New York artist Susan Dessel recently exhibited her latest work, “Still Lives” at the Culpeper Gallery in New York´s Lower East Side.
The exhibition, inspired by the first Jewish women who arrived there as refugees beginning in the 1650’s (in what was then New Amsterdam), followed research at the oldest cemetery in New York (the Chatham Square Cemetery). Amongst those first Jewish women were a number from Recife, who fled at the end of Dutch rule, after the return of the Portuguese in 1654.
The exhibition, which we hope to bring to Recife in 2010, is introduced by the artist in the following video:
In an earlier post we introduced The History of the Jews in Pernambuco, and Pearl Travel Guides is currently developing the Official Jewish Tours in association with the Jewish Archive in Recife. Please email for further tour details: contact@recife.pearltravelguides.com
Brazil, run by a military regime for over 20 years, eventually returned to democracy. The first major music event that followed was Rock in Rio in 1985. The ten day festival of national and international Rock, attended by a predominantly white middle class audience from the south, highlighted the racial, social, cultural and economic divisions of the country.
At this time Recife, the capital of the northeast state of Pernambuco, was in a bad economic state and there was not much happening on the music scene. As DJ Dolores recalls, “There was a serious problem because nothing was going on in the city. We didn´t have the money to leave and we had the dilemma of whether to try to move away, or to change the city. We had to do something, so a group of friends created the ´Mangue Bit´ scene. We began to organize parties. The first ones were in the docks area of Recife. At the time it was a shady district. There was nothing there at night, except for prostitutes, sailors and tramps. But there were some incredible places for parties that were cheap to hire. We played new music, radical music, anything …. hip hop, rock, the first electronic tracks we could lay our hands on. So, it was very different music to what you´d hear on TV and radio. The people that came to these parties ended up forming bands together.”
Chico Science is credited as being the leader of the Mangue Bit movement. Along with his band, Nação Zumbi he transformed Maracatu, a traditional rhythm of the northeast, with its roots in the days of slavery on sugar plantations. Naçao Zumbi was named after Zumbi, the last leader of a community of runaway slaves of the 17th Century.
Chico and the band re-worked traditional Maracatu for the 90´s, mixing it with hip hop, rock and electronic sounds. In a 1994 interview Chico (born Franciso de Asis Franca in 1966) said, “The beat was a thing we created. The idea was to take regional rhythms and add to them….creating a new dimension, a new vision, with all the baggage of global pop. Mangue boys have their antennae out to the world mixing the regional and the universal and making the Mangue Bit.”
As a boy Chico would collect crabs from the mud of the mangroves to sell. The same crabs became a symbol of the Mangue Bit movement, and the Mangrove (Mangue in Portuguese) is incorporated in the name. Bit refers to computer bit, a reference to the electronic influence in the style. More commonly, but incorrectly, the movement is often referred to as Mangue Beat.
The movement was established around 1991, and in 1992 singer Fred 04 wrote it´s manifesto, Crabs with Brains (Caranguejos com Cérebro).
One of the characteristics of the movement was that every artist had their own style. Singer and composer Lenine said, “Mangue Bit is not a movement as such, it is a movement of people. There was never an aesthetic unity binding the factions together. Mangue Bit is a wonderful movement because it celebrates differences.”
Along with Chico Science and Fred Zero Quatro, the third key figure in the Mangue Bit movement was Siba, leader of the band Mestre Ambrosio. Siba became a specialist in the Maracatu contests in which different groups used improvised poetry to discuss current affairs, challenge the skills of their rivals and brag about their own prowess, much as in hip hop.
Mangue Bit transformed Recife´s view of itself, and of the culture of the state. It´s influence was felt nationwide too. Paulo Andre, (Former Manager of Chico Science and Nação Zumbi), says, “They changed Recife, they changed Pernambuco, and they also changed Brazil. Chico Science and Nação Zumbi opened up doors for a new generation of Brazilian brands who were not Samba or Bossa Nova bands.”
