RADIO DOCUMENTARY: IN TUNE WITH BRAZIL AT LASC / Near FM project with funding from Ireland Aid/ NDCE.

 

What is ‘In Tune with Brazil’? ‘In Tune with Brazil’ is a three-part radio documentary programme, each programme is of one hour in duration. The programme is an exciting musical and cultural journey, which covers an Irish samba school's trip to Brazil for carnival in February 2003 and explores, through the medium of Brazilian music, issues of marginalisation and multi-culturalism in Brazil and in Ireland. It is a development education radio programme, which interweaves music, interviews and narration.

 

Who made the programme? The programme was made by The Latin American Solidarity Centre (LASC) in partnership with North Dublin community radio station, Near FM. LASC is an educational, cultural and campaigning solidarity organisation, which links Latin America with Ireland. Near FM (www.nearfm.ie) is an award winning community radio station broadcasting in the North East of Dublin from Fairview to Malahide and from Howth/Clontarf to Whitehall. Dublin-based MaSamba Samba School (www.masamba.com) were also key partners - LASC accompanied them on their trip to Brazil and they are the subjects of much of the programme.

 

Who financed the programme? The programme was made thanks to a grant from the Irish National Committee for Development Education (now Irish Aid) and the kind assistance of Broadcast Technical Services and Total Broadcast.

 

What are the programmes about? The idea for the programme came about when LASC heard that Dublin Samba School MaSamba (www.masamba.com) were fund-raising to bring 15 members to Brazil for carnival 2003. Their trip was to be an educational journey, taking in 10 days of visiting samba schools in Rio and 10 days in North East Brazil where they would experience carnival itself.

 

MaSamba is a project which uses music as a means of community development in the inner city south-quay area. For their 2003 trip, they were bringing three disadvantaged young members (aged from 14-16) to Brazil as well as a group of adults from various backgrounds including an African refugee and several community workers. Central to the radio documentary therefore, are interviews with MaSamba members, who talk about their experiences in Brazil, where they perform samba, visit favelas and meet people from all walks of life. They also compare and contrast their perceptions of life in Brazil and the realities at home in Dublin.

 

MaSamba specialize in Afro-Brazilian music forms such as batucada (carnival samba from Rio), samba reggae and maracatu. These rhythms originate with and largely represent the marginalized majority in Brazil, which is a country with huge disparity in income distribution. The programmes explore therefore the history and social contexts of the formation of this music, taking in the birth of Brazil as a nation, the mixing of the three key races in Brazil, slavery and race relations, migration to the cities and life in the slums or favelas. The story of Afro-Brazilian music is inextricably linked to these themes, which are essentially about how different cultures meet, what comes out of those meetings in terms of cultural products, how human beings categorise and deal with difference. The programme highlights the negative sides of separation and discrimination while celebrating the products of cultural diversity. The Irish parallels of these themes are also explored, that is, immigration and cultural diversity in Ireland today and social marginalisation.

 

Lastly we look at peoples proactive attempts to mound and shape their lives. Here the programme examines music as a powerful motivator and communicator of ideas and messages, and in the case of Brazil we see how music has been used by statutory and non-governmental organizations to achieve various goals. We sum up by comparing community initiatives in Brazil and in Ireland and highlighting what can be leant from one another.

 

How are the programmes divided up? The programmes have a loose chronological theme, in terms of both MaSamba's trip to Brazil and Brazilian history. At the same time, we develop the idea of cultural groups coming together, cultural groups existing together and cultural groups working together to bring future change.

 

Programme 1 encounters The first programme explores the start of the Dubliners' trip to Brazil - where the trip would take them and why. We then look at the traumatic clash of cultures and races that gave rise to the Brazilian nation 500 years ago. We look at how the European, African and indigenous races reacted to one another, how hierarchies and divides came about, especially in living spaces. The programme examines how the various cultures in Brazil began to develop new music from their combined heritages and also study some aspects of the meeting of cultures currently taking place in Ireland.

 

Programme 2 relationships This programme focuses on the relationships between MaSamba and the Brazilians they meet, between the various races and cultures in Brazil, and between newcomers to Ireland and their hosts. We deal with questions such as: Do the many races in Brazil live in harmony and share equal opportunities? How did samba music evolved through slavery to become a national symbol? What is daily life like in the slums for sambistas and other Afro-Brazilian musicians? How do their lives compare to those of the marginalized in Ireland?

 

Programme 3 resolutions The last programme focuses on what people in Brazil and Ireland are doing to try to improve their lives and their communities. We look at state programmes, community projects and movements and focus especially on the numerous and varied efforts which involve music in Brazil. Questions are asked about the similarity and interconnectedness of the problems facing people in Brazil and in Ireland, and how we might come together in the quest to bring more harmony into our lives. Some members of MaSamba reflect on their trip.

 

How can I hear the programme: Copies of the programmes are available from the Latin American Solidarity Centre, 01 676 0435 or www.lasc.ie. Please contact LASC to order your copy.

 

Who is interviewed in the programmes?

Ireland:

Oficina da Capoeira,

Dublin Rita Fegan, Family Resource Centre in St. Michael's Estate

Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, Focus Ireland

Neusa da Silva Resende, from Brazil and working in Ireland

Fr. Pat Mac Namara, Spirasi Centre

MaSamba Samba School

Tulia Lopes, Tropicalia Productions

Claudio Costa, Brazilian Dancer

Kensika Monchengwo, National Consultative Committee of Racism and Interculturalism Dr. Suzel Reily, Professor of Ethnomusicology, Queens University Belfast

Simon Community Cork

 

Brazil:

Roberta and Domitila B. de Oliveira Nascimento, Centro de Atendimento a Meninos e Meninas, Street Children's project, Recife, Brazil

Flavia Fac, Community Arts Promoter, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Peter O'Neil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Dr. Samuel Araujo, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Hiriam Araujo, Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro

Jose Epsom, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Daniela, Samba School Dancer, Lapa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Beizinha and colleagues, Movimento Nacional de Luta pela Moradia

Staff of Imperatriz Samba School, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Staff and customers of musical instrument shops, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Street vendors, samba fans, taxi drivers, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

Who was involved in Project Management:

Project Management & Research: Azucena Bermudez (Ireland), Rachel Dempsey (Brazil & Ireland)

Production: Rachel Dempsey

Recording: Rachel Dempsey

Technician/Editor: Sole Galiano (Near FM)

Translators/interpreters: Colette Spears (in Brazil), Giselle Almeida, Ignacio Irigoien, Eduardo Rohde Designer: Victor Bacre