Photo Credit: Reinaldo Marques/Terra

During his last week in South Africa, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended numerous events promoting my home country. Lula is a great character and one of the most charismatic personalities that Brazil will ever have in the presidential seat at Palácio do Planalto. However, Lula is also known for not following scripts and speaking his mind during public announcements. Every time that I try to imagine my worst PR nightmare, an event where I need to manage Mr. Lula da Silva always comes to mind.

During the release of Tourism Brazil’s (Embratur) marketing campaign last week in Johannesburg, Lula went on and on in a  last minute speech that managed to contradict much of the soon to be unveiled program. After announcing that he would not follow any script prepared by his communications specialists, Lula proceeded with his own off-the-cuff version which included a number of unfavourable stereotypes in his narrative. In an attempt to convince his audience that Brazil is a multicultural country, he goes against the highlight of Embratur’s campaign, a promotional video entitled “Brazil is Calling You – Celebrate Life Here.”

Produced by Fernando Meirelles‘ O2 Filmes, “Brazil is Calling You – Celebrate Life Here” portrays a country that I barely know as a person born and raised in Brazil. Apparently, Brazil’s president was equally unaware of the video’s content as the majority of his speech was based on describing his people as multicultural; a mix between first nations, afro-Brazilians and Europeans. I don’t know about you, but I can count on one hand the scenes starring non-Caucasian people in the video.

For years, Brazil has been trying to avoid the image of an unprofessional country with small urban centres surrounded by jungle.  Embratur’s promotional video addresses this need, however, Lula said that the tourists who decide to visit Brazil in 2014 should also be careful while exploring the Amazon because if they take the wrong shortcut, they might get swallowed by a sucuri. It was an unsuccessful attempt to joke about Brazilian natural diversity.

So how did Embratur deal with the international backlash? Thankfully, the President’s speech was delivered entirely in Portuguese, so the majority of the reaction to Lula’s unscripted speech ended up coming from the Brazilian media and expats who saw a very pretentious president on stage.

How would I handle this situation? Well… once your representative is on stage, it’s virtually impossible to drag them away from the microphone (remember Kayne West?). However, as a communications professional, I would create an opportunity during the same event to address the international media and explain my spokesperson’s jokes. I would also recommend that Lula take a more serious approach while clarifying his message in his next press conference in Johannesburg.

What about you?

This article was written based on information provided by the following Brazilian articles:

Lula comete gafes futebolísticas em discurso sobre a Copa de 2014

Com gafes, Lula faz público gargalhar durante discurso

Discurso de Lula diverte a plateia na África do Sul

I am having the busiest week of my life, but it feels really gooooood! I recorded this videolog last Saturday and spent the whole weekend trying to make my 2006 Dell laptop talk to my new 2010 Canon Rebel T2i camera. As you can guess, things didn’t go as smoothly as I expected.

Last Saturday I interviewed the founder and publisher of The Canadian Immigrant Magazine Nick Noorani. I’ve known Nick for a year now and his passion for helping immigrants and making Canada a better country for everyone is a real inspiration to me. I am still trying to befriend my new camera with my old laptop and even although Adobe Premiere is completely installed, it might take a while to edit my talk with Nick. Be patient with me and stay tuned!

I also talked about my participation in the Women in Leadership Foundation (WIL) mentorship program in this video. I am extremely excited about the program and only 2.5 hours away from the official launch of this year’s program.

I am also planning on uploading my videos from Tuesday’s Brazilian craziness on Commercial Drive very soon. I must confess that it’s very hard to be Canadian during the World Cup, but since this country is about diversity, I might get a passing grade this month!

Talk to you soon,

Veronica

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I have no words to express how proud I am of my friend Dianne Russell. She found her man, moved to South Africa and created one of the most successful expat blogs that I know. Yeah, butt… hit the 11,000 visitors mark in only 6 weeks! I must confess that I was I little bit jeaulous when she told me that she was going to watch watch Brazil vs. North Korea at Casa Little Brazil yesterday. Luckily, Dianne has a big heart and decided to share her experience at the best pavillion in South Africa with us. Thanks, Dianne!

A Night in Brazil

The Set Up

I’d been excitedly looking forward to Brazil’s opening night and I was NOT disappointed!  Not only was the game fantastic, but the vibe at Casa Little Brazil, which has taken over the Sea Point Civic Centre in Cape Town for the next month, was incredible.

We paid R60 (about C$8.00) cover charge each, and as soon as we walked through the door, we knew it would not be a waste.  Just inside the entrance lay a man-made beach made from authentic Cape Town sand!  Beyond the beach was the auditorium, where we found bars, food, a live samba band, a DJ booth and of course, a huge TV screen.