In 1997 the Mangue Bit Movement lost a leader when Chico Science died in a car crash at the age of 30, but the movement lived on and evolved. Chico´s former band Nação Zumbi survives and several other artists of the era also have successful music careers. They include bands and artists like Lenine, Siba, DJ Dolores and Fred 04 of Mundo Livre.
Each of these artists will be profiled on Recife Guide in the coming weeks. In the meantime you can see some other Youtube clips of Chico Science.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu3mcjjx9O0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAY9VcjxPss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGknD65i6hk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY01-aAz6mM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flg4AccZ54A
A clip from the English documentary series makes great viewing:
The author gratefully acknowledges the many sources that were consulted in the writing of this article. While they provide the foundation, the interpretation and opinion are entirely those of the author.
Paul Barnett is Founder of Recife Guide.
Bezeros, arguably the creative capital of Pernambuco, is home to important artists such as wood block printer J.Borges, and to the Centro de Artesanato which features the work of artisans from the whole state of Pernambuco. It is also famous for its unique form of Carnival, Papangu, which involves the use of elaborate masks. Additionally, Bezerros is the gateway to the Serra Negra mountains, an ecology reserve.
Bezerros: Basic Facts
Bezerros is a municipality in State of Pernambuco, near the city of Gravatá. It is approx 50minutes (approx. 100km) by car from Recife along the well maintained BR232 highway.
It has a population of approximately 57,000, and an area of 492.6 km², in the Agreste (a narrow, mostly hilly, zone between the coastal Zona da Mata (forest zone) and the semiarid Sertão).
History of Bezerros
In 1740 a family of farmers settled in what is now the town of Bezerros. The first two inhabitants of the private estate were two brothers Terciano and Zebóbio Torres who developed farms. Other brothers José and Grancisco Bezerra settled soon after, and all worked in farming.
The daughter of one of the Bezerra brothers disappeared and was given up as lost, but his father made a promise to Saint José that if she were found he would build a chapel. The child was eventually found on the ground beneath a leafy tree. Upon the site of the tree the Matriz Church (Igreja Matriz) was built.
Igreja Matriz
Igreja Matriz
One theory suggests that the city was named after the brothers Bezerra (meaning Calf), the other theory suggests that it is named as such due to the importance of cattle farming in the area. Today the town still hosts live stock auctions each Saturday morning. Here visitors can see traders in typical countryside dress, similar to that that several generations of their families have no doubt also worn.
Attractions in Bezerros
The town has several attractions for tourists. It is the gateway to the Serra Negra an ecological reserve formed of a mountain range that has an average altitude of 1000m and extent of over 10km. It is home to countless species of native flowers, trees, birds and other forms of wildlife. It also includes several caverns. The mountain top views of the Agreste countryside are quite spectacular and can be enjoyed from several vantage points including the chalets of Canta da Serra for those lucky enough to stay in the region or from Bar Mirante for those on a day trip.
Agreste Landscape
The Serra Negra offers great trekking, but it is also possible to explore by bike, horse or jeep. The reserve has an area of Atlantic Forest (Matta Atlantica), and for the more adventurous, there are areas to enjoy radical sports, such as rock climbing.
Whilst in the city do not forget to pick up some locally made products. You can find excellent honey, cheeses, cakes and even locally grown artisanal coffees. The town market is also worth a visit if you are there on Saturday.
Bezerros Centro de Artesanato
The region is also has a lot to offer to visitors interested in the arts and crafts of Pernambuco. It is home to artists like J. Borges and his son, famed for their carvings for wood block printing, most famously seen on the covers of popular literature pamphlets called Cordels. They depict typical Brazilian scenes plus characters from folklore, myths and legends including, of course, the legendary bandits Lampiao and Maria Bonita.
J Borges, Woodblock Printer. Photographs (left & right) by Bernardo Queiroz
In Bezerros you will also find the Centro de Artesanato de Pernambuco (Pernambuco Artisan Centre) with a permanent exhibition of the work of the most important artists from across the state, and a shop where works can be purchased. A visit to the centre is an opportunity to see great craftsmanship from over 200 artists, and to learn a lot about the folklores and traditions of the state.
