Brazzil

Economic growth might have been higher in 2001 had the government completed various key reforms but have been kept away from the priority list by politically minorities whose interests would be harmed.
By Brazzil Magazine

Between September 1999 and August of last year, 1676 people called or e-mailed Ibrasexo (Instituto Brasileiro para Saúde Sexual—Brazilian Institute for Sexual Health) with questions related to the size or thickness of the penis. That's by far the most common question among those who utilize Ibrasexo's free service. The subject seems so serious and important that weekly magazine Isto É dedicated a cover story to the subject in January. Highly respected, Isto É has just been awarded the traditional and most respected media prize in Brazil: the Prêmio Esso de Reportagem. Additionally, the magazine has received the Prêmio Esso de Criação Gráfica and the Prêmio Esso de Informação Científica, Tecnológica, and Ecológica, for graphic design and for scientific, technological and ecological information.

According to experts, the Brazilian male has a normal size penis, but this does not prevent many of them from worrying about the length of their manliness. So much so that they are ready to endure almost anything, including major surgery, to get a bigger tool. Isto É cites studies by urologists from California and Rio Grande do Sul showing that the average Brazilian erect penis is 14.5 cm (5.7 inches) long while its American counterpart is 12.9 cm (5.1 inches). "Sometimes we have difficulty convincing the patient he is normal," says doctor Paulo Palma, president of the São Paulo branch of Sociedade Brasileira de Urologia (Brazilian Society of Urology).

The fantasy of having a big phallus—something derived mostly from the porno movie industry— is almost universal in Brazil, reveals the magazine. Rarely does a porn star with a penis smaller than 17 cm (6.7 inches) land a job. One of the most famous Brazilian porn actors, Toni Tigrão, attained his stardom mainly because of the 22 cm (8.7 inch) length of his member. According to investigative reporting by Isto É, Tigrão, which means Big Tiger, the former butcher has hurt some female companions during filming and some of them had to resort to lubricants—or even the anesthetic Novocain—to be able to get through the action.

The respected magazine has also interviewed several celebrities to learn of their impressions on sizes and shapes of penises. TV celebrity and transsexual Roberta Close declared: "It's obvious that the size of the penis is not the only thing that matters in a couple's life. You need to know how to live together." Ludmila Rosa, another TV personality, stressed the factor of compatibility: "Size is not important. It's the fitting that matters. For sex to be good you need the psychological fitting and the kiss fitting besides the sexual one. What is important is to be appetizing."

"Size? I'd rather have a playful little penis that a foolish big one," revealed model and actress Suzana Alves. Promoter Alicinha Cavalcanti went straight to the point: "A big dick is only good to contemplate. It's troublesome when it is time to play. Too small won't do it either. A crooked one doesn't even think. It's ugly and bothersome. What you need is basic penis. I don't know what the measurements are because I don't waste my time with this. Basic is basic." Nonagenarian actress Dercy Gonçalves wasn't bashful either: "A dick is good only to make kids and to pee. I never thought I could have any pleasure with that thing. If the man is no good what's the use having a big one? A woman does not even need that to come. I prefer an honest man with a small dick."

Only in rare cases do Brazilian doctors recommend medical lengthening of the penis. This is the case, for example, when the man's organ is less than 7 cm (2.7 inches). But the procedure is complicated and the CFM (Conselho Federal de Medicina—Medicine Federal Board) only allows the operation on an experimental basis. The penile lengthening can only be done in a university hospital with the approval of an ethics commission and signed consent of the patient. The procedure will add a maximum of 2 cm (0.8 inch) to the penis and may cause impotency. Last October, the Health Ministry approved the use of the dynamometer or extensor to stretch the penis a few centimeters. Even in this case a medical procedure must be followed.

There is a story circulating on the Internet. In it, Argentinean President Fernando De La Rua places an urgent call to Brazil's President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso. "Our condoms are running out," says De La Rua. "We urgently need your help." "No problem," replies Cardoso, "we have plenty of them." Before ending his call the Argentinean leader adds: "Don't forget though that we will need condom for 20 cm (7.9 inch) penises." And hangs up. Cardoso then calls some of the government's providers without forgetting the detail stressed by his Argentinean colleague, always adding at the end of each call: "And don't forget to write in the box: Small Size."

"Manhã de Carnaval" is the song that most people think about first when they talk about 78 year old composer/guitarist Luiz Bonfá, who died January 12, 2001, in Rio, from prostate cancer complicated by ischemia. According to the Guinness Book of Records, "Manhã de Carnaval" is one of the top ten songs played around de world.

