casket, that burns eleven seconds long, each year. He later left the idea of Arte Povera, and started to call himself Alighiero e Boetti. This creation of a double personality was reflected in his later works: individual and society, perfection and imperfection, order and disorder.

(Dis)order

Boetti generally did not work alone on his projects; he collaborated with artists as well with amateurs. He provided them much liberty, but he kept control of these projects. Without doubt, the world maps are his most famous creations; he made them together with Afghan and Pakistani craftsmen. In the margins of these works are printed his mottos: Ordine e Disordine (Order and Disorder) or Fuso Ma Non Confuso (I fuse but I do not confuse). His work ‘Mappa del Mondo, 1989’ is exhibited in the Museum of Modern Arts in New York.

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
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A Foreigner in Brazil (48): MAY 2007 (I). Southern Santa Catarina Island (SC)

Foreigner in Brazil (48)

MAY 2007 (I). Pântano do Sul, Armação and Matadeiro.

 

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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Brazil since December 2004: episode 48.

May 2007, part one: The southern part of Santa Catarina Island: the climb of a hill at Pântano do Sul, and a visit to the beaches of Armação and Matadeiro.

>> Click here for an overview of ‘A Foreigner in Brazil 2007’ <<

A jogging track.

Hangover

In May 2007, I joined a group of students to Florianópolis, capital of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. Thusfar, the first days in Florianópolis were very enjoyable for me. The northern part of Santa Catarina Island, where I had visited a fortress and witnessed a colorful, magical sunset. Downtown Florianópolis, even on a very quiet Sunday. Vitor, my travel companion in Florianópolis suggested to visit the southern part of Santa Catarina island. I agreed. Again, we had to get up early. And again, the majority of the students, who had enjoyed a boat party the previous night, was sound asleep. It was already eight-thirty when we arrived at the bus terminal, but we had to be patient for the propoer bus connection to the center, in order to catch the connectiong bus to the southern part of the island.

Fishing boats at Pântano do Sul Beach

Lowland

It was already eleven am. when we finally reached the southern part of the island. Almost everything around us was green. Principally lush green meadows, and if you would erase the mountains at the horizon, it was as if I were in The Netherlands: a typical Dutch so-called polder landscape, complete with cattle and horses. Several farms, settlements and little villages were spread over the green landscape. The farms had a simple appearance: small buildings with sometimes a messy yard, which feeded my impression that those small-scale farmers were not rich. It wouldn`t have surprised me at all that many of those farmer`s have left their home farm and moved to the city of Florianópolis, in their search of better opportunities.

View on Pântano do Sul Beach

Beach

About thirty minutes later, we had arrived at the southernmost location of the island, about thirty kilometers from downtown: Pântano do Sul. The bus stop was not far from the beach, and only a few minutes later, we were on the small, deserted beach. An information sign showed us that whales could be observed from there, but the best time for whale observation is between mid August and mid October. To my surprise, some cars were parked on the beach, between a small number of small fishing boats lying ashore. Vítor and I quickly explored the small beach that was flanked by large wooded hills. There was a handful of beach guests, who were scattered around the beach. 

Urubus, black vultures

Thorn

Vítor suggested climbing one of the hills. Both of us like nature walks very much, and I quickly agreed. We followed the directions indicated by small signs, and indeed, we arrived at the starting point of a trail. That day, both of us wore flip flops, which is common for many Brazilians. I almost had to give up the walk, when I suddenly noticed that something sharp had stuck into my flip flop. Indeed, a large, sharp thorn had completely perforated my flip flop, but fortunately had missed my foot. I removed the thorn and we continued the climb that meandered along pine trees. Walking along those trees didn`t give me the idea I was in a tropical country, despite the temperature that almost hit tropical values during the week of our stay.

A hairy tarantula

Hairy

We steadily continued our climb, while the sun was shining intensely and the temperature was rising quickly. Suddenly, Vítor was not feeling very well and told me that he needed some rest. While we was resting and taking a little nap, I wandered around and paid some attention to various groups of ants that were working hard to transport tiny plant fragments to their nest. I observed three different types of ants that where following unique tracks, without perturbing each other too much. When I was walking back to see Vítor, I had almost stepped upon a hairy object. This object, a bit larger than my hand, did not move at all. I then discovered that this hairy thing was a dead tarantula. 

Armação Beach, late in the afternoon

Vultures

Several black vultures were circling above me, high in the sky. These large birds took advantage of the thermals and only made minor wing movements when they changed the direction or altitude. Suddenly, a couple landed on top of some rocks at some dozen meters from me. Cautiously, and keeping an eye on the vultures, and in the hope that they would not consider me as a possible intruder, I moved on, and reached the top of the hill. Meanwhile, Vítor had regained enough energy and joined me about fifteen minutes later. We both enjoyed very much the breathtaking landscape: lush green hills, with small farms and little villages scattered  around. We also observed the outlines of a distant lake. This unforgettable view was worth the climb. On the way back to the beach, we had to follow the same trail. Obviously, it took us much less time to reach the beach. 

Sunset, at full moon, at Matadeiro Beach

Energy

When we had arrived on the beach again, we entered a small restaurant, where Vítor ordered a simple meal for both of us: rice, beans, salad and freshly fried fish. According to the owner of the restaurant, that fish had been caught early that day and he proudly showed the fish before it was being fried for us. Indeed, the fish was fresh and delicious. We enjoyed the meal, which was an effective refill of our energy supplies. We had the intention to visit the pousada (hostel), where part of our group of friends was hosted. Initially, it was the intention that both Vítor and I would join this group; however, because of our late arrival at the university campus, we decided to stay on the campus. 

