Who is Brazil?

I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to travel to multiple countries in Latin America, and I have certainly fallen in love with the region as a result.  This past month has marked my first time in Brazil, but because of my previous experience in Latin America, I sort of felt before coming as if I already knew the answer to the question, “Who is Brazil?”  I have spent only a month in Brazil with somewhat limited cultural exposure, so I will attempt to answer that question while understanding that there is a whole lot that I still do not know much about when it comes to Brazilian culture and identity.

Much of my answer has to do with the same stereotypes as those outlined in this essay prompt: that Brazilians have in fact, proven to generally be very nice, welcoming and generous people.  I can think of countless examples of people the group encountered in the past month who were friendly and openhearted to an incredible degree.  For example, it was Tiago and Vanessa’s job to be our guides throughout our time in Sao Paulo and Curitiba, but they were certainly not required to open up to us the way they did, invite us out with them at night, or give us so many personal recommendations for places to go or things to do.  They definitely went above and beyond their normal duties, as did our teacher Thomas, who was more than happy to share his love of Brazilian music with the group outside of class.

On top of our wonderful guides, I continued to meet other amazingly nice people along the way.  Just this past week in Curitiba, I met a family at the futebol game between Coritiba FC and Flamengo who seemed genuinely thrilled to see Americans taking an interest in their team.  They helped me learn the words to the chants and songs of the rest of the fans so that our group could participate more fully in the action.  I was very thankful for their help, but what stood out to me was how helping me out made them so happy.

A few days later, when the group traveled to Morretes, I had another similar encounter.  While wandering through the streets of the historic town, Evan, Saule and I stumbled upon a restaurant situated in a beautiful spot next to the Nhundiaquara River.  We went over to check out the view and were immediately greeted by a man who worked at the restaurant who introduced himself to us as Leandro.  Leandro bent over backwards to make us feel at home, offering us free drinks, encouraging us to take as many photos as we wanted and even putting up hammocks for us to relax in.  He was so incredibly nice that I felt obligated to ask him if he had any bottles of cachaça for sale, just so I could support his business somehow (the group was leaving soon so there was no time to sit and eat at the restaurant).  It turned out there were no bottles for sale, but Leandro didn’t mind one bit, seemed perfectly content to see us enjoying his place, with or without any financial reward for his business.  Our enjoyment was good enough for him.  As we were leaving the restaurant, we ran into the owner of the building, a man named Luis Antonio.  Luis Antonio was thrilled to see us admiring his property, especially the beautiful tree sprouting up from the center of it.  He couldn’t wait to share everything he knew about Morretes and about his property, and our interest in what he had to say seemed like a real delight to him. 

Other examples of Brazilians’ generosity and welcoming nature were plentiful throughout our time here, including Victor the hostel bartender who was always happy to see the group and more than willing to point us in the right direction when we wanted to go out at night, the waiter at the burger place down the street who was always thrilled to see us, and many other good souls encountered during our stay. 

I somewhat expected this type of treatment because I had somewhat similar experiences when I traveled to Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Ecuador.  Friendliness had always seemed to me like a hallmark of Latin American culture, and Brazil has proven to be no different.  It felt especially unsurprising after Thomas taught our group about the concept of the Brazilian “cordial man,” whose fundamental tenets could be observed over and over again in the people who seemed to work so hard to have positive interactions with the group. 

However, the treatment I’ve received has been particularly interesting this time around, given the current state of the world.  From terrorist attacks across the world to conflicts with the police, these are contentious times.  This has been especially evident during the presidential election cycle in the United States, where a lot of xenophobic rhetoric has come to the surface.  Latin American people have become the target of a lot of the cacophony emanating from the United States at the moment.  It would therefore be understandable for Brazilians to be somewhat wary of Americans coming to visit their country.  My stories and experiences have shown their attitudes to be quite the opposite of wary. 

Perhaps much of the treatment I encountered can be chalked up to Brazilians’ long-standing adherence to the way of the cordial man, but it is also very admirable.  All the friendliness certainly made me feel good and made me want to strive to be the nicest person I could be.  I suppose in answering “who is Brazil,” I would say that Brazil is someone I want to be.

Culture assignment #4 - passion for futebol

When we met for our Brazilian culture class for the second to last time, it was obvious from the beginning that Thomas was looking forward to this lecture a bit more than usual.  In our discussion about soccer, or futebol as they say in Brazil, it became clear that the level of enthusiasm for this sport and its teams is a bit different than it is for sports in the United States.  As Thomas ran through the histories of the four teams from the state of Sao Paulo, his relatively obvious bias in favor of his favorite club, Corinthians, helped paint an even more accurate picture of Brazilian futebol culture, in a sense, because Thomas' passion for Corinthians was too great for him to suppress.  The little jabs he threw at Sao Paulo FC, Palmeiras and Santos, among other clubs, were entertaining for the class.



