Day 10 São Palo, Jorge Wilheim, Afro-Brazilian Museum, Oscar Bressane

Day 10 Wed. June 4 São Palo

9:00 Group convenes in hotel lobby
9:15 Walk 5 blocks to meet Jorge Wilheim, Deputy Secretary-General of Habitat II at Mercury Hotel, Rua Padre João Manuel 202 (2 blocks from Av. Paulista) (10-12:30 - coffee included)

Take public transportation to MAM_SP Museu de Arte Moderna, Shiguru Ban project

Self guided tour of Ibirapuera Park, Oca & Afro Brazilian Museums, new auditorium etc.
Janet Cardiff podcast
7:00 pm Oscar Bressane, landscape architect, professional presentation on favela, rain forest relocation, living walls and rammed earth projects, & environmental field research with Robero Burle Marx @ pousada
Day 10 – Jorge Wilheim, Afro-Brazilian Museum, Oscar Bressane


Wednesday June 4, 2008

Jorge Wilheim was the one who designed the city of Curitiba.
We walked 5 blocks to meet Jorge Wilheim deputy secretary - General of Habitat 11 at Moramy Hotel.

He was a very humble old man. The room was setup in classroom style with college chairs with the desks attached he had a tablet with markers and we were ready for the lecture.

Like most of the speakers, he discussed the history of Brazil and the landscape and how cities were born. How the industrial revolution changed the workforce, how immigration’s role and communities mixing affected the culture and identity of Brazil. He mentioned the 150 year anniversary of Japanese immigrants in the community.

In terms of his ideas around Curitiba he thought it was a great plan for its initial purpose, but now the city can’t sustain the population growth and with the increase of automobiles on the road it has changed the quality of life through out Brazil.

He was really insightful about world relations he fully grasps the plight and struggles of American social and economic dynamics. He helped us realize that the rest of the world understands U.S more than we as Americans understand ourselves and the rest of the world. He said the problem that many different nations have is that they are so self-sufficient that their citizens lack the knowledge how the rest of the world is interrelated in regards to globalization.

Someone in our class asked about what his thoughts are in terms of advice for the future and hat Americans need to know in regards to a sustainable future. He stated that, he is optimistic because he said that we still have time to talk these things out and find solutions to the problems.


Highlighted Notes from Jorge Wilheim lecture

The migrating culture. They moved a lot. During the first Century from North East to Rio. The descendants from migrants have a very strong drive. Those who have the courage, drive, a spirit of adventure, a belief in yourself that everything will be alright. That is the spirit of Brazilian people. It is a migrant culture.

Industrial Revolution
Liberalism wanted to bring capitalism to Brazil and the conservatives. It didn’t happen. “We lost 100 years.” Because of not introducing capitalism, slavery only ended in the late 1890’s.
Acculturating happens when you marry.
The Japanese immigration in Brazil
100 years of commemoration of time
The one fully assimilated into Brazilian culture and these traditions and language is lost in generations.
Arabs lost the Muslim culture.
“It was a conquest not a colonization.”
Brazilians were friendly and the tolerance of difference is ingrained in the culture. The integration of relationships was the social norm.
Women had political power.
The improvisational and tolerant culture of Brazil.

Differences of Slaves in U.S. vs. Brazil
Slaves were not citizens
Brazil wanted to stop slavery as way to stop Spain
The us was an issue of industry, which divided the nation in civil war.
The ethical making starting in the 16th century. It wasn’t a crime in Brazil
The main ethical structure of Mulatto.
“There is a trend to make it Whiter.”
There is prejudices against Afro- Brazilians
1st immigranted to Bahia
the 1st capital
turn to Rio de Janeiro

Farmers bought slaves from northern Brazil through Bahia.
The slaves that were born in Brazil were called Creole.
The first Afro-Brazilian museum is in São Palo.
Slavery was abolished in 1889 in Brazil
There were two classes of slaves. Those that till the land and those that worked in the home. When the land was urbanized it was the street slave.

The big gap between rich people and poor people is the biggest issue of the nation.

More quotes
“We are living in a period of transition.”
“We have to look at the development not only from the optics of natural resources.”
“We live in a environment called globalization.”
“We are linked to everyone and every place.”
“We are shrinking in time and in space.”

The future
“I’m optimistic in possibility to work it out still exist.”

Sustainability should not only be a green word.
“You cannot have a society with out jobs. You cannot have a society with a huge gap between rich and poor people it is not sustainable.”