Full moon

In order to reach the hostel, we had to follow a small road heading northward. Again we were among green meadows, and we came along several small villages. Fortunately, there was almost no traffic on this road. We could continue our walk on the road instead of a more troublesome walk on the roadside. The walk lasted more than an hour, but it was already late in the afternoon, with the sun shining with much less intensity. The group was happy to meet us again and was eager to show us the pousada. We then walked on Armaçaõ Beach, were we met another part of the group. We all joined them and jointly enjoyed some cold beers. That was really what we had deserved that day, after an intensive climb and another walk. We were on time to witness a colorful sunset, at full moon. Again, we had experienced a magical moment on Santa Catarina Island, which truly deserves to be called `The Island of Magic`. 

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom © 2007, 2015
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Travel in Brazil: RIO DE JANEIRO (63). Black Music and Violin Serenade in Lapa

RIO DE JANEIRO (63)
Black music and a violin serenade

 

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Destination Rio de Janeiro, the third travel to the former capital of Brazil, in January 2007.
Black music, all night long, followed by a violin serenade at Lapa.

>> Click here for general information about Rio de Janeiro (with videos)
>> Click here for the complete overview of Rio de Janeiro, the first travel
>> Click here for the complete overview of Rio de Janeiro, the second travel
>> Click here for the complete overview of Rio de Janeiro, the third travel

Day 4, 23.30

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Poor students

It was almost midnight. When the Iemanjá rituals were finished, we wandered around the square (near the Lapa Arcs) in our search for cheap beer. And again, Juliana proved her searching skills. She managed to localize a vendor who offered three cans of beer for only five reais. This vendor might have had the night of his life, because all students were searching for the lowest prices. Also in Brazil, students are not very rich. Their expenses are paid by their parents and family. They usually don’t work when they study; they prefer to spend their time studying and partying. Remember the fact that only the excellent students have the best future perspectives. You cannot continue here with average results. You have to work hard for the best results. These students are the best of their state, they need to keep up their good reputation. 

Black music

We entered the cultural center after midnight only. The night program was about to start at eleven, but everything was significantly delayed. That night, the program had attracted many students, because of the theme ‘black music’. The music was good for dancing, the rhythm was vibrating. We had found the others of our dormitory, and together we enjoyed the musical desserts. Because everything was delayed, all acts were delayed too. There were acts by Jongo da Serrinha, Naná Vasconcelos, and Ponto do Equilibrio. Not very familiar sounding names for Europeans and also for Brazilians. Many students were very curious for these less popular acts. We enjoyed very much the vibrating rhythms.  

Violin serenade

The acts lasted until three in the morning. It was now time to leave the cultural center. We were then positively surprised by a new act: violin music. One of the students had brought his violin and had started to play. He was absolutely no amateur, the sound was vibrant and smooth. Most students openly approved his act. He played popular traditional music from the Northeast. The girls were eager to dance, and the violinist was spontaneously accompanied by to guitarists. Employees of the cultural center were there too, and allowed us to stay a little while more. 

Early birds

However, we all had to leave the building thirty minutes later. The square in front of the building was still full of students. Julian didn’t want to return to the dormitory yet, and we just had missed our last bus that would have brought us to the dormitory. She proposed to spend the night at Lapa. We agreed. She met some friends, who joined us. I had to admit, that I had big trouble to keep my eyes open. And I was not the only one, I noticed. But we managed to continue the night at Lapa. It was already six in the morning, at broad daylight, when we were able to take the first bus to Urca, to our dormitory. At seven o’ clock, I was finally able to close my eyes. I could hear the early birds singing, and even a rooster was calling. A new day had begun already.

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom © 2007, 2015
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A Foreigner in Brazil (47): APR 2007 (IV). Magical Sunset On Santa Catarina Island (SC)

Foreigner in Brazil (47)

APR 2007 (IV). Sunset in Jurerê (SC).
      

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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Belo Horizonte, since December 2004, from month to month.

April 2007, part four: A visit to the northern part of Santa Catarina Island; visiting a fortress and witnessing a  magical sunset.

>> Click here for an overview of ‘A Foreigner in Brazil 2007’ <<

To Jurerê by bus.

Second home

After having finished our lunch, we went to the bus terminal. Vítor suggested to go to Jurerê, to the north of Santa Catarina Island. Jurerê is located at about thirty kilometers from downtown Floripa. The bus route was along the green hills, and it took about one hour to reach Jurerê. Near Jurerê, we noticed various luxury mansions: it wouldn’t surprise us what some rich people from the city of Florianópolis would possess such a house as their second home.

Luxury mansions in Jurerê

Battery

As we were already expecting, Jurerê Beach was almost deserted at the late afternoon hour. The sun was about to set, the sky already showed some faint pink colors. Vitór suggested to visit the nearby fortress, we followed the direction indicated by various road signs. We came along the ruins of what was once a battery. The battery served as part of a complex defense system, which also included the fortress. Now we only observed some rocks and remains of what once appeared to be a thick wall, surrounded by lush, green grass.

Ruins of the battery São Caetano

Fortaleza São José da Ponta Grossa

The entrance gate to the fortress was only a few hundred meters away. We were just in time, before the closing hour. We paid the entrance fee and entered the fortress complex. This fortress, named São José da Ponta Grossa, is quite well maintained. We noticed the thick walls, with battlements at the corners. These battlements, with narrow vertical peepholes, were very narrow; we imagined that it was impossible for a sentry to fall asleep in there: due to the lack of space, the sentry could only doze when still standing on his feet. Inside the complex, there was also a small chapel and a main building, which was built for the commander of the fortress. Both buildings were located on the top of a hill. The barracks and the facilities for the soldiers were located at the foot of that hill. 