Centro de Artesanato
Bezerros Carnival & Papangu
The towns carnival is one of the largest and most important in the interior, begins ten days before the main festivities with the Bloco Acorda Bezerros (carnival group called the “Waking up of the Calves”), dressed in pyjamas and carrying dolls, revellers join an improvised dance through the streets in the early hours of the morning. They congregate in the city Centre on Rua 15 de Novembro (15th November Street).
A unique feature of Carnival in Bezeros is the use of masks made by individuals and over 30 workshops. Older generations suggest that the tradition of wearing masks began when men wanted to be able to enjoy carnival by using disguise to avoid their wives. But, the real name for the party Papangu relates to the cornmeal porridge “Angu” eaten during carnival. “Papa” means to eat. The meal is offered by friends and neighbours, and it is said that the mask allowed people to eat greedily without embarrassment. Success of this trick requires the wearer to keep secret the design of their mask in the days before carnival.
The author gratefully acknowledges the many sources that were consulted in the writing of this article. While they provide the foundation, the interpretation and opinion are entirely those of the author.
Paul Barnett is Founder of Recife Guide.
Written by Paul Barnett
Francisco Brennand is one of the most important and celebrated artists in Brazil. He was born on June 11th 1927, the son of a wealthy industrialist, Ricardo Monteiro Brennand, whose Irish family had arrived in Brazil in 1823 to work as peasant farmers. The unmarried daughter of a sugar magnate took a liking to Brennand’s father, who was employed by her father. She later inherited her father’s property, and when she died, willed her entire estate and immense wealth to Ricardo Brennand.
From an early age, he worked at the São João Pottery his father had founded in 1917, and he was an informal pupil of potter Abelardo da Hora. He also developed drawing skills, made caricatures, and illustrated the poems of his contemporary, Ariano Suassuna. His talent for painting was helped when his father invited several artists to paint landscapes surrounding the São João Engenho (sugar mill), including Álvaro Amorim, Balthazar de Cãmara, Mário Nunes and Murillo La Greca. Brennand later became a student of La Greca, whose work can be seen at the gallery named after him in Recife.
It was with La Greca that Brennand created his first sculpture A Cabeça de Deborah (Deborah´s Head). In 1947, he received his first prize for painting from the Art Salon of the State Museum of Pernambuco. Two years later he travelled to Europe to study ceramics, visiting France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain and Italy. During his travels he was influenced by Picasso, Miró, Léger and Gaudi. When he came back to Recife, he revisited the São João Pottery, which had been idle since 1945 and lay in ruins. Then, in 1971, he set about restoring the site, situated close to the Capibaribe River in the midst of Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest). The project, his volume of work and his reputation, all grew. Today he is known internationally and his work has been exhibited, and won prizes, in many cities.
At 82, Brennand still works on the site and has completed many projects in the past few years. Two of the oldest and most spectacular features of the complex are the water and sculpture garden that were landscaped by Brazil´s most famous landscaper, Brule Marx. Between temples, ponds and fountains are many of Brennands works including murals and sculptures inspired by flora, fauna, mythological, historic and literary figures. Many are also vey sexual and erotic, based on Brenand´s main focus of study, the female body.
Inside the large warehouse style buildings are yet more surprises. There are over two thousand sculptures of many forms, ornate rooms and a sunken pit theatre. Close to the garden and warehouse buildings is the Accademia building which was opened in 2003. It houses houses over 200 of his paintings and drawings.
In addition to Oficina Brennand, his work can be seen in other parts of Recife, and all over Brazil. The most famous of his other work in Recife is the Parque das Esculturas (Sculpture Park) on the reef that can be seen from Marco Zero Square in Recife Antigo. Centerpiece of the park is the 32meter column of concrete, clay, ceramic and bronze. It was inspired by a flower discovered by Brule Marx. The 90 exhibits can be viewed up close by taking a boat crossing from the quayside in Marco Zero.