More incredible than the ‘things’ we found were the PEOPLE.  The place was pumping with crazed Brazilian fans decked out in all variations and combinations of their yellow and green fan gear, and instead of walking from place to place, everyone danced – just as I imagined Brazilians would do!  Before the game started, we were treated to three bedazzled and befeathered female dancers (one Brazilian and two South African) shimmying and gyrating around a lone, topless gyrating Brazilian male.   Did I say topless? and gyrating? sigh…

The Game

Up to the balcony we climbed, claiming a perfect row of seats with a terrific view of the screen.   Vuvuzelas were paaaaarping – yes, BRAZILIANS were happily blowing vuvuzelas to the samba rhythms, shaking their booties as if the vuvuzelas had always been part of their football tradition!

As we were in a Portugese-speaking crowd, the broadcast was also in Portugese, which was a bit challenging for us English speakers.  This did, however, make for a very unique experience.

Because I lived in Korea in the late 90s, I can recognize the sounds of Korean words.  When the Brazilian broadcaster was speaking, I could make out the names of the North Korean players, even when mixed in with the Portugese.  This is what the game sounded like to me:

“blah blah blah blah vuvuzela blah blah Ji Yun Nam blah blah blah Kaka blah blah blah vuvuzela blah blah blah Kaka blah blah Kaka blah Kim Yong Jun blah blah Hong Yong Jo blah vuvuzela blah blah Kaka blah…etc.”

BTW, Kak means ‘poop’ in South Africa…sorry all you Kaka fans, but it’s true!

Anyhow, as everyone knows, North Korea played incredibly and put Brazil to the test.  North Korea worked so bloody hard that when they finally scored a goal, all the Brazilians stood up and cheered for them!!!  How classy is that?!?!  It gave me yet another reason to want to go back for the next game (as if the food, booze, samba and hot ‘topless and gyrating’ Brazilian guy weren’t reason enough!).

After the game, the dancing broke out once again, and the sounds of samba continued well into the Cape Town night.  Viva Brazil!

The last time I watched a performance by Grupo Corpo, I was living in Brazil and the soundtrack of the show was composed by João Bosco. I fell in love with Grupo Corpo while watching their performances of Bengelê and Santagustin at Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro. Since 2002, I have been chasing them around the world and if it wasn’t for my good friend Lili Viera de Carvalho, I would have missed their performances in Vancouver.

Corpo means body in Portuguese. Grupo Corpo is the realization of Paulo Pederneiras’ ambitious dream of mixing contemporary dance with genuine Brazilian music. Grupo Corpo has given life to over 30 different shows and toured through several countries. Grupo Corpo is eye-catching for its powerful and defiant way of introducing a human body to movements and concepts that are beyond imagination. Its Latin American take on contemporary dance ads an extra sparkle for its audience, and watching one of their performances always leaves you having trouble believing what you’ve seen.

PARABELO

Photo Credit: José Luiz Pederneiras

Parabelo was the first act of the Vancouver show. Meant to be a re-creation of the Brazilian Sertão, it is described by its creator Rodrigo Pederneiras as the most “regional” concept that Grupo Corpo has brought to life. Parabelo is as intriguing as its title.

The impressive soundtrack created by Tom Zé, one of the most polemical Brazilian musicians, and José Miguel Wisnik brings to the stage the exact feeling associated with the hard reality experienced in the Northeast of Brazil. However, the beauty of Grupo Corpo’s choreography and audacity of mixing xaxado, forró and frevo with modern dance makes Parabelo an unforgettable experience.

BREU

Photo Credit: José Luiz Pederneiras

The rock and roll approach that Lenine gave to Breu’s soundtrack is conveyed by Grupo Corpo as a fight between darkness and sound. Lenine’s wild guitars also set the tones of violence and brutality that fill the stage.  Apparently, choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras asked Lenine to have fun while composing BREU’s soundtrack. Lenine certainly followed his instructions by adding uncomfortable and rebellious sounds to Grupo Corpo’s darkest show.

The second act of the Vancouver show completely challenged gravity. Jumping from the floor while twisting and balancing bodies against each other were ordinary tasks for the cast of BREU. Compared to the first act, BREU was too rushed and I didn’t feel that it conveyed a full story to me in its 45-minutes. It was beautiful to watch, but I’d love to see more darkness and young anxiety through a structured story that could better relay the spirit of Pederneiras’ vision.

Grupo Corpo is now on its way to Europe and will be back on the stage on May 8^th and 9^th at Teatro Municipal de Valencia, in Valencia, Spain, and May 12^th at Gare du midi, in Biarritz, France. For more information, visit http://www.grupocorpo.com.br/site

Author’s Note: “Águas de Março” is this blog post’s official soundtrack. Please press play and enjoy!