The beach was almost deserted late in the afternoon

Crossfire

A small museum exhibited various objects that were found within the complex. We observed ceramics from England, Portugal, and even from Holland. Various utensils from past centuries. And a mannequin which was dressed as a Portuguese marine from the eighteenth century. Various cannons were positioned at strategic location in the complex, with their barrels aimed at the Brazilian mainland. Other cannons, located on the mainland and on tiny islands between Santa Catarina Island and the mainland, had their barrels aimed in opposite direction. Any enemy who was about to enter this region, would not escape the crossfire from the Portuguese defenders. The system of fortresses and batteries was constructed in a reaction to the short-term Spanish invasion of the island, late eighteenth century.

Part of the fortress

Magical sunset

The setting sun had almost reached the horizon. The sky was now filled with pink and red hues. The shadows of the bushes and cannons served as prefect objects for interesting sunset pictures. A colorful sunset, in which the red hues gradually alter into purple and blue hues. Vítor and I walked to the nearby beach, Praia do Forte. We stayed there until it was completely dark, at six o’ clock. We then returned to the bus stop and waited patiently for the bus, which would stop near the hyper shopping mall. From there, we would walk the final kilometers to the university campus. 

One of the cannons of fortress, aimed on the mainland. 

Missing the boat ride

It was already eight-thirty when we arrived in the campus. We had arrived just too late to participate in an boat excursion. The other students already had left by bus. The next morning, they told us that they had enjoyed that trip on the party boat very much. Did we really regret about that? No, because we had witnessed the magic of a breathtaking sunset. A magical sunset which we will remember forever.

Some pictures of the magical sunset:

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
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A Foreigner in Brazil (46): APR 2007 (III). Downtown Floripa (SC)

Foreigner in Brazil (46)
APR 2007 (III). A visit to downtown Florianópolis (SC)

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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Belo Horizonte, since December 2004, from month to month.
April 2007, part three: A visit to the center of the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, on a quiet Sunday.

>> Click here for an overview of ‘A Foreigner in Brazil 2007’ <<

The central market is deserted on
Sunday morning. 

Sunday morning

Sunday morning, seven am. Vítor and I got up, there was no time to lose. We quickly refreshed ourselves and left the dormitory. Everyone was sound asleep, still recovering from the long bus travel and the first party night. It was chilly outside, low clouds covered the hilltops in front of us. We decided to follow the same route, which we had taken the night before. Vítor already had asked around how we best could reach the historical center of Floripa. Local students had indicated him to go to the bus terminal not far from the hyper shopping mall. We took our time, we took our breakfast at a local snack bar. It was about nine am, when we reached the bus terminal.

The enormous fig tree, with heavy branches leaning
on metal supports.

Empty streets

Vitor asked the cobrador (bus employee responsible for the bus fares), we we best could get off. His advise was to get out at the central market. The bus followed wide avenues that were flanked by tall buildings. For a short while, I was imagining not to be in Brazil, but in any modern American city. About ten minutes later, we had reached the central market. The market was closed, its square was completely deserted. Remember, it was Sunday morning. We took some time to walk around the bright yellow building complex. We visited a church, and wandered through empty streets. We were interested to visit a local museum, Cruz e Souza. However, the museum only opens at ten am. We entered a local McDonald’s and ordered a snack and a coffee. Soon, it became very clear to us that the employees need elaborate training sessions in order to make good coffee and fresh snacks. 

The historical museum, named after a
famous poet from Florianópolis.

‘Obrigado!’

We entered the small park at Praça XV de Novembro in, where an age-old fig tree dominates the square. The heavy branches were leaning on iron supports. We then returned to the museum, where we learned a lot about the local history. We were amazed to see the antique furniture in a large number of rooms. We could imagine ourselves back in the Brazilian colonial era, dominated by the Portuguese. We further explored the historical center and wandered through deserted shopping streets. Our next goal was Igreja Matriz, the church at the other side of the park of the old fig tree. This church was already open, we entered the church and saw it from the inside. Few churchgoers sat there for their personal prayers. Our attention was drawn to a  homeless man sitting at the entrance. We gave him some coins, which he gratefully accepted, thereby showing a broad smile on his dirty, weathered face. Obrigado! Thank you very much!

People arrive for their personal prayers.

Closed

Vitor was in fact the guide for me, even when he had no clear idea where all sightseeings were located. But he had the advantage to ask for the directions, since my Portuguese was still terrible at that time. We arrived at a weird-looking monument, which was representing the former quay, which was eventually filled up. It was the monument of Ribamar, locally known as ‘Atlantis’. A little further away, we encountered a small, octagonal building. To our big surprise, it was a museum. A sanitary museum. We tried to open the door. No movement, it was locked. No wonder, we initially thought, it was Sunday. However, when searching for more details on the Internet, I found out that this museum never opens. Really weird!

The eternally closed sanitary museum….

Wooden bridge

We continued our walk and left the center, in the direction of  Santa Casa de Misercórdia, a hospital. We found another monument, made of mosaics, about the legend of Santa Catarina, to whom the state was named. We made a long route, along the sambódromo – the location where the carnival parades are held in Floripa -, and the Convention Center. We followed the margin of the island, on the way to the antique ‘Hercílio Luz’ bridge, which is found on almost every Florianópolis postcard. Not far from that bridge was a monument of the founder of the city – at that time it was called Desterro -, Francisco Dias Velho. We walked under this wooden bridge, which now is out of service. There is another, modern bridge at some distance, on which traffic occurs between Santa Catarina Island and the Brazilian mainland. 