For information about visiting Oficina Brennand see our section on Art Galleries
The Sculpture Park can be visited as part of the Walking Tour 4: Recife Antigo.
The author gratefully acknowledges the many sources that were consulted in the writing of this article. While they provide the foundation, the interpretation and opinion are entirely those of the author.
Paul Barnett is Founder of Recife Guide.
This section of the magazine will have articles on all aspects of fashion, architcture, graphic design, product design and crafts including profiles of designers, architects and artisans.
The section is being added soon. It will feature stories that focus on theatre, cinema, dance and other performing arts. There will also be reports on events and profile performers
Boa Viagem Beach at Low Tide
Recife: Tropical Escape
Recife is on the northeast coast of Brazil and enjoys a tropical climate and 12 month summer (by European standards). It is in the state of Pernambuco, where some of the best beaches in Brazil are to be found (according to Brazilians). It is here the Brazilians from Rio and São Paulo holiday in what they consider to be their cold winter months, from May to October, still equivalent to a good summer for most Europeans.
Being just 8° 06′ South of the equator topical means hot, but the humidity is not too bad, and Recife benefits from onshore trade winds that make things more comfortable most of the time. These great weather conditions can be enjoyed along the 190 km coastline of the state and beyond in neighbouring states. Many beaches are protected from the Atlantic ocean by reefs that create natural swimming pools at several points during low tide. It is these reefs that gave the city of Recife its name.
Sea temperatures make you feel you are in a tropical aquarium. Often a mask and snorkel are all you need to enjoy the abundant ocean life. The region also offers good deep sea diving experiences for the more adventuresome.
In Recife Boa Viagem beach is the place to enjoy these conditions. Close to Recife you will also find many other beaches, each with their unique beauty.
Antique Map of Recife
History of Recife
In the late 16th and early 17th centuries Pernambuco state, of which Recife is the capital, was the richest in Brazil, thanks to sugar cane. It remains one of the largest cities on the northeastern coast of Brazil, occupying an important strategic position as one of the closest ports to North America and Europe.
In 1534, the Portuguese settled in the coastal area of Pernambuco to the north of Recife. To guarantee the possession of the new lands, the Portuguese king divided Brazil in several strips, called capitaincies, and donated each one to rich Portuguese entrepreneurs, who would have the job of developing the colony, with their own resources, on behalf of the king.
The Capitaincy of Pernambuco was assigned to Duarte Coelho Pereira, who, in 1534, founded the villages of Igaracu and Olinda. The capitaincy prospered, exploring first the pau-brazil (brazilwood, used to dye fabrics), then the sugar cane (white sugar was much appreciated in Europe, where beet sugar was more common). At this time Olinda was the capital, and Recife was just a small village with a port, from which commodities were exported.
Maurice of Nassau
Not until 1637, with the Dutch invasion under Prince Maurice of Nassau, was Recife founded, largely to exploit the sugar trade potential. They conducted an urbanization plan, defined a layout for the streets, built several bridges and brought architects, artists and engineers from Holland to erect dykes to drain the marshes and to build the city.
The Dutch were expelled in 1654, leaving a much (physically and intellectually) improved Recife behind. Recife kept growing, thanks to the port. The businesses generated by it turned Recife into a major trading center (of sugar cane and slaves mostly, and later of cotton).
During the 19th century, Recife consolidated the position of a regional commerce center; people from several states came to sell their products and the port grew in importance. The production of cotton as an export item became so central it was called White Gold (Ouro Branco).
After the collapse of the sugar and cotton markets, Recife fell into a decline from which it has never fully recovered, but evidence of the grand old days still exists in its architecture, people, and rich cultural heritage. Prosperity is also returning as the economy diversifies. Currently the economic growth is far greater than in Brazil as a whole. The use of ethanol is also likely to help a great deal.
Slaves Cutting Sugar Cane
Brazil and Slavery
Brazil formally abolished the institution of slavery in 1888, the last nation in the western hemisphere to do so. Almost 40% of all Africans seized and enslaved were sent to Brazil.
