Carnaval? Hell no!!!

What is the first thing you remember when it comes to Brazil? Let me guess: the national soccer team? The statue of Christ the Redeemer? Its endless political scandals and violent cities?

Many people may say CARNAVAL (or Brazilian Carnival, if you insist...). You've already heard about it, for sure. A enormous street festival, samba-schools parades, five or more days of fun, craziness and senselessness all around the country... Sounds good, no? Wrong!!! (But I must admit, I can't complain about the days off, hehehe...).

It's not a matter of age; even when I was younger, I couldn't stand Carnaval too - except the costume thing (some outfits are pretty cool). Everybody acts as if they had to be cheerful and full of effervescent enthusiasm all the time. It's so hollow, if you think about it. We have to deal with traffic jams in the main roads and highways, crowded beaches, tiresome media broadcasts, with the same lame event being shown over and over. Besides, brazilian women often suffer sexual harassment during Carnaval. It's horrible.

If someone, singing and dancing in a bloco, invites me: "Join us!", I reply: "Thank you but I'm out".

Carnaval? Hell no!!!

We should read - and listen to - Raduan Nassar

Last year, brazilian writer Raduan Nassar was honored with Camões Prize, the biggest premium to authors from Portuguese speaking countries community. Many people consider him the most important brazilian novelist alive. But all these credentials haven't prevented current brazilian federal government to disrespect him.

The prize was received by Nassar last Friday (2. 17. 2017), during a ceremony at Lasar Segall Museum, in São Paulo. In his speech, the writer spoke out on Brazil's present situation ("We've lived in dark times".), as well as denounced the wrongdoings of Michel Temer's administration ("The mentioned facts configure, by extension, a repressive government as a whole: against workers, against judicious retirements, against federal universities of gratuitous education [..]. Government linked, by the way, to neoliberalism, with its scandalous concentration of wealth, which has been worsening the poor people's life of the whole world"). The full speech can be found here (in Portuguese)

Shortly after, the government official, Culture Minister Roberto Freire, discourteous, rather than just pretending that he had nothing to do with those issues, talked shit, having a row with the ceremony guests.

Why are politicians so arrogant, generally so full of their own "importance"?

Raduan Nassar, 81 years-old, is a recluse man who retired from literary life in 1984 and nobody knows why. Since then, he's become a full-time farmer whose public appearances are quite rare. So, when this man is receiving a remarkable literary distinction I think he's entitled to say whatever he wants to! His work is much more important to my country than the current government, which has arisen from a stealthy coup d'etat, backed by media companies and some members of the judiciary.

Hands talk a lot in Brazilian Portuguese

Terminator (model T-800, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) is about to leave a gas station convenience store (taking goods out) when the clerk, worried and a little bit angry, tell him: "Hey, are you gonna pay for that?". And the robotic tough guy replies: "Talk to the hand!".

I don't know about you, but the first time I've heard that expression (check out its meaning here) was in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Nobody talks to hands, of course, but we can talk with our hands (and I'm not referring to sign language).

Some gestures are rapidly understood in many countries because they have the same meaning, regardless the nationality or slight cultural differences (well, at least in the West). A few nods are immediately comprehensible as soon as someone make them. Thumb up is a positive thing in any place, I guess, and all of us know that a index finger in front of someone's puckered mouth is asking for silence.

However, some gestures of certain countries are so peculiar that it's necessary explain them. Take a look at this enjoyable Babbel's video about 7 common brazilian gesticulations (I make them - except the last one - all the time, it's true!).

Poor one single book readers!

How many books do you read a year? (Hey, relax. It's just a rhetorical question, okay?).

To tell you the truth, books are not in vogue these days -  come to think of it, they've never been popular before. Ordinary people couldn't afford to buy them. (Just consider the situation in the 1800s or even in the first half of the 20th century, not to mention that a book could cost more than 40 sheep in the Middle Age!).

Things seem different now in many ways. Books have become cheaper than ever and the literacy rates have been increasing globally, which doesn't necessarily mean that we live in a sort of "Readers Era" or something like that. We do not. Definitely. In the USA, for instance, only 5 hours and 42 minutes are spent with reading per week per person. Here in Brazil, it's even worse: 5 hours and 12 minutes. Moreover, each american has read 5.5 books on average a year (brazilians have been reading 4.96). It's disappointing, don't you think?

As if it weren't already bad enough, many people are one-single-book readers. They think it's a big, huge deal - "wow, we've been reading the Book!" - but, in my opinion, it closes their minds and becomes them more bigoted, more intolerant.

As the actor Billy Connoly once said, "Never trust people who've only got one fucking book".

Coconut Water: The Drink of the Gods

Forget ambrosia. The real drink of the gods is coconut water. It's absolutely perfect. One ice cold coconut (like those in the image above) costs R$ 4,50 (nearly $1.50) here in Belo Horizonte. And trust me: It's worth the price. Every single drop. 

Let me explain, right?

Yesterday I was at a friend of mine's bar and drank like a goddamn fish, intermixing glasses of beer with shots of cachaça (a strong brazilian beverage made from sugar cane). I got really sloshed (by the way, I get kinda swine whenever I get drunk, hehehe...). It was hard to get out of the bed this morning. My head was spinning; my throat was drier than the Mars surface. Everybody knows that there's no medicine for hangover. However, coconut water works miracles, dude! I bought two of those wonderful tropical palm fruits and a couple of minutes later I was a brand new man.

Blessed coconut water, you saved the day again!

Being black in Brazil

First of all, shall we read some lines of Adão Ventura?

"Come shine or come storm,

my body is enclosed

by this black skin".

Ventura was a brazilian poet. He lived many years here in Belo Horizonte (my hometown) and passed away in 2004. It's funny that his poetry - brave, simple, straightforward - remains unknown for the most in my country. Unfortunately. 

Let's read the rest of the poem:

"Come shine or come storm,

my body is fenced

by these high walls

- corrals

where is still coagulated

the blood of slaves

Come shine

or come storm,

my body is enclosed

by this black skin".

Several Adão Ventura's poems often remind me that Brazil is not a racial democracy, as many people think (inside and outside the country). Brazilian racial democracy is a myth! Just take a look at our parliament. Although more than 50% of Brazil's population are black there are less than 5% african-brazilians in the Congress. The same "standard" is repeated on entertaiment industry, fashion, advertising. And what about the wage gap between whites and blacks? What about police brutality against black people?

I'm proud to be a black brazilian guy. But I must recognize too: We have serious issues with racism here, even though some people pretend not see them.