Dear Language Enthusiast,
Welcome to the next edition of our Portuguese newsletter. As fall
approaches, we are all feeling the pull of the back to school season. Even if we do not
have children boarding the bus, the smell in the air, the change of season and the end of
summer vacation still remind us of school.
That is why we have dedicated this issue to education. We thought you might be interested
in learning about how Brazil differs in its approach to education. We believe that knowing
about the culture gives you an insight into the language. We have also included a tip for
PortugueseNow! users, news about our web site and a new product announcement. We hope you
enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
Em português:
A capoeira, uma combinação brasileira de artes marciais e dança, tem
já há algum tempo sido parte da cultura do Brasil. Recentemente, tem se tornado uma
importante ferramenta educacional para ambos crianças e adultos. Neste exemplar, você
lerá a respeito da importância da capoeira no Brasil.
A capoeira foi primeiramente praticada por escravos africanos no Estado
da Bahia. Floresceu como uma tradição após a abolição da escravatura no Brasil em
1888. Muitos dos ex-escravos migraram para áreas urbanas, somente para descobrirem que
não poderiam conseguir empregos. A capoeira não somente serviu como uma fuga da
conseqüente pobreza, mas serviu também para expandir o conhecimento da cultura e
identidade afro-brasileira, e manter uma forte comunidade dentre elas. Todavia, essa
prática tornou-se um alvo de uma estrutura social brasileira ainda repressiva. Um comando
policial especial foi criado para reforçar a proibição da capoeira. Uma virada
interessante na história é que aquela polícia especial teve que aprender capoeira para
que pudesse combatê-la. Todavia, em 1937, o Presidente Getúlio Vargas levantou um édito
com o encorajamento do Mestre Bimba. Mestre Bimba é considerado um dos mestres mais
influenciadores da capoeira no Brasil. Após de apresentar-se ao Presidente Vargas para
convencê-lo a levantar o édito, ele abriu a primeira escola de capoeira no Brasil.
Sendo um mecanismo de defesa, a capoeira também é considerada uma
forma de entretenimento. O ato de apresentação é chamado "o jogo de
capoeira." É apresentada num círculo entre dois parceiros, os quais trocam
movimentos ofensivos e defensivos, enquanto movendo-se em volta do círculo. O ritmo do
jogo é determinado pela música do "berimbau," um instrumento em forma de cuia.
A capoeira tem sido freqüentemente mencionada como construtora de
importantes habilidades vitais e sociais, tais como: confiança própria, vigilância e
coragem. Por essa razão, muitas escolas ensinam a capoeira nas aulas de educação
física para levar a educação a um nível que está relacionado com a realidade.
O Projeto Axé é um programa que foi iniciado em Salvador, na Bahia,
em 1990. O programa proporciona educação para as crianças de rua de Salvador. Há
muitos projetos e programas que são oferecidos pelo Projeto Axé, incluindo o aprendizado
dos direitos humanos e cidadania, a emissão de documentos legais pessoais, a provisão de
moradia e mentores. Todavia, o maior aspecto dessa iniciativa é o uso da capoeira para
educar as crianças. Em geral, as crianças são pobres e acostumadas com a violência das
ruas do Brasil. O uso da capoeira, como uma ferramenta de aprendizagem, ajuda as crianças
a controlarem seus comportamentos e ensina-as a reagirem de uma forma temperada. Em 1997,
o Projeto Axé experimentou dificuldades financeiras e ia fechar suas portas. Desde
então, um número de filantropistas dos Estados Unidos patrocinaram o programa e criaram
intercâmbios com crianças do Harlem. O uso da capoeira no programa, foi uma das coisas
que mais os impressionaram.
In English:
Capoeira, a Brazilian combination of martial arts and dance, has
long been a part of Brazil's culture. More recently, it has become an important
educational tool for both children and adults. In this issue of the newsletter, you will
read about the role of Capoeira in Brazil.
Capoeira was first practiced by African slaves in the state of Bahia.
It flourished as a tradition after the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888. Many of the
ex-slaves migrated to urban areas only to find that they could not get jobs. Capoeira not
only served as an escape from the consequential poverty, but it served to increase the
awareness of Afro-Brazilian culture and identity and maintain strong community among
Afro-Brazilians. However, this practice soon became a target of the still repressive
Brazilian social structure. A special police force was created to enforce the prohibition
of Capoeira. An interesting twist to the history is that the special police had to learn
Capoeira in order to combat it. However, in 1937, President Getulio Vargas lifted the ban
with the encouragement of Mestre Bimba. Mestre Bimba is considered one of the most
influential Capoeira masters in Brazil. After he performed for President Vargas in order
to convince him to lift the ban, he opened the first Capoeira school in Brazil.
As well as being a mechanism for defense, Capoeira is also considered a
form of entertainment. The act of performing is called "the game of Capoeira."
It is performed in a circle between two partners, who exchange offensive and defensive
movements while moving around the circle. The rhythm of the game is determined by the
music of the "berimbau," a bow-shaped instrument. Capoeira has often been cited
as building important life and social skills, such as self-confidence, alertness and
courage. For this reason, many schools teach Capoeira in physical education classes in
order to bring education to a level that correlates to reality.
Projeto Axé is a program that was started in Salvador, Bahia in 1990.
The program provides education for the street children of Salvador. There are various
projects and programs that are run by Projeto Axé, including human rights and citizenship
education, the issuing of personal legal documents, provision of housing, and mentoring.
However, the most unique aspect of this initiative is the use of Capoeira to educate the
children. In general, the children are poor and accustomed to the violence of the streets
of Brazil. The use of Capoeira as a learning tool helps the children control their
behavior and teaches them to interact with others in a tempered manner. In 1997 Projeto
Axé was experiencing financial difficulty and decided to close its doors. Since then, a
number of philanthropists from the United States have funded the program and created
exchanges with children from Harlem. The use of Capoeira in the program was one of the
things that impressed them the most.
Sources:
www.acay.com.au
www.cds.ufsc.br
ourworld.compuserve.com
www.bnbcomp.net
www.brazil-brasil.com
www.comminit.com
Tips for PortugueseNow!
Don't be overwhelmed by a Title! You don't have to work with all the text at once. Focus
on a paragraph, a page, or even a single sentence - however you feel comfortable. For a
quick summary and some background information about any Title, choose Help / Author
Introduction while the Title is open. It's a good way to get an idea of what the text is
about.
Numbers are a handy thing to know in any language. Many Titles contain numbered lists. The
sound for these numbers is recorded, just like any other word, so you can learn to count
out loud in the foreign language by double-clicking on the numbers.
Want to test your Language Proficiency?
We have developed online proficiency tests for you to assess your language skills. Go to http://www.transparent.com/tlquiz/proftest/index.htm
to see how you do. It's a fast, easy & fun way to get some feedback on
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