Brazzil
November 2002
RAPIDINHAS
Behavior
Madam's Madam
Legendary poet/musician Vinicius de Moraes was there, so were Brazilian
presidents João Goulart and Jânio Quadros as well as other famous politicians
like São Paulo governor Adhemar de Barros and senator Orestes Quércia, the only
one still alive in this list. The place in its heydays in the 50s and 60s
received all kinds of celebrities, authorities, famed entrepreneurs and wealthy
farmers and even a few priests. The place in question was Casa da Eny (Eny’s
House), which was once called “Latin America’s best whorehouse” and has become
the subject of a just-released best-seller book, Eny e o Grande Bordel
Brasileiro (Eny, and the Great Brazilian Brothel).
According to Lucius de Mello, the journalist who spent 10 years researching the
subject in archives and conversations with people who knew the famed madam,
Vinicius was presented to Eny by Toquinho, his partner in several songs and used
the House as hotel when doing shows in the interior of São Paulo.
Ex-president Jânio Quadros apparently went only to get political backing from
the madam for his candidacy as governor of São Paulo. His visit is so described
in the book: “Jânio Quadros visited the brothel in 1982: ‘What will my foes say
if they see me here? That I got drunk? That I fell in love?’ Leaving the place
he praised Eny’s elegance.”
Mello wrote about the visit of another Brazilian former president: “João Goulart
also passed through the place. He slept with a woman called Ana Maria. She was
married and prostituted herself for pleasure alone.” And about Toquinho and
Vinicius: “Toquinho was the one who presented the place to Vinicius de Moraes.
Friends who were looking for Vinicius had to say a password: ‘I got a broken
leg.’ Only then the girls were allowed to disturb Vinicius.
Writing the book wasn’t an easy task for the journalist. Many people who knew
Eny and her girls only agreed to talk after being assured anonymity; others
simply refused to give any information. De Mello, who is 38, worked as a
reporter for TV Globo for 14 years. He is now part of the journalism department
of the SBT (Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão) network. He debuted in literature
in 1987 with the short story book Um Violino para os Gatos (A Violin for the
Cats).
Ambition
The famed bordello was erected in Bauru, state of São Paulo, 214 miles from the
capital and with a population of about 300,000. It received its name from Eny
Cezarino, arguably Brazil’s most famous and powerful courtesan ever. Occupying
an area of 160,000 square feet, the Casa de Eny had 40 rooms, including two
suites, two restaurants, swimming pool, ball room, and dozens of the most
beautiful women money could buy. “The main attraction, however,” commented
Mello, “was the discretion.” Eny would never confirm, for example, rumors that
singer Roberto Carlos was one of her guests.
Part of Eny’s success had to do with the professionalism of her protégées. Women
who worked for her had strict rules for proper dressing (with elegance and
decorum) and were supposed to use only three kinds of perfume, all French:
Cabochard, Fleur de Rocaille, and Quelles Fleurs. Eny insisted that women
working with her took good care of their bodies giving special attention to
skin, hair and nail. They were also encouraged to continue their academic
studies so they would be able to talk about all kinds of subjects. A night with
one of the girls didn’t cost less than $500.
Born in 1917 in São Paulo in the middle-class neighborhood of Vila Mariana, Eny
refused to work delivering marmitas (tinfoil containers with homemade food) as
her sister or in the chocolate factory as some of her friends. She first tasted
a prostitute’s life working in a whorehouse in the Bom Retiro neighborhood.
Moving to Rio she met Germano Flores, a man who would become her gigolo and
teach her the inwards of prostitution. The celebrated madam would soon learn
that a well managed vagina could be the fastest way to the power and riches she
always coveted. Before establishing herself in Bauru, Eny worked as a prostitute
in Rio and Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. But she only started
her own business after a stint at Bauru’s Cabaret Maxim, then considered the
best whorehouse in the area.
