Rio Gringa

Rachel Recommends: Brazil Books

• The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, and Politics edited by Robert M. Levine and John J. Crocitti, 1999 (English)

This book is a collection of articles and short stories about Brazil. It is an excellent overview of the country, its culture, history and social and economic trends. The editors devote chapters to different periods of history, to Brazilian women, race and ethnic relations, slavery, "realities" and "saudades" (nostalgia). It is an excellent way to gain a great snapshot of the country and to learn about both important historical facts and also lesser known interesting cultural trends, like about the indigenous movements.

• Culture Shock!: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette in Brazil, by Volker Poelzl (English)

This book is Brazil in a nutshell, giving you all the essential information in a condensed fashion about everything you ever needed to know about Brazil, including Brazilian history, culture, food, holidays, regional differences, and vital information you need to know when visiting or moving to Brazil. Includes a section on Brazilian Portuguese and a nice little cultural "Dos and Don'ts" section that include such fun advice as: "Don't be alarmed by people randomly talking to you in public," or "Don't use the American OK sign. It is considered an obscene gesture."

• Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, by Alex Bellos, 2002 (English)

One of my absolute favorite books about Brazil, and one of my favorite books in general. Alex Bellos did extensive research and interviews about Brazilian soccer and managed to show, in his charming British way, just how incredibly intertwined soccer is with absolutely every aspect of Brazilian life: politics, the economy, popular culture, immigration, sociology, the media, religion, and much more. Here are a few key tidbits:

1. About 5,000 Brazilians play soccer abroad, not only in Western Europe but even in "Armenia, Senegal, China, Jamaica, Lebanon, Vietnam, Australia, and Haiti."
2. Brazilians love soccer so much they have invented new sports using football as the base, including something called "autoball" that involved men in cars knocking around a huge ball. It is now outlawed.
3. Many professional Brazilian soccer teams have a personal Candomble priest who tries to provide the team with luck from the spirits, though this fact is not well-publicized.

• Brazil: A Traveler's Literary Companion, edited by Alexis Levitin, 2010 (English)

An interesting collection of short stories by Brazilian authors divided into sections based on region. A great overview of Brazilian literature in translation.

• Deu no New York Times, (The New York Times Had It) by Larry Rohter, 2007 (Portuguese)

A collection of the former New York Times Brazil correspondent's most important articles about Brazil, including the best of culture, society, politics, the Amazon, and science/economy. He also provides interesting insight in the introductions, giving a unique outsider perspective from a foreigner who knows Brazil and Brazilians after decades of living and working in the country.

• O Rio é assim, (That's Rio) by José Carlos Oliveira, 2005 (Portuguese)

The absolute best non-fiction book on Rio de Janeiro, though only available in Portuguese (as far as I know). A collection of essays and columns written between 1953 and 1984, it's a fascinating look at a changing city with a mixture of pure love and complete frustration. He casts a critical eye on the city's problems (many of which still persist) and also poetically expresses his adoration for all there is to love about Rio.

• O que faz o brasil, Brasil? (What Makes Brazil, Brazil?) by Roberto da Matta, 1999 (Portuguese)

A non-fiction book that summarizes most of his major works, this short work by a famous Brazilian anthropologist helped shed light on some of the things I didn't understand about Brazilian society and culture and confirmed in a very astute and concise way the things I did understand.

• Brazil on the Rise, by Larry Rohter, 2010 (English)

Larry Rohter analyzes Brazil, this time in English. It's a must-read for any foreigner interested in Brazil, and is one of the best non-fiction reads you'll find in English about Brazil. You'll learn about Brazilian history, economy, and politics as well as important cultural idiosyncracies. Plus, there's fun reading on music, film, soccer, and interesting perspectives on race and religion.

• The New Brazil, by Riordan Roett, 2010 (English)

An excellent non-fiction account by one of the great Brazilianists, this book focuses on Brazilian history and also on current events, outlining political and economic changes that have transformed the country in the last decade. It's more on the academic side, but fascinating nonetheless.

• Gabriela, Cravo e Canela (Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon), by Jorge Amado, 1958 (Portuguese; translated editions in English and Spanish)

One of Brazil's most famous novels about the shift from the old-fashioned to modern Brazil. It takes place in Ilheus, Bahia and has a Dickensian amount of characters. One of the best fictional books you can read to understand Brazil.

• Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas,  (The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas) by Machado de Assis, 1881 (Portuguese, available in English)

One of the greatest works of Brazilian literature, this novel provides a look into 19th century Brazil, including social classes, slavery, and life in Rio. It's one of Machado de Assis' most famous works that's required reading for Brazilian high school students.

• Rio de Janeiro: Carnival on Fire, by Ruy Castro, 2003. (Portuguese, available in English)

A quick and easy read about the history and spirit of Rio de Janeiro. While it actually subscribes to a lot of Rio stereotypes, there are some great stories about Rio's history and important characters from the city, as well as an explanation of why certain things are the way they are in Rio. It's a good read as long as you also read some more realistic visions of the city, too.

