By Mark Beresford, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – For many people new to town in the last two years, the Young Professionals Happy Hours (YPHH) have been the perfect occasion for opening doors to new social relationships and business opportunities.
Camille Richardson with Portela samba school dancers, photo provided by Camille Richardson.
The first event of 2010 – a Feijoada party on Saturday afternoon at the Sheraton Hotel on Avenida Niemeyer – was a classic Young Professionals occasion, with around 100 Americans, Brazilians, and expatriates of all nationalities enjoying, caipirinhas, cervejas, tucking into rice, beans and meat, and dancing to the rhythms of the batería from the Portela samba school.
“For me it’s a great mixture of business and pleasure,” said Brazilian jewelry designer Barbara de Souza, who is partly based in Paris. “It couldn’t be a better combination of people, and it’s a lot of fun.”
After eleven events, held every two months, some changes are on the horizon this year for the Young Professionals program. The major networking events will now be held on a quarterly basis, with other smaller, more focused gatherings, targeted at specific business areas, explains Camille Richardson, Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, who established the Happy Hours as an outreach program.
“We now have a really strong base and reputation from people talking about us, and we want to get enough of a ball rolling so that in May, we can make a major announcement about where the group is heading,” she says. “It’s now up to folks in Rio with a vested interest in seeing this continue to take the initiative.”
Guests participate in samba, photo provided by Camille Richardson.
After over four years in Rio de Janeiro, Camille Richardson herself will be leaving in May, to take up a new position in the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
Before Camille leaves though, she hopes to see a steering committee established for the Young Professionals, composed of interested people from consulates in Rio and from other organizations, who are involved with the YPHH events, such as the American Chamber of Commerce, the International MBA Association, and the Hash House Harriers.
“I hope to leave the Young Professional’s Happy Hours as a legacy to Rio, as something which helps people here,” Camille says. “Getting established socially can be difficult, and in Brazilian business, especially here in Rio, it’s all about who you know. When you first come to Rio it can be tough to establish these connections, and the Young Professionals events help provide a social base for that.”
The success of the events can be measured by the rise in attendance: the first Happy Hour in April 2008 attracted sixty people, and by the end of 2009, well over 200 people were attending the Happy Hours, at premium venues across Rio, while the Facebook group now has nearly 400 members.
“I created the YPHH in Rio because there was nothing like it here, and the fact that it has grown so fast shows that it has been a welcome addition to the social scene of the professional crowd,” Camille says.
Judging by the quality of the organization and the enthusiasm of the guests at the Sheraton on Saturday, the Happy Hours have become an important part of the social calendar here in Rio that many folks would like to see continue beyond May.
By Maíra Amorim, Senior Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – If you don’t have the tickets yet to watch the samba parade at the Sambódrome, one of Rio’s most popular Carnival events, it might be too late as they sell out early. But if you have them already, be prepared to watch a unique and amazing spectacle of music and dancing.
Luiza Brunet will be parading with Imperatriz Leopoldinense during Carnival this year, photo by ocarnval/Yahoo Creative Commons License.
There are twelve samba schools from the “Special Group” competing to be the best. Six will have their parade on Sunday and the other six on Monday. The winning school is announced on Wednesday afternoon. If you are going to the Sambódromo, or Marquês de Sapucaí, be ready for a very long night, as the parades are set to begin at 9PM and usually finish around 5AM or 6AM.
Sunday night will start with União da Ilha, a samba school from the neighborhood of Ilha do Governador (close to the GIG international airport). Their enredo (theme) is “Dom Quixote de La Mancha, o Cavaleiro dos Sonhos Impossíveis” (Don Quixote, the Knight of Impossible Dreams.)
The school theme means that all the floats and costumes will be related somehow, sometimes the connection is obvious, other times very abstract, but it’s Carnival and you just have to go with it.
Following is Imperatriz Leopoldinense with the enredo “Brasil de todos os Deuses” (Brazil of all Gods). Another key for the newbies is that every school has it’s colors and they have to use on the parade, Imperatriz, for example, is white, green and gold.
Also, all schools have their bateria (percussion team), which is the heart of the music. In front of the musicians, they all have also a Rainha (Queen) a beautiful woman who leads them and salutes the audience. At Imperatriz, the Rainha is Luiza Brunet, an ex-model who is over forty but is as good (or better) then some of the younger Rainhas.
