Carnival time at Recife in Brazil
In Brazil there is a popular saying: God is Brazilian!.
It is a country of contradictions: a mixture of races, colours, faiths, customs; a poor country, of economic contrasts, political corruption, crime; a country moved by people’s emotions – there’s a sense of openness in the air, a willingness and need to exchange thoughts and affections, where physical contact is not thought invasive. Sensuality is a natural attribute that transpires through the skin.
On the streets people are not ashamed to look at each other, to disclose their emotions, cry out in laughter or despair, touch, hug and kiss each other, talk endlessly with strangers. Where does all this energy come from? The air seems to be charged with energy – does it come from the bright sun and hot tropical days? In a strange way people seem to have time for each other – every moment is shared, there is time to spend with someone else, a friend, an acquaintance or a complete stranger.
Walking on the streets of Sao Paulo one is amazed by the diversity of its population: all colours and races mixed up but all Brazilians. People nickname each other as: ‘japa’, ‘alemão’, ‘neguinho’ by the way they look, but without being pejorative. This derives directly from the Brazilian language – the musicality of the language speaks more strongly than the choice of words. One can be extremely rude despite saying polite words. A question and an affirmation have the same grammatical construction – the subtlety lies on how it is expressed, listening behind the words.
In different parts of Brazil one can encounter concentrations of different ethnic groups: German and Polish descendants in the South; Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Japanese in the Southeast; black African in the Northeast; Portuguese, Dutch and Amerindian in the North. Being a Brazilian encompasses a wide-spectrum of races, customs, religions and traditions.
Yet there's a strong link between people – an almost invisible bond. Sometimes it can be seen in the body language, or just in the eyes. There’s a certain purity that permeates many of these people’s hearts, that brings them close. It’s hard to describe, it's a kind of naivety, innocence, simplicity or warmth that comes straight from the heart. This brings a sense of caring for each other, of being made of the same material, a humane feeling, tolerance for each other and acceptance of differences.
Does this sense of fraternity comes from not belonging there? In fact it’s almost the opposite, it’s a deep feeling of belonging and caring. Foreigners either love or hate Brazil. And the Brazilians… well, Tom Jobim summarised it all: ‘Viver no exterior é bom, mas é uma merda; viver no Brasil é uma merda, mas é bom’. In this green and yellow country, there is much more than football and samba, crime and corruption, after all, God is Brazilian!
Monica Ube