Frank Sinatra and Joan Baez are two of the many singers who recorded "Manhã de Carnaval" in the '60s. More recently, Andy Summers, the Police guitarist, and classical singers Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti have also recorded the introspective tune. Bonfá, however, had much more to his credit, taking part in over 500 records and creating movie sound tracks including the one for Ruy Guerra's much-praised Os Cafajestes.

Born in Rio on October 17, 1922, Luiz Floriano Bonfá, as a kid, taught himself to play the guitar. At the age of 12 he had a chance to take classical guitar classes with Uruguayan instructor Isaías Sávio. For that he had to take a train from Santa Cruz (a remote place in the west of the city), and then walk for a long time to the teacher's home in the hills of Santa Teresa. "The good thing is that he appreciated my effort and refused to receive payment for the classes because I wouldn't have money to pay the weekly lesson," Bonfá wrote in the liner notes for his CD Luiz Bonfá e as Raízes da Bossa.

He would become better known in the '40s when at age 24 he was invited to play at Rio's Rádio Nacional, a showcase for the best talent in the country at the time. In the '50s his songs were recorded by Dick Farney giving Bonfá even more exposure. Thanks to Farney he met Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes and played the guitar on Orfeu da Conceição, the anthological play that would give origin to Marcel Camus's masterpiece film Black Orpheus. Bonfá wrote some of the original songs for the movie, including "Manhã de Carnaval" and "Samba de Orfeu"

Even though one might have foreseen the revolutionary musician in 1948 when he was with the vocal group Quitandinha Serenaders, it was from 1951 on that he became one of the leaders of a trend that would give origin to bossa nova. Together with Dick Farney he recorded "Canção do Vaqueiro" (Cowboy Song) in 1951, followed by "Sem Esse Céu (Without This Sky) in 1952 and Perdido de Amor (Head over Heels in Love) in 1953.

A bossa nova show in November, 1962, at New York's Carnegie Hall opened the door for Bonfá in the U.S. Here he would record such albums as Black Orpheus Impressions, Jacaranda, and Introspection. In MGM's Live a Little, Love a Little, a film from 1968, Elvis Presley sang "Almost in Love," a Bonfá composition. About the influence of Yankee sound in his music he wrote: "I absorbed a lot from American music, I achieved a suave sonority, without prestidigitation, further enriching the harmonies. When everybody used just the nail to play I was already using the pick. Sometimes I put both things together and would get a new sound. My execution is practically noiseless."

He was instrumental in spreading the budding bossa nova, especially in the U.S. where he lived during the '60s, playing with such names as George Benson, Stan Getz, Quincy Jones and Frank Sinatra. He went back to Brazil in 1975, but stayed connected to the United States. His last CD, Almost in Love, released in 1997, was a partnership between with Brazilian singer Ithamara Koorax. Earlier, he had recorded The Bonfá Magic in 1991. Both records were released in Brazil and the U.S. He was rarely seen in the last few years while recording companies and his heirs fought over his royalties.

Commenting on the importance of Bonfá on Brazilian music, critic Mauro Dias wrote: "No aesthetic movement is born instantly. It starts by being molded, its elements integrating into the language—written, sung, painted—until, at a given moment, it crystallizes. João Gilberto was the catalyst for what would be called bossa nova. He crystallized, in the definitive format, what was being suggested by Tom Jobim, João Donato, Johnny Alf, Luiz Bonfá. Like Tom, before João Gilberto had defined that guitar beat, Luiz Bonfá was a samba-canção composer.

"Ângela Maria and Nora Ney had his songs—always sad, always reflecting a kind of nostalgia, of longing of what one never had, something close what in black culture is known as banzo—in their repertoire. Nora Ney recorded "De Cigarro em Cigarro," ("From Cigarette to Cigarette") in 1953. Ângela Maria would re-record the tune, a little later. Ângela had enormous success, in 1955, with the melody "A Chuva Caiu" (The Rain Fell), by Bonfá and Tom Jobim.