Known for their elaborate performances Viradouro will be a school to watch out for, photo of O Globo/Yahoo Creative Commons License.
Next on Sunday is Unidos da Tijuca, with the theme “É Segredo” (It’s a Secret). The artist behind this enredo is Paulo Barros, famous for making revolutionary Carnival experiences. The Rainha is Adriane Galisteu, a famous TV presenter, who used to date Ayrton Senna, and will be followed by two doctors, as she is three months pregnant.
Monday will begin with Mocidade Independente, with the enredo: “Do Paraíso de Deus ao Paraíso da Loucura, Cada um Sabe o que Procura” (From God’s Paradise to Crazy Paradise, Everyone Knows What They are Looking for), followed by Porto da Pedra. The school from São Gonçalo will talk about fashion with the theme “Com Que Roupa… Eu Vou? Pro Samba Que Você me Convidou?” (What Do I Wear to the Samba You Invited Me To), which is a verse from a famous samba by Noel Rosa. Watch out for their Rainha, a funk singer who is very comfortable taking her clothes off.
A float from the Mangueira school, photo courtesy of carnival service/Yahoo Creative Commons License.
The third school on Monday is going to be Portela. The traditional white and blue will defend “Derrubando Fronteiras, Conquistando a Liberdade, o Rio de Paz em Estado de Graça” (Tipping Borders, Conquering Freedom, Rio of Peace in a State of Grace). Not a very specific enredo, but they will focus on issues of technology and digital inclusion in Rio.
Grande Rio is fourth to come on Monday at Marquês de Sapucaí. Their enredo, “Das Arquibancadas ao Camarote Nº1 ‘Grande Rio’ de Emoção Na Apoteose do Seu Coração”, is hard to translate and means something like “From the Popular Seats to the VIP Area (Camarote number one), a Big River of Emotion at the Apotheosis of Your Heart”.
This theme was very controversial as they are explicitly speaking of their sponsors, a famous beer company that has a “camarote” (VIP area) where all famous go to see the parade and, of course, to be seen. If you see a group wearing the same red t-shirt, be sure they are going to this camarote, as the shirt is the ticket to get in.
There are the other samba schools not mentioned above of course, and for a complete listing of the schedule please see Rio-Carnival.net.
By Jayme Monsanto, Senior Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – The Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) and the Prefeitura (local government) have just signed a deal to invest more money in young Carioca athletes that have medal potential in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Nuzman and Paes along with the first four athletes linked to Time Rio: Diego Hypólito, Kaio Marcio, Bárbara Leôncio and Ricardo Winicki, photo by www.cob.org.br.Time Rio (‘Team Rio’) is the name of the new project, and as a result between ten and thirteen high performance athletes that live or train in Rio will, along with their training team, receive a total investment of R$12 million from now until 2012.
The project was announced on February 3rd at the Palácio da Cidade by mayor Eduardo Paes and head of the COB Carlos Arthur Nuzman. The first four athletes linked to Team Rio were already chosen: Diego Hypólito (gymnastics), Ricardo Winicki (sailing), Kaio Marcio (swimming) and Barbara Leôncio (track).
“The project will help us evolve. Now there is no way the dream of an Olympic medal will not work out. I’m very happy, it is a spectacular project”, said the nineteen year old Barbara confidently, who in 2007 was the 200m world champion in the IAAF World Youth Championships.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, courtesy of Agencia Brasil/Google creative commons license
The resources will be managed by COB, and will be used mostly to provide support to the chosen athletes; paying coaches, doctors and nutritionists, buying equipment and funding travels to competitions.
“It is a great gift. Every athlete dreams of having a good structure to achieve his best performance. Now I feel I can compete as equal with anyone. Hopefully in London I can harvest the results of that work”, said Kaio Marcio, who, though not a Carioca, has been training in the Rio de Janeiro pools for a year.
“This program is completely dedicated to the athlete, who will not need to give up their current sponsors, since our goals are the same. Team Rio will complement the work these athletes currently do”, said Marcus Vinícius Freire, a COB executive.
