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 At the beginning of the year the coastal cities in the Northeast of Brazil attract millions of Brazilians and foreign tourists. The Brazilians are mainly from southern states like São Paulo and Minas Gerais and the foreigners from Argentina, Europe and the United States.
The Northeastern states range from Maranhão in the north to Bahia in the south and offer an agreeable sunny climate, thousands of miles of beautiful beaches, historic cities and the chance to encounter the unique culture of the Northeast which blends Indian, Portuguese, African and even Dutch elements. One place which is experiencing a tourist boom is João Pessoa which lies in Paraнba state on the most easterly tip of South America. While João Pessoa is worth a visit, it lacks the infrastructure to cope with mass tourism and unless steps are taken to improve matters it could become a victim of its own success. As far as I am concerned, a beach is just a beach and the São Paulo coastline has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Therefore, a place needs to offer a lot more than sand, sun and sea to make me travel 2,500 kilometers to visit. Since I had already visited several other places in the Northeast I decided to give João Pessoa a try as it promised an added taste of history and culture similar to that of nearby Recife in Pernambuco and Salvador in Bahia. According to the history books, João Pessoa is the third oldest town in Brazil and was founded by the Portuguese in 1585 after wars against the local Indians and the French. It has had a stormy history and came under Spanish domination when Spain and Portugal were briefly united. It was also held by the Dutch for around 20 years in the 17th century. Its name has changed several times and its current rather odd name, literally translated as John Person, dates from 1930. The city's name was altered from Paraнba as a tribute to an assassinated local politician. Historical Neglect The local tourist industry makes much of this historical richness but the situation on the ground is disappointing. Unlike Salvador, for example, which has a large well conserved historical center, João Pessoa's historical assets are scattered and somewhat sparse. There are some impressive churches, including that of São Francisco which dates from the 17th century and would not be out of place in Portugal with its Moorish arches and tiled walls. There are a few pretty terraces but overall, the surrounding areas have been neglected and run down so the historical buildings stand alongside auto repair workshops, food shops and uninviting looking eating places. By contrast, the area known as the Praça dos Três Poderes, which houses the governor's and mayor's offices and the local legislative assemblies, is well tended. The buildings are much more attractive than the soulless concrete structures associated with Brazilian politics created by cultural vandals like Oscar Niemeyer who is unfortunately still active although he is almost 100 years old. At the same time, these building have an unpleasant feel about them like the fascist buildings you still find in Italy. This is because they glorify the assassinated João Pessoa. A statue of him dominates the square and so much is made of Pessoa that you would think he had been some great national leader. In fact, he was an authoritarian regional boss and the running mate of Getъlio Vargas in the 1929 presidential election which Vargas lost. Vargas used Pessoa's assassination, which was apparently carried out for personal rather than political reasons, as an excuse for seizing power in 1930. (We will never know the truth since the assassin was beaten to death within a few hours although the authorities initially claimed that he had committed suicide while in custody.) The personality cult not only led to the city being renamed but the state flag being redesigned in black and red to symbolize mourning for his death and his spilled blood. It bears the word "Nego" in reference to Pessoa's refusal to back Vargas's opponents in São Paulo in the presidential campaign. It must be the dreariest state flag in Brazil and reminded me of the logo of the French bank Societé Generale. There is nothing of historical value for the tourist here particularly one from São Paulo which even today detests the memory of Vargas and is probably the only major Brazilian city which does not have a street named after him. The irony is that, even if you were interested, you cannot visit the place where Pessoa was assassinated since he met his death in Recife and was buried in Rio de Janeiro. Other Attractions If history is not of any great interest then João Pessoa has other attractions. Although it has a population of around 600,000 the city has a small-town feel. The local people are the usual Northeastern mixture of European, Indian and African. There is a strong Indian element and some of the girls are stunners, with their long glossy black hair, dark eyes and brown skins. Thankfully, there is none of the sexual tourism which is so apparent in places like Fortaleza or Rio de Janeiro to detract from their beauty. There are few full-blooded black people and the culture is not as African as in Bahia for example. The arid sertão backlands are not far away and the culture reflects this region. The main inland town of Campina Grande vies with Caruaru in Pernambuco for the title of the Brazilian capital of forrу music. Paraнba has some of the worst social problems in Brazil but the people are lively and cheerful. The city is one of the most tree-lined places in Brazil and needs to be since the sun is mercilessly hot and shade is essential. It rained every day I was there but never for more than about three or four minutes. In fact, it was so hot at times that the rain virtually evaporated on touching the ground. The city also has a reputation as a safe place in contrast to, say, Rio de Janeiro which must lose lots of tourist business because of its poor reputation. It has a heavy police presence, including cavalry patrolling the beaches, and is certainly is a lot safer than São Paulo. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a police band taking part in an open-air concert one evening. However, this is the Northeast and violence is never far away. I saw one shop with a sign saying that people with guns would not be allowed entry. Life's a Beach There is a one-hour time difference between Paraнba and São Paulo and, since it lies quite far north as well as east, the sun rises just after five o'clock. Some people hate this early morning light waking them up but I am an early bird and can think of few more pleasant ways of starting the day than with a walk along a deserted beach. (If you are oppositely inclined then you can watch the sun set at the most easterly tip of the Americas at Ponto do Seixas, which lies a couple of miles out of town.) After an early morning stroll you can return to a breakfast starting with locally grown pineapple, mango, melon and banana. The fruit is a healthy contrast to the local diet which features stodgy items like mandioca, creamier and heavier than the version found in São Paulo, rice and beans, fatty steaks and roast chicken. Fish and seafood are also found everywhere and there are lots of different kinds of restaurants and cheap eating places in the popular Tambaъ district where most tourists congregate. There is a wide variety of beaches, some of which are in built-up areas while others along the southern coastline are isolated and have few facilities. Whether you want to just lie on a palm-fringed beach doing nothing or sail, surf, go scuba diving or sand-buggy riding, there are lots of opportunities. You can also visit some of the coral reefs and even walk around on the seafloor since there are shallow stretches of water as far as about a mile out at sea. Ecologically-minded types would probably disapprove of the sight of hundreds of tourists trampling on the coral to have their pictures taken, feeding shoals of striped tiger fish or drinking caipirinhas. However, this kind of initiative provides city dwellers with a chance to get close to nature and children love it. There is also a nudist beach. The Baнa da Traição area is peaceful nowadays but takes its name - Bay of Treason - from an incident in the 16th century when Potiguar Indians massacred about 500 people on a sugar plantation after their chief's daughter was kidnapped. This bay was also the site of another Indian attack, this time in 1501 by the Tabajaras who fended off a Portuguese attempt to settle the area. Some of the ancestors of these Indians live on a nearby reserve and sell handicrafts to tourists. The Santa Rita fortress at Cabedelo, dating from the 17th century, testifies to the need the Portuguese had for protection from their enemies on land and sea. As already mentioned, you can also visit Ponto do Seixas. There is not much to see except the Cabo Branco lighthouse and the ocean stretching across to the nearest piece of land in Senegal, west Africa. Ponto do Seixas is refreshingly free from the usual tourist trappings but it still needs more facilities as more cars and buses arrive. This reservation applies to many aspects of tourism in João Pessoa and is one of the reasons why I would be reluctant to recommend it wholeheartedly as a place to visit. Like many places, the tourist authorities are unwilling to make an effort to help tourists. For example, the main tourist office could only supply a single map printed in such small type that it was literally almost impossible to read the street names. There was also no information either in Portuguese or English about the tourist attractions simply a numbered index. The rest of the map contained adverts. There are almost no signs to help tourists in the town. Wasted Tour I went on a city tour with a guide who would not be accepted as a professional in any European country. He spoke no English and had a biased view of history which reminded me of a guide in Jerusalem who managed to turn most of us against him by constantly bragging about Israel's victories against the Arabs. Our Brazilian guide upset the São Paulo tourists by glorifying Getъlio Vargas. He must also have upset anyone of Portuguese descent by contrasting their greedy, rapacious way of settling the area by bringing in prisoners with the learned, scientific approach taken by the Dutch who imported engineers and scientists. I have had a lot of experience of this kind of guide in Brazil and know that many of them do not know what they are talking about and are only interested in selling you package tours or ushering you into shops where they get a commission but this one was the worst I have ever seen. Even the more tolerant Brazilians became frustrated with him. Another negative point is the airport which lies about 10 kilometers outside the town. Although it calls itself an international airport, it is barely more than a couple of landing strips. The terminal looks about 50 years old and is a disgrace. It is being expanded and modernized but, for the moment, is cramped, unpleasant and unsanitary. The toilets are the kind of temporary structures you get at football matches or rock concerts, with wet floors and no sign of soap or towels. I am sure I was not the only person standing among a crowd of several thousand people waiting for chartered flights back to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte at 2 a.m. to decide that it would a long time before I would return to João Pessoa. John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish writer and consultant with long experience of Brazil. He is based in São Paulo and runs his own company Celtic Comunicações. You can read more by him on his site www.brazilpoliticalcomment.com.br. He can be contacted at
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. © John Fitzpatrick 2006
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