Daisy Buazar, by Paige Monagan & Dominique Young

Paige Monagan & Dominique Young

Paula Gandara

BWS 383

May 11, 2014

Daisy Buazar

REBRA writers are influential in more ways than one. They allow for women to have a place in society that is not seen as inferior to men. These writers serve as outlets to women who are not able to voice their opinions, but through these women writers, many Brazilian women are being represented. Daisy Buazar, a great writer is an example of an influential Brazilian woman whose work and efforts have impacted the writing community. We asked Daisy some questions regarding women’s rights, religion, and racial relations in hopes to further understand women of Brazil. Daisy’s responses allow us to have a better understanding of the role of women in Brazil and how they view their own society.

Daisy Buazar was born in Sao Paulo, state of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Daisy graduated in Law at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, PUC. She spent her first years working in law offices and financial institutions and served as what we would consider a modern day prosecutor for a small claims court. After working for some years in law offices and financial institutions, Daisy went into Procuradoria Geral do Estado de São Paulo in July 18, 1984.by joyning a titles and evidences public contest. In this public institution, Daisy contributed for jurisdiction assistance areas being responsible in attending deprived people, and the public administration in general. A couple years later Daisy took charge as Assistant for the State Attorney and as Chief State Attorney for the Centro de Estudos, Procuradoria Geral do Estado, which among other accomplishments, was responsible for the editing of the CE bulletin and the PGE magazine when contributed with doctrine and allegation articles. After she worked with jurisdiction assistance areas she was elected for the Procuradoria Geral do Estado Council and acted as Representative of the Jurisdiction Assistant Area for the 1989/1990 mandate. To continue her education and strengthen her love for law she took specialization law courses at Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo-USP such as "lato-sensu" in Direito Processual, and mastery in Processo Constitucional.

In March of 2001 Daisy received an invitation from a special friend, Kina de Oliveira, to join AJEB - Associação de Jornalistas e Escritoras do Brasil - Coordenadoria São Paulo, she felt blessed to see her old dream manifest and come true: to simply become a writer. Daisy wasted no time and started, then, to write poetry, short stories and articles published in Literata Brasileira and in the anthologies "Constelação de Sonhos" and "Em Cada Alma, O Sentido da Vida", in which she worked as a coordinator and reviser. Daisy’s work began to become recognized and liked and in 2003 she was invited by the AJEB National President, Giselda Medeiros de Albuquerque, to participate in the "Antologia Letras". 

 For Brazilian women at this time this was a big deal, she was slowly becoming a role model and public figure for women writers at the time. Besides the writing, Daisy also dedicated numerous hours to the proofreading of literary and scientific texts. Daisy still currently does work with writing and helps different students in Brazil by tutoring and editing. Daisy has positively impacted her community, but still believes women live in an unequal society and there is more work to be done.

Women’s rights within Brazil have advanced immensely from earlier years. Women were viewed to be domestic and pious. As time progressed, women’s rights in Brazil also progressed. Ms. Daisy Buazar is an example of the progress that has been made regarding women’s rights. We asked Ms. Daisy “Do you believe that women’s rights have been achieved in Brazil” her reply was “…yes, most of them were achieved in the past years giving them chances to rise to most expressive positions in public sectors and private companies.  Still, there is much to be done to women in our country, to get to an ideal level of respect regarding women’s work, especially concerning their earnings.”

Daisy, who is an influential figure within the writing community, is an example of the progress, regarding women’s rights, that has been made. Daisy believes that there needs to be more progress in order for women to become equal to men in Brazil. Another writer who has a similar view as Daisy regarding women’s rights is named Sayonara Salvioli. Sayonara Salvioli says “ that there has been great progress in the workplace, however women are in need of a strong representative to provide an example of change” (class May 7). Both writers feel that women’s rights have changed for the better, but there is still work that needs to be done regarding the equality of women in Brazil. Along with women’s rights, another aspect of life involving women is religion and its effect on their writing.

Brazil is the largest country in South America, with a population of 196.5 million people (“Brazil”). In a country this size there are many different religions, however the dominant religion is Catholicism. Catholicism is, and has been for many years the foundation of Brazilian culture. The Catholic faith, which is very important to those who practice, will often include said beliefs within their work. Daisy Buazar, like other authors, find unique ways to express their beliefs through their work.