More athletes will be announced soon, and plans are afoot to support judo, taekwondo and canoe athletes. Part of the resources will be dedicated to the discovery of new boxers and cyclists. Four new boxing facilities will be created in underdeveloped areas of the city, and the Velódromo do Rio (Rio’s cycling arena), built in 2007 to host events of the Rio 2007 Pan-American Games will be used to consolidate a Carioca cycling team.
“These athletes will be an inspiration for other young people. Winning the right to host the Olympics was a great joy to Rio de Janeiro. In return, the Prefeitura will support even more the Brazilian athletes” said Mayor Paes.
By Mira Olson, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – Quenia de Alleluia grew up in a favela, but the 28-year-old coordinator and English instructor at the Wise Up language school in Largo do Machado has traveled the world. She completed her Masters degree in clinical psychology at Northwest University in Seattle, WA and has plans to begin a PhD in September. She is also the first and only provider of psychological counseling in Vidigal, where she and her family are from.
View from Ser-Alzira de Aleluia in Vidigal, photo provided by Ser-Alzira de Aleluia.
Alleluia’s clinic is part of Ser-Alzira de Aleluia (SER), the non-profit organization, or NGO, founded by her parents, Elma and Antônio Carlos de Alleluia, in 2003 in an effort to improve the quality of life for residents of Vidigal.
“It didn’t begin as anything formally established. It was something that just happened over time,” says Alleluia. She explains that the NGO was named after her great-grandmother, who moved to Vidigal in 1948 and was known for providing food and aid to her neighbors.
SER attempts to offer a better life for participating students and their families through technical, political and cultural development. It offers a space for learning and socialization in Vidigal, where, according to Alleluia, children rarely play outside and where a sense of community is lacking.
Specifically, it offers extra-curricular activities such as English, Spanish, computation classes, tutoring for math and Portuguese, dance, capoeira and jiu-jitsu. For students that show excellent progress, the organization coordinates university scholarships. It also offers technical beauty courses in hair styling, waxing and manicure and pedicure, which enable participants to generate income from their homes.
Volunteer giving an English lesson, photo provided by Ser-Alzira de Aleluia.
In addition to counseling services, social workers hold regular meetings with families, and doctors and dentists are hired to provide consultation and give talks on health and hygiene.
Alleluia explains that the organization’s primary purpose is to educate. One aspect of education targeted is that of dignity and citizenship. SER addresses the question of consumerism with its students, “we teach them to be happy with what they have, to value the person,” states Alleluia.
Students are also taught about their rights as citizens and are regularly taken on field trips to museums, cinema and even the shopping mall to foment the idea that the world outside Vidigal also belongs to them. As part of this effort, SER welcomes volunteers from Brazil and around the world to take part in a cultural exchange and to introduce students to other parts of the world.
Alleluia states, “education is an intangible good. Once you learn something, you can never lose it. You can pass it on to someone else and it multiplies.” On key dates, such as Mother’s Day, Day of the Child, and Day of the Woman, it throws parties that have an educational component.
On Mother’s Day, for example, teachers lead discussions on health and preventative medicine; on the Day of the Child the focus is on raising a child, basic education, and how to help children with special needs.
Quenia de Alleluia (right) with student at NGO party, photo provided by Ser-Alzira de Aleluia.
According to Alleluia, the organization’s work creates a spillover effect in the community, “We’re creating good citizens that will add to their community and the world.”
Currently SER serves ninety children, six to nineteen years of age as well as several adults. All members of the Vidigal community are welcome to participate in SER activities. The only prerequisites for youth participation are that the child’s vaccination card is up to date and that the child is enrolled and attending school.
In March 2010 the family-run NGO will complete seven years of formal operation. “We just wanted to see if we could make a change in the reality of things… to help others and to help our own reality,” Alleluia adds.
For more information on Ser-Alzira de Aleluia or to learn how to become a volunteer visit the website: www.seralziradealeluia.anepsrj.com.
By Pedro Widmar, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – After a defeat in a polemical campaign against corruption in 2008, Rio de Janeiro’s Regional Electoral Tribunal (TRE-RJ) is back in action, only this time with a different agenda.
Nametala Machado Jorge, current TRE-RJ president, photo by Michel Filho/ O Globo.
