Bale Folclorico

I've been hearing about this show for weeks. It's probably one of the big tourist shows to go to here, seeing as they have a performance nearly every night of the week and it always sells out (a deceptive idea because the the theatre is quite small). But Bale Folclorico is definitely a show that displays the richest aspects of Afro-Brazilian artistic expression - samba, percussion, dance, capoeira, candomble, elaborate and colorful dress. That's why it was worth it, and even though it was short and expensive, I would actually see it again.

There are about 5 different "scenes" or dance routines if you can think of it that way. It opens with a group of drummers, percussionists and two female singers lined up against the back wall, all dressed in attire reminiscent of West African fabrics and style - the women with large head wraps and crisp dresses and the men shirtless with cloth over one shoulder. The women sang very traditional Afro-Brazilian songs throughout, with many Yoruba lyrics, enough to make it difficult to understand. What also made it difficult to understand was the style of singing - there were lots of sustained notes and wails that stretched out words. Yet there was an unmistakable constant, powerful call-and-response between the singers and the drummers/percussionists. The dancers came out dressed as orixas for the first dance, set to a song paying tribute to the different gods. Each took her turn in the center, dancing in a possessed sort of way. The bodies moved smoothly and with resolve to the beat, but this was mixed with a lack of control, wild screams and crashing into others on stage. Each orixa had a different color and the customary wide ballroom gown looking ensemble on, representing the different theme of each orixa.  I tried to remember which was which...

The next scene was a much more choreographed scene in terms of dance, a more traditional samba really. The third scene was the craziest though. This one guy came out with three bowls of fire, one large one on his head and two smaller ones in each hand. He began a slow dance to drumbeat, balancing the fire with his body. Then he began moving very quickly as the beat picked up pace, his eyes occasionally rollin back into his head. He then put the bowls of coal and fire down and stepped on the fire! He not only stepped on it, he stood there and danced on it for 5 seconds each time. He then took out these two sticks and set one end of each on fire. He began his vigorous dance again, only this time he was rubbing the fire on his body!! He continually ran the fiery side of the stick up both arms and down his torso. It hurt to just look at that to be honest. Of course it wasn't done - he swallowed fire too! Repeatedly! I was impressed...The next was another samba, except this time there was a good amount of sword and stick fighting involved - the dancers weren't wearing much clothing for this scene, definitely an effort to claim the popularized, stereotyped way of African dress (men with small cloth to cover only their private parts and the women with short skirts and only their breasts covered).

The last set saw all the dancers come out, with the men doing some crazy crazy acrobatics. They were flipping all over the place, front and backflips. They then did a roda - meaning they formed a circle so people could play capoeira. Again it was amazing. It made my friend David (from Capoeira class) and I feel very inadequate - kinda like stepping onto a basketball court for the first time and taking some shots, then watching Kobe Bryant practice. Anyway, it was an awesome awesome show, and I highly recommend it!

Ribeira, Afro-Brazilian Dance, and Salsa

My time here in Brazil is rapidly coming to an end. It's pretty incredible to me. I'm trying to enjoy every day I have left as the countdown begins. Last weekend, I went to Ribeira, a relaxing beach neighborhood with the most famous ice cream in the city. While on this trip, I've thought about how cool it would be if my trip, instead of being based on African influences in Latin America, was based on ice cream tasting in cities around the world. How amazing would that be...unfortunately, that will have to be my next trip if I never get another opportunity - "Ice Cream Cultures: Uniting the Different Flavors of the World." I'm still thinking in thesis title mode. Anyway, Ribeira was so much fun. Despite the elevated number of people begging in the streets, which is somewhat surprising because of how laid back the place is, it's just wonderful. The main road runs along the Bay of All Saints, and there are small stands with delicious mixed juice drinks and bars with families, lovers and friends laughing as forro and samba plays from car stereos. People are dressed as if they're ready to jump into the water at any minute. People are dancing and smiling wide on every corner. Some people were visually tipsy that day even though it was the middle of the afternoon. It was all around lovely, and my friends, my host sister Karen, and I had some good conversation as the smooth breeze from the water cooled down another blazing hot day. As we had drinks and discussed life in Bahia, we noticed some couples in the water really expressing their love for each other, in an X-rated sort of way. Even though it was underwater, I know thrusting when I see it. It was kind of disturbing that that was happening so out in the open, but I guess as long as you don't stare at it happening, it's all good for everyone - that was my rationale at least to make it less awkward...Ribeira is close to Igreja do Bonfim, which I saw shortly after arriving a few months ago. Yesterday I went to the beach at Boa Viagem right near the beach, which was really gorgeous.