The scale and duration of slavery in Brazil meant African culture became an integral part of the country’s culture and identity, especially in Rio and the northeastern provinces. Sugar plantations in the Northeast sucked in slave labour; the first Africans landed in the region in 1538, a year after the city of Olinda was founded in Pernambuco province.
Although Salvador in Bahia is the region where the African culture is most apparent, there is still plenty of evidence of it in most major cities, especially in the Northeast and, unfortunately, in most favellas (shantytowns) of the country. The African influence is often expressed in a positive way during carnival, but the legacy of slavery lives on and will continue to do so as long as Brazil´s extreme inequality of wealth distribution persists.
Oldest Synagogue in the AmericaJews in s
Jews in RecifeThe History of the Jews in Recife is an interesting one. The first synagogue in Latin America was built here and from the very beginning, Duarte Coelho, the first Portuguese ruler, was friend to many New Christians, as descendants of converted Jews were known. These New Christians ran about half of Brazil´s sugar mills.
More than half the Jewish community were secret Jews supporting at least ten clandestine synagogues. Small groups met in private homes for Shabbat, while larger groups gathered in secret chapels on the sugar plantations.
The Inquisition came to northeastern Brazil in 1591, and many of the colony´s secret Jews were sent to Lisbon for trial. But the community experienced a revival after the Dutch captured Pernambuco in 1630. Jews came into the open, and by 1641 the first synagogue in the Americas was built. Kahal Zur Israel was constructed in Rua dos Judeus (Street of the Jews), now known as Rua Bom Jesus. Despite anti-Jewish agitation from Dutch Calvanists and Portuguese Catholics, the ruler of Dutch Recife, Maurice of Nassau, saw to it that Jewish rights were upheld.
The city has a very rich and diverse cultural heritage still clearly evident in its architecture, people, music, carnival and other cultural traditions.
Much of the history of Brazil can be explored by taking a Tours recommended by Recife Guide. We also recommend guided tours of the historic city of Olinda and others to Porto de Galinhas.
View of Olinda Looking Toward Recife
Olinda is an historic city in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco founded in 1535 by the Portuguese. It is located on the country’s northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife and is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil. Legend suggests the city’s name can be interpreted as an exclamation regarding the beauty of its setting (“Ó, linda!” is Portuguese for “Oh, beautiful!”).
Olinda features a number of major tourist attractions and earned the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, because of its outstanding cultural importance to the common heritage of humanity. It is picturesque, full of history, character and tropical charm. It seems that everywhere you look there is a church. They date from the 16th century as Olinda is one of the oldest cities in Brazil.
Its History
The Northeastern cost of Brazil had been occupied by a number of indigenous tribes for several thousand years. The hills of present day Olinda had settlements of Caetés and Tupinambá tribes, which were frequently at war. On arrival, the Portuguse aligned themselves with the Tupinambàs.
Together the Portuguese and Tupinambà would fight the Caetés (Kaeté) who, like many other indigenous people in the coast of Brazil, practiced a ritual form of cannibalism. They were acused of eating the first bishop of Brazil, Pedro Fernandes Sardinha, after his ship sank near the mouth of the river Coruripe during his return journey to Portugal. A hundred other passengers were said to be captured Tand eaten by the Caetés. This acusation ensured they were considered “enemies of the civilized world.”
French mercenaries are thought to be the first Europeans to get to the region, but the Portuguese exploited inter-tribal rivalries and managed to build a stronghold on the former Caeté village in the higher hill.
The settlement of Olinda was founded in 1535 by Duarte Coelho Pereira; it was elevated to a town in March 12, 1537, and in 1614 was made the seat of the Territorial Prelature of Pernambuco. It became the Diocese of Olinda in 1676.
Antique Map of Olinda
Olinda was established as the capital of the Portuguese hereditary Captaincy of Pernambuco. In the 17th century, taking advantage of this period of Portuguese weakness, the area around Olinda and Recife was occupied by the Dutch, who gained access to the Portuguese sugarcane plantations. During their invasion of Olinda in 1630, they destroyed much of the city by fire.
