Discover Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in the Southern Hemisphere even larger than the continental United States. It is a country with vast contrasts, with a larger historical perspective, a rooted culture derived from Spain and Portugal, and the leading economic factor in South America.

Tourism is the principal component of this driving engine, with food, fashion, music, and art supporting the way.


To learn more, check out the Official Tourism Site of Brazil







Where we'll be exploring

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Brazil

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: Brasil or República Federativa do Brasil), is a country in South America. It is the fifth-largest country by geographical area, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. The official language is Portuguese. Catholicism is the predominant religion.

Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,367 kilometres (4577 miles). Brazil borders every nation on the South American continent except Ecuador and Chile: Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the department of French Guiana are to the north, Colombia to the northwest, Bolivia and Peru to the west, Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest, and Uruguay to the south. Numerous archipelagos are part of the Brazilian territory, such as Penedos de São Pedro e São Paulo, Fernando de Noronha, Trindade and Martim Vaz and Atol das Rocas.

Brazil is crossed by both the Equator and Tropic of Capricorn, and as such is home to a vast array of flora and fauna, natural environments, and extensive natural resources. The Brazilian population is concentrated along the coastline and in a few large urban centers in the interior. While Brazil is one of the most populous nations in the world, population density drops dramatically as one moves inland.







Guests

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Miquel Jeronimo, CEO
Embratur, the Brazil agency for tourism in the U.S.

A Portuguese national and a diplomat by profession, Miguel Jerónimo began his career in 1985 at the Ministry of Education in Portugal and later joined Portugal's Foreign Service.

He came to New York in 1992 for his first posting outside of Portugal at the Mission of Portugal to the United Nations, where he dealt with social, economic and environmental issues. During his tenure, some of his accomplishments included securing a coveted seat for Portugal in the U.N.'s Security Council and the presidency of the U.N.'s 50th session of the General Assembly.

Following his assignment at the Portuguese Mission to the U.N. in 2000, Miguel was invited to join UNDP, the United Nations Development Fund, where he worked as Special Resources Mobilization Officer, conducting fundraising for development projects in sub-Saharan Africa. From 2000 to 2003, he successfully raised more than $45 million from "donor" countries.

In 2004, Miguel's leadership skills and entrepreneurial spirit caught the attention of Alexandre Raulino, a Brazilian tourism veteran from Rio de Janeiro who had been sent to the U.S. to open Embratur's office in New York.

Unlike most travel industry professionals with years of experience in tourism and hospitality, Miguel Jerónimo's tenure at Embratur can be best described as short, but challenging. After joining Embratur in 2004, he has sought to gain the respect and credibility of the travel and tourism trade in North America by establishing a positive image for the country and of Brazil, positioning it as viable and a desirable destination among the consumer and travel trade.

In addition to his job at Embratur, Miguel Jerónimo also co-owns Alfama, a fine dining Portuguese restaurant in the West Village.





Stela Maris Dallari, Trade Officer
Brazil Trade Bureau in New York


From Stela

I am a trade officer who supplies guidance to Brazilian business people with interest in the U.S. They are mostly small business owners. We are 6 in our team.

We also guide small U.S. firms wanting to do business in Brazil. Ex: a woman called our office looking for manufacturers for her design shoes. It was the first time. We introduced her to our website: www.braziltradenet.gov.br She registered and looked for shoes manufacturing companies in Brazil. Later on we read about sucess her in Essence magazine.

Some people call the Consulate to obtain tourist information. We give them the Tourist Office toll free number and websites because of the list of US tour operators doing business in Brasil. They offer packages for groups and individuals. They can taylor made the vacation package. It is easier to travel to Brasil when you have transfers, hotels and site-seeings already planned + leisure time to explore on your own.

There was the case of a family from CT going to Brazil for the first time, on vacation. They were going to the interior of Minas Gerais, a beautiful state rich in art, architecture, history and jewelry. I asked them what made them choose that specific town. --Their babysitter, they replied. From her they had heard good stories about the place, the people, the food. -- The kids want to go and we are all going.

In other cases, American business-people go to Brazil to attend trade shows and would like to spend a few days traveling. They ask us: What can they do in 2 or 3 days? We try guiding them to city tours operators for site-seeings around town plus day trips.

It is interesting that returning Americans (first timers) say of Brazilians: "They are just like us". Many Brazilians attend trade shows in the U.S. as well.

Main attractions: the weather, the people, the festivals, natural resources, parks, spas to get fit, etc

Places that Americans are going: all over Brazil: to surf, to relax, to visit the Amazon rain forest, the Pantanal, and all the costal

What brings people together: music (jazz/Brazilian jazz), sports, ecology, "I always wanted to go to Brazil".

My best vacation in Brazil was driving, along the coast, from São Paulo to Buzios in Rio de Janeiro for New Years' Eve. We planned our trip to take one day, but the scenary, the food, the caipirinhas along the coast and nice small hotels made us slow down, and overnight here and there. In summary, it took us three days to reach Búzios, a small fishermen's village with gorgeous beaches. Ah, we generally wear white during the passage of the years - for good-luck and to enter the new year pure, clean and ready.