Another highlight of this past week was my foray into Afro-Brazilian dance class. My friend Paula here takes the classes every week and invited me along. She told me that I would really sweat, and I had just come from the gym so I was a bit worried about looking extremely tired. But I made it all the way through. The class was funny, a good mix of gringos and locals. The teacher was a small woman with wide curls and TONS of energy. After 15 minutes, Paula told me we were still warming up, to which I replied, "What the hell?!" Some Olodum guys played the drums on the side, switching up the beat depending on the dance we were doing. It involved a lot of low to the ground dancing, a lot of stomping, quick feet movements, etc. My mom asked me if it was similar to some of the dances I know we do in Nigerian dances and I wasn't sure how to answer. I had no idea what separated the Brazilian aspects from the African aspects, but I guess that's the point. It definitely did resemble some dances I've seen my mom do with her women's group at parties or something like that. True to form, my shirt was see-through when the class was over, and it looked like I just washed ashore from the Atlantic ocean. I'm going to return this week to get some pictures of the class. After class and two giant acais (I am hooked on this stuff, completely addicted), my friends and I went to Geronimo and then to live samba and pagode in the Terreiro do Jesus. Then we went off to Sankofa for the salsa...

I still would like to have dinner at Sankofa soon because I think it's owned by Ghanaians. That same night we went though the place was transformed into a salsa club with a live band. Now I've never taken any salsa classes and I wouldn't say I know how to dance salsa, but I love to pretend. You just twirl the girl around as much as you can and throw in some dips here and there - not that hard. During the band's break, this guy came out dressed in traditional West African garb and plugged in his computer. Turns out he was the DJ for the interlude. He mixed some reggae with some West African highlife/Juju, which was awesome. It was funny too because every now and then he would play a horrible song, everyone would stop dancing, but he was so into it he didn't notice. So he just kept on dancing like everything was fine, a pretty symbolic way of describing life here - no matter what the happiness seems to remain.

Puerto Iguazu, Buenos Aires, Colonia Uruguay and the Black Celebrity Part 2

Buenos Aires is an interesting city. It has the feel of an old European capitol. It definitely is a quieter city - even though it's quite a large city, it doesn't have that same hustle and bustle feel for some reason. I have to admit that I arrived with some preconceived notions of the place. People repeatedly told me how there were absolutely no black people in the city (which is almost true...). My friend who studied abroad here for a semester recounted for me how one time on the bus a group of guys were making monkey noises at her (she's a black woman). And I had some recent conversations about the vastly unknown genocide of Afro-Argentines that took place in the 19th century I believe (literally they were rounded up into stadiums and left to die, and the leaders of that era openly spoke about perfecting the Argentine nation and purging the land of its black inhabitants). Needless to say, I arrived not expecting to be in the most welcoming place in the world - a feeling augmented by the portenos (residents of BsAs) to be "assholes." It actually says that in my guide book...

I stayed in Recoleta, an upscale neighborhood, with my friend Ryon in his apartment. Ryon is an amazing host so I immediately felt at home and could begin exploring immediately. In Recoleta I visited the famous cemetery in BsAs where most dignitaries, leaders, and military types or buried in these elaborately sculpted tombs. The cemetery was pretty huge, and the only name I recognized was Eva Peron (Evita!). But boy was there some beautiful and interesting art. Some of the tombs were a bit over the top, with gold and silver everywhere and giant statues of angels, or of the deceased person, flanking the tomb. I'm not sure if I would eer want to be buried with such opulence, but some of those tombs were very cool looking, I must admit.  After exploring the cemetery, I took a walk around the neighborhood, stopping in Freddo's for some of the famous ice cream in BsAs. I'm an ice cream fiend so it wouldn't be so off the mark to say the major reason I visited was for some ice cream. The dulce de leche con brownie almost brought me to tears because of how good it was. Just picture that - me sitting in an ice cream parlor, eating with a single tear of joy coming down my face. A little dramatic I know, and it didn't happen, but it sort of did in my mind.  I also spent some time in Palermo during my trip, seeing the plazas and the parks and all the small boutiques. It's definitely a good place to get a meal with friends or chill at a bar with some Quilmes...