Daisy was asked “Did religion play a part in your writing?” she responded with “…I believe it’s difficult for writers not to express their beliefs, philosophical or mystical, in their writings.” As an author Daisy is aware of the influence of ones beliefs within their writing. Without some kind of opinion or outlook on life, it would be hard for an author to write about anything. As an example of influence within writing, the piece Suddenly written by Daisy allows for the audience to interpret whether she is referring to religion or a philosophical meaning.

“Suddenly, I was deaf. Without a sign or notice. Although, by genetic inheritance, I should imagine that someday this would happen. All the uncles were deaf. My mother was deaf. But her deafness was emotional and not karma. She just did not hear what she did not want to. I wondered what the cause of my deafness was...”

            The reference to “deafness” in this piece can be interpreted to mean a religious bias or a deeper meaning of life. A religious bias suggests that one can be deaf to other religions and intolerant. As for a deeper meaning of life, one can be deaf to reality in the sense that they only see and believe what they want to. Each meaning can be interpreted by the audience. If the reader is more influenced by religion, than they are more likely to interpret this piece through a more religious stand point and vice versa.

Another short novel that we read of Daisy Buazar is the story “Yasid”. In this story Yasid, the main character feels held in her profession as a lawyer in which she set out to be in her early teens. In a classroom with some of her colleagues she is asked what she would do for her dream job and her and her three friends all answer that they want to be lawyers. “The teacher, a lawyer who had not wish well in such profession, was surprised and stunned by the boldness of three teenagers and tried in every way to dissuade them of their intent. All in vain. The three rebels, who have become inseparable friends, took the course of law, formed and built their dreams, (REBRA Writers)”. When Yasid asked the teacher why law wasn’t the way to go, the teacher replied saying “law is beautiful, all right, although theory and practice are quite different. Justice is something untouchable -, he philosophically answered and showed a sad expression in his eyes. The three friends looked to each other with questioning eyes trying to understand the professor’s point of view. They respected the master’s opinion, but didn’t take it. They followed the way they had decided to go through, (Rebra Writers)” Despite what the teachers tells Yasid and her friends she goes on to work in a medium sized law firm in which she acquired some experience, decided to pursue a public career while her friends established themselves as professionals, opening their own office. Yasid and her friends are living what they consider to be their dream job and when they reflect on their times in college “her friends laughed when they recalled the discouraging words of Professor Mariano and his desperate attempts to make them realize that they were going the wrong way. - Someday you’ll give me reason, and will regret it as I did, (Rebra Writers)”. As many years past Yasid and her friends are still very close, so close that Yasid adopts one of her friends children as her son in law. Often times (saturday afternoons) Yasid and her friends meet up with each other to reflect on the college days and joyful days, while talking about their passions, delusions, and the non-corresponding lovers. “Passion is suffering -, said now Yasid, - it brings nothing but sorrow and despair, it’s something which I do not want to deal with. Love? I have loved a lot, but don’t know if I have been love, (Rebra Writers).”  Yasid soon retires from law and began to dedicate her time to another dream, which was literature. “Yasid was now retired and dedicated her time to another old dream, the literature. She associated herself as member of a women writers institution and had published some poetry and short-stories, but still remained unknown. Her friends still worked as lawyers, and conquered great success and influence in the lawful world. But what really mattered was the friendship that gathered them as an unbending elo and tie and the love Yasid still felt for the little boy, (Rebra Writers)” This story is a retelling of her life using Yasid as the unknown character that is portraying her life.

One of the things that we were interested in was the racial relations that were present in Brazil. This was something we felt would be good coming from her point of view because she has been born and raised in it and has seen the transition over time for racial relations. As Americans we always focus on race here and the civil rights movement/events in the past and never think about where race may still be an issue in present day time and how other parts of the country deal with race relations. We asked Daisy how she felt about racial relations and she replied “Racial relations is a very hard question to talk or write about.  It’s difficult to cite a non-racial country in a world-wide basis.  In Brazil we have a great variety of human races besides black and white people. However we assist to a large number of black and white couples marriages nowadays and it’s growing, but there still are racial discriminations among sectors of the society.  You can see it happens when watching recent news about Brazilian football player in Spain.” This made me compare Brazil to America in the sense that the main racial problem is white vs. black to where they have a variety of races besides black and white people that experience racism. After doing my own research we came to the conclusion that Brazil has a complex view on racism. I feel that racial relations are improving but in some places it happens more than others. The fact that more interracial couples are being accepted lets us know that racism is not as big of a deal as it may of been 50 years ago.

