Thursday 27 September 2012
Go Boris Go!
(Sam): In this wonderful place of cowboy hats and dusty streets, obscene car sound systems and constant fireworks, we have been (un)fortunate enough to land just at the time of the elections.
Elections in Medina are notoriously closely contested, mostly because a shift in politicians really does mean massive shifts in power and money, and many risk losing their jobs if the other parties win. Even for Menindança, if one of the other two candidates were to win, we are likely to suffer huge delays in paperwork, fewer donations and government support, and much harsher scrutiny.
However...unlike power-dressing politicians in the UK, this two-month long build-up to the voting day is jam-packed full of fireworks at all hours of the day; ridiculous jingles for each of the politicians blaring through the streets out of car boots (literally like “Number 10 is the best, dance with him and forget the rest” or “Everyone I know votes 25, my granny, my dad, my uncle, my dog, everyone votes 25”); and the most hilarious yet intense parades through the streets that we´ve ever seen!
In the photos you´d think we were caught up in a terrible riot, but what happens is that three or four nights in the week, each party takes it in turns to march round the town and then descend upon the main square with as many supporters as they can bribe, threaten or blackmail to join them. The first time was only a couple of days after we had arrived…we had heard music and fireworks all day and then as night fell, the madness unfolded. The distant music and shouting got louder and louder and then fireworks exploded literally outside our windows. Claire screamed and hid (haha!) and I ran out to the street to see what on earth was going on – in the darkness we could see all our neighbours outside their houses looking up the hill of our street and at the top all you could see was smoke, light, and crazed silhouettes jumping up and down. They gathered their forces and then came racing down the hill! First there were about 50 motorbikes laden with too many people and waving banners, burning their tyres and revving way too high. Then about 30 horses (?!) which we couldn’t quite believe, ridden by cowboy-hatted guys letting off fireworks and drinking cans of beer. The air was filled with smoke and the smell of burnt rubber, and the poor horses seemed as shocked as we were. Literally hundreds and hundreds of people were running and dancing down behind them, with cars full of people inside and on top, and massive boom boxes…and the climax was half-way through the procession, seeing their political party’s candidate for town mayor sitting on a throne on top of his car, surrounded by fairy lights and massive banners, shouted on by the masses of drunk people who didn’t have a clue what politics was even about.
It took over an hour for it all to pass by and fill the town square below, and I was just imagining a scene in Trafalgar Square with crowds of drunk Brits whooping Boris Johnson on to his next four years as Mayor of London! Viva Boris Johnson!
Jokes aside though, the election day is 7th October, when we'll find out what the impact will be for our project and the next four years of social work in Medina. We're voting number 10! Robinho!
Elections in Medina are notoriously closely contested, mostly because a shift in politicians really does mean massive shifts in power and money, and many risk losing their jobs if the other parties win. Even for Menindança, if one of the other two candidates were to win, we are likely to suffer huge delays in paperwork, fewer donations and government support, and much harsher scrutiny.
However...unlike power-dressing politicians in the UK, this two-month long build-up to the voting day is jam-packed full of fireworks at all hours of the day; ridiculous jingles for each of the politicians blaring through the streets out of car boots (literally like “Number 10 is the best, dance with him and forget the rest” or “Everyone I know votes 25, my granny, my dad, my uncle, my dog, everyone votes 25”); and the most hilarious yet intense parades through the streets that we´ve ever seen!
In the photos you´d think we were caught up in a terrible riot, but what happens is that three or four nights in the week, each party takes it in turns to march round the town and then descend upon the main square with as many supporters as they can bribe, threaten or blackmail to join them. The first time was only a couple of days after we had arrived…we had heard music and fireworks all day and then as night fell, the madness unfolded. The distant music and shouting got louder and louder and then fireworks exploded literally outside our windows. Claire screamed and hid (haha!) and I ran out to the street to see what on earth was going on – in the darkness we could see all our neighbours outside their houses looking up the hill of our street and at the top all you could see was smoke, light, and crazed silhouettes jumping up and down. They gathered their forces and then came racing down the hill! First there were about 50 motorbikes laden with too many people and waving banners, burning their tyres and revving way too high. Then about 30 horses (?!) which we couldn’t quite believe, ridden by cowboy-hatted guys letting off fireworks and drinking cans of beer. The air was filled with smoke and the smell of burnt rubber, and the poor horses seemed as shocked as we were. Literally hundreds and hundreds of people were running and dancing down behind them, with cars full of people inside and on top, and massive boom boxes…and the climax was half-way through the procession, seeing their political party’s candidate for town mayor sitting on a throne on top of his car, surrounded by fairy lights and massive banners, shouted on by the masses of drunk people who didn’t have a clue what politics was even about.
It took over an hour for it all to pass by and fill the town square below, and I was just imagining a scene in Trafalgar Square with crowds of drunk Brits whooping Boris Johnson on to his next four years as Mayor of London! Viva Boris Johnson!
Jokes aside though, the election day is 7th October, when we'll find out what the impact will be for our project and the next four years of social work in Medina. We're voting number 10! Robinho!
Tuesday 11 September 2012
(Claire) Honeymoon period!
Life in Medina is fun...and funny! Before arriving in Brazil I was prepared to go through each stage of culture shock, and, despite finding certain things difficult (force-feeding, for example!), I'm aware that I am currently in that wonderful honeymoon period! We've been here a week, and I've found Medina to be a town of quirks, with a carnival atmosphere and yet snuggled into it's tranquil, remote surroundings. It has been a wonderful experience getting to know this corner of Brazil's vast 'interior', and I know that amongst the many tragedies that we will find, there are many wonders to discover as well...
These are some of the elements of this new world that I've enjoyed the most...! The wonderful range of colours that people paint their houses - and the surprising number of bright green parrots that you find within them (named after grandchildren in the family); mazes of cobbled streets; the use of a horse - with or without a cart - for transport; the always-visible view of the surrounding hills which create a beautiful silhouette at sunset; the depth and consistency of hospitality by every person we've met; the fact that countless items of food get stored in Tupperware due to the heat - nothing can escape the small flimsy plastic tubs and I've found myself measuring crackers before going to the shop to find just the right container! ; the fact that when people say the pace of life is slower in the countryside - it actually is in the sense that people actually move their legs more slowly!! Especially when climbing a hill, and I've thoroughly enjoyed joining their pace (and have been overtaken by a horse a number of times!). All of these I have enjoyed, but probably my favourite was a few nights ago when we'd done our week's shop in the supermarket near our house, paid for everything at the counter, and noticed that our bags had not only been packed for us, but were being carried out of the shop! I wondered where they were taking our pasta... We were then asked for our address, and our bags were put into a motorbike with attached side car! (see above!) The driver put his helmet on, revved up the hill and dropped our bags off at our door - which is only five houses down on the same road! This kind of delivery is normal, and free! We're now considering getting one of these as our own mode of transport... the question is...who should go in the side-car??? :)
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