Rock N' Girls

Human Rights Watch reports 91 cases of sexual harassment in Tahrir Square since the outbreak of 30 June protests that lead to the overthrow of former Egyptian president Morsi.

Why is that? Is it only Machismo or what? Women are victims of daily harassment in the streets, so why is that so extraordinary? 

Two and a half years ago, when Mabarak, the former dictator was ousted, there were a feeling of unity and equality. Christians & muslims, men & women, poor & rich were all together seeking the same goals, expressed in the Egyptian Revolution slogan: Freedom, Bread and Social Justice. 

However, as Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment Coordinator Aalam Wassef explains: "Harassers are targeting women with the intent of making the square feel threatening and unsafe". Reem Labib, another volunteer from the same organization adds: "Egyptian women are subjected to harassment on a daily basis, yet organized harassers in the square utilize violence to target not only women, but also the revolution. They use both physical and psychological violence against protesters in the square”. 

There are so much to say about all this issue, but I must start saying that as a Brazilian, the situation isn't much different in my home country. The shades might others, but it's very alive in my mind the feeling and the knowledge that being a woman in Brazil is not only very hard, but sometimes it was like a curse. 

I do celebrate being a woman and, therefore, here music for the party: Orianthi, an acomplished guitar player, vocalist and composer. 

Source for the quotations and info mentioned: Hands Off; At Least 91 Cases of Sexual Harassment in Tahrir; UN Women Class for Firmer Stance on Sexual Harassment. 

Pope & Football

Pope Francis won a t-shirt of Atlético Mineiro Football Club" from a Brazilian priest. In Brazil, it is said that politics, religion and football aren't topics for discussion, but I suppose that pope Francis don't agree much with that? 

Foodie 2: The Summer Colour Is Red

I have already told you, guys, how fresh, sweet and delicious is the produce here. One particular thing impressed me in my first Summer here, last year: how your place (or bow, or glass) can be covered by red food.

The most impressive part are the cherries. Real cherries. I never imagined I would ever find edible cherries to buy that weren't either canned (and extremely costly) or glacé cherries, which in Brazil are anything but cherries (they're know for being made of glacéed vegetables, coloured artificially and shaped in the form of a cherry - but not really, now that I know the real ones). Affordable natural cherries would come only in my wildest dreams - Yvanna, the god of Arda, bringing me a box of elvish wood and opening it to me solemnly.

Here are my cherries this Summer:

And here are what part of them became - the best preserve of all, with no cinnamon, but an Middle-Eastern flavour that is unbeatable.

These are plums. To be very honest, I ate better plums here, so I "de-seeded" them and froze. They will became part of muffins and cakes later.

These are grapes. To eat only. =P

And finally, this is hibiscus tea, that you can drink cold - and I drink cold with lemon. They say it lowers your blood pressure, which is a pity for me. The tea is delicious and all you need is to throw the dried flowers in the water.

There we go again

Lights on, decorations on the walls, colourful flags on the streets.

It's Ramadan again - starting today. No journal this year, tho. You may check last year in case you don't know what this month of feast is - and specially how it affects everyday life. =) 

  

Politics With Children

You feel confident about the future of Humanity when you teach TCKs. It's Social Studies class and a student voices his bewilderment:

"Ms. Luciana, my father told me that Syrians are fighting against Syrians. I can't understand it. How come?"

Five pairs of eyes stare at me. No one blinks.

"Well, you remember what happened here some years ago, how the people didn't like the president and went to the streets to ask him to leave?"

They all remember very well. They all lived through it - the hard times, the celebrations for living up a dream.

"People of Syria wanted the same there. They didn't like the president and wanted them to leave. But here the president left the presidency, while there the presidents refuses to give up his power. So people are fighting".

"My grandmother says this is not true!" replies the Syrian student."We can't believe in all the television says, because they are telling lies!"

"Maybe you can tell us what is happening there?"

"Well, it's true many people didn't like the president and many people want him to leave, but there are also people who like him." Her voices raises: My grandmother likes him. We love our president. We want him to stay!"

"Really?" I felt like hearing the the best historical gossip of the year. "So your family is supportive of president Assad?"

"Yes, we all love him!"

I try to connect the rapturous expression of affection of an 9 years old for a president she never lived under his rule with the broader subject of our course:

"You see now why Syrians are fighting with Syrians? There people who want the president out. There others who like him, like her family. So now they are fighting against each other."

"And now they have a war!"

"Yes, when people of a country fight against their fellow people, we call it Civil War." That has also happened in the United States when..."

I feel safe, back to the course content and to  the bookish History.