In 2008 they lost in a campaign focused on prohibiting candidates with criminal records from participating in the elections. The court feels it’s setting more feasible goals now by turning its focus towards militias and the drug trade’s effect on elections.
After losing a decision in the STF (Brazil’s supreme court) in 2008, the regional court was taken aback. Led by its then president, Roberto Wider, the TRE-RJ’s “Fichas Sujas” (dirty records) campaign was a broad stroke against allowing politicians who were being tried or who had been condemned of crimes of moral turpitude to participate in elections for public office.
The campaign caught immediate attention in the press and led to subsequent support from other regional tribunals as well as the public, who campaigned in the streets. Wider’s strong stance on the issue spawned a national movement, which coupled with the OAB’s (Order of Brazilian Attorneys) support roused Brazilians towards a conscientious vote in 2008.
However, Wider, who now himself faces allegations of corruption, was defeated when the question was brought before the Supreme Federal Tribunal, which considered the prohibition as an act of discrimination.
2008 TRE president, Roberto Wider, photo by Michel Filho/O Globo.
The STF’s decision in the 2008 regional elections served as a blow to the Fichas Sujas movement. In Rio de Janeiro one candidate, Carminha Jerominho, was actually released from prison to take office. At the time Carminha was in a federal penitentiary for charges of militia affiliation and campaign coercion – her father and uncle remain in prison.
Another candidate who would have been prevented from running in the elections is Rocinha’s Claudinho da Academia. After allegedly having ties with Rocinha’s drug trade, he is currently being charged with campaign coercion for methods used during his 2008 bid.
Now, two years later, in an effort to enforce the principals of free elections, the TRE’s new president, Nametala Machado Jorge, has declared that the court will reach for more achievable goals. “The law set by the STF is clear, the candidate can run as long as he has not been definitely tried and found guilty… the public has to be the higher judge,” stated Jorge.
The new campaign targets the influence of the drug trade and militias on voters in socially excluded areas. In 2008 drug dealers and militiamen were suspected to have coerced entire communities to vote on candidates of their choosing, either through bribes or threats.
Asked whether he would call on the army to guarantee free elections, as ultimately occurred in 2008, Jorge said, “For now the option is not on the table, but we will not discard it.”
The strategy will be a joint effort. Having already met with the state’s Secretariat of Public Safety and the Federal Police to draw up a plan for tackling the foreseeable problems in the election, Nametala seems confident in the court’s actions.
As the TRE-RJ’s president declared in an interview with O Globo, “I am not scared. I am certain that I can count on Rio’s public security organs… we will guarantee the freedom of the electoral discussion.”
By Doug Gray, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – The Labor MP for Preston (a city and district in Lancashire, England), Mark Hendrick, led a UK delegation to Brazil last week to discuss such topics as climate change, economic growth and the Olympic hand over between London and Rio as well as touching on the Jean Charles De Menezes shooting in London which remains a thorny issue between the two countries.
The UK delegation arrived in Brazil last Monday for a week of meetings with Brazilian MPs and Ministries, photo by Fernanda Gomes / Consulado Britânico, São Paulo.
Four members of the House Of Commons and two of the House of Lords made the trip which began in Sao Paulo before moving on to Brasilia and finally stopping off in Rio where Hendrick saw with his own eyes the potential of the 2016 Olympic host city for the first time.
The MP from the north of England is chairman of the UK-Brazil Friendship Committee (of which there is an equivalent in Brazilian parliament), and has long been involved in promoting business ties between the two countries, however on this his first trip to the country the itinerary covered a far broader array of topics.
“We came here to look at Brazil from an energy, climate change and environment perspective” he began. “In terms of climate change, which is a huge agenda involving lots of international negotiations in recent years, Brazil has a very important role because it is part of the solution.”
With economics also high on the agenda in Sao Paulo, the delegation had their ‘eyes opened’ to the world of flex-fuel engines, the potential European future of which Hendrick discussed in depth with UNICA, the Brazilian Sugar Cane Industry Association.
MP Mark Hendrick led the delegation on his first trip to Brazil, photo by Fernanda Gomes / Consulado Britânico, São Paulo.