"These are all fundamental songs for the history of bossa nova, although its syntax didn't fit the one required by bossa nova. The samba-choro Chega de Saudade (Enough Longing), by Tom, became (thanks to João Gilberto's guitar) the inaugural classic of bossa nova. De Cigarro em Cigarro didn't suit the genre. However, it started to be shaped through a harmonic melodic language, a colloquial language:

Discography:

Almost in Love—Ithamara Koorax and Luiz Bonfá 1996 CD
The Bonfá Magic 1991 CD
Non Stop to Brazil 1989 CD
Bonfá Burrows Brazil 1978 LP, CD
Manhattan Strut 1974 LP
Jacarandá 1973 LP, CD
Introspection 1972 LP, CD
Sanctuary 1971 LP
The New Face of Luiz Bonfá 1970 LP
Bonfá 1968 LP
Black Orpheus Impressions 1968 LP, CD
Luiz Bonfá Plays Great Songs 1967 LP
Steve & Eydie, Bonfá & Brazil—Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme and Luiz Bonfá 1967 LP
Luiz Bonfá 1967 LP
Maria Toledo Sings the Best of Luiz Bonfá 1967 LP
The Brazilian Scene 1966 LP
Braziliana—Luiz Bonfá & Maria Toledo 1965 LP
Violão Boêmio—vol. 2 1963 LP
Recado Novo de Luiz Bonfá 1963 LP, CD
Jazz Samba Encore!—Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfá 1963 LP, CD
Caterina Valente e Luiz Bonfá 1963 LP
Luiz Bonfá Plays and Sings Bossa Nova 1962 LP, CD
Brazil's King of the Bossa Nova and Guitar 1962 LP
O Violão e o Samba 1962 LP
A Voz e o Violão—Luiz Bonfá e Norma Suely 1960 LP
O Violão de Luiz Bonfá 1959 LP
Amor—The Fabulous Guitar of Luiz Bonfá 1958 LP
Meu Querido Violão 1958 LP
Bonfafá—Fafá Lemos and Luiz Bonfá 1958 LP
Ritmos Continentais 1958 LP
Violão Boêmio 1957 LP
Alta Versatilidade 1957 LP, CD
Noite e Dia—Luiz Bonfá and Eduardo Lincoln 1956 LP
De Cigarro em Cigarro—Luiz Bonfá and Jorge Henrique 1956 LP
Luiz Bonfá 1955 LP

Also:
The Gentle Rain _ Soundtrack for the Film—Luiz Bonfá / Eumir Deodato 1965 LP
Rio—Paul Winter 1964 LP
Bossa Nova at Carnegie Hall 1962 LP
Orfeu da Conceição 1956 LP

More:
Enciclopédia Musical Brasileira—Luiz Bonfá e as Raízes da Bossa 2000 CD
Aloysio de Oliveira Apresenta Gênios do Violão: Garoto e Luiz Bonfá 1996 CD

On the Internet:

http://kanji.zinbun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~yasuoka/bonfa/

http://www.luiz.bonfa.nom.br 

Sports

His dream was to become a soccer ace. For the boy with thin legs born in the neighborhood of Casa Verde in São Paulo on September 27, 1927, this would never happen. But Adhemar Ferreira da Silva would become famous anyway twice winning an Olympic gold medal in the triple jump. He started his training in jumping at age 18. He won his first prize in March, 1947, with a jump of 13.05 m, then breaking his personal best two months later with a 14.22 m jump.

There followed a series of prizes and medals: São Paulo champion, then winner of the Athletics Brazil Trophy. Guided by German coach Dietrich Gerner, he first participated in the Olympics in 1948, in London. He came in 14th place, however. His superb talent would be recognized in the next two Olympic Games. He won the Olympic gold medal for triple jump in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952 (16.22 m) and again in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 (16.35 m).

Da Silva was the only Brazilian who was able to twice become an Olympic champion even though Brazil has participated in the Olympics since 1920. The present world record in the triple jump belongs to British Jonathan Edwards (18.29 m). American Kenny Harison who jumped 18.09 m is the present Olympic record holder.

Adhemar died January 14 from cardiac arrest at age 73. The triple-jump champion was buried to the sound of the National Anthem at the Chora Menino cemetery in São Paulo in the Imirim neighborhood (north zone), in the same tomb where his wife and his son had been buried. His body was carried by a fire truck in a 9-km procession through downtown São Paulo. Among the 500 or so people who came for the funeral was Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the president of COB (Comitê Olímpico Brasileiro—Brazilian Olympic Committee)

Adhemar was born the son of railroad worker Antônio Ferreira da Silva and domestic servant Augusta Nóbrega da Silva. The athlete started to develop all of his potential at the São Paulo Futebol Club. Adhemar himself liked to say how he got interested in the sport that would make him an Olympic champion: "One night, I saw an athlete practicing for a different kind of sport. I asked what is it called? Coach Evald Gomes da Silva told me it was the triple jump. I told him I'd like to try. Evald gave me a few explanations and I made my first jump: 12.90 m. He was impressed and called Gerner (Dietrich Gerner, the German coach)." He was 20 years old by then.