Poor Syrian student. Most relatives there and either side they support they face the truculence we know but little about. The teacher learnt two lessons:

- the punks are right: never trust in the press;      
- always listen first to the ones involved in the affairs you're talking about. 

Celebrating the Best Victory

If you follow the news, you might have read somewhere that demonstrations swept Brazil in the past two weeks. Less important was the fact that Brazil won the Confederations' Cup, which in the football's world is a championship considered as a preview of the World Cup. Now, we Brazilians know that it also serves to the purpose of FIFA checking if a country really has conditions of hosting the actual World Cup: infrastructure, security, beautiful and newly remodelled stadiums.

Some people have been curious why Brazilians are so angry. After all, specially here, my home country is one of the wealthiest nations, has a fast growing economy and our former president is even mentioned here as a model to be followed by the presidents to be in the future.

I guess these are the pics of the official celebration:

But we Brazilians (in the fatherland or afar, like me) are happier, because the country was shaken by indignation against corruption and bad services offered by the State. Specially the big circus showing manicured stadiums built with public money. Very impressive in a country where football is a national issue.

"When your child is sick, take him to a stadium". 

"I came to the streets, because the street is the biggest grandstand in Brazil". 

"We want FIFA standard schools and hospitals".  

"How many schools are worth a Maracanã"? 

Politicians afraid, a not so confident president, important bills that didn't passed in the Congress (which would protect our corrupt politicians) and even a decrease in the public buses' fare. Important to mention that the last time demonstrations swept in Brazil, the president was impeached - 20 years ago.   

In another part of the world, Egyptian people are celebrating the downfall of the (former) president Morsi - two years and a half after the Hosni Mubarak, dictator for decades, was ousted and one year after Morsi was elected. 

Seeing this historical picture, I wonder what is the real victory for the long-suffering Egyptian people? Here the Coptic patriarch Tawadros II and the Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh back together Morsi's overthrown by the Egyptian army. The Coptic Church is the biggest Christian denomination in Egypt. And Al-Azhar? Well, Al-Azhar is the Muslim academic and religious centre in the Muslim world. 

May I ask the permission of the great and brave Egyptian people to say that Brazilians & Egyptians have something in common? 

Unless you [...] become like little children

Children understand. There am teaching third grade and someone mentions the sunset. The teacher can't hold herself and say: the sunset here is the most beautiful one I have ever seen.

The dialogue follows:

"Yes, the sunset here is pink!"
"No, it's pinkish!"
"No, it's pinkish-orange!"
"Pinkish-orangish."
"Sometimes it's yellow."
"And sometimes it's golden."
"I saw a silver sunset once."

A moment of soul's communion. Everything they said rings true to my eyes.

Do you agree with us?

When the Middle East Meets Bahia

Gilberto Gil and Dina El Wedidi together. Great reunion! =) 

Listen to Dina: 

And Gilberto Gil: 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

You look at a picture like this and might not see much:

I see a magnificent cloudy sky, ready to pour the rain (which I've seen six times only in one year). And this day, I remember, I couldn't reach home, before it started showering. Heavily. A very cold rain, mixed with dust. An experience for a lifetime. 

I don't see the barricades or the wall blocking the traffic, to protect the presidential palace from the people. I don't see the army cannons aimed at the people they should protect. No soldiers lined up as a menace to their own people. 

I see cars coming and going in a Friday morning. Usually a crowded street, I don't see a traffic jam. 

Beautiful!  

When the Middle East Meets Rio de Janeiro

Singing bossa-nova in St Michael's Jazz Fest: Ipanema's & One Note Samba. =) 

Happy Mother's Day

To all the mothers, but most especially to my mom, who might very well empathize with the cartoon... =P

The previous post

I think I need to learn how to blog again. The previous post was a bit confusing. =/ So here follows some [graphic] explanation for the unexplained in the last post. 

First I suppose I did more than most Brazilians do to celebrate Easter, but here, besides 55 days of Lent , during the Holy Week, people go to church everyday. Then, on Thursday they wash their feet. On the       "Great Friday" (not "Good Friday"), the day to remember Jesus was crucified, people dress in black and drink vinegar (as Jesus did, because Jesus drank vinegar, when asked for water). Then, on Sunday, 00:00 people break the fasting with nice food. There is also Easter Monday, which is a National Holiday, from the ancient times and people eat fish, coloured eggs, visit friends, dress new clothes. 

This is the "Palm Craft" we hanged on our door on Palm Sunday. It's super traditional.

And this is the church which looks like a synagogue - but also looks like a mosque. Only the external architecture, I mean.

