The area around the Júlio Prestes station has concentrated large numbers of crack users and it has been drug traffic and prostitution central for quite a few years. Some sources suggest that at the times when dealing activity was more intense, there were as many as 2,000 users gathered around that specific area every day, many of them children.

In order to revitalise this degraded area of São Paulo, the Nova Luz initiative was created in 2004. To make strides on the project, mayor Gilberto Kassab and governor Geraldo Alckmin supported the clean-up operation that has so far arrested about 200 people. The crack users have mostly been dispersed and moved to other parts of the city.

At the time the operation started, the operation was heavily criticised due to the use of pepper spray, rubber bullets and “excesses” in terms of the handling of the crack users. This prompted a Facebook-organised BBQ in the region to protest against the police action.

I have been thinking a lot about this lately and have talked about it with quite a few people. I have created a blog with the purpose of gathering suggestions of normal civilians like me about what can be done to improve the situation. Call me naive, but I believed that the people who I have been talking to for months (many of them are Twitter ”celebrities” here in Brazil) would want to act on this for the greater good, volunteer, do something.

Pretty much along the lines of Malcolm Gladwell’s theory of slacktivism, it turned out that some people were happy to support the need for action in Cracolândia in theory, but ended up doing little or nothing concrete about that cause.

Let’s face it. People have their own problems, own jobs and lives to get on with. No one who gets out of bed in the morning and work all day to earn a living -from the multinational manager who earns several thousand reais a month to the modestly-paid manicure – has any sympathy for drug addicts at all.

Evidence of this is the BBQ mentioned above, for which more than 4,000 people said they would attend and only 200 turned up on the day, many of them journalists and bloggers who do not have the guts to walk around there in a normal day.

The reality is that the government does what most people want, and the vast majority does not give a damn. And in an election year, they will not lose a single vote over this – they will do whatever it takes to boot the junkies out of the streets. To God knows where, because the government or the police haven’t quite figured that one out.

People don’t care, also because only a small amount of people are directly affected by the presence of the druggies. The middle classes do not even dare going to the Cracolândia, so it is none of their business, as far as they are concerned. Will these people  start to care when crack-crazed zombies start hanging around their leafy neighbourhoods?

At the same time, though extra funding has been announced to treat these people, it is probably right at the bottom of the list of priorities for the health secretary. There are thousands of people waiting for cancer treatment in public hospitals in São Paulo for example, and many die waiting.

Let’s be clear about something: I do not agree at all with the use of violence or even compulsory treatment – yes they are addicts but they are still individuals who deserve and should be treated with respect and can make their individual choices, even though they are bad choices such as smoking crack. And I also believe that these people have a condition that needs to be properly treated.

But the thing is, the government has its attention elsewhere, as well as other priorities. Even the health and rehab centres we have at present allow people to get clean clothes, a shower, some food and off they go to the streets again. So what’s the point of quitting the addiction anyway?

What’s left for these downtrodden people, you may ask? Charity. But these charities need to come up with a more holistic approach. Maybe the way the government could help is by setting up partnerships with these charities and put a system in place that gets these people out of addiction and into a job. Perhaps a scheme that would give these people community work as long as they are part of a rehab scheme. Social exclusion is clearly not the way to go.

Before becoming a crack-head, you become desperate, deprived of hope, perspective, opportunities, information. And because these many other fundamental issues are not being tackled, the São Paulo crackland will continue to exist, not only in the city centre, but everyone’s doorstep. And what can we do, who is going to help us? Help them?

If anyone reading this blog knows of, or has experience with programmes elsewhere that have achieved some success in getting heavy drug users out of addiction and back into normal lives, I would like to know.

Image: Marco Gomes (CC)

Whenever I hear a mention to the neighborhood of Liberdade (which means “Freedom” in Portuguese), my mind floods with memories. It is the place I was born, hung around during my entire childhood and worked at for a number of years. My grandfather also owned a newsagent in the area and lived there for nearly five decades.

Things move on though, and since the Japanese outsed the Italians as the predominant nationality in the area back in the late sixties, the neighbourhood lost some of its magic. But it is still a unique place to visit: walking around Liberdade and checking out its Japanese street lanterns and garden, the bilingual store signs, the mangá and food stores, the Radio Taissô gymnastics and the various restaurants and karaokes takes you to another place, somewhere far away from São Paulo. Somewhere special.