It may sound wrong to you, but in my mind, the year only starts after my birthday! I grew up in Brazil with the idea that everything starts after Carnival, which usually happen 40 days before Easter. School, new projects, jobs, all serious things are kept (unofficially) on hold from Christmas to March. Coincidentally, March is also when the rainy season starts in Rio de Janeiro, bringing with it the end of the Summer. My birthday falls in the second week of March, so it always made sense to me that the year starts after my personal solar revolution.

But, what if you are an immigrant in a country where Carnival is only a warm and intriguing BBC TV segment? What if your internal clock doesn’t make sense to your Canadian family and coworkers? Well… I am still going through some adaptation, although 2010 was the first year that I completely forgot about Carnival and summer in Brazil . The Olympics and an overwhelming start to 2010 kept me busy enough during this first quarter.

I still like the idea that the year starts after March 11th though. 2010 could have started without a stressful identity theft episode (blog post to come) and a really exhausting trip to Brazil and back (another blog post). I am sorry that I am taking a little bit longer to catch up, but you won’t regret it if you stay tuned. Happy 2010!

Eu estava determinada a não comentar o que anda acontecendo no Brasil, até porque toda vez que eu decido escrever sobre o meu país, eu acabo chutando cachorro morto! Não é nenhuma novidade que o caso Sean Goldman é um motivo de constrangimento internacional e que os padres estupradores continuam em atividade no Brasil. Só que fica difícil ignorar a boçalidade tupiniquim quando uma universidade brasileira expulsa uma estudante por causa de uma mini-saia e uma atriz Global esculacha uma terra que eu aprendi a admirar.

Aparentemente, Geisy Arruda foi expulsa da UNIBAN porque apareceu na universidade usando uma mini-saia considerada inapropriada para o ambiente universitário. Não, ela não estava fazendo topless na sala de aula. Não, ela não xingou o professor ou estava vendendo drogas para os colegas de classe. Geisy simplesmente decidiu usar uma mini-saia para ir à universidade e, depois da ameaça de estupro e de sair da universidade escoltada pela polícia, acabou expulsa! Por a partir $199,00 mensais, a UNIBAN não só te garante um diploma universitário, mas também te transforma num autêntico inquisitor brasileiro! Parabéns UNIBAN, graças aos seus reitores e diretores irresponsáveis, o Brasil perpetua o machismo brasileiro e reforça a idéia do estupro consentido.

Depois deste video de Maitê Proença no Saia Justa, sugiro que a atriz seja eleita garota propaganda da UNIBAN.  A falta de escrúpulos e  prepotência já são características comprovadas de Maitê. Fiquei triste em ver que a atriz desrespeita completamente um país lindo e maravilhoso como Portugal. Ao invés de mostrar a história do belíssimo Mosteiros dos Jerônimos e as particularidades de Sintra, Maitê presta um des-serviço ao espectador do Saia Justa.

Depois da repercussão do video, a “inteligentíssima” Maitê decidiu fazer um video se retratando. Sinceramente, o pedido de desculpas foi pior do que o famoso “nada a declarar”. Brincadeira caseira, Maitê? É assim que você se comporta quando visita a casa dos outros? Passando por Vancouver, faz favor não sair dizendo que é brasileira, viu? Porque eu não sou brincalhona e não acho nada do que você fez engraçado!

P.S.: Geisy, se algum dia você chegar a ler este post, espero que você já tenha superado e processado tanto a diretoria da UNIBAN quanto os idiotas que te ameaçaram. Também espero vê-la estudando numa universidade melhor! Não desista do seu sonho! As meninas brasileiras precisam de um exemplo de sobrevivência para aprender que mulheres gostosas não precisamos ser coleguinhas ou rainhas da laje para serem respeitadas!

Bloggers que também escreveram sobre estes dois episódios:

UNIBAN

Augusto Nunes – em 31 de outubro de 2009

Augusto Nunes, em 7 de novembro de 2009

Síndrome de Estocolmo

Maitê Proença

Baxt

Síndrome de Estocolmo

Bem, não é nenhuma novidade por aqui o fato de eu ter trabalhado no Sexy Hot por dois anos, né? Pois então, mesmo estando longe de ícones como Manuel Ferrara, Savannah Samson e Nacho Vidal há mais de dois anos, assistir o crescimento de certos projetos do Sexy Hot me dá um orgulho enorme das meninas que lá trabalham.

Bárbara, a gostosa do foto abaixo, é o primeiro cartoon voltado para o público feminino num canal de TV por assinatura brasileiro com uma abordagem apimentada. Fruto do trabalho árduo da minha amiga Antônia, a Bárbara está cada dia mais gata e independente. Tipo assim, eu queria ser a Bárbara para ser destaque no blog da Patrícia Kogut!!!