Maurice Nassau
John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen (1604-1679), was appointed the governor of the Dutch possessions in Brazil in 1637 by the Dutch West India Company on recommendation of Frederick Henry. He landed at Recife, the port of Pernambuco and the chief stronghold of the Dutch, in January 1637. By a series of successful expeditions, he gradually extended the Dutch possessions to Sergipe in the south and to São Luís de Maranhão in the north. He likewise conquered the Portuguese possessions of Saint George del Mina, Saint Thomas, and Luanda, Angola, on the west coast of Africa.
With the assistance of the famous architect, Pieter Post of Haarlem, he transformed Recife by building a new town adorned with splendid public edifices and gardens, which was called after his name, Mauritsstad.
By his statesmanlike policy, he brought the colony into a most flourishing condition and succeeded even in reconciling the Portuguese settlers to submit quietly to Dutch rule.
He also established a city council in which Catholics, Protestants, and Jews participated together. Besides this tolerance, he also encouraged Recife’s growth. His large schemes and lavish expenditures, however, alarmed the frugal directors of the West India Company. Since he would only agree to retain his post if he were given a free hand, something the directors refused to offer, and John Maurice returned to Europe in July 1644. The Portuguese empire was also in the process of reestablishing their authority over the lost territories of the Portuguese Empire at this time.
First Synagogue in the Americas
The story of the Jews
The history of the Jews in Pernambuco is an interesting one. From the very beginning, Duarte Coelho was friend to many New Christians – as descendants of converted Jews were known. These New Christians ran about half of Brazil´s sugar mills. The Inquisition came to northeastern Brazil in 1591 and many of the colony´s secret Jews were sent to Lisbon for trial. The community experienced a revival after the Dutch captured Pernambuco in 1630. Then Jews came into the open, and by 1641 the first synagogue in the Americas was built. Kahal Zur Israel was constructed in Rua dos Judeus (Street of the Jews), in Recife, now known as Rua Bom Jesus. Despite anti-Jewish agitation from Dutch Calvanists and Portuguese Catholics, the ruler of Dutch Recife, Count Maurice of Nassau, saw to it that Jewish rights were upheld.
Carnival in Olinda
Carnival
Carnival in Olinda is the most authentic carnival experience in Brazil. It stems from a Portuguese tradition, with the addition of African influenced dances. Carnival here is not something to be watched as a spectator in a stand but to take part in. And, unlike in carnival in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, carnival in Olinda is free of charge. Carnival groups (blocos) practice the year round, but things get serious after Christmas when rehearsals can be seen in the street most weekends.
Much of the history of Olinda and Recife can be explored by taking the Walking Tours we recommended.
Porto de Galinhas is a spectacular beach destination 63km south of Recife. It is also surrounded by other equally spectacular beaches that can be reached by foot, car or buggy taxi.
A few years ago it was a small village servicing people staying at holiday homes, pousadas or small resorts. It has grown fast to support the growth of large resorts and an increasing number of other types of accommodations.
Its infrastructure has improved, but it has lost a lot of its charm in the process. It has also attracted some ruthless businesses that are out to exploit tourists. Worst are the beach operators who try many scams. For these reasons, we would only recommend Porto de Galinhas as a base from which to see and explore the many destinations away from the hustle and bustle, destinations that usually have a lot less to offer in terms of accommodation.
Some places definitely worth a visit are within walking distance of the center of Porto, or a short trip by buggy taxi. They include Muro Alto, Maracaipe and Serrambi. A little further away are yet more great beaches such as Calhetas, Tamandaré, Carneiros. Click the following link for a listing of all the beaches.
Recife Guide has details of accomodations in Porto de Galinhas. We also list details of places to eat and where to enjoy the bars and nightlife.
It is easy to get around from here, and the best ways are often by foot to nearby beaches, or by a buggy. They can be used as a taxi service or hired for beach hopping half-day or day tours. Recife Guide will help you organise everything and recommend Day Tours from Recife that are offered by our partners.
This section is UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Specific details of Sights in Recife will be added shortly.