Speaking of food, the steak in BsAs is out of this world. I was in love. The meat is so fresh, cooked so well. I went out with Ryon and his family for a steak dinner one night, and it was just too delicious. The red wine there is also quite tasty. One thing that was definitely difficult to get used to in a week was the very different schedule of Argentines. Dinner is regularly had at 10 or 11pm; people don't dare arrive at the club pre-2am; and seeing the sun rise apparently means you had a good night. For me, that just meant I was really tired. We had a blast though with it - we went to this club called Wet Club which I highly recommend. It began feeling like a high school dance and by the end of the night it felt like mostly thirty somethings. And they played everything from hip-hop to Argentine reggaeton to electronic - a crazy mix. We had some laughs there. We also went out to a bunch of bars and restaurants. I definitely ate very very well.  The Argentine peso is so weak compared to the dollar since the economic crash that happened there in 2001, that visitors can afford to spend more loosely (although I was a little upset about the $20 they charge you to leave the country...not a sweet goodbye)

So my black celebrity moment in BsAs happened in la Boca, a small neighborhood with El Caminito, a strip with arts, crafts, restaurants, and old, colorful Argentine architecture. Apparently it's a must-see for the tourists. I went with my friend Sara one day, and we took a nice stroll through the place, admiring the quaint buildings and the paintings of people dancing the tango. Out of nowhere these guy walk up to us, I don't even think he said hi. They asked me where I was from and when I said the U.S., from New Jersey, he got very excited and said, "B.I.G.! Big poppa, yea man! Oh and R. Kelly too! But he pees on little girls and that's nasty...And 50 Cent! Go, go, go shawty, its your birthday." I was waiting for the ignorance to stop, as Sara and I laughed at the awkwardness as these guys were singing and rapping and walking with us. One guy started beat-boxing, another was singing an inappropriate R. Kelly song. I was asked if I rapped or played basketball twice in like 40 seconds. I think there was a small reference to Obama in there somewhere, which made me a little less appalled. It was definitely hilarious though. It got me thinking of all the different things those guys mentioned, which they thought would resonate with me as an African-American - the music, the pop culture, the images that undoubtedly dominate public representations of black American men in the city. How interesting - again I was a celebrity for a little while...

During my time in Argentina, Ryon and I took a short trip to Uruguay, which was fun. It was this small town, without much to do but walk around, eat, and sit by the water. I've learned to appreciate places like this more though, so I actually had fun. We had the traditional Uruguayan food - chiva, which is steak covered in egg, cheese and ham - a little indulgent for me but not bad. Ryon and I had some good conversation, reminisced about our college years which are getting further and further away (almost a year ago now), and we played twenty questions (a classic game). All in all, BsAs and Uruguay and the rest of the places I visited were a blast! I had a lot of fun, met some cool, interesting people, and gained a new respect for Salvador, my new home away from home. I was excited to return, even though the city is much quieter now (in comparison, there are definitely still street parties all the time). And I only have a few weeks left, so I'm trying to do all I can with the time I have...

Puerto Iguazu, Buenos Aires, Colonia Uruguay and the Black Celebrity

At the moment, I'm being serenaded by the sounds of people constructing a new apartment downstairs. It literally sounds like the Broadway show Stomp, except with occasional gunshots. And they love starting extra early too. I might go offer to help them finishing building it just so I don't go insane. Imagine a very angry old man hitting the same nail with a hammer for 7 hours a day. That's what it sounds like.  Anyway, in other news I'm back in Salvador and regretting not taking more time out to write about my little excursion because I certainly have a lot to say, thus I will be writing in editions...