Quem diria que a Bárbara de traço super simples ia se transformar nesse mulherão, hein?

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Já que estamos falando dos produtos da casa antiga (aka Globosat), Antônia me mandou hoje o link do Larica Total, um programa de culinária tosco do Canal Brasil que vai me ajudar a não morrer de fome no Canadá. O Paulo, apresentador do programa, é o chef que eu pedi a Deus! Chega de Oliver, chega de Nigella! Eu preciso é aprender a cozinhar com os restos da minha geladeira! Eu preciso é aprender a fazer um bate-e-entope gostoso para alimentar o marido gringo!

O programa é tão f… que entrou para a lista de links “Cool and Cult”!!!

P.S.: Povo do Canal Brasil, por favor, continue postando os programas no you tube para a fã gringa que tenta cozinhar!

P.S.2: Assim que eu terminar de arrumar a minha mudança, eu escrevo mais!

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Tudo bem… este post já tinha acabado, mas agora disvirtuou total! A Bárbara, que é uma mulher muito melhor do que eu, não vai concordar comigo, mas acabei de ler no resumo do episódio 3 do Larica Total a síntese do que o ato de cozinhar significa pra mim. O Paulo estava descrevendo o processo de flambagem do queijo coalho, mas pra mim a descrição se aplica a qualquer processo culinário!

O único problema deste prato é você ficar com seu cérebro muito tempo parado e surtar de repente. Isso é o maior perigo. Ainda mais que você tá com o fogo ligado, sozinho, com palito pontudo na pão. Pra surtar e fazer uma tragédia é um estalo… Recomendo, sinceramente, que você ocupe sua mente nessa hora, ou com uma leitura de um jornal que você pode fixar na na parede, ou uma cantarolada comprida, uma poesia recitada, de repente mais de uma música, um rádio, até falar sozinho, ajuda. O perigo é o silêncio. O silêncio mental é um passo pra sabe se lá aonde. Recomendo cautela.”

Bem, é isso!

Vou dormir porque amanhã a pessoa humana precisa arranjar mentores para o Mentoring Connections.

(Hiii… preciso falar disso aqui também, né?)

Como todos os meus amigos sabem, eu não fui designed para apreciar nenhum tipo de entorpecente. Não que eu não tenha tentado, é claro! (In)Felizmente, não é a minha, não curto… Mas tanta coisa faz sentido neste post do Felipe, que se eu começar a comentar acabo chovendo no molhado.

Sinceramente, eu espero que se cumpra a profecia de que com mais liberdade, veremos um futuro “com menos mulheres chegando frustradas aos 30, achando que se comportar com a inconsequência dos 17 anos é bacana, moderninho”. Na verdade, bitches, é ridículo, é imaturo, é embarrassing!!!

Se você está no Brasil e ainda assiste a Rede Globo, pára tudo e coloca no Jô hoje à noite. Minhas amigas e ex co-workers Antônia Canto e Marcela Leone, acompanhadas pelas fofíssimas Taís Martins e Carolina Pacheco vão prestigiar o programa com os causos dos canais explícitos (Sexy Hot, For Man e Playboy) da Globosat.

Meninas, vocês vão arrasar com certeza. Se bem me lembro, nossas histórias são mais que interessantes e vão render um bom “ahhhh”no final!

***UPDATE***

Pra quem moscou ou dormiu antes da entrevista, os vídeos no you tube:

Meninas do Sexy Hot no Programa do Jô – Parte 1
Meninas do Sexy Hot no Programa do Jô – Parte 2

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl5v0NRjR3M]

Existem divas e Divas. Eu sempre preferi aquelas histórias com drama e final trágico. Elis pra mim é a Diva perfeita, morreu jovem deixando pra sempre a imagem de um misto de tristeza e talento do vídeo acima.

Não sei se Elis estava só desabafando ou se realmente existia uma sociologia mais apurada por trás do discurso improvisado. Em poucos três minutos minha Diva define a nossa louca paixão brasileira pelo carnaval. É isso mesmo, todo mundo saí cantando numa felicidade contagiante, desenfreada e insana na tentativa de esquecer todos os males do mundo.

Além disso, o que mais gosto neste vídeo são os extremos de Elis, que se transmuta de uma tristeza profunda para a alegria de um samba lindo e romântico. Outro fato curioso é o que exatamente define boas intérpretes para mim: quando elas cantam, o mundo fica mais bonito!

Elis será sempre a Diva das divas da MPB!

E Amy Winehouse talvez se transforme na minha diva do século 21…