Futebol is obviously a fundamental part of the Brazilian national and cultural identity, and this idea was reinforced when the group took a trip to the soccer museum.  The images of past world cup triumphs were very powerful.  The hero status of some of the legendary Brazilian players was made apparent by the shrines erected in their honor in the museum, especially everything dedicated to Pele, the greatest of them all.  It was a really cool experience getting to learn more about the history of something so important to the Brazilian people, at a place with so much historical significance (the Estadio Municipal, a place which inspired Thomas to fondly recall the times he spent there in the days of his youth).



While it was interesting to hear about Brazil's passion for futebol from Thomas and read about it at the museum, I don't think the group fully grasped the its uniqueness until we watched Coritiba FC play against Flamengo in Curitiba this past week.  It was a truly surreal experience.  The fans in our section did not stop singing for the entirety of the match.  Most of them never bothered to sit down.  The singing continued even as their heroes from the Coritiba FC squad were losing.  We couldn't help but feel the intensity in the crowd as their energy stayed at a fever pitch for the whole game.

The constant singing and banging of drums is something that can be seen to a certain degree at American college games, but not with the same amount of fervor as what we saw in Curitiba and certainly not at any professional games.  The craziness of these fans was simply on a different level.  Teams in the United States do not feel the need to ban the sale of alcohol at their games or segregate the fans of the opposing teams into different sections of the stadium, but at the game in Curitiba it was easy to see why Brazil has seen fit to implement these rules.

Going to the game was one of my favorite activities of the Dialogue program.  I think it provided us with one of the most authentic cultural experiences of the trip.  I am a huge sports fan, so it was great to get a close look at one of the most unique sports cultures in the world.

July 26 - meeting with the secretary of energy

Today's meeting with Sao Paulo's secretary of energy and mining was a highly enriching experience.  We were provided with a rare opportunity to meet with some Brazilian policy makers who have the authority and the ability to be real difference makers.  I was amazed and impressed that three undersecretaries of renewable energy were so generous with their time with us.  This was an especially valuable experience for me given my previous co-op experience working in public policy.  This was a field in which I definitely felt a bit more comfortable compared to some of the more technical details covered on our previous visits to power plants.  Overall, this may have been my favorite visit of the Dialogue.

There were many interesting tidbits in the secretariat's presentation to our group, and I look forward to taking a closer look at the report they handed us.  Having said that, what stood out to me the most was the degree to which Brazil, and particularly the state of Sao Paulo, have committed to renewable energy sources compared to the rest of the world.  The differences are truly striking.  The slide discussing the 2015 energy matrix really drove the point home: Brazil derives 41.2 percent of its energy from renewable sources and Sao Paulo gets 58 percent from renewables, compared with just 14.3 percent renewables for the rest of the world.

These numbers make it abundantly clear that Brazil and Sao Paulo are on a completely different level from the rest of the world when it comes to commitment to renewable energy sources.  When I asked the undersecretary what qualities Brazil had that made it possible for the country to get so far ahead, he talked about the considerable hydroelectric resources that Brazil took advantage of early on.  He also talked about Brazil's huge sugar cane crop, and his agency's plans to implement more and more biomass energy production from sugar cane in the coming years as part of the effort to continue to increase Brazil's commitment to renewables.

While Brazil's available resources are obviously important to the discussion of why and how the country has made such an impressive commitment to renewables, but I don't think they tell the full story.  A key ingredient has been the country's political will and commitment to the cause.  Agencies like the Sao Paulo office of energy and mining have played a key role with policies such as the offering of incentives to private businesses that invest in renewable energy, along with intelligent regulation of the electricity sector.  These initiatives need to have been well executed in order for Brazil to get to where it is today, and that appears to be exactly what has taken place.

July 25 - reaction to reading, movie

The article by Erika Robb Larkins reflects an aspect of Brazilian favelas that makes the unique, certainly when compared to neighborhoods in the United States.  What sets the favelas apart is the degree to which the traditional state and police forces lack authority.  In rough neighborhoods in the US, the environment may be dangerous, but the police are still in charge.  In the favelas of Sao Paulo, Rio, and other cities, the gangs make the rules and "keep the peace."  The complete lack of respect for the police among residents is something unique to favelas, although recent events in the United States could be making the dynamic more similar in that respect.

The degree to which there are no rules in the favelas is made shockingly and powerfully clear by the movie City of God.  Characters like Lil' Ze are the closest thing the neighborhood has to authority figures, the police are continually portrayed as useless and inept.  Any police raids and assaults that occur in the movie appear to be all for show, much like how Larkins describes the police raids she witnessed during her time in the El Dorado favela.  In the movie, it is obvious that all the meaningful power in the City of God slum is wielded by the "hoods."

It is easy to see how the backwards power dynamic of the favelas contributes to a cycle of violence.  With the notable exception of the main character, Rocket, just about every character who lives in the favela in City of God gets caught up in gang violence, even the seemingly incorruptible Knockout Ned.  When gangsters like Lil' Ze get so powerful, young kids like The Runts grow up aspiring to be like them and eventually take their place.  When opportunities for legitimate success outside of a life of crime seem nonexistent (Rocket refers to his job at the grocery store as "getting played"), the gang life ends up looking like the only path that makes sense.  It is a cycle that is proving to be very difficult to break.