Growing up in Brazil in the 50s was not too much different than my friends experience here in the US. Except that we did not practice as much competitive sports as the American kids. Ours was more leisurely past time. In the 60's we all wanted to wear American jeans and T-shirts. In the 70s, in business school, we used many translated American text books plus local authors. Today, the internet and mass travel created brought people even better and enabled deeper understanding.


~ Stela Maris Dallari





Stela Brandao, Chancery Officer
Brazilian Foreign Service


From Stela

I am a Chancery Officer from the Brazilian Foreign Service working at the Press Department of the Brazilian Consulate General in New York. I am also a classic singer and a music teacher, with a doctorate from Columbia University. Music has been my major field of study and dedication since childhood. Brazilian music became my dissertation topic and one of my greatest joys in life is to talk about the music of my country. I consider music, either classic, popular or folk music, to be Brazilian major cultural asset to offer the world. Brazilian people are an essentially musical people.

Growing up in Brazil: I was born in the city called THE MARVELOUS CITY, which is Rio de Janeiro, a dramatically set between rainforest clad cliffs and the sea. People born in Rio refer to themselves as Cariocas. Cariocas are friendly folks who always have time for pleasures of good living and the rhythm of samba. Samba and Carnival were part of my upbringing, as were other musical manifestations like serenades, square dances during the Saint John's Festival in June, Afro-Brazilian chants and drumming to YEMANJÁ, at the beach, on each December 31rst, etc. When BOSSA NOVA boomed, in the late 50's and early 60's, it was very common to have a gathering of young people to play the guitar and sing the hits of the moment. The acoustic guitar was the most popular instrument and in almost every home there was somebody who could play it. Singing and drumming are a natural expression of Brazilian people in general and of Cariocas in particular.

TOM JOBIM and JOÃO GILBERTO were the initiators of the BOSSA NOVA movement. VINICIUS DE MORAES' poetry also helped to immortalize that genre and spread it worldwide. The most famous Brazilian song ever is "The Girl from Ipanema", with music by Tom Jobim and lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes. Even Frank Sinatra recorded an English version of it! It is said that this is the most played song around the Globe. Bossa Nova songs mostly talked about love and idyllic appreciation of nature. And nature has always been very generous in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro.

In the old days, CARNIVAL music used to be sung spontaneously around town by the common people who would follow a band of any group of street musicians. From the streets, the music entered the salons, the ball-rooms, and Carnival became also a party for the elite. Carnival is probably the largest festival in Brazil and it takes place in FEBRUARY. The Carnival parade in Rio de Janeiro is believed to be the most spectacular and colorful folk music festival in the world. Dozens of SAMBA SCHOOLS parade during several days in the SAMBÓDROMO, displaying the most incredible outfits and allegories. Each Samba School has a different song, which is sung along by the enthusiastic and large audience. The competition among them for the first place is as important for "Cariocas" as soccer teams' competitions. There are also the popular blocos de carnaval, which parade in almost every corner of the city. The rhythm of SAMBA, which is their major form of expression, became the most immediately recognized rhythm as being typically Brazilian.

The carnival in SÃO PAULO city has evolved more and more through the years and is nowadays considered to be one of most beautiful carnival parades. The city at carnival time is calm, without traffic on the streets, but it is for sure very animated at the "Samba Stadium" Anhembi - the place where the carnival parade is. The carnival starts with some simpler "escolas de samba", they "warm up" the spectators, before the best teams or Samba Schools enter the arena. Besides the parade, the night life in São Paulo is lively in carnival time. Carnival parties and thematic parties happen in famous night clubs. São Paulo is also the cradle of famous and important Brazilian songwriters who have influenced generations of Brazilians. Among them I would cite RITA LEE as the most representative.

But Carnival has other expressions different from Rio and São Paulo. One cannot talk about it without mentioning SALVADOR, BAHIA, where it lasts over one week, and the famous "BLOCOS" party and dance in the streets almost non-stop. From that State, BAHIA, we have some of the most important musicians and songwriters of modern Brazil: CAETANO VELOSO, GILBERTO GIL, DORIVAL CAYMMI. João Gilberto was also born in Bahia. Baianos, the people from Bahia, are known in Brazil as those who most love parties. Almost every event is reason for a party, which should last as long as possible and those parties are musically eventful. Vibrant, happy and contagious music. Brazilian Carnival had strong influence from the Africans, and Salvador is the Brazilian city where this influence is mostly felt. All the samba schools in Rio must have a block composed only of "Baianas", women from Bahia dressed with large skirts and turbans. Salvador has one of the best carnivals in Brazil. With 2,000,000 people (including 800,000 tourists), Salvador has the largest street carnival in the world. While in Rio most of the carnival happens in ball-rooms and in the Sambódromo (which require people to pay to participate), in Salvador most events happen in the streets and beaches, and are free for all. As a consequence, the carnival in Salvador goes on, non-stop, for nearly ten days. Small groups called "blocos" pop up everywhere in the city, and they are soon followed by locals and tourists. A tradition of the carnival in Salvador is the "trios eletricos" (electric trio, constituted of two electric guitars and drums). Several of the most popular musicians in Brazil are from Bahia, and they do come back for Carnival. So, you may come across free shows by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Daniella Mercury, Gal Costa, Maria Betania and several other singers and groups; a sure presence is of CARLINHOS BROWN and the Timbalada band, which was made famous by Paul Simon a few years ago. The percussion Band OLODUM is another important group originated in Salvador, Bahia.