As the UK recently announced its failure to meet a targeted Twenty percent reduction in CO2 emissions from 1990 to 2010 by as much as seven percent, Brazil’s admirable pursuit of an 80 percent reduction by 2020 seems highly unlikely. As the MP discovered during his meetings in Sao Paulo though, the intention, at least in certain quarters of Parliament, is there and that is a start.
It has been President Lula’s approach to countries unfriendly with the West, notably the welcome afforded to Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad late last year, which had also interested the delegation.
“That drew some criticism from colleagues but the basic line seems to be that Brazil under Lula tries to hold out the hand of friendship to all countries” said Hendrick, “and it is perhaps indicative of his trade union background that he… doesn’t need to be confrontational.”
It is Brazil’s position as an emerging world power and Lula’s fearless approach to negotiations that have sparked the recent increase in diplomatic activity not only with the UK but across the globe, and Hendrick sees the next decade, when Brazil looks set to become a top five world economy and possibly leapfrog the United Kingdom, as crucial.
“Brazil aims to use the Rio Olympics and 2014 World Cup as a means not only of showcasing their economy and the benefits that Brazil offers in trade terms but also to show the world that it’s a modern Twenty-first century country, the tenth largest economy in the world looking to be in the top five, and its potential is huge.”
The delegation, along with UK Consul Tim Flear, were given a glimpse of the NGO work in Cantagalo during their visit, photo by UK Consulate.
The delegation’s final stop was Rio, and having been critical of Brazil’s human rights record, policing strategies and high homicide rates, Hendrick’s opinion was tempered during a visit to Brazil’s Human Rights Ministry with the mention of John Charles de Menezes unlawful shooting by the Metropolitan Police in 2005 for which nobody was found guilty.
However, Hendrick’s visit to the recently pacified Cantagalo favela confirmed in his eyes that the country was on the right tracks; “For myself and other members who have not been to Brazil before it has been a real eye opener because we can see the progress that is being made here” he said.
As far as the huge security implications of hosting an event such as the Olympics goes, the MP felt Brazil would also be well prepared. “The police and security services will have to put together a framework to minimize crime to visitors, and world events are always targets for terrorists even though Brazil has never been directly attacked. There is always a risk and the question is are the resources and personnel put out in a way to minimize that risk?”
By Mike Coffey, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – With the exploding oil industry following the pre-salt discovery, and playing host to the World Cup in 2014, and the Olympics in 2016, talk of the Rio boom is echoing around the world, especially in Real Estate circles.
US billionaire and real estate investor Sam Zell predicts Brazil is the next big thing, photo courtesy of cfnews13/Creative Commons License.
World property guru Sam Zell recently commented ‘If you look at all of the facts, I don’t think there is a better property environment in the entire world than Brazil,’ said Zell, who has also suggested that the country could surpass China in economic might in Thirty years.
Accessing this market may seem daunting to foreigners though, especially those who don’t speak Portuguese.
As a first step to getting familiar with the players, we’ve listed five top Real Estate companies here in Rio de Janeiro. The following appear to have the most current listings in Zona Sul (south zone), and claim to have agents fluent in English as Spanish.
CEMA Inmobiliaria who has recently joined forces with Ana Claudia Imóveis in order to provide over 16 years of experience in serving clients in the Rio Zona Sul market. They have offices in Flamengo and Copacabana.
Master Inmobiliaria is a young company that has only been in the market for two years. Master differentiated themselves through trying to dominate the online processes with an extensive web site that allows you to search properties as well as post and track your own listing.
Leblon and Ipanema beach, photo courtesy of rioadventures/Creative Commons License.Julio Bogoricin is another well-established enterprise with visible offices spread around the Zona Sul area and over 50 years experience. Under their umbrella they offer condominium and administration services, and a brokerage house. They are based out of Rio de Janeiro with five offices, three of them in Zona Sul.
Etica Inmobiliaria, with over 17,000 current listings throughout their 26 Brazilian branches, it is part of a much bigger holding company, Brazil Brokers. Etica has been in the Rio market for over 25 years and has five offices around the Zona Sul.
APSA Inmobiliaria is another household name in Zona Sul, and across Brazil. Established in the Thirties, APSA is now proud to claim the largest Brazilian portfolio of Real Estate and Condominium management. With thirteen offices in Rio de Janeiro, an in house insurance broker as well as a Legal team APSA is well prepared and knowledgeable for all your Zona Sul real estate needs.