Eny, whose real name was Emy, was an influential person and owed much to former
Bauru mayor and House Representative Nicola Avalone Júnior, better known as
Nicolinha, who offered her not only friendship, but also protection. Dr. Bento
Vaz, another friend, took care of those working for her who had an unexpected
pregnancy or wanted to be sterilized. Apparently many were sterilized without
knowing it.
Killed by the Pill
Eny was sent to jail once, not for pimping, but for selling cheap whiskey
smuggled from Paraguay. She amassed a small fortune and was able to buy as many
as 26 real estate properties. Eny e o Grande Bordel Brasileiro tells also that
Eny helped to raise dozens of kids born to her girls and contributed regularly
with food and toys to the Bauru’s orphanages. At the end, the pill, and the
liberalization of sexual mores killed Eny’s business. “Today’s girls open their
legs and I close my doors,” she used to complain. “With this whole host of
inexperienced clitoris as foes, the best is to close shop and take my secrets to
the grave.” She was almost blind when she died at age 69 in a hospital bed, on
August 24, 1986, after having to get rid of her properties, in some cases for
half the price they were worth.
She didn’t like to be called madam. “Madam is someone who arranges men for a
woman and charges a commission. I render services renting apartments and
managing the income of restaurants and bars, ” she would say.
Eny used to go to the movies with her girls. Marilyn Monroe was her favorite
actress. She encouraged women working for her to adopt some tactics of the
Hollywood blonde, including her raspy voice, kisses and faces.
During the good times, the girls used to get two or three good clients a night.
They would flaunt their prosperity cruising the city in sports cars, something
that made Bauru’s families cringe at the prospect of their own daughters getting
ideas about the oldest profession. Eny used to say, “I’ve never gone to look for
a girl. They were the ones who found out about me and came knocking on my door.
Most of them came from the southern states, as well as from Argentina, Paraguay
and Uruguay. The southern girls are the friendliest, especially those from Santa
Catarina.”
Excerpts from Eny e o Grande Bordel Brasileiro:
“João levou as três velhinhas, Blanche e as bagagens; Luís Antônio esperou Preta,
Olinda e Eny terminarem de fechar a casa. A maior parte dos móveis e os objetos
pessoais já tinham sido retirados. Alguns ainda estavam cobertos com lençol e
seriam removidos no dia seguinte. Quando viram Mariazinha latindo dentro do
carro, os quatro se olharam e sorriram. Partiram deixando a terra de Eny
definitivamente no passado. Uma vez um cliente comentou comigo dentro da pensão
que o segredo da humanidade está na saudade, disse a cafetina, o mundo existe
porque Deus tem uma infinita saudade do homem. Eu não entendi nada, mas achei
bonita a frase sobre a saudade. Agora, além do Mauricinho, vou sentir saudades
deste lugar, como vou sentir... Um colar de pérolas enrolado no pescoço, sobre a
barriga e os seios grandes e flácidos, jóias com esmeralda, rubis e brilhantes.
Um pequeno tesouro que a cafetina conseguira tirar do banco depois que vendera o
bordel e guardava agora num saco de veludo preto no cofre da casa da cidade. A
senhora até parece aquelas rainhas que a gente vê no cinema, disse Preta com os
olhos brilhando feito as pedras que cobriam parte do corpo da patroa. A senhora
tem tanta jóia e nunca me dá nada... Não dou porque você tem a mim! Precisa mais?,
dizia Eny, esfregando lentamente uma corrente de ouro no rosto da empregada. E
assim as duas ficaram longas horas conversando.”
II
Isso aqui é um palácio. Não sabia que em Bauru existiam áreas palacianas. O que
meus inimigos vão dizer se me virem aqui, que me embriaguei? Que me apaixonei?