I moved on from Sao Paulo, having a really pleasant time there, to a weekend excursion in Iguassu Falls, home to some of the most magnificent waterfalls on earth. I stayed in a nice little hotel and watched like 10 movies and read a bunch. I had a tour guide that would come and pick me up, walk with me through the falls and bring me back during the day. I would've met more people, but it was majority older couples on vacation, so I was more hesitant to start up a conversation at dinner and during the tours and stuff. My tour guide was a really cool, very nice guy, who told me all about his newborn and how he doesn't sleep at all and how his wife's parents are German and therefore somewhat boring. The funny thing was he said that part like I should've understood that being German naturally means you are a boring person. I'm still learning I guess. In any case, the falls were crazy! The first day, on the Brazilian side called Foz do Iguacu, was quite short. We drove through the park and walked a small trail to where we had a panoramic view of the falls on the Argentine side. It was amazing seeing them all spread out like that - really a wonder of the world. I was being so corny - listening to TLC "Don't Go Chasin' Waterfalls" on my iPod (I do things like that that only amuse myself in the moment). That and the museum about the falls were the highlights of the day. 

The next day though was much longer and such a blast. The Argentine side called Puerto Iguazu had tons more to do.  When we arrived, I experienced the first of what would be a series of what I call "black celebrity" moments.  Now it is fair that I was wearing my LeBron James jersey and I'm quite taller than most, and I'm black, so I stand out in a place like Puerto Iguazu. As we were walking into the park, this woman signaled to me and pointed to her camera. I figured she wanted me to take a quick picture of her and her girlfriends, so I said sure and reached out for the camera.  She then wagged her finger no and signaled for her friends to jump at me from both sides so she could take a picture.  It all happened so fast I went ahead and posed for the camera, confused as they thanked me and walked away giggling and smiling. Maybe they thought I was famous? Maybe they thought I was LeBron James (who I'm sure wears his jersey wherever he goes)? Maybe they just wanted a funny picture? I don't think too much about things like this, but it would become a recurrent theme (during Carnaval, as my friends and I waited for a pizza in a grocery store, which is as bad of an idea as it sounds, this drunk guy called me Michael Jordan 42 times and asked for my autograph. I signed a piece of paper that said "I believe you can fly. - Love, MJ 23."). I digress... 

I was closer to the falls on this side so there was a persistent mist hitting me all day which offset the ridiculous heat. The trails led us to look at the falls from all different angles, from the bottom looking up to the top looking down. There were also cool birds, fish, and butterflies with such exotic colors everywhere. I, of course, couldn't resist taking the boat ride they offered. So I paid up, put on my life jacket and set off to the mouth of the waterfalls. It was a bit scary as we plowed into them, it reminded me of a Dorney Park ride - I got sufficiently soaked. But as the wind wiped the waterfalls from my face as the boat made a sharp, quick turn back towards the dock, I looked up at the rainbow soaring above my head and the waterfalls surrounding me, with those comforting, perpetual rushing sounds, and I just took a moment to thank God. It was one of those humbling moments, where I ask myself, "Why do I deserve to experience this? What makes me so special that I get to see something as marvelous as this?" And the answer really is nothing.  I'm reminded how small I am, how significant I may be to some people in this world, but just how insignificant I am in the larger narrative of world history.  The answer is simply that I've been blessed for some unknown reason, and luck has followed me closely to this point in my life.

Sao Paulo, Museu AfroBrasil, and Hip Hop

I'm sitting on the bus at the moment taking an overnight trip to Iguassu Falls. As is usually the case with these kinds of trips for me, the seat in front of me is reclined all the way back, and a little girl who honestly looks exactly like a cabbage patch doll has been staring me in the face for 30 minutes.  She's a cutie, but when her mom says sit down, she promptly replies "No! you sit down!" (in portuguese). She's already been hit and cried once. I'm going to keep a count of how many times it happens in the next few hours.

I just finished up a great week in Sao Paulo, where I tried to fit in as much as possible with the little time that I had. I stayed with Miles in his swank Moema apartment, and met some really cool people throughout the week. I love big cities, so when I arrived I was super excited to ride the subway. Immediately I realized how incredibly diverse the place is and just how huge it is as well. Except for the trip to Museu AfroBrasil, this trip definitely felt pretty touristy for me, which is fine. I spent one day walking around the Centro, visiting old churches and markets and things of the like. Then I spent another day in Liberdade, the Japanese neighborhood, marked by sushi restaurants, stores selling geisha dolls and traditional attire, and fancy red street lights. The history of Japanese immigration in Brasil is fascinating - they really have a bustling community here - the second largest outside of Japan I think. I chatted with a few random Japanese people in portuguese, which I found so much fun for some reason. I think the many cultural collisions going on made it so interesting. I also visited Av. Paulista - the area of Sao Paulo with big businesses and skyscrapers galore - very modern with tons of interesting things to do. I finally saw Milk which was a great movie. And I took a bus to the areas a bit outside of Sao Paulo, which were markedly poorer and blacker. It was important to see those areas in contrast to the poverty in the city center and in contrast to the bustling middle class. 