In the Northeast, the city of RECIFE is very famous for its Carnivals. The music there is again different. In Recife and OLINDA, one can watch performances of several rhythms, each with its own peculiarities: FREVO, MARACATU, CABOCLINHO, CIRANDA, COCO, SAMBA, ROCK, REGGAE, and MANGUEBEAT. There are more than 100 artists in live performances on the streets; there's a beautiful and magic spectacle in every place of the town. The city government supports shows (diverting traffic, advertising, hiring some groups), but the core of the party is made by the crowd; they define which songs to play, which way to take. This cultural diversity attracts people from everywhere. Tradition rhythms join together with the new and contemporary. Every year, Recife´s Carnival on the streets brings millions of people, tourists from other Brazilian cities and foreign countries. Carnival takes place across the whole town, even in the distant neighborhoods and quarters.

In the North Region, the most important popular feast is the BUMBA MEU BOI of PARINTINS, in the Amazon, where two groups dispute the preference of the public: CAPRICHOSO versus GARANTIDO. The official contest is held in a stadium called BUMBÓDROMO, which fits 35,000 people. Caprichoso and Garantido perform during three nights in JUNE, and a committee elects the winner. The bumba-meu-boi is a very popular and widespread comic-dramatic dance, which tells the story of the death and resurrection of an ox. It started at the end of the 18th century in the coastal sugar plantations and cattle ranches of northeastern Brazil and from there it spread to the north and south. Its name comes from the verb bumbar, meaning to beat up or against, and the expression is chanted by the crowd as an invitation for the ox (the men under the ox costume) to charge against them. It is a parade of human and animal characters, and fantastic creatures from Brazilian Indian mythology. It also represents a syncretism of White Portuguese culture with the Native Indian and the African. The instruments used are the acoustic guitar, Brazilian tambourine, drums, tambour and accordion.

This is just a glimpse of musical life that takes place in Brazil. Many more festivals and manifestations would be worthy to talk about, but let's leave it for another opportunity.


~ Stela Brandao





Some Portuguese Words to Learn

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Portuguese is the official language of Brazil 
 

1) Basic Words

 
2) Useful Phrases

Quebrar o galho. (break the branch) 
Dar um jeito (make a way). 
 
Both have the same meaning: to help someone, often in the sense to get around some rule or regulation. 

A Taste of Brazil

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For a taste of Brazil in New York there's Emporium Brazil on West 46 St., just off 5th Ave, otherwise known as "Little Brazil Street". The chef is Samira Soares. The proprietor is Regina Silva. Their recipes leave you wanting.

The 2005 ed. of seasonal recipes of NYC's finest chefs includes their Red Snapper with Pumpkin, a savory dish that made with shrimp and pumpkin and cooked in coconut milk. And on weekends there's "Feijoada", the national dish of Brazil, a hearty casserole of black beans, dry cured beef, served with white rice, collared greens and orange, served buffet style.This goes well with a Caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil, which is produced from the stalks of sugar cane or a Guarana Antica, another cool summer drink .And If this isn't enough try their "casserola de Palmita", a dish made with chunks of fresh palm.

On the desert side there's Romeo & Juliet. You'll find this one in the companion version titled NEW YORK SWEETS/ DESSERTS & PASTRIES, ( again ) FROM NEW YORK's FINEST CHEFS.


Recipe 1: Red Snapper with Butternut Squash
Recipe 2: Romeo and Juliet





Music

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Susi and I got a flavor of Brazilian Jazz this week. At the venerable Birdland on West 44th Street we happened upon the opening night of BOSSABRASIL, a week-long festival noted featuring pianist/ composer Cesar Camargo Mariano with a trio of Brazilian artists which included guitarist/ singer Joao Bosco, Sergio Brandao on bass, Jurm Moreira on drums and Harry Allen on tenor saxophone.

BOSSABRASIL offers music lovers of Brazilian music a sample of soft jazz infused with Brazilian/ African "Bossanova" overtones. It's stylishly contemporary, with a vein of the enormously popular 1964 album "Getz/Gilberto. The program runs through the 19th.

You can hear a sample of this music as recorded by Cesar Camargo Mariano and Leny Andrade from their 1994 album-NOS on this week's show. Listen in.