Estas foram, segundo Nicola Avalone Júnior, as primeiras palavras que Jânio
Quadros pronunciou quando entrou no bordel de Eny em agosto de 1982. O ex-presidente
do Brasil estava em campanha para o governo de São Paulo e tinha Nicolinha como
aliado político. A cafetina já sabia que receberia a ilustre visita e preparou-se
para o momento tão especial. Ordenou a todas as moças que não saíssem dos
quartos até ela mandar. Poucas pessoas estavam na casa. O garçom serviu vinho
português e os três conversaram menos de uma hora sentados na sala. Conto com a
ajuda da senhora, dona Eny. Desde o tempo em que Nicolinha venceu Sebastião
Aleixo na disputa pela Prefeitura de Bauru, ouço falar na força que a senhora
tem como cabo eleitoral. Obrigada, doutor Jânio. Se depender de mim, o senhor já
está eleito. Ainda tenho uma vassourinha guardada numa das minhas gavetas, disse
Eny se despedindo. Que pena que o senhor não tenha tempo hoje para conhecer e
sentir o perfume do buquê de mulheres que Eny cultiva aqui dentro, Excelência.
São flores da mais alta estirpe. Verdadeiras damas parisienses, afirmou
Nicolinha.
Dois meses depois, a cafetina decidiu colocar o bordel à venda por 300 milhões
de cruzeiros. Cada dia mais doente e endividada, ela sabia que seria impossível
vencer a guerra contra os motéis. Procurada pela imprensa, Eny foi notícia nos
principais jornais de São Paulo. Nicolinha e alguns empresários de Bauru
tentaram convencê-la a ter mais paciência... Quem sabe daqui a alguns anos o
governo libera o jogo e você transforma tudo isso num cassino, disse o político.
Mas nada conseguiu fazê-la mudar de idéia. Com 65 anos, dizia aos repórteres que
já estava na hora de se aposentar. Numa das entrevistas, revelou que era muito
católica, mas para ser madrinha de casamento, tinha de confessar, e eu não vou
contar as minhas coisas ao padre, concluiu. Sobre a fama, ela respondeu: Não sei
como fiquei assim famosa. Acho que foi pelo bom atendimento. O repórter
perguntou para onde ela iria depois que vendesse a casa. Ainda não sei, só quero
vendê-la, depois vou pensar.
History
Saved from the Junkyard
After 42 years at the service of the Brazilian Navy, the aircraft carrier Vengeance—built by Winston Churchill while London was being bombed during World War II—is being readied to become a floating entertainment space in China. For the Brazilian top military brass the news that the old ship is going to be used for the enjoyment of the Chinese came as a relief.
When the vessel was recently put for sale there was an offer—the most appealing to the armed forces—to convert her into a museum to be anchored on the coast of Great Britain, but from 12 bids received, nine wanted Vengeance just for her body, the 16 tons of steel the ship is made of. The Chinese ended up getting the obsolete ship for a simple reason: nobody could beat their 2-million-dollar bid.
In Brazil, the British warrior had a peaceful albeit controversial career. Vengeance was bought for 9 million dollars in 1956 by President Juscelino Kubitschek and was rechristened as Minas Gerais, Kubitschek’s home state. It’s common knowledge that JK, who wasn’t well liked by the Armed Forces bought the ship as a way of smooth-talking the Navy. “If this is the price for the Navy to submit to the Constitution, so be it,” commented the President at the time. The ship, however, would arrive in Brazil only in December 1960, at the final days of the Kubitschek administration.
This was a time when Brazil thought its hour had arrived to take a seat at the First World table. The country was starting a blooming industry and wished to become a military power. Ironically though, the Minas Gerais, at the time of her acquisition, was already considered scrap metal by military experts. The deal inspired a then fledgling musician and satirist to write a catchy tune, which was played on the radio across the nation and made people but not for long. The government didn’t get the joke and banned the ditty from the airwaves, in a rare case of art censorship during a civilian administration.