Brazil News Briefs

On Wednesday, Sigourney Weaver protested at the UN, along with Native Americans and Brazilian indigenous tribal representatives, against the Belo Monte dam in Brazil. She also met with Brazilian diplomats to discuss the controversial project.

You know those incredibly annoying double decker tourist buses in New York and London? It looks like Rio is finally getting its own touristmobiles.

A new study shows that Brazil deforested more than any other country between 2000 and 2005. The number one deforesting state? Mato Grosso.

Brazil's Supreme Court has ended Viagra's patent in Brazil, meaning local companies can now start producing generic versions.

FIFA released its new ranking today, with Brazil in the #1 spot going into the World Cup.

For those interested in money matters (and gringos speaking Portuguese), check out this American journalist giving an interesting interview with Estadao on the Brazilian economy.

Jamie Oliver isn't the only foreigner to discover how corrupt and ridiculous the US Department of Agriculture is. Instead of coming to a reasonable agreement on the cotton subsidy crisis with Brazil, the USDA has strong armed the US government into what some are calling "bribery." Here's the long version of the story, and here's the short version. Either way, it's a major facepalm story.

Another US-Brazil child abduction case has hit the news. An American, Kelvin Birotte, married a Brazilian Olympic volleyball player, who kidnapped their 1.5 year old son to Brazil in 2006. This month, a court in Minas Gerais ruled that the child must be returned to the United States under the Hague Convention. The handover deadline is Thursday, though the mother is appealing the decision. I'd like to get some more details on this case before dedicating a full post to it, so if anyone has some more info, please let me know.

And not directly Brazil related - a fascinating story about how New York is the most linguistically diverse city in the world.

Jobs in Rio de Janeiro

I still get a steady stream of questions about moving to Rio, and I don't have time to respond to most of them, so I'm sorry about that. But I recently came across a few interesting job postings in Rio, so whether you're a gringo or an English-speaking Brazilian, check out these opportunities, and be sure to note where they come from, namely Idealist, Craigslist, FPA, and Devex. (Craigslist in particular has mostly crap, but once in awhile there will be ok listings) Make sure you check those sites frequently for English language job listings in Brazil, though they're not terribly common. If I wasn't planning on staying in New York, I would be all over the first listing!

Rio de Janeiro Job Listings - April 2010

Program Officer - Media Rights and Access, Ford Foundation

"The Program Officer will be responsible for designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating a portfolio of grants addressing issues relating to media rights and access as well as advancing public media services in Brazil. S/he will strive to promote a media environment that demonstrates balance between freedom of expression and media regulation and that ensures symmetry of opportunities for citizens and groups generating, disseminating, and acquiring information."

Associate of Business Development, Community in Action

"We are currently seeking a Full-Time Business Development Associate to begin in April, 2010 for a one year period (which can be extended). This position entails several responsibilities. As the development associate, you will work directly with the NGO’s founders to seek funds and create partnerships both in Brazil and abroad."

Manager of Operations, Community in Action

"We are currently seeking a Full-Time Manager of Operations to begin in May, 2010 (or shortly thereafter) for a one year period. As the operations manager, you will direct day-to-day activities in Rio de Janeiro."

Freelance Media Analyst, Report International

"We are currently looking to recruit freelance Portuguese-speaking media analysts in Brazil for a new project. We would need you to write an English language summary of each article, and analyse the content against a number of topics."

IT Program Manager, Accion International

"The IT Program Manager will assist ACCION’s microfinance partner in Brazil with deploying and managing technology to support their business strategy.  S/he will have management responsibility for all IT related ACCION project in Brazil."

The Lapa Steps: Bringing Color to Rio

Awhile back, I got a marketing e-mail from someone at the Let's Colour project, but since it was something of a form e-mail with a brief mention about Rio de Janeiro, I sort of glazed over it, also in part because I have been really busy and overwhelmed. This was unfortunate because later on, I found out more about the project and found some fun videos on YouTube (via The Good Blood). The lesson is that personalized emails with direct links to multimedia and explicit explanations about why bloggers should care about a project are much more effective than copying and pasting some generic text.

In any event, this is a bit late, but please check out The Colour Project in Rio de Janeiro, with the wonderful, eccentric, charming, Portunhol-speaking Selaron and his fellow Lapa artist, Mimi.

Como votar no exterior

Queria saber como faz para brasileiro votar no exterior, já que meu marido provavelmente não vai se cadastrar sem instruções muito específicas. Confesso que achei um pouco complicado, e achei nada sobre o que fazer no dia da eleição, mas devem informar como fazer no consulado quando se cadastrar.

Espero que seja útil!

1. Cadastramento no consulado mais próximo [transferência do seu título de eleitor]

OBS: Tem que se cadastrar antes do dia 5 de maio de 2010 para a eleição presidencial.