Finally, this year I baked a squared "Simmel Cake". And since I couldn't find chocolate eggs or balls, I put 11 pieces of chocolate to represent the disciples. My interpretation of the Simmel Cake for 2013:

First Aniversary & Happy Easter!

The title of this post troubles me. Each topic deserves per si one post. But without internet the last month (or months?), I didn’t have the opportunity to blog much.

No complaints, tho, because, I borrowed Madame Adrienne’s internet USB whatever, and now – here am I! \O/ Merci beaucoup to her.  

So, May 5, and today is Easter in this part of the world. I already wrote my “Ode toEaster” last year, but I could never know, that in such an international city, I would celebrate Easter twice this year. Not bad at all.

In case you’re curious to know why, it’s the following: the Western Church (e.g. the Protestants & the Roman Catholics) and the Eastern Church (i.e. the Orthodox Church, the Coptic Church and a number of small Christian groups in MENA) have different liturgical calendars. Now, some Western Christians, living in the  East, want to celebrate special occasions according to their calendar. Personally, I am pleased with any dates as long as we celebrate, so I am more than happy to celebrate Christmas and Easter twice.

And it might be my impression, but it seems to me that Easter here is a bigger thing than Christmas. Well, I didn’t do much, besides putting my Palm leaves on the door (which actually, the owner of my apartment did) and washing my feet in a Church that looks pretty much like a synagogue. However, I sang in Church the beautiful Mozart “Laudate Dominum”  and after calling the family in Brazil and some trays of muffins, I am mixing my “SimmelCake”. Well, you might doubt that, since I am typing this post, but I was tired of standing in the hot kitchen and decided to blog a bit. =P

He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!!

Happy Easter!!! 

Listen for inspiration:

The Experience of the Desert

I have always wondered how life in the desert would be. Every time I saw a picture in a Geography book or saw a news show and those cities amid... nothing or the nothingness, that is, the ocean of sand, as I would call in my mind - how would that be? Of course, I have never dreamt that one day I would be here. Far East Asia was the picture I always had in mind as the kind of final destination for life. The never-ending daily grind of a Japanese metropolis or bucolic scenes among the Buddhist temples of Nepal or Cambodia were what I pictured for myself. 

When I knew I was definitely coming to live here, I was in a state of awe. In many ways it is as the desert wasn't near. Life in most part of the year is not as living in the middle of the desert but is the turmoil and infinite opportunities of a city which has over 20 mi inhabitants. I like saying you can find anything here you want to - you only need to discover where your "Sesame" lay (whether you can pay for your wishes, that is another thing). 

However you also cannot ignore that the desert surrounds you - it will make sure you don't. One of the first things I learnt is that you have to get accustomed to having dust everywhere. Your daily life will accompanied by that fine omnipresent layer of dust. Also in my first week, we had a sand storm. I was still in honeymoon, so I found very beautiful that I could see the buildings and the people, as if I was wearing orange lenses. 

By a combination of the desert surrounding you (and which makes most of the terrains of the country) and the localization of the country in the globe, you will also think it impossible to survive the heat in late spring and during the whole Summer.

It has its rewards though. Very early in the morning the most splendid light will invade your abode. The rays of sun come and wake you up gently very early in the morning. When the sun sets, as two lovers biding adieu, it loves the city fervently and displays exquisite architectures of blaze and colour. I never knew when I called this blog "In Quest for a Sunset" that I would find so many "definite" sunsets here. 

To be continued. :) 

New friend

I've just met a new friend from the 19th century... but it's not a vampire! I wish... Dear readers, I wanted to introduce to you:

It's name is Wackel-Orgel. Such a big friend, that the camera couldn't get all of it at once! Its sound is incredible...  It literally blows you away. And to be singing there, with powerful music of J.S. Bach surrounding you, feels just like to be embraced by a good friend. 

Who would predict I would find such pleasures in the Middle East? ;-) 

Life is somehow unpredictable - and I like the positive aspect of it. 

- Who could tell I would have a wonderful Asian room mate? (even though sometimes it seems I am as Asian as she is); 

- Who could tell I would find a kindred spirit in my apartment building who wakes up listening to Amélie's soundtrack? 

- Who could tell I would find a nice vocal coach here and sing more than I have ever sang in Brazil? And specially, that I would be singing in a Jazz festival in a few weeks? =P 

- Who could tell I even went to an Early Music concert here, which was one of the best I have ever attended? 

- Who could tell I would, one day, teach Musical Theatre? And direct a Musical? O.O

What comes next?