The wooden bridge. which connects Santa Catarina
Island with the Brazilian mainland.

Santana

There was a fortress at the base of the wooden bridge. Forte Santana, an acronym for Santa and Ana, Holy Anna. The fortress is part of an elaborate fortress complex which was constructed to defend the island against hostile invasions. Nevertheless, Spanish invaders managed, late 18th century, to occupy the island for a short time. The fortress was free to visit, there were beautiful views of the mainland and of the bridge. The six cannons are still at their original positions, apparently ready to fire. The main building was a weapon museum of the local military police. The museum hosted an interesting collection of handguns, cannons, howitzers and even a hotchkiss. It was already one o’clock, when we left the museum. It was about time for our lunch. In the afternoon, we would visit another fortress, on the northernmost location of the Island of Magic, near Jurerê. 

Fortress Santana, with the cannons aimed
at the mainland. 

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
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A Foreigner in Brazil (45): APR 2007 (II). Searching For Magic in Florianópolis (SC)

Foreigner in Brazil (45)
APR 2007 (II). The search for magic in Floripa

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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Belo Horizonte, since December 2004, from month to month.
April 2007, part two: The search for magic on Santa Catarina Island, nicknamed the ‘Island of Magic’.

>> Click here for 2005
>> Click here for 2006
>> Click here for 2007

Skyline of the city of Florianópolis

Bus travel

Late April 2007, I was invited to join a group of students for their regional student meeting in Florianópolis. Florianópolis, also known with the popular name Floripa, is the capital of the South-Brazilian state of Santa Catarina and is mainly located on an island, Santa Catarina, with is also known as Ilha da Mágica, the Island of Magic. The student DA (Direitório Acadèmico; student commission) had succeeded in the enrollment of almost one hundred passengers, two full buses. We were ready for a bus travel which would last about 24 hours. It was announced beforehand that the departure time was early in the evening, but completely according to the Brazilian way of live, the bus left the university campus after nine pm. The students were in a joyous mood, thanks to the respectable amount of beer and distilled that was brought on board and consumed by a small group of them. At about 2 am, it was completely silent on the bus, tanks to the excess of alcohol consumption by them.

Strong resemblance with a Dtuch landscape,
when you remove the mountain tops in your mind.

Migrants

The bus went through the state of Minas Gerais, on its way to São Paulo and Curitiba. From Curitiba, only a few hours remained before we would reach Florianópolis. We could enjoy the green, hilly landscapes in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina. We noticed various names that didn’t sound Brazilian at all; Eisenbreit, Müller, names of German migrants. We noticed houses in the typical German Fachwerk style, and even a copy of a windmill. It was clear that we were in the Brazilian region were many migrants from Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries live Migrants and their descendants. Since most students already know that I am Dutch, I regularly was called when the students saw something that didn’t sound Brazilian at all.  “Ei Adriano, olhe! Um moinho!”, when a windmill had caught their eyes.

Gaúchos (South Brazilians) love to drink their tea
with this typical mug.

Police

The bus travel suffered significant delay. We had to wait a long time before the bus was allowed the Island of Santa Catarina, the Island of Magic. Police officers of the Federal Highway Patrol stopped every vehicle and interrogated the drivers for their destination and purpose of their intended visit. For instance, our bus was permitted to stay on the island for some days only. The bus driver then continued the way to the UFSC, the federal university of the state of Santa Catarina. Like most federal universities in Brazil, the campus wasn’t located in the city center, but at a respectable distance. We arrived there at six pm. It was planned that I would join the group who would stay in a pousada at a beach. However, it was already dark and we had no idea how to take a regular bus service to that pousada. We decided to stay in the campus. Vítor, one of the students, and I had to deal with another problem: we hadn’t succeeded to obtain a mattress to sleep on. We had to search for a store that sold travel mattresses, and that was still open that night.

A hyper modern hyper shopping mall with a very
interesting photo exhibition.

Hyper shopping mall

We received useful information of local students. We walked to a small, local shopping area. We were unfortunate to find them closed. The guards were helpful to direct us to a hyper shopping mall, which should still be open until late at night. Where would we find that mall? “Longe demais pra caminhar”, was the answer of a helpful man, ‘too far to walk!’ When we asked him about the distance, his estimate was about one kilometer. We decided to start this very long walk. I had the idea that the guardsman would faint immediately if I told him that I already have completed to international marching events in the Dutch city of Nijmegen: four days of fifty kilometers each. The guardsman had clearly explained the route to the mall. The mall was hard to miss: the enormous dimensions of the hyper mall, various names of the major brands lighting up at the walls. The name was Shopping Iguatemi. I had visited a mall with the same name in the city of São Paulo in 2005. We walked straight to the 24-hour supermarket and went to the department of camping equipment. We had to walk more than half the length of the mall. We found suitable ‘colchonetes’, travel mattresses that were about one centimeter thick. The label indicated the price of twelve reais (4 euros). However, the scanner at the pay desk read 25 reais. We immediately mentioned the cashier about the big price difference. A girl on roller skates received the order to investigate the problem. Less than one minute later, she returned, gaining breath. We were right, we only had to pay twelve reais. We took the mattresses under the arms and walked back to the university campus.

A colorful sunset in the northern part of the island.