With growing foreign interest in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the rest of the country, international agencies are planning growth in Brazil. Property specialist Colordarcy, based out of London has seen Brazilian property inquiries rise by 60 percent since the Olympic announcement.
Whether national or international, always remember Real Estate is not a perfect science; get second opinions, do your research carefully, and demand the best service possible out of your Real Estate agent.
By Mira Olson, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – The IBAMA (Brazilian Environmental Agency) issued a provisional license on February 1st to move forward with plans to build the controversial Belo Monte mega-dam in the Xingú river, a tributary of the Amazon in the state of Pará.
The Tucuirui dam on the Amazon has had a significant environmental impact on the surrounding area, photo courtesy of skyscraper city/Yahoo Creative Commons License.
The Belo Monte dam is expected to start production in 2015. It will be the second largest hydroelectric dam in Brazil and the third largest in the world in terms of generating capacity, producing up to 11,000KW of electricity and providing electricity for 23 million homes. Dam proponents argue that Belo Monte is necessary, as hydroelectric production is Brazil’s best solution for the current energy crisis.
The government’s rubber-stamp caused international uproar among indigenous and environmental activists who argue that the dam will have severe socio-environmental consequences.
The dam will create 500 square kilometers of flooding in agricultural land and forests, affecting the 24 indigenous tribes that inhabit the region. This will have a direct impact on the Paquiçamba reserve of the Juruna indigenous people, and in total an estimated 12,000 people will be forced to relocate and farmlands and fish stocks will be greatly reduced.
Environmental activists are concerned that Belo Monte will have similar socio-environmental repercussions to those of past projects. Amazon Watch reports that the Tucurui dam, built by the Brazilian electric company Eletronorte in the Eighties, displaced 40,000 people, pushing them even deeper into poverty. Additionally, the submerged rotting vegetation from the dam accounts for one-sixth of Brazil’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
Indigenous groups participating in a debate about the consequences of the Belo Monte dam, photo by Wilson Dias/Agência Brasil.
Opponents also argue that the dam will be highly inefficient. During the driest three to five months of the year it will produce almost no electricity. In order to guarantee year-round flow of water into the Belo Monte turbines, the government has plans for at least four more dams upstream. These dams will flood the Kayapó reserves and will affect the Araweté, Assuriní and Arara peoples. One of the proposed dams, the Altamira, will flood over 6,000 square kilometers of forests.
Marcello Furtado, executive director for Greenpeace in Brazil, said in a statement that the energy produced by Belo Monte will be consumed 5,000 kilometers away, meaning that there will be energy wasted in transmission.
The license issued last week, which approves the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project, is the first of three environmental licenses required to build the dam. It imposes forty conditions to mitigate the socio-environmental impact of the project, which will cost roughly US$800 million to implement. Whichever construction consortium wins the project auction, scheduled for March 30th, will be obliged to meet these conditions.
Environmental Minister, Carlos Minc, and IBAMA president, Roberto Messias Franco, during a meeting about the provisional license for the Belo Monte dam, photo by Marcello Casal Jr/Agência Brasil.
Carlos Minc, the Brazilian Environmental Minister announced in a statement that the conditions imposed for the project prove that Belo Monte “is the most socio-environmentally advanced dam in the history of Brazil.” Critics point out that the forty conditions necessary for the assessment to be approved indicate that Belo Monte is actually one of Brazil’s most detrimental projects to the environment.
Plans for the dam have been stalled since the mid-Nineties because of the high levels of national and international opposition. Multiple sources suggest that the dam is now being pushed through as political leverage to ensure a Worker’s Party (PT) victory in the presidential elections in October of this year.
By Martin Kocandrle, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO – Samba City may seem like a reference to Rio, due to its popularity as a destination for samba music and Carnival, but it actually refers to the building complex where the dreams of samba schools are made into reality.
View of the Samba City complex, photo by Martin Kocandrle.Samba City is the nerve center of the top samba schools that participate in the Sambodrome parade; where the production and construction of the elaborate costumes and floats takes place.
Visiting Samba City allows a sneak peak of the planning and hard work that goes into the creation of the props that proliferate the Sambodrome parade.