July 25 - chapter 18 reaction

Chapter 18 of the textbook has reaffirmed what has become my main takeaway from the alternative energy course: there is no simple solution to finding alternative energy sources that meet humanity's needs.  Before coming to Brazil and taking this course, I didn't fully grasp the scope of how far away alternative energy is from being able to adequately support modern society.  The author makes this clear with his side by side comparison between average energy consumption of affluent people and the estimated energy production of alternative energy sources.  In MacKay's estimate, energy production does not particularly close to matching consumption, despite the fact that his estimates for alternative energy production capacity were quite optimistic in comparison to estimates from other sources.  Additionally, MacKay's consumption figures pertained to the UK, where residents consume considerably less energy on average than their counterparts in the United States.  Perhaps most importantly, the consumption numbers in the textbook do not include the input required to convert resources like biofuels into energy.  MacKay's analysis makes it quite apparent that, as we have discussed in class on numerous occasions, alternative energy solutions will need to come from more than just one source.

This course, in highlighting the limits of alternative energy sources, has also made me believe that the world's energy dilemma is just as much an issue of consumption as it is of production, perhaps more so.  The more I learn in this course, the more difficult it becomes to envision a world in which alternative, renewable energy sources completely replace the energy output we currently create from fossil fuel sources.  Therefore, the key to a sustainable future may be for people, especially in more affluent countries, to find a way to reduce their consumption and live more responsibly.  Only time will tell if humanity can achieve this goal, but I have certainly been inspired to give it a shot.

The Brazilian "cordial man"

Even in the limited time we have spent in Brazil, the significant cultural differences between Brazil and the U.S. have become increasingly evident.  Much of this was well-encapsulated in the movie we watched last week, "Que Horas Ela Volta?"  Most notably, certain aspects of the film seem to emulate some of the characteristics of the Brazilian "cordial man," as described in our reading discussing the famous book, Roots of Brazil.

Val, the protagonist of the film, sacrifices much and more in the name of protecting those closest to her, particularly her daughter.  The reading discusses how Brazilians adhering to the "cordial man" narrating may tend to focus more on "the wellbeing of a small family nucleus" rather than a larger group.  Val regularly submits herself to demeaning treatment, particularly from her boss, Dona Barbara, in order to retain her job and her ability to support her family no matter the cost to her dignity.  Val's daughter Jessica has a lot of difficulty understanding why she puts up with so much, resulting in a lot of tension between them.  Until the very end of the movie, Val shows no animosity towards the way that she and her fellow maid friends are treated.

The major difference in attitude between Val and Jessica is perhaps indicative of changing times in Brazil, as perhaps the "cordial man" is becoming less and less prevalent in future generations.  Even Val comes to recognize the need to change her dynamic as she triumphantly invades Dona Barbara's pool and goes on to quit her job.  However, even if times are somewhat changing, the "cordial man" and the need to prioritize one's smaller family unit are still fundamental aspects of Brazilian culture.

7.18 trip to ethanol plant

Something that really stood out during today's long bus ride to the ethanol production plant was the incredibly vast area occupied by the fields of sugar cane crops.  It was difficult for me not to hearken back, especially after learning a bit about the harvesting process, to a time not so far back in history when sugar cane probably covered a similar amount of land but was harvested exclusively using manual slave labor, an exhausting and back-breaking activity.  Obviously times are quite different now, and we learned that most of the harvesting process is now mechanized (as was demonstrated during Prof. Josh's brave journey to the driver's seat of the harvesting machine), but I definitely felt a stark reminder of slavery's influence on Brazil while standing in the sugar cane field.

The vastness of the sugar cane fields also meant that it made a lot of sense for an ethanol plant to be built there.  Sugar is obviously a staple crop in Brazil, as we learned today that Brazil is far and away the world's largest producer of sugar.  We saw the massive scale of the operation today (it really blew my mind that those bags could hold more than one ton of sugar without ripping apart).  Somewhat unsurprisingly given its share of the sugar cane market, Brazil is also the world's largest producer of ethanol.  It is interesting that, as we discussed in class, Brazil produces ethanol using sugar cane while the United States, another major producer of ethanol, uses corn.  This is a great example of both countries getting more use out of goods that are already major contributor to their economies.

While it makes sense for Brazil to place a large emphasis on ethanol to link with its sugar cane industry, the energy input required to produce ethanol serves as an important disclaimer.  We learned that it takes a significant amount of oil, a fossil fuel, to create a barrel of ethanol.  The net positive effect of producing ethanol, in terms of oil saved, is actually quite small.  We saw firsthand today the significant effort required to create it.Therefore, as we have learned about other alternative energy sources, ethanol should not be viewed as the singular solution to the world's energy dilemma.