Earlier this month, I was interviewed by Monocle 24 radio about what has changed in the district in the last few years – if you want to find out more about this region of São Paulo, have a listen to the special on Liberdade, about 16m into the show.
Download Monocle 24

Alguma coisa acontece no meu coração
Que só quando cruza a Ipiranga e a avenida São João
É que quando eu cheguei por aqui eu nada entendi
Da dura poesia concreta de tuas esquinas
Da deselegância discreta de tuas meninas

Ainda não havia para mim Rita Lee
A tua mais completa tradução
Alguma coisa acontece no meu coração
Que só quando cruza a Ipiranga e a avenida São João

Quando eu te encarei frente a frente não vi o meu rosto
Chamei de mau gosto o que vi, de mau gosto, mau gosto
É que Narciso acha feio o que não é espelho
E à mente apavora o que ainda não é mesmo velho
Nada do que não era antes quando não somos mutantes

E foste um difícil começo
Afasto o que não conheço
E quem vende outro sonho feliz de cidade
Aprende depressa a chamar-te de realidade
Porque és o avesso do avesso do avesso do avesso

Do povo oprimido nas filas, nas vilas, favelas
Da força da grana que ergue e destrói coisas belas
Da feia fumaça que sobe, apagando as estrelas
Eu vejo surgir teus poetas de campos, espaços
Tuas oficinas de florestas, teus deuses da chuva

Pan-Américas de Áfricas utópicas, túmulo do samba
Mais possível novo quilombo de Zumbi
E os novos baianos passeiam na tua garoa
E novos baianos te podem curtir numa boa

***

Just as in most songs in any language, it is hard to translate the exact meaning of the verses, but the song above is a declaration of love/hate to São Paulo written by Caetano Veloso, an influential Brazilian singer from Bahia.

I have translated the bits that I like the most below, so you get the gist of it. I think this song really conveys the feelings that many people have about this place, this rollercoaster of a city that is São Paulo. Happy 458th anniversary, my dear old Sampa. I love you, against all odds.

Something happens in my heart
Only when it crosses Ipiranga and São João Avenue
When I got here I didn’t understand anything
The concrete poetry of your street corners
Nor the discreet inelegance of your girls

(…)

And you were a difficult beginning
I get away from what I don’t know
And those who sell a different dream of a happy city
Soon learn to call you reality

(…)

From the people oppressed in the waiting lines, in the small streets, in the shanty towns
From the power of the money which rises and destroys beauty
From the ugly smoke that rises and erases the stars
I can see your poets of fields and space
Your forest factories, your rain gods rise

Thursday 16th February, £9 (£7 conc)
Unfinished Spaces
Rich Mix
35-47 Bethnal Green Road
London E1 6LA

Tickets: Click Here or call 020 7613 7498

dochouse.org/cgi-bin/page.pl?p=screenings01#UNFINISHED

This is the London Premiere of Nostalgia For The Light.

Legendary filmmaker Patricio Guzman will be present for a Q&A following the screening.

Thursday 2nd February, 8.15pm, £10 (£6 members)
Nostalgia For The Light
The Prince Charles Cinema,
7 Leicester Place,
London WC2H 7BY

Tickets: click here or call 020 7494 3654

dochouse.org/cgi-bin/page.pl?p=screenings01#NOSTALGIA

Each visitor can take home a specially-commissioned artwork by Brazilian artist Bruno 9Li (whose work is pictured above) and take part in a samba flash mob in the Grand Entrance, with dancers from the Paraíso School of Samba. London-based collective Braziliality will produce a telenovela soap opera entitled The Adventures of Vitoria & Alberto in Brasil which will star visitors as its cast and will be transmitted live in the Museum.

Brazilian design studio Flour will create a giant table football game where visitors can compete for prizes and Rio de Janerio-based practice Super Uber will be at the Museum with their digital installation game which takes inspiration from Pelé. Curitiba-born, London-based illustrator Clayton Junior will host a workshop in which visitors can stencil their own ‘Brazilian Modernist’ designs on to canvas bags to take home. Further highlights include screenings of Jared Levy’s Grafitti Fine Art a film exploring the street art of Sao Paulo and Waste Land, an award-winning documentary about communities living at the world’s largest land-fill in Rio de Janeiro, by Lucy Walker.

Stuart Baker, author and founder of London record label Soul Jazz, will present a selection of Brazilian album covers, discussing the stories behind them. There will also be specially-commissioned installations around the Museum, panel discussions, caipirinhas, food and music from DJ, musician, and producer João Brasil.