Dormitory

Vítor and I arrived in the campus with our mattresses, and we had to look for the proper lecture room. As usual, the students had been distributed over the lecture rooms, according to their state of origin. We searched for the name ‘Minas Gerais’ on one of the doors. There was little room for our mattresses, but we managed to move other neighboring mattresses a bit in order to spread out our new mattresses. Both male and female students were in our lecture room. In my case, I had my mattress between two female students. The first night was a simply organized party near our dormitory. Everyone was welcomed by the organizing committee, quickly followed by loud popular music and beer. Most students went to their dormitories at about 2 am. Most of them were too tired after having suffered long bus travels, and weren’t able to continue the party till dawn. About three hours later, we all shook awake by a mixture of sound effects by pans, pan covers, drums, tambourines, and whistles. Lights were switched on and off. It was the traditional ‘arrastão’, noise in the night. The ‘rei’, leader of this disorganized gang, visited every Brazilian state (lecture room) and tried to speech. According to the tradition, he repeatedly was interrupted. It took some minutes, before we got permission to sleep again. During the first day, we hadn’t found yet the magic on the Island of Magic. Our intention was to discover the city and the island in greater detail in the following days. Were we able to find the magic?

The improvised university dormitory. Below left: my
mattress, with a blanket borrowed from our bus.

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
.

A Foreigner in Brazil (44): APR 2007 (I). Teaching English At A High School

Foreigner in Brazil (44)
APR 2007 (I): Teaching English at a Brazilian high school 

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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Belo Horizonte, since December 2004, from month to month.
April 2007, part one: First experiences at a public high school in Belo Horizonte, and the first English classes.

>> Click here for 2005
>> Click here for 2006
>> Click here for 2007

The first group of students (adults, not
wearing a uniform)

Plans

Early March, I was called by Myra’s brother, Thiago. He wanted to see me as soon as possible to work out a new idea. In fact, he already had worked out his idea, but he still wanted to hear my opinion. Through some connections, he had been able to contact the vice-principal of a public school in Belo Horizonte, not far from the federal university where I was staying during weekdays. With the help of this vice-principal, an appointment was made of the principal of the Escola Estadual, a school run by the state of Minas Gerais. We went to this appointment, and Thiago explained his plan to the principal and the vice-principal. She appeared to be interested and listed carefully to Thiago’s plan. His plan was to teach additional English classes to small student groups. The classes would be taught by both Thiago and me, at night. Thiago’s Plan Two was also worked out in great detail: when the students have followed some free classes, these students would be granted discount when the decided to continue the classes at Thiago’s language school. A very smart plan.

 

The group show their creativity with matches

Public school

The public school was located at a corner of a large neighborhood, next to a so-called clube: a large leisure area. You must be member of the clube, in order to enjoy performing sports, swimming, partying, barbecues, etcetera. Such clubes are highly popular among the Brazilian upper middle class people. The school didn’t have such accommodations, and they weren’t allowed to use them at the clube. But the school had a simple indoor sports hall for physical education. The class rooms were about the same size as I have experienced them in the Netherlands, for about thirty to forty students. The wooden chairs, with a small writing pad at one side, as I have seen then at the Dutch universities, were quite outdated. The wooden tables with metal frames had been ‘decorated’ with numerous scratches. The students were running and jumping through the classroom and chatted loudly with each other. Even with the arrival of the teacher, they didn’t stop running, jumping and shouting. Only when the teacher gave a sign to them to be quiet, the classroom went silent. The students sat down. Some straight, others lazily lying down, with their skinny legs stretched. No one got annoyed with them. These were my very first impressions of a classroom with Brazilian middle class students.

Thiago’s language school

Mouth shut

The students wore a uniform. It was not the type of uniform that I have seen in Belgium, or in the United Kingdom, or even in Australia. Both boys and girls wore a gray T-shirt with the name and the emblem of the school printed on it. And all wore blue sports pants. most of them used flip flops or sneakers, some girls used sandals. Almost all girls wore their long hairs loose on their shoulders, or tied in a bun, ponytail, or braids. Some girls used some make-up and almost all girl’s nails were neatly polished in bright colors. Almost all boys had short hair, some of them used a lot of gel to keep their hairs in some crazy hair style. There was no one with a shaven or bald head. One afternoon, Thiago and I visited all classrooms. We had created some strategy to catch their attention: I would start to greet the students in English. With my gringo appearance, this would induce some shock effect. No one would be immediately able to understand that I was greeting them in English, but they might think of some extraterrestrial language. Thiago would then take the initiative and silence the students when he explained them that I was using a very simple English expression. The students had their mouths shut. They seemed to be ashamed that they didn’t know English at all. That’s was our intention.

End of April: to South Brazil by bus

First hours

Thiago distributed enrollment lists, on which students would write their names when they were interested to start basic English classes with us. We created groups of twenty students, and they would receive classes from us, after their regular classes at the school, after six pm. The students aren’t at school all day, but they can opt from two different time schedules. The early birds start at seven in the morning, until noon. The second group start from one pm to six pm. The older students and adults have their classes from six to ten-thirty. Very intensive days for the high school teachers, and their also don’t receive high salaries. At six pm, the firs students of the first group entered the classroom. They sat down in silence, and waited for our show. In the first weeks, Thiago and I would teach the classes together, as a kind of double presentation. The students were forced to keep their attention from one teacher to the other. This method seemed to sort effect.

We traveled through the state of Santa
Catarina, where many migrants live. 