From then on, Gerner would be his coach and mentor. In 1952 in Helsinki, Adhemar was continuously cheered by the public on a memorable day in which he broke the world record for triple jump four times in a row and ended up getting the gold medal. Around 70,000 spectators gave him a standing ovation screaming his name: "Da Silva, da Silva, da Silva." After he got his medal, the judge asked him to go around the field to salute the public in the bleachers. Some people believe that his gesture gave origin to the Olympic tour, the habit of athletes going around the stadium to greet the audience.

Adhemar was praised for the elegance with which he ran and jumped and for his graceful movements, flights and landings. Tuberculosis ended his career in 1960. The habit of smoking acquired at age 16 had already damaged his lungs.

The Olympic champion confessed that one of the mains reasons he practiced sports was to maintain his physical appearance, and this vanity followed him till the end. He had a special appearance as Death in Black Orpheus, the 1958 Marcel Camus's movie that won the Cannes Golden Palm and an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film. When the athlete died he was still in very good shape and didn't show his age.

Unlike many of his fellow athletes, Adhemar gave great importance to academic life graduating in Law, Physical Education, Public Relations and Arts. He also became fluent in six languages, English, French, Italian and Spanish, among them. During the '50s and '60s he was a columnist for daily newspaper Última Hora. In several Olympic Games he worked as a TV commentator. The gold medallist was the cultural attaché at the Brazilian Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, between 1964 and 1967.

As a way to pay his debt to athletics that gave him so much satisfaction, as he used to say, Da Silva helped promote several projects, including a showcase example in Ponta Grossa, state of Paraná, in which poor communities received sports complexes from city hall. He used to say: "Sport, especially among the poor, is the sole and best way for social advancement and for escaping violence and drugs."

Very active until the end, he led the UniSant Anna Sports Coordination from 1996, where he helped create the Program to Help Sports, a plan to assist promising athletics students in the fields and also in the classroom. Just last year he had joined the National Commission of Athletes, a group created by Sports Minister Carlos Melles, to define the federal policy on sports. Melles called Adhemar one of his gurus. "The first thing I did when I accepted the Sports Ministry was to call Adhemar and Pelé for a talk," he said. "Adhemar was my number one helper in the commission of athletes."

Even though he was not forgotten by Brazil and Brazilians, Adhemar used to say that he was best known overseas. In some countries he was even pictured on postage stamps. In May the athlete had received the Olympic Order, the International Olympic Committee medal given only to the best athletes of all times. A new Brazilian sport medal will be named after Adhemar and the COB president announced that a sports arena would be built his name.

When the International Olympic Committee paid homage to him in Sydney, Australia, during the 2000 Olympic Games, he commented: "I am happy to be so remembered. I was afraid that this would only happen after my death. Then, all that would happen would be for someone to name an avenue after me."

All the Gold

1920—Guilherme Paraense (shooting)

1952—Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (track and field)

1956—Adhemar Ferreira da Silva (track and field)

1980—Alexandre Welter e Lars Bjorkstrom (yachting)

1980—Marcos Soares e Eduardo Penido (yachting)

1984—Joaquim Cruz (track and field)

1988—Aurélio Miguel (judo)

1992—Men volleyball

1992—Rogério Sampaio (judo)

1996—Jacqueline e Sandra Pires (beach volleyball)

1996—Robert Scheidt (yacthing)

1996—Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira (yachting)

What was your favorite song last year? IBOPE (Instituto Brasileiro de Opinião Pública e Estatística—Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics) asked this all over Brazil without suggesting any names to those being questioned. "Morango do Nordeste," by Walter de Afogados and Fernando Alves, was the song most cited, being preferred by 4 percent of the Brazilian public.

When that same question was posed to people with a college degree, "Sozinho" by Caetano Veloso led with 8 percent of those with a higher education choosing that song. Veloso was also cited by the general public coming in fourth place, although he shared this distinction with another 11 other songs, which were also cited by 1 percent of those interviewed.

The winning song, "Morango do Nordeste" (Northeast Strawberry), was recorded in several rhythms, including country, pagode and axé. The lyrics tell the story of a man from the backlands who falls crazily in love with a girl with alluring eyes. Head over hills in love, the man confesses that he would do anything for and with the beloved one, even going to war.

Gilberto Gil's "Esperando na Janela" (Waiting by the Window) won second place in the list of favorite songs chosen by the general public. The next most-selected song was "Amor sem Limite" (Boundless Love) by Roberto Carlos, with 3 percent of the unprompted answers. Veteran romantic singer-composer Roberto Carlos also did well among those with a college degree, getting an honorable third place. In this case he shared the position with Gilberto who also got 4 percent of the votes.

