Capoeira through the ages
Capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art practiced all over the world, was originally a criminal activity. Even after the abolition of slavery, in 1888, the police […]
Black
Slavery, according to Elza Soares
To remember the slavery days and celebrate the (official) abolition anniversary, a great but disturbing Elza Soares video clip, where she sings that “the cheapest […]
Presidents in stamps
Any philatelist can tell you that there is much more to stamps than meets the eye. This week Correios (the state-owned company responsible for the […]
Who’s black?
Machado de Assis, the greatest Brazilian novelist of all times, was born black and poor, in one of the hills of Rio de Janeiro, the […]
Saints without a halo*
They were not canonized. They are controversial. There is even doubt if some of them really existed. Nevertheless, Brazilian popular saints generate deep devotion, pilgrimages […]
Unconventional Brazilian beauty
The girl who´s on the cover of Playboy´s Brazilian edition sat today by my side at the theatre – she took her three daughters to watch a […]
Racism, the Brazilian way
In Brazil, unlike other countries, different ethnic groups interact a lot – sometimes peacefully, sometimes not. This interaction leads frequently to mixed marriages and a […]