Matches

Thiago and I opted for a method with was with a lot of interaction. We invited students to come in front, we joked with them when needed, but in a respectful way. It wasn’t our intention to create some shame for them, but instead to overcome their shyness. Brazilian-born, Thiago was very skillful in that, and I quickly copied this method. The first English classes were very simple: colors, clothes, family members. We played hangman, which amused many students. Thiago went on with social interaction, and gave them some work to do: they had to bring a sheet of white paper, matches, color pencils and glue for the next class. They had to create a house with the matches. Both teenage and adult students (the oldest student was 62!) started their work. They first hesitated, but they quickly became enthusiastic. With this kind of creative expression, they learned the colors, and the elements of the house in English. IT was also interesting – for us – that their creations roughly showed some of their psychological identity.

 

Surprise; Statue of Liberty in Florianópolis

Alone

The first classes in the first weeks were given by Thiago and me, together. This form of double presentation was really nice to do. The student were very enthusiastic about this approach and eagerly participated with us. Two weeks later, we started to give classes separately. For me, it was the very first time to teach alone, and at that time, my skills in Portuguese were not fluent at all. Some students initially commented and complained about that, but soon they accepted and respected me as their English teacher. For me personally, the most interesting group was the so-called EJA group: adults who didn’t have the chance to finish high school as teenage age, and now took the opportunity to follow the missing classes after their work time They were better motivated than the teenagers, who were obliged to attend school. The adults had a broad range of professions: nurse, administrator, musician, kindergarten teacher, forklift driver. One of these students was participating in the local elections for the city council. He wasn’t elected.

 

One of the bridges that connect the Island of
Santa Catarina with the mainland.

Professor

The students started to know me as Adriano, since my Dutch given name ‘Antoine’ was too complicated for them to pronounce. But soon I was called ‘professor’. Not because of my education level (at that time I was finishing my PhD), but because of the fact that ‘professor’ in Portuguese had the meaning of ‘teacher’. Even in the streets I was called ‘professor’, even today. When I had obtained my PhD degree, some students started to call me ‘doutor’, doctor. Since the recognition of my doctorate in Brazil, I am allowed to use ‘doutor’. Doctor in the Netherlands, doutor in Brazil. And professor for my (former) students.

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
.

A Foreigner in Brazil (43): MAR 2007. Testing A New Camera

Foreigner in Brazil (43)
MAR 2007: The first photos with a new camera

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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Belo Horizonte, since December 2004, from month to month.
MARCH 2007: A camera, bought at a parallel market, was tested in three parks in Belo Horizonte.

>> Click here for 2005
>> Click here for 2006
>> Click here for 2007

New camera

Last January, my digital camera stopped working. I had bought it two years earlier, in the Netherlands, just before my move to Brazil. I had to wait tow months before I had collected the money to buy a new camera. I had time enough to think of the brand and type of the new camera: I changed from brand, from Sony to Canon. For some years, I have an analogue Canon camera, which quality satisfied me very much. I was looking around in various shops in Belo Horizonte. In stores specialized in photography and photo equipment, in stores inside the big shopping malls, in barracks of the parallel market. Without doubt, cameras are much cheaper at the parallel market. I compared the brands, the types, the lenses, the magnifications (physical and virtual), the prices. I had doubted some time, until I decided to buy the new camera at the parallel market.

Parallel market

The term ‘parallel market’ sounds somewhat illegal. It is not a black market, in which rules and taxes are being evaded. It is not a white market, where customers can buy products which meet all rules and taxes. When I came to Brazil for the first time in 2001, I noticed barracks at literally every corner in downtown Belo Horizonte. These barracks were full cheap imitated and mass products, in a large variety. Mostly imported from China and other Asian countries. Or from neighboring country Paraguay. The city council decided to remove all these barracks from the center, with the argument that the safety in the center was at stake. The barracks weren’t banned, but moved to an enormous building, not far from the bus station. The barrack owners were granted the opportunity to rent a new barrack within the building from the city, at a low fare. They were tolerated to sell their ware – imitation or not – there. The move of the barrack from the center to one building was a smart move. In this way, the barracks and their owners are easier to be controlled. Because of the location of the building at Rua Oiapoque, the building had received the name ‘Shopping Oi’. I already have been there various times, to buy some electronic and informatics equipment, such as a computer mouse, DVD’s (empty and recorded), external HD, and some cables and batteries.

ZOO

Now I had another digital camera, I had to try it out. For my first tests, I went to the local ZOO at the border of Lake Pampulha. Besides the zoo, the area also hosts a botanical garden, with an interesting collection of subtropical and tropical plant species from Brazil. In Brazil, March is one of the autumn months, but there were still enough flourishing plants and trees for colorful pictures. There are many plants which you would expect to see them in European living rooms and greenhouses. For me it was obvious to observe so many red flowers in autumn. It was warm and sunny that day, but the intense sunlight sometimes made it difficult to take nice, clear pictures. I first made my tour along various plants and trees, and then spent my time among the animals. Most animals in this zoo are not kept in closed cages, but in fenced areas. Some fences were made of concrete. I was able to watch gorilla Idi behind thick glass, but also from a position above the animal, with an open view on this habitat. That day, I was lucky that Idi was in a very good mood and willing to pose for its admiring audience.

