Stories about Portuguese from February, 2013
Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe Make Music
Until March 1, 2013, Pantalassa, a cultural association working with Portuguese language countries, is organizing a multidisciplinary program of artistic residences in the “marvelous islands” of São Tomé and Príncipe, together with CACAU. The mutual sharing of experiences and affections is presented in a photo-album, which is being updated throughout the...
Kallun: A Platform of Angolan Slang
The Plataform KALLUN (meaning slang), founded by Leocarpo Mário, is a recent collaborative project with the ultimate goal of gathering in just one place all the slang with Angolan origins. Kallun enables interactive search of terms and their meanings.
Brazil: Cable Car Goes Up, Houses Come Down for World Cup
The construction of a cable car for tourists in preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the Morro da Providência favela in Rio de Janeiro is kicking residents out. Demolished houses are being traded for a stipend of 400 reais (200 US dollars), and many families have been unable find a place to live.
Weary of Austerity, Portugal Sings a Song of Revolution
Thousands of Portuguese people have promised a massive anti-austerity protest on March 2, 2013. Leading up to the date, demonstrators have led a campaign to interrupt government ministers during their public appearances by singing a historic song used by revolutionaries who toppled the country's dictatorship in 1974.
Brazil: Citizen Journalists Expose City's Unfinished Works
Project Amigos de Januária has shed light on the failure of a local Brazilian government, marred by a legacy of administrative wrongdoing and poor accountability, to complete public works projects on time.
Yoani Sánchez Divides Opinions on a Visit to Brazil
Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez was received in Brazil by pro-Cuban government protesters, who accuse her of receiving money from the United States' government and of being a CIA agent. The ones that support the dissident's actions accuse the Brazilian government of collaborating with the Cuban government's repression.
Brazil: Turtles Take Over Public Transport
While the citizens of Porto Alegre protest against the increase in bus fares [pt], bus companies demonstrate against the adjustment of wages. On February 19, a “turtle operation” took place, in which vehicles ran at speeds below 30 km per hour. The website PortoAlegre.cc shared a number of suggestions from...
Brazilian Artists Idealize their Mona Lisa
Digital arts gallery Urban Arts and It’s Noon launched an online challenge that has attracted artists from all over Brazil: If you were Leonardo da Vinci, what would your Mona Lisa look like?
Brazilians Push Back Against Porto Alegre Bus Fare Increase
A fight is brewing in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre over an increase in bus fares.
Global Voices Launches Partnership with Brazil's Pública
Global Voices and the Brazilian investigative journalism agency Pública launched a new partnership on February 18 that will see a wealth of reports with a strong angle on citizen voices and initiatives added to our coverage.
Brazil: Newspaper and Satire Blog Battle
The main clash is between the version of Folha, which practices censorship under the guise of brand protection, and the version of Falha, which evokes freedom of expression. Brazilian journalist Lino Bocchini informs [pt] that the case of Folha de São Paulo newspaper against the satirical blog Falha de São...
With Corruption All Too Common, Brazil Pushes Back
More and more cases of corruption are reported all the time in Brazil. However, after the histicoral judgement of those involved in one the largest scandals of corruption in the country, the situation may be changing.
Mozambique: Mouthwatering Zambezian cuisine
Afreaka blog [pt] pays homage to food from central Mozambique, from Zambézia Province. They write, besides spice, the secret is “lots of coconut milk, made fresh, grating coconut into hot water”. They describe five unique dishes made with coconut.
Memorable Moments from the Brazilian Carnival
The importance of Carnival in Brazilian culture cannot be overplayed. Love it or hate it, the Party has bestowed joy on its anonymous masses, fired up those with an opportunistic unbridled penchant for the pursuit of fame, and destroyed the reputation of public figures who have lost all reason and personal boundaries. Check out the following for some magical, shameful, irreverent, controversial and entertaining flashbacks from this important Brazilian extravaganza.
“A Thousand Europeans Staring Back at You”
The Portuguese website Variações Sobre a Europa (Variations on Europe) [pt] invites one thousand citizens to create a digital avatar and to participate with their opinions for the construction of a democratic Europe.
‘Follow the Pope's Lead,’ Brazil Tells Senate President
Brazilians reveling in the recent Carnival holiday called on newly elected Senate President Renan Calheiros, who is accused of corruption, to follow Pope Benedict XVI's example and resign. An online petition demanding his ouster has gathered more than 1.5 million signatures.
Hand-painted Ads in Guinea-Bissau
In Guinea-Bissau “there is a real market of experts on painting wall advertisements”, says landscape architect Manuel Bivar. In 2011, he shared a collection of photos featuring hand-painted ads from Guinean shops on the African contemporary culture website, Buala.
Video of Brutal Beating of Women Shocks Angola
On February 7, 2013, Angola awoke to the sounds of screams of pain and the sound of two women customers of a store being whipped. In just three days the 13 minute video that showed two women being brutally beaten had more than 25,000 views on Youtube, was aired on state television and shocked the Angolan community.
Brazil Gets Into Carnival Mood to the Afro Beats in Salvador
The biggest party on the planet, Brazilian carnival, has grown to such an extent in Salvador, Bahia, that it’s now spread over three main points in the city, attracting half a million tourists during the days of revelry. Preserving Afro-Brazilian culture is key to the Bahian carnival, and this year the theme for the famous Pelourinho historical centre is ‘Black Carnivals’.
Southern Brazil Marches in Memory of Nightclub Fire Victims
A week after more than 230 young people lost their lives in a horrific nightclub fire in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Maria, thousands gathered across the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul to pay homage to the victims.
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