Nightlife was good too - Miles and I went to an 80's themed bar which had ridiculously expensive drinks. People were averaging 2 baby sips per 5 minutes.  We went to a small dance club called Vegas that had some terrible music upstairs - loud, slow rock and a DJ so old I was worried for his health. The downstairs was markedly more fun, so we stayed there with some other friends acting silly until about 5am. Then my last night we went to Dolores Dolores, this place in Vila Madalena highly recommended by Dave from Rio. The place was spinning "black music" and was too much fun! They started with guys doing live performances of some hits - Ne-Yo, Usher, Snoop, etc. Then the DJ took over and played some classic 90's R&B mixed in with some newer stuff, and some songs I've never heard. I had a blast! I was in heaven. It was funny to see the difference in dancing though to American hip hop - not as much aggressive grinding going on (update: this little girl is getting really close to my laptop at the moment - you're only cute until you break something). The crowd was very young and hip as well. I couldn't help but wonder how a place like this would do in Salvador.  I do love axe (the most popular form of music in Salvador), but I needed a break to be honest, especially after the Carnaval axe overload. Anyway, it's interesting thinking about how "black" music means solely American hip hop here - which leads smoothly into my trip to Museu AfroBrasil in Parque Ibirapuera...   

I met there with a girl named Cristiane who I was introduced to a few months ago via facebook. She works at the museum, and invited me to come in to talk about the focus of my trip and her impressions of Africa and racial/national identity in Brasil (update #2: the girl is now crying again...). First of all, the museum is huge! It certainly put the small, rinky-dink one in Salvador that Chi and I visited to shame. There were Afro-Brazilian exhibits by some talented artists in two forms - the art by people who consider themselves Afro-Brazilian (and their art wasn't necessarily Africa-themed) and African-themed art by Brazilians who don't necessarily consider themselves Afro-Brazilian. Then there were of course Africa-themed exhibits by Afro-Brazilians (update #3:the little girl just hit my laptop, cabbage patch kid v. fof-master flex is about to commence). And I love that the focus was on the long historical exchange between parts of Africa and Brasil. There were exhibits on Brazilian communities that moved to Nigeria in the 19th century, on current Mozambican immigration to Brazil, and of course the intricate connections between candomble ceremonies and traditional West African forms of worship. And the focus wasn't only on the clothing and the masks, it was also on the people who history can sometimes forget. For example, freed slaves from Brazil composed an extremely interesting, cosmopolitan group who remade and molded visions of Africa throughout the country - it was important to see their faces. After walking around for about two hours, Cristiane and I sat down for a long chat. It was an amazing conversation - and a long one too, so I won't get into all the specifics. But one interesting question that emerged was how the meaning of Africa is evolving in Brazil today. As a younger generation grows up here, and identifies more with a black international identity, that uses American hip hop and rap as tools of resistance, does the idea of Africa and a connection to the continent become more diluted? Cristiane mentioned how noone knows much about Africa at all in her experience (sounds like the U.S.), even some Afro-Brazilians that she knows - interesting. There are parallels here with immigrant communities in the U.S. and the fear on the part of parents of a loss of culture over time. If kids don't speak the native tongue, if they don't know much about their mother country, what happens to the meaning of a homeland in those families? So, is it only a matter of time until the word "Africa" rings hollow? Does it already? After SP, these questions seem more pressing....(last update: after staring contest with little girl, fofmaster has defeated cabbage patch doll. she's now sleeping soundly in her mother's lap, undoubtedly dreaming about the magnitude of her defeat)...

Rio, Samba, and the Search for Africa...