Mangabeiras

My second test day was in Mangabeiras Park. This former ore quarry is located at the south rim of Belo Horizonte, and is part of the Serra do Curral Range. From downtown, you might catch a bus which drops you at the entrance of the park. An alternative is to make a four kilometer walk from the center to the park. The route is in fact a long climb. Mangabeiras is a very popular location to spend some hours at the weekends and holidays. On those days, complete families gather in the park for a picnic, for some walk, to see the little monkeys, to admire the view of Belo Horizonte. On weekdays, the park is an oasis of serenity, quietness. Many animals leave their shelters and even try to beg shamelessly for anything what is edible. Of course, it is strictly forbidden to feed them. You need to wear comfortable shoes for a walk in Mangabeiras. The cobble-stoned pathways are sometimes quite steep. One of the highest points to be visited offers a magnificent view on the city of Belo Horizonte. That day, I stayed until sunset, when the sun started to disappear behind the mountainous horizon.

Parque Ecológico

On day number three, I visited another park, not far from the Zoo. This ecological park is open during four days a week, from Thursday to Sunday. Especially on Sundays, you’ll meet many little children there. They (try to) play soccer on the meadows, or they try to have their kites reaching the sky. Playing with kites is very popular in Brazil. Rich and poor children love it. Many electricity wires and and trees are decorated with lost kites. These kits are dangling miserably, being weathered in time. The ecological park is located at Lake Pampulha, an artificial lake that was constructed in the Forties of the past century. For a long time, the lake was strongly polluted. The city is trying to clean up the pollution with water treatment installations. Many birds, like herons and cormorants, seemed to have survived the polluted waters. And even capybaras (‘water swines’) have found this lake. It is no long a surprise to observe the head of this giant rodent in the water. My three days in three different parks have resulted in a considerate number of photographs, the camera was ready for daily use.

Some more examples below:

Snake at the ZOO

Lilies

Sunset at Mangabeiras

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
.

A Foreigner in Brazil (42): FEB 2007. Biannual Student Festival in Rio de Janeiro II

Foreigner in Brazil (42)
FEB 2007: Biannual cultural student festival in Rio, part 2

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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Belo Horizonte, since December 2004, from month to month.
February 2007: Biannual student festival in Rio de Janeiro, part two.

>> Click here for 2005
>> Click here for 2006
>> Click here for 2007

The cultural festival was near Lapa,
cultural heart of Rio.


Biannual

In the second week of January, I received an invitation to join students in their participation of a biannual student cultural festival. The so-called Bienal de Arte e Cultura da União Nacional dos Estudantes. We had our lodgment in a faculty building of UNIRIO in Urca. This university was quite far from downtown, where the cultural events were held. Therefore, the organization had arranged free bus transport for us, day and night. Most students had carried their tents, which they set up in the lecture rooms of the faculty. One of the students had carried a mattress for me, which I used during that week.

The tram on top of Arco da Lapa (Aqueduto
da Carioca)

Frejat and Lenine

One day, our group ‘leader’ Jader had a bright idea. He suggested to walk from Urca, along the beaches of Leme, Copacabana, Arpoador, and Ipanema to Lagoa da Freitas. Frejat, who was singer of the Brazilian band Barão Vermelho (Red Baron) would give a free concert that night. Only recently before this concert, he had started a solo career and in order to gain some publicity for his new musics, he gave some small-scale concerts. Who is quite familiar with Rio, knows very well that Urca-Lagoa is a respectable distance, about ten kilometers. We enjoyed the one-hour free concert by Frejat, and walked back the entire distance, at night.
We also saw various cultural events of the biannual festival. Dancing demonstrations, theater acts, and music try-outs. We were there during music nights with Black Music, Afro Music, Funk, Samba, and a performance everyone was waiting for: the show by one of Brazil’s most popular bands, Lenine. Singer Lenine was scheduled to start the show just after midnight, but there was much delay. It was already three am,when Lenine started to sing. Everyone sang and danced with his well-known songs and lyrics. It was already five-thirty when we took the bus to our lodgment in Urca.

Our lodgment was at the base of the Urca
mountain, next to Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf)
Mountain.

Sambódromo

Jader was very familiar with the city of Rio, he was proud to show that. He really enjoyed being capable to guide us to locations and attractions which are far less known to tourists. He was the one who showed us the walking path to the top of the Corcovado, and he guided us with the long walk from Urca to Lagoa. One evening, he guided us to a rehearsal of one of the most famous samba schools in Rio: Mangueira. He warned us to be very careful, because it was expected to be very crowded. And there might appear people that might take advantage of the huge crowd and try to rob them. Indeed, it was very crowded, but Jader had no big problems to guide us to vacant seats of the huge grandstands of the Sambódromo. The Sambódromo is the location were the carnival parades by the samba schools take place during two consecutive nights. These parades are broadcast by Brazilian and international TV stations. The bateria (percussion band) started to play a thrilling rhythm, when the dancers, with their colorful outfits, appeared and danced their best samba. We really enjoyed watching this marvelous show.


Sambódromo late in the afternoon

Offers

There weren’t only concerts and demonstration dances during the cultural event. There were also many debates, public lectures, and discussions with politicians, professors, and artists. Sérgio Cabral, governor of the state of Rio, was there, and singer/Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil. There were special meetings for the so-called LGBT (Lésbicas-Gays-Bissexuais-Transsexuais) movements,which mainly discussed about emancipation. I haven’t attended any of these meetings or discussions. However, I had attended a particular meeting in which we had to stand in a large circle, and hold each other’s hands, in order to form a closed circle. A young woman, in a long blue dress, started with a monotonous song, some among us started to sing or hoffersum with her. There were offers of roses, essences, and small objects. Rituals for Iemanjá, the candomblé goddess of the oceans. Because it was her feast day, on 2 February. At Praia Vermelha in Urca, many paper boats were released in the water, some of these tiny boats carried a burning candle. Roses were thrown in the water. Whether it is superstition or not, for me it appeared as a beautiful happening.