Traditionally samba schools constructed costumes and floats in their respective neighborhoods. As the competition became more intense and the parades more elaborate, the various props developed into grandiose designs. Since the schools that participated were often located some distance outside of Rio, it became cumbersome to transport them to the Sambodrome. In 2003 mayor Cesar Maia established a central location to assist the samba schools in the logistics of their artistic vision.
The massive warehouses that occupy the land where Samba City is now located, were once the trading grounds for newly arriving slaves to Brazil. It is here where the first steps and sounds of samba were born. The choice of location symbolizes more than the mainstream acceptance of samba into Brazilian culture, it is also recognition of the sordid history that gave rise to this unique form of self-expression and cultural identity.
The scale of Carnival as an industry becomes obvious as one enters the Samba City. The size of the complex and the surrounding warehouses that harbor the creative energy of Rio’s top 12 samba schools.
Each school is provided its own unique space to do as it pleases until the day of Carnival. To maintain the spirit of competition the school with the lowest score in that year’s competition must cede its space in Samba City to the winning school in a lower league.
Workers preparing one of the floats for next week's Carnival, photo by Martin Kocandrle.
Until the weekend of the parade, what happens within the complex walls stays within those walls, visitors are permitted to speak with workers and peruse the workstations, but the taking of photos and videos is strictly forbidden.
Despite the air of secrecy visitors are welcome at the Samba City, and granted access to the production process on numerous levels. If inclined to stroll around, unsupervised guests can explore the ground level of each school, or observe from above on a catwalk that surrounds the entire complex.
Guests have the option of taking a guided tour that incorporates a greater degree of participation with the production process. On the tour guests are: introduced to the various instruments of Samba, allowed to preview the sewing of costumes, the construction of the floats involved, and given mini samba lessons.
On Thursdays there is a “pocketshow”, which is a mini performance of the Sambodrome parade, complete with food costumes and live music. It costs R$195 to attend or R$95 if you are a resident or student. The pocketshows are on hiatus during Carnival and resume on the 4th of March.
General admission to Samba City is R$5 or R$2 with proof of residency or students. It is located in Rio’s dock district at Rua Rivadávia Correa nº 60, Gamboa. To make reservations you can call (55-21) 2213-2503 / 2213-2546 or email [email protected]
For further information consult the official website of the Samba City.
Editorial
RIO DE JANEIRO – It is hard to think of much else besides Carnival these days, the streets of Rio are taken over by blocos (street parties) and the media glistens with colorful images of samba school parades.
Stone Korshak, Editor and Publisher of The Rio Times.
The official four days of Carnival start on Saturday, February 13th and last until Tuesday, February 16th, but the festivities and celebrations started in full swing last weekend.
Some may find it curious that an entire city seems to shut down for a two week blow-out, marked by public drinking, dancing and urinating. Some may think it sounds like the best party in the world, and it may be.
Some others choose to avoid it like a New Yorker avoids Times Square on December 31st, heading for the hills or holing up at home with a stack of DVDs.
Whatever your position on Carnival is, there is no arguing that there is no show like the Sambódromo show, and the city blocos that have resurged across the city are impressive displays of chaotic revelry. It all spells good news for the hospitality business, and although it’s an expensive period for expat travelers, short-term tourists seem happy to pay the price.
Life in Rio does go on though, and an interesting event happening in parallel with Carnival is the Rio Music Conference, the second year of the largest music industry event in the southern hemisphere. Last weekend saw NFL Super Bowl parties cheering on the New Orleans Saints, and the state fútbol (soccer) tournament usher Rio’s favorite four teams into the semifinals.
With all eyes on the 2016 Olympics the COB (Olympic Committee) set R$12 Million aside to train top athletes, and Real Estate investments are still looking good across Zona Sul and Brazil. Meanwhile, amidst the vast underprivileged population here, an NGO (non-profit organization) continues it’s courageous work in one of Rio’s most notorious favelas, inspiring all with forward thinking service.
Also, the world watches as Brazil grants an environmental license to build the Belo Monte Dam in the Amazon, and Rio de Janeiro’s Regional Electoral Tribunal (TRE-RJ) makes moves to ensure the October elections are not tainted.
With all the serious woes and oppressive heat, it’s easy to understand why Carnival is so popular here, and when in Rio…