Marisa Monte with her song "Amor I Love You" got the preference of 6 percent of those with a higher education, which guarantees her a second place among those belonging to that group.

Indigenous peoples surprised Brazil in the year 2000. In the northeast, southeast, and northern regions, indigenous peoples and communities that had been forced to live in hiding or to disguise their ethnic identity in the past because of the colonialist repression, have shown that they are intent on resisting and building a different history of Brazil. Old indigenous peoples have reemerged as well as urban indigenous communities. Ten peoples that are not included in the records of official population censuses claimed the right to have their ethnic identity respected and their lands demarcated.

The peoples in question and the places they live in are the following: in the north region, the Náua in the National Divisor Mountain Range Park (state of Acre) and the Tupinambá, Maitapú, Aipim and a Mundukuru community in the High Tapajós River (state of Pará); in the southeast region, the Kaxixó in Martinho Campos and Pompeu and the Aranã in the Jequitinhonha Valey (state of Minas Gerais); and in the northeast, another Tupinambá community in Olivença and the Tumbalalá in Abaré and Curaçá (state of Bahia), the Kalankó in Pariconha, the Karuazu in Água Branca (state of Alagoas), and the Pipipã in Ibimirim (state of Penambuco). These indigenous peoples want Funai (Fundação Nacional do Índio—National Foundation of the Indian) to recognize their ethnic identity and respect their constitutional rights.

The indigenous peoples living in cities, who have been suffering acts of prejudice and have been discriminated against by the surrounding society, resent the fact that Funai has not registered their existence. According to official data, there are 366,778 indigenous individuals belonging to 215 indigenous groups in Brazil.

According to the results of a survey carried out by CIMI and reported to the Human Rights Committee of the Organization of American States (OAS), which covered the reemerged peoples and individuals living in cities, the indigenous population in Brazil amounts to 551,210 people belonging to 225 groups. Of these, 358,310 live in villages, 192,000 live in cities or their
outskirts, and about 900 live in isolation or have never been contacted by the agency officially in charge of indigenous affairs.

Data provided by Funai suggest that there are at least 50 places in Brazil where indigenous peoples and communities never contacted by the national society can be found.

It's still difficult to determine the exact number of reemerged peoples, since reaffirming their ethnic identities involves a long process. It is likely that in the next few years we will have news of other peoples and communities that had not previously assumed their indigenous identity.

"You've got to overcome your fears to deal with this situation. In order to survive, many indigenous peoples have mingled with established communities and have assumed other identities, while others have simply denied their own ethnic origins. The prospect of recovering traditional territories, and the examples set by other communities, have encouraged many of these peoples to reassume their ethnic identity," speculated Egon Heck, Cimi's executive secretary.

Officially, Funai acknowledges the existence of 563 indigenous areas. However, indigenous communities want 178 additional locations to be included in this list. These are areas claimed by reemerged indigenous peoples and communities that want to expand their villages and/or areas that have been reoccupied by indigenous populations who previously were forced off by invaders. Considering all such cases, there are 741 identified indigenous areas in Brazil.

Reoccupation actions have been furthering the demarcation process. Last year in the southern tip of the state of Bahia, the Pataxó were the indigenous people that most engaged in this kind of movement. Between March and April of 2000, four communities reemerged as a result of their actions, namely, Aldeia Nova, Guaxuma, Águas Belas, and Barra do Caí. All these villages are only waiting for the Technical Group that was set up to demarcate the Pataxó indigenous area to complete its work, leaving the Pascoal Mount, which was reoccupied in August 1999, within its bounds.

Like the Pataxó, six other indigenous peoples have decided to reoccupy indigenous areas: the Kaiová (state of Mato Grosso do Sul), the Guarani (state of Santa Catarina), the Tupinikim and Guarani (state of Espírito Santo), and the Xukuru and Kambiwá (state of Pernambuco). The Guarani of the Araça'í indigenous area and the Pataxó of the Barra do Caí village have been expelled from their traditional land. All the reoccupied areas were invaded while they were being demarcated or even before they were officially demarcated. Others have not been included in the official list of indigenous areas so far.

Reoccupation actions have been marked by violence and conflicts with the civil, military and federal police departments, city halls, farmers, and gunmen. It's a reality not likely to change, not even in the new millennium. "The new history of Brazil will be built with the courage and determination indigenous peoples have shown already. This is a new period in an old fight for respect for the identity of indigenous peoples," says Egon Heck.

This report was originally published by the Indigenist Missionary Council (CIMI).

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