The irreverent song, known as “O Brasil Já Vai à Guerra” went like this:
|
O Brasil já vai à guerra
comprou um porta aviões
um viva pra Inglaterra
de 82 bilhões,
ah, mas que ladrões
Comenta o zé povinho
governo varonil
coitado, coitadinho do Banco do Brasil
ra , ra, quase faliu
A classe proletária
na certa comeria
com a verba gasta diária
em tal quinquilharia
sem serventia
Alguns bons idiotas
aplaudem a medida
e o povo sem comida
escuta as tais lorotas
dos patriotas
Porém há uma peninha
de quem é o porta-avião
é meu diz a marinha
é meu diz a aviação
ah, revolução
Brazil, terra adorada,
comprou um porta-aviões
um viva pra Inglaterra
de 82 bilhões
ah, mas que ladrões |
Brazil is ready for war
it bought an aircraft carrier
long live England
82 billion (cruzeiros)
ah, they’re such thieves
The little people comment
what a manly government
poor, oh little poor Bank of Brazil
ha, ha, almost broke
The proletarian class
could certainly eat
with the money spent daily
in such trinket
which has no use
A few good idiots
applaud the measure
and the foodless people
listen to the baloney
of the patriots
There’s, however, a question
whose aircraft carrier is this
it’s mine, says the Navy
it’s mine says the Air Force
ah, revolution
Brazil, adored country
bought an aircraft carrier
long live England
82 billion (cruzeiros)
ah, such thieves are they |
You can listen to Juca Chaves interpreting his own modinha “O Brasil Já Vai à Guerra” (1960) in
Brazzil online at www.brazzil.com/juca.mp3
The Minas Gerais bid was won by H K Jiexin Shipping, a Hong Kong company created specifically to manage the old aircraft career. The ship will be anchored in Zhoushan, a port close to Shanghai and will be outfitted with shops, bar and a small museum. For Hélio Leôncio Martins, the admiral who was the aircraft carrier’s first commander “the ship deserved a better destiny. This vessel aggrandized the country and left a better reputation than any other ship.”
Apparently, the ship’s only military mission happened in August 1961 when the Minas Gerais was sent to Rio Grande do Sul to intimidate Leonel Brizola and his Campanha da Legalidade—Legality Campaign, a movement to secure that vice-president Jango Goulart be installed in office after the presidency was left vacant by President Jânio Quadro’s resignation. Brizola prevailed against the military this time, but they would come back less than 3 years later to handle the nation for 21 long years.
Since January 2001, having been retired, the Minas Gerais was being kept ailing in Rio’s Baía da Guanabara. In its place the 40-year-old Foch was put into service, just a little younger than the 58-year-old Minas Gerais. The French vessel bought for $12 million and rebaptized as São Paulo is able to carry 30 planes instead of the 12 that could fit into the Minas Gerais. Where are the planes to fill the ship? We don’t have them and if we had we’d never use them, critics are saying, echoing Juca Chaves’s song.
Brazil-USA
The Lula Scare
Twelve House Republicans worried with the prospect of having Lula as the next Brazilian President sent President George Bush a letter. They are Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee; Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-N.Y., former chairman of the House International Relations Committee; Cass Ballenger of North Carolina; Jim Gibbons of Nevada; Wally Herger of California; Darrell Issa of California; Walter Jones of North Carolina; Brian Kerns of Indiana; Dana Rohrabacher of California; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida; Ed Royce of California and Christopher Smith of New Jersey.
Washington, DC, October 2, 2002
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to express our concern regarding Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, presidential candidate of the Worker's Party in Brazil, and his recent public statement criticizing Brazil's adherence to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons—NPT. Given Mr. da Silva's lead in the opinion polls for the October presidential elections, his comments are a matter of grave concern to Congress, the United States Government, Brazil's neighbors, and the world. We request that the State Department review Mr. Lula da Silva's comments and assess the threat that his policy poses to U.S. and hemispheric security.
On September 13, 2002, Mr. da Silva said that compliance with the NPT "would make sense only if all countries that already have—nuclear—weapons also gave them up." He continued, "If someone asks me to disarm and keep a slingshot and he comes at me with a cannon, what good does that do?" He concluded his remarks by stating, "all of us developing countries are left holding a slingshot while they have atomic bombs."
Preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons has been one of the highest priorities for the United States, Latin America, and the entire United Nations. Agreement between Brazil and Argentina led both countries to end their many years of work on nuclear weapons, not only reducing the risks of potentially deadly conflict, but also freeing hundreds of millions of dollars for both countries to use for peaceful social purposes.
At a time when there is broad consensus on the need to defeat international terrorism, we are also concerned that in 1990, Mr. da Silva, in cooperation with the communist regime of Castro in Cuba, established a leftist, anti-globalization group called the "Forum of São Paulo." This ensemble, which has liaised with communist and radical political movements from around the world, held its most recent meeting in December, 2001, in Havana, Cuba.
The leadership of Mr. da Silva in this annual gathering of communist and radical organizations and alliances; his long-standing close relations with, and admiration for, the communist dictator and sponsor of terrorism, Fidel Castro; and recent statements regarding nuclear non-proliferation, raise grave questions concerning the international policies a government of Brazil might pursue under his Presidency.
We appreciate your attention to our concerns and look forward to the
State Department's findings with respect to this potentially serious national security matter.
Sincerely,
Dana Rohrabacher, MC
Benjamin Gilman, MC
Dan Burton, MC
Christopher Smith, MC
Darrel Issa, MC
Walter Jones, MC
Wally Herger, MC
Jim Gibbons, MC
Cass Ballenger, MC
Ileana Ross-Lehtinen
Ed Royce, MC
Brian Kerns, MC
Brazil-USA
Go Jump in the Lake Antarctica
In the Oct 13 edition of the Miami Herald, the U.S. Trade Secretary Robert Zoellick, sent a harsh message to the new Brazilian government. Zoellick stated that Brazil has a choice: to accept the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) or to go sell their products in Antarctica.
Mr. Zoellick is quoted in the Miami Herald as saying, "We wish to make the first offer of partnership in the FTAA to Latin America, because they are close partners. But, if they decide that they want to go in another direction, if they wish to take the southern route to Antarctica, then we will look to the east and the west."
The following day, at The Conference of the Americas sponsored by that newspaper, Mr Zoellick gave the same message in his talk without mentioning Antarctica. He tried to minimize the fact that support for the FTAA is wearing thin in Latin America and, in particular, there is growing opposition in Brazil.
A plebiscite on the FTAA taken in early September and organized by CNBB (Conferência
Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil—National Conference of Brazilian Catholic Bishops) indicated that 94 percent of the 10 million Brazilians who voted see the FTAA as an annexation of Brazil by the United States. A top official in the US government when asked what he thought about this belief on the part of many Brazilians, said that the FTAA is “a choice for Brazil and not an imperative. It is an opportunity for Brazil, not an annexation of Brazil.”
Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, still a presidential candidate at the time, said that he would not comment on the talk of Mr. Zoellick as he doesn't know him. Later in the day, when the subject was brought up again, he responded by saying that he "will not respond to an underling of an underling of an underling in the US government. There are many who make stupid statements about Brazil and, God willing, later they will come to respect Brazil." Zoellick is a member of President Bush's Cabinet, with the rank of Ambassador and a close ally of Brazil in the current administration, according to an editorial in the daily
O Estado de S. Paulo.
When asked by a reporter of Folha de S. Paulo, if it would not be important for a candidate to the presidency to know who Mr. Zoellick is, Lula responded that he does not believe that President Bush has the obligation to know the names of those in the first or second level government positions of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Lula said that, if elected, he would be willing to meet with President Bush and talk about ALCA—as the FTAA is known in Brazil—on that high level: President to President. It would be a talk, he said, in which he would defend the interests of Brazil as President Bush defends the interests of the US.
The newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, in its editorial of Oct. 16th entitled “Alca or the Antarctica" understands that the statement by the U. S. Trade Secretary, Robert Zoellick, about the adherence of Brazil to ALCA should be understood as a provocation.
Daniel McLaughlin is a Maryknoll missioner in São Paulo and
can be reached at sejup1@alternex.com.br. This article was distributed by Sejup,
which can be visited at
www.oneworld.net/sejup
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