For history lovers, Ouro Preto is a fantastic destination. The city is located in a valley in the state of Minas Gerais, and is home to some of the most beautiful natural museums in Brazil. The name Ouro Preto (Black Gold), is derived from the amount of gold found in the area around 1698. Since The 1750s there hasn’t been gold in the area, however the city has preserved an incredible history, actually one of the most interesting in Brazil. Read the full story

With the demanding routines and daily stresses of modern day living, not to mention the temptations to indulge, it’s become more and more difficult to stick to New Year’s resolutions like healthy eating and regular exercise. Read the full story

Brazil, for most people, still conjures up sun, sea, carnival and football. But, these clichéd associations can sometimes detract from the sheer splendor and diversity on offer in Brazil. Venture outside the recognized tourist areas of Rio, Iguaçu Falls and the Amazon, and there are even more breath-taking landscapes, inspiring attractions and wonderful places to stay. Read the full story

Chula is Brazil’s primordial samba, daughter of the semba, carried to Bahia by African Bantu slaves and grown up on the sugarcane plantations. Chula is in danger of dying out, although you might doubt that when you encounter the vital energy of the veteran brothers Joao and Antonio Saturno. Together with their friends and family from the small community of Sao Braz, they’re keeping this seminal style very much alive. Not to be missed! Read the full story

Back in my little Brazilian ghetto in London, whenever we played Brazilian music at parties, everyone loved it. It didn’t really matter if it was funk, country, rock or samba. Everyone would sing along and even dance the choreographies they used to loathe – that is because doing so gave us a sense of belonging, it brought us back home for a few moments.

Here in São Paulo, I’m reminded of how my friends have such different musical tastes. Some love their samba, while others enjoy música popular brasileira (MPB) rap, new wave, or Motown. Some people I know here are particular about their music to the point of refusing to go to this or that bar because it plays the sort of music they do not enjoy.

It’s not like I don’t have my own preferences – I like a lot of British punk and post-punk stuff as well as MPB, reggae, samba… what you would call ‘eclectic’, I guess. In any case, I’m happy to listen to new music, even if it sometimes is not really my style.

That debate about music reached a new level recently, since new Brazilian sensation Michel Teló has reached international stardom with his song “Ai, se eu te pego” (something like “Oh, if I get you”), which has been watched more than 100 million times on YouTube at the time of writing. By comparison, Lady Gaga’s hit “Telephone” has had about 130 million views.

You may ask, who the hell is Michel Teló?

He is a multi-instrumentalist and dancer, a young and reasonably good looking bloke doing that you would class as a mix of forró, country and pop. His main hit is catchy. It is the kind of stuff you find yourself playing in your head over and over again for the best part of the day. It is the sort of thing people like to listen to when they are in a party mood, when they are drunk.

Everyone – especially young people – knows who Michel Teló is. And probably if you ask some party goer in Amsterdam or Ibiza, chances are they will know who he is too. “Ai se eu te pego” has become a number one iTunes hit in countries such as Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany and Poland as well as many South American countries.

Do I like this music? If it is playing at my local boteco, it is no big deal. If I had one too many cachaças, I may sing along. But I would not buy his stuff.

Yet, a lot of Brazilians seem to think that the guy is not worthy of attention here, let alone overseas. Sure, we have plenty of other performers that deserve more airtime than Teló is getting. But sadly, it hasn’t worked out that way so far – despite their talent, Brazilian performers (and celebrities in general) very rarely become international superstars.

Even though Michel Teló’s music may not tick everyone’s boxes in terms of what qualifies as talent, the fact is that he has managed to capture people’s imaginations here in Brazil and abroad. So let’s all hope that he will pave the way for many other Brazilian artists who dream of becoming successful beyond their motherland – whatever their style.

For those who are not familiar with Teló, or need a reminder (as if!) check out “Ai, se eu te pego”:

Trancoso is a little hippie-chic town located in the southern state of Bahia, that was founded in 1586 as a village formed by simply two rows of rustic houses, a large lawn and a church as the scenery. Today, after four centuries, the great rectangular lawn known as the Quadrado, which was discovered by hippies in the 70s, is where everything happens. They renovated old fisherman houses into hotels, bars and restaurants, creating a charming antique village. Read the full story

Graffitti near my place: “The government is to blame for crimes in the city…” “Corrupt police…”

One of the things I missed the most while living abroad was my daily trips to the local padaria (bakery). The smell of freshly baked goods and coffee, the banter with the staff, the sense of community.

You don’t need to necessarily eat at the padaria every day – what most people do is buy some bread there and eat it at home with their family.

Here is what I’ll often have for breakfast when I eat at the bakery around the corner: a pão na chapa – a French baguette of sorts, freshly baked and quickly toasted on a hot plate, with a cream cheese spread – plus a big cup of espresso coffee and a fresh orange juice.

That normally costs about R$7 (£ 2.40) – a far cry from my Pret A Manger breakfasts in London!

I had read a lot about João Pessoa and it seemed to be a good place for our young family for all the right reasons. I was particularly interested in the cultural side of things: plenty of theatres, parks, places to go, great shopping facilities, good beaches and weather. My wife and I had pondered over several other towns
such as Curitiba and Florianópolis, but João Pessoa was always ahead. Read the full story

The Latin America 2011 Conference is the perfect opportunity to find out the latest developments in Latin America and how we can all offer solidarity. There will be speakers from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia, Honduras, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina and across the continent, all with an end goal of making a better world. Read the full story