Documentos necessários:

-original e cópia do certificado militar, no caso de solicitantes do sexo masculino que estejam pedindo o primeiro título de eleitor;

-cópia de um comprovante de residência (conta de telefone, carteira de motorista americana etc.);

-Original (ou cópia autenticada) e cópia de uma forma de identidade, dentre as seguintes:

  * carteira de identidade brasileira;

  * passaporte brasileiro de modelo antigo (capa verde);

  * carteira de trabalho brasileira;

  * certidão brasileira de nascimento (emitida por cartório no Brasil ou Consulado brasileiro no exterior);

  * certidão brasileira de casamento (idem);

  * passaporte brasileiro de modelo novo (capa azul), acompanhado de documento brasileiro que comprove a filiação;

  * carteira nacional de habilitação (mas no caso de solicitação de alistamento, deverá ser acompanhada de documento brasileiro que comprove a nacionalidade);

Formulários

O formulário de alistamento eleitoral é fornecido gratuitamente no momento da inscrição e deverá ser preenchido pelo próprio interessado. Ao solicitar a transferência do título para o consulado em sua região, o interessado preenche também um formulário pedindo isenção das multas que porventura houver, já que não é possível pagá-las no exterior.

Fonte: Consulado-Geral em NYC

Veja também:

Mais informações: TRE-DF

Brazil com Z: Como transferir o título, e como fazer se não pode/não quer votar no exterior

Terra: FAQ - Votar no exterior

Busted in Copacabana

One of my fellow Latin America-philes was kind enough to write a guest post about a huge Colombian drug kingpin bust in Rio. Brazil has become a major transshipment point for cocaine in the Americas, and big time dealers seem to have even lived in Brazil without much of a hassle--until recently. Joint task forces and Federal Police operations have managed to bring not one but two Colombian drug kingpins down in Brazil, the most recent one in one of Rio's most famous playgrounds.

Narco Arrested in Copacabana

One of Colombia’s most wanted drug barons was arrested while leaving his apartment on the afternoon of April 16.

The apartment wasn't a luxurious residence hidden in the hills outside Medellin or Cali. Nor was it a multimillion-dollar apartment in downtown Bogotá.

It was the intersection of Rua Hilário de Gouveia and Avenida Atlantida on Copacabana beach. A joint task force consisting of three different Brazilian anti-crime organizations and collaboration from the United States’ Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) arrested Nestor Ramon Caro Chapparo, aka “Felipe”, in one Rio's most famous neighborhoods. The US Department of State was offering up to US $5 million for Caro Chapparo’s arrest. 

It’s the second high-profile bust of a Colombian drug trafficker in one week that occurred outside of Colombia. Ramon Quintero, a suspected leader of the Norte del Valle Cartel, was arrested in a bakery in an upscale neighborhood in northern Quito, Ecuador, on April 13. Like Caro Chapparo, the US State Department was willing to pay up to US $5 million for information leading to Quintero's arrest.

However, unlike Quintero, who was a leader of one of Colombia’s most powerful cartels, authorities believe that Caro Chapparo was largely an independent trafficker, who likely used his connections with the former members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) to facilitate the transportation of thousands of kilograms of cocaine to the United States, as well as West Africa and Europe via various points along the Brazilian coast.

The timing of Caro Capparo’s arrest occurs within the same week that a Defense Cooperation Agreement between Brasilia and Washington in “defense related matters” and “cooperation in any other military fields that may be of mutual interest to the Parties”.

Although the deal doesn’t specifically call out monitoring drug trafficking, it is likely implied. The US State Department recognizes Brazil, particularly Sao Paulo, as a cocaine export corridor for US and European bound cocaine. 

The arrest of Caro Chapparo highlights Brazil’s relevance as a port of exit for drugs bound for the US and Europe. Caro Chapparo was not the first to fall. In August 2007, Brazilian authorities arrested Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, another Norte del Valle leader, in Aldeia da Serra in Greater Sao Paulo. Though the local market, which Veja says is dominated by Bolivian cocaine, exists in Brazil, the presence of internationally wanted suspects such as Caro Chapparo shows that it is Brazil's geographic location, not population, that attracts international drug traffickers.

At the local level, a lethal confrontation between Police and gang members in an attempted bust of a leading trafficker in Vila Alianza on April 20 that left five dead offers a chilling reminder that men like Capo Chapparo are the exception, not the rule, in drug-related arrests and attempted arrests in Brazil.

Eliot Brockner is a Rio Gringa reader. He writes at LatAmThought.

The Prejudice Test

In this Brazilian TV show, the host did several tests with a blond woman, a gay man, and a black man to see who would experience the most prejudice at a mall in São Paulo. While not very scientific, the experiment was revealing and at the end, even scary. I think it would be interesting to do the same test in the United States, except with a Latina woman or a Middle Eastern man. It might also be more interesting in both cases to use all men or all women.

UPDATE: Original video link stopped working - here is a new one, below.