The tile artist (born in Chile) loved his new
country.

Quiet

We already had returned in Belo Horizonte, when Carnival started to control Brazilian life. The parades in Rio and São Paulo were to be followed on tv all night long. At day, I went to the university, in order to continue my efforts to finish a new version of my thesis. I had received  long list of proposed suggestions and corrections, and it cost me much time to have these mutations adapted systematically. At that time, I really couldn’t have imagined that I would definitely defend my thesis only three years later. To put an end to my PhD time, after twelve years…

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Belo Horizonte, since December 2004, from month to month

A Foreigner in Brazil (41): JAN 2007 (II). Biannual Student Festival in Rio de Janeiro I

Foreigner in Brazil (41)

JAN 2007 (2): Cultural Student Biannual in Rio – I

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Experiences of a Dutchman living in Belo Horizonte, since December 2004, from month to month.
January 2007, part two: Cultural Student Festival in downtown Rio. Theme of the festival was: Africa.

>> Click here for 2005
>> Click here for 2006
>> Click here for 2007

Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, behind the
beaches of Ipanema and Leblon


Brazil – Africa

In December, I had traveled two times to Rio de Janeiro by bus. With students of the federal university. We had stayed in the same pousada, on the border between the districts of Ipanema and Copacabana. It was a simple and quiet pousada, at less than one kilometer from the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. Year 2007 was only two weeks old, when I received another invitation to join students to their travel to Rio de Janeiro. Not to visit the National Library this time, but to join the biannual student festival: Bienal de Arte e Cultura da União Nacional dos Estudantes. Them of 2007 was ‘Brasil-África, um Rio chamado Atlântico‘ (Brazil-Africa, a river called the Atlantic Ocean. The slogan referred to the strong ties between Brazil and mainly West-Africa, thanks to the intense slave trade, which brought millions of slaves to Brazil. The slaves brought their native cultures, which are now thoroughly mixed with the Brazilian culture.

Climb of the Corcovado rock

No camera

Just before I started my third travel to Rio, my digital camera stopped working. I had bought this camera just before I went to Brazil, in November 2004. I have made more than thirty thousand images with this camera. The problems started with the protective lens shutter, which didn’t close properly anymore. The second problem was the battery compartment. It was more expensive to have the camera repaired, than to buy a new one. Unfortunately, I lacked time to buy a new camera. This travel to Rio was the first and still is the only travel without a camera in my backpack. I really have missed my camera. Nonetheless, I joined the students on their trip to the festival. This time, we didn’t need to pay for the bus, the travel was sponsored by the university. When we arrived in downtown Rio, we had to join a long queue for our registration for the festival. We all received a neon yellow wristband, as a kind of entrance voucher for all cultural events. For me, this obvious wristband was very convenient, because now I was not easily considered as a gringo (foreigner).

Face of Cristo, before the renovation

Urca

Now we didn’t stay at the pousada in Copacabana, but we received lodgment in a faculty building of the UNIRIO university in the district of Urca. This district is famous for Pão de Açúcar, the Sugar Loaf Mountain. which may be reached by a cable car. The faculty building was near Praia Vermelha (Red Beach), but quite far from the center, where most cultural events were about to be presented. Therefore, the organization had provided free bus travel from and to the center, day and night. We only had to show our yellow wristbands. Most students had carried tents, which they set up in the lecture rooms. One of the students had carried an extra mattress for me, I would use that during the week. From Urca, it was about one-hour-walk to Leme beach, which is the beach next to Copacabana Beach. We went there almost every day, to enjoy the sun and the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It was summertime!

Dangling on the tram, you don’t need to
pay the fare.

Santa Tereza and Selarón

Despite the fact that I already had visited Rio two times before, for sure I hadn’t seen and visited everything! One of the day trips our ‘leader’ Jader organized for us, was the tram ride to Santa Tereza. The tram station was next to the impressive conical pyramid of the São Sebastião Cathedral, also called Catedral Metropolitana. We bought our tram fares for sixty centavos each. The tram followed the track on top of the arcs of the former aqueduct of Lapa, gently climbing to Santa Tereza, one of the oldest districts in Rio. By chance we found a little restaurant of a very old lady: Dona Elsa. Despite her advanced age, she still cooked for her guests. Her meal was delicious. We walked some more time in Santa Tereza before we walked down to Lapa, to the staircase of Selarón, a Chilean artist. He had collected a huge number of souvenir tiles from all over the world, which he attached in the staircase, together with many fragments of red, green and yellow tiles. I had noticed quited a number of Dutch tiles too.

The stairs by Chilean artist Selarón

Corcovado

Personally, the best day of my third stay in Rio was the day at Corcovado Mountain. On top of this more than seven hundred meters high mountain is one of the Modern World Wonders: Cristo Redentor, Christ the Redeemer. Jader guided us to Laranjeiras, where we entered a path that led to the top of the Corcovado. It was a very interesting climb, through a piece of Atlantic Forest. This forest type had covered most of southeast Brazil, at the time of the arrival of the first Europeans. The path also led along two favelas (slums), but luckily nothing bad happened that day. The climb was tiresome, even when we were walking in the shadows provided by the dense forest. But we were awarded generously: we much enjoyed the unforgettable breathtaking views of Rio de Janeiro and the surroundings. That day, it was a bit cloudy. Sometimes, the immense statue of Cristo Redentor was covered in mist. I really had missed my camera that day!

By Adriano Antoine Robbesom
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