I just left Rio and arrived in Sao Paulo, going from a hostel where strangers eerily stare at you while you sleep to my friend's swank apartment in Moema. It'll take me some time to get used to hostels since that'll most likely be the majority of the second half of my fellowship year. I've only had the whole hostel experience with Kuumba, where you like everyone in the room and it feels like a big, happy sleepover - people singing gospel, spirituals, debating black history and politics. It's safe to say that that was not the hostel in Rio, but for what it is - a place to sleep and get some breakfast - it was fine. And it was in Ipanema, which is a really cool, safe neighborhood with tons of bars, restaurants, and a beach a few blocks away...

My time in Rio came and went so quickly. I rolled with my new friend Dave, an awesome entrepreneurial type working in the city, pretty much every day. I saw the big Christ statue which was absolutely amazing - the only downside was that we were basically in a clowd and couldn't see much for most of the time. But being in a clowd is cool I guess. I also went up the Pao de Acucar, and got a great view of the city. Luckily I went there on a clear day so it was all good. And I met a nice group of New Zealanders/Aussies/Scottish friends who joined me for a nice dinner with some delicious picanha. Speaking of meat, Dave and I went to Porcao, the famous Churrascaria. I've been to a few in Salvador, but this one was probably the fanciest. Every meat they brought out was delicious, and when the filet mignon (com sal) I requested came out, I literally heard angels singing and there was a strange light in the sky :). At some bars and a small nightclub, I met some cool people - some of Dave's friends mostly. We went to Lapa one night, where it feels like the whole city congregates. I saw the famous stairs in Snoop Dogg's famous "Beautiful" video by Selaron de Chile and the hip Friday night life. I also saw the very dodgy side of Rio, which is somewhat unfortunate. At night things get shady and prostitutes come out in full force. The only hip-hop bar we found just had to be the central location for old monied foreign men to pick up young, scantily-clad Brazilian girls (and I mean girls...). Sex tourism is supposed to be a real problem here, and I saw exhibit A. In the moment it's a bit amusing, but thinking of the broad implications of that, it's a bit disturbing - I digress. So I basically did lots of touristy stuff with my time in Rio. Some of it was by design, and the other side was that it was particularly difficult to find Africa in Rio.

Rio was definitely one of the most beautiful places landscape-wise I have ever seen, but it compared for me to South Africa in some ways, in that people fear each other so much and there's such a built up tension, a feeling that violence can explode at any minute, that it prevents people from going to certain parts of the city or going to certain venues. Zona Norte and Zona Sul are basically different worlds, as well as the favelas and the rest of Rio. There is an outright drug war going on in the favelas all the time (certainly looks that way on the news), which make them rather dangerous and risky. So while Rio is interesting and diverse and gorgeous, one is really confined to a few neighborhoods, especially as a traveler without the kind of connections that might allow one to see a bit more.

One interesting experience I did have though took place in Lapa. We went to a show featuring two big groups - Beija-Flor and Monobloco. Despite the unbearable heat - I sweat like 5 lbs. - we met some cool people and listened to some quality samba and axe. I've been hearing axe for 2 months now since that's the most popular music in Salvador; apparently in the South samba reigns supreme. But it was cool to see the two juxtaposed together, and the slight influence of Africa that came along with it. Now clearly these percussion-heavy groups were inspired by African rhythms and music emerging from black consciousness movements here in Brazil, and beyond that, Beija-Flor's performance was especially interesting. Their axe music was accompanied by beautiful black women basically dressed in fancy, diamond-laced bikinis and giant headresses, that spread out wide like peacock feathers. Now I'm not sure the African performance this type of thing is based on, but it was certainly glamorous and there was lots of interpretation going on in terms of what performing African-inspired axe looks like in Rio, who gets to participate, and the role the dancing women play in the bigger picture of cultural performance. Was this display of overt sexualized dancing someone's problematic view of Africa in Brazil or was it the manifestation of a hybrid creation of musical performance over many decades in southern Brazil? Since it was difficult to find any strong connection to Africa in Rio outside the clearly descended music and food, I'm not sure the answers to my questions.

More Brazil...

In a few hours I'll be leaving for Rio de Janeiro, followed by Sao Paulo. I'm excited to do some more traveling while I'm here, and especially to see the differences between Bahia and the south of Brazil, which is supposed to be very different. I'll only be in each place for a few days, and then I'll return to sunny Salvador at the end of March to finish out my stint in Brazil. Here we go...