27th January 18.30 – 22.00, Admission Free
V&A Friday Late: Hot Brazil
Victoria & Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL
Tel. +44 (0)20 7942 2000
vam.ac.uk/fridaylate

One person who is carving a name both as Brazil’s go-to travel insider and eminent ‘pousada queen’, for her special collection of independent and uniquely beautiful places to stay, is Alison McGowan. Originally from the UK, Alison has combined a 35-year love affair living and working in Rio de Janeiro, and travelling around Brazil off the beaten track. This has given birth to Hidden Pousadas Brazil, a hugely successful online resource providing insider access to the best places to go to experience the real Brazil.

When Hidden Pousadas Brazil was established, the country was on the cusp of its boom in tourism, and pousada accommodation was having a renaissance. Alison spotted that there was a need for foreign travellers to get easily searchable, accurate and up-to-date recommendations on where to stay in English, but from a local perspective, and similarly for pousadas to reach international travellers to stimulate off-season bookings.

Intent on sharing the paradise locations she had discovered on her travels, she developed two websites: Hidden Pousadas Brazil and Pousada Hotel Brasil where travellers can read reviews, get maps, see photos, search by region, location, and attraction, and book directly with the pousada.

What are the key ingredients for a “special” pousada?
“Firstly, incredible location. Then unique style, which is about the way the pousada has been decorated and its special touches. I love it when I visit places where furniture and artwork have been created by local artisans, using materials indigenous to the region. Another ingredient is atmosphere, which you feel the minute you walk through the door. And lastly, the personal attention you get from hosts. Having the owners/managers there to talk to you and ensure that you have a great experience is key.”

Are there any early signs that people can look out for as to whether a pousada is going to be good or bad?
“A good start is just finding out whether it is on our recommended list. Reading reviews from other travellers that may have stayed there on TripAdvisor or other trusted resources. If you don’t find any reviews it might be a sign that it is not that good. However, it could also mean they are yet to be discovered. If booking is a really complicated process and the information you are getting for your enquiry is not sufficient, this can sometimes be an indicator that the place might not be the greatest. But overall it’s good to use your instinct in deciding. Don’t be put off by being asked for a deposit in advance, as this is common in Brazil.”

Other than Hidden Pousadas Brazil are there any other invaluable books or resource for travelling in Brazil?
I believe in recommendations from close friends and trusted sources like TripAdvisor. Also in individuals like Patricia Ribeiro, who writes for About.com (a New York Times company), Alexandra Forbes who has a great Blog (Brazil for Insiders) and Tony Galvez who is an extraordinary photographer of off-beat places.

Where would you advise people to visit before it becomes too crowded and spoilt by mass tourism?
I would say Paraty (pronounced Paratee), which is a beautiful historic town on the coast around 5 hours drive south of Rio. Over the last 20 years this has become a favourite venue for festivals such as FLIP – the Paraty International Literary Festival. As a result, what was once a quiet and sleepy town has now become busy and buzzy with loads of boutique shops, restaurants and, of course!

Alison’s Top Six destinations in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro

Image: Rio de Janeiro city by Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Image: Pousada Bromelias, Paraty, Rio de Janeiro

Bahia’s beaches

Image: Boipeba, Bahia by Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Pousada Praia das Ondas, Itacimirim, Bahia, Image by Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Alagoas Ecological route

Alagoas, Image by Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Image: Pousada Patacho, Porto de Pedras, Alagoas by Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Chapada Diamantina

Image: Chapada Diamantina, Bahia by Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Image: Pousada Lagoa das Cores, Vale do Capao, Bahia by Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Pantanal

Image: South Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul

Image: Fazenda Baia Grande, South Pantanal (Miranda), Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil by
Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Amazon

Image: Pink dolphins, Novo Airao, Amazonas by Hidden Pousadas Brazil

Image: Pousada Bela Vista, Novo Airao, Amazonas by Pousada Bela Vista

hiddenpousadasbrazil.com

The first time I came across Samba Chula was during a freezing night in Copenhagen where I was actually looking to find out if the new music from Brazil was ready to conquer the hearts (and pockets) of music promoters of the world. The show was part of the main events at Womex, the trade show focusing on World Music. The year was 2010 and the new sound from Brazil came in the form of Karina Buhr, the energetic and colourful singer from Pernambuco.

Even with a stellar team of guitar players (Edgard Scandurra from Ira!, a famous punk-rock group from the 80s, and Fernando Catatau, leader of Cidadão Instigado) and her crazy stage antics, Karina was unable to capture the audience’s attention. The time slot right after the loud and even more energetic Bomba Estéreo from Colombia did not help.

Not far from there, at a different stage, the old music of Brazil was triumphing. The veterans of Samba Chula de São Braz were doing their best not only to win the audience, but to keep alive a tradition. Chula, which in Portuguese means something of no value, is Brazil’s seminal form of Samba, brought to Bahia by Bantu slaves and developed on the sugarcane plantations. Nowadays it is played only by a few people around the country, among them this nine piece from São Bráz. Using instruments like viola, violão and cavaquinho (a high-pitched small guitar) they sing and dance using a lot of candomblé rhythms that create sometimes a hypnotic feel to the songs.

After the memorable performance at Womex, they were invited to tour around the globe and now they arrive in London for the first time to play a gig at the small and cosy Momo’s, famous for it’s musical friendship with Africa and Brazil. A perfect combination and a night definitely not to be missed.

by Juliano Zappia

Find full details of the show here: jungledrumsonline.com/whats-on/live-music/samba-chula-de-sao-braz-momos

Here’s a video of Samba Chula de Sao Braz performing at Womex in Copenhagen:

Manzana Tropical is a brand new act playing a form of Peruvian Cumbia known as Chicha. Brought up in London’s thriving Latin American scene, young musicians Manuy and Cleyder Figueroa are taking inspiration from their Peruvian heritage. Their music embodies influences from classic Peruvian acts as well as guitar-based Latin acts like Santana, and then they mix it all up with a hot London vibe. The band also contains experienced musicians from one of the finest Andean fusion acts – Kausary – who have played at most of the UK’s top festivals and have toured extensively in Europe.

FlowSnatcha sees Cuban MC Floiran and Swiss-Argentinian DJ / Producer The Snatcha connect for a heavy hitting musical cross pollination that affirms the contemporary versatility of Afro-Cuban beats. Anchored in sound of the Caribbean and Cuban Hip Hop, blending in elements of Dancehall and Moombahton with electronic dance music (House, Dubstep, and Breakbeat), soulful vocals and a touch of Merengue, Timba and Swing, the FlowSnatcha formula gets you moving instantly.

Remolino Kieto burst on to the London scene with an addictive, masterful sound that combines Andean rhythms with psychedelic Latin rock, romantic bolero and reggae influences. High energy, well-crafted tunes with soul. Musical inspiration ranges from Led Zeppelin to Pablo Milanes, Janis Joplin and Omara Portuondo. The band features some of the UK’s top Cuban musicians; drawing on the strong songwriting of lead singer Ramsay Estevez.

Warmi was born as a 5 piece band in October 2011, in London, during an event dedicated to the Cultural Resistance of the Indigenous from the Abya Yala (America in their Native Language). The all-female line up features world-class musicians playing a mix of traditional songs and original compositions.With Phaxsi Coca and Vicki Cespedes, from Bolivia, on Kena and Panpipes; Paloma Palomino, from Peru, on Charango, Guitar and Vocals; Corina Piatti, from Argentina, on Vocals and Guitar and Renu, who has family roots in India, from London, on Percussion.

DJ Arias is the co-founder of the Movimientos movement. His DJ sets are always pushing the boundaries of Latin music while staying true to his Colombian roots. He’s no stranger to London and festival dance floors with his malicious blend of “Classicos” and “Dutty” Tropical beats.

Friday 27th January, 7.30pm-1am, £6 adv £8 after
Global Local and Movimientos present Latin Quarter
Rich Mix
35-47 Bethnal Green Road,
E1 6LA
Tel: 020 7613 7498
Tube: Shoreditch High Street
movimientos.org.uk/index.php?section=11&eventid=51

You can hear music from some of the bands featured here in a Global Local Latin Quarter Special of Movimientos’ show on SOAS Radio: soasradio.org/content/movimientos-global-local-latin-quarter-special

The night boasts the collaboration of two brilliant Latin specialists Deejay Cliffy (Batmacumba) and Russ Jones aka Hackney Globe Trotter & founder of Arriba La Cumbia. Expect irrepressible sounds from rootsy Cumbia, to vintage Bossa, sassy Sambas and Brazilian techno-brega transforming the Lockside Lounge into a thronging carnival.

The night takes place at Lockside Lounge with a fabulous varanda offering great views over the canal and buzzing Camden Town.

Saturday 18th February, 9pm-3am
Batmacumba versus Arriba La Cumbia Carnival Party
The Lockside Lounge

75 – 89 Upper Walkway
West Yard

Camden Lock Place
Nearest tube: Camden

Entry: Free b4 9pm / £3 b4 11pm / £5 after