Lastly, we asked Daisy if she had any final thoughts, what she feels can improve or quotes that she wanted to leave us with just so we can have a better understanding of her and the culture she is apart of.  Daisy replied saying “I think that the most important thing to improve our current civil situation is that Brazilian men reach their maturity, in order to respect women as a human being like any other. With their dignity preserved, they would be able to show their ability to work the same as men do and then finally improve their lives and their family’s lives.” From this statement I can see a resemblance between on women in America and Brazil feel about men. In both places you will find men that look down on women solely off the fact that they are females.

Works cited

Gandara, Paula. "REBRA Writers." REBRA Writers. Miami University, Oxford. 2014. Lecture.

"REBRA Writers." Message to Daisy Buazar. 8 May 2014. E-mail.

"Brazil." OECD Better Life Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.

"REBRA - Rede De Escritoras Brasileiras." REBRA - Rede De Escritoras Brasileiras. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.

Hanrahan, M. (2011, April 11). Black In Latin America: Brazil's Complex View Of Race And Color. The Huffington Post.

"Timeline Photos - AJEB - Associação De Jornalistas E Escritoras Do Brasil | Facebook." Timeline Photos - AJEB - Associação De Jornalistas E Escritoras Do Brasil | Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.

Betty Silberstein: A Woman of Many Words, by Bobby Porter and Rahsaan Guyon

Bobby Porter and Rahsaan Guyon                                                          

Paula Gandara

BWS 383

12 May 2014                                                                                                 

Betty Silberstein: A Woman of Many Words

Throughout the semester we have been in constant contact, through e-mail, with a woman writer from Brazil; we asked her several questions regarding her life, her writing, and current themes present in Brazil (such as feminism, gender roles, prostitution, political reforms, etc.). For our Brazilian writer, we chose Betty Silberstein from Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Betty was born in the small town of Monte Santo de Minas, Minas Gerais but moved to the crowded city of Sao Paulo when she was only three years old.  Betty did not decide to be a writer at first; her first career choice was to be a foreign language teacher.  Betty got her Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages at Mackenzie University in S. Paulo where she would first teach English as a foreign language.  She taught English in several schools throughout S. Paulo and in Europe, where she lived for six years.  Throughout Betty’s tenure as a teacher she would occasionally do some freelance work, writing newspaper articles and translating texts, films, and books for several writers, including the renown Mr. Hugo Schlessinger.  Betty also attended a summer program at Harvard Graduate School called the “Project Zero Summer Institute”.  Betty has a loving husband, Buby, and three children; one daughter, Drika, and two sons, Guili and Guto.  After years of encouragement from her mother-in-law, Betty finally dedicated herself to be a writer at the young age of fifty. 

Betty’s first piece of published work was titled, Opus Dei: The False Work of God, and was published on March 12, 2011.  The book attempts to act as a guide and shed light onto the shadowy dealings of the cult like branch of the Catholic Church. The origins of the group coincide with the Spanish inquisition, and their methods of obtaining new members are extreme and very questionable. When we asked Betty why she chose to write about such a controversial topic her response rendered one explanation: “because I lost a son to Opus Dei. And although I do know that with this book (and two others on the theme) I could not take my son out of the sect, at least I am helping to alert families of the dangers around the theme” (Silberstein).   When Opus Dei takes in a new member they teach that they are their family now and essentially severs previous bonds you had before joining them, even your family. During the recruitment process and informational prospective recruits are encouraged not to tell their family of Opus Dei and their decision to join them or not. It is not hard to see why suddenly for a mother to lose her son to such an organization is a very sorrowful experience and why she would not wish the experience upon any other families.

 When asked if her religion had influenced her writings at all, the response was that her writings on the Catholic Church sect of Opus Dei are meant to alert families to this shadowy group as there is was not much literature out their on the group and she feels that if there was at the time of her son joining Opus Dei, maybe her and her family could have stopped him from joining such a “horrible religious trap”. When having a discussion of the group with peers, we asked our peers whether such a group being identified with the Catholic Church was bad for its reputation. The universal answer was “yes” although many had no idea the group existed much like us before getting familiar with Ms. Silberstein’s work. For our peers it was not hard to see why Ms. Silberstein wants to alarm people to be weary of the group. I feel that I would not be able follow a religion that has a cult like Opus Dei that tears members away from their families and teaches a strict regiment of blissful ignorance associated with their name. Although not explicitly asked we infer from her response about religious influence and the grief the group had caused Ms. Silberstein that her relationship with Catholicism may have taken a hit as a result of the groups existence. The book is an objection against the questionable practices of Opus Dei, which is a controversial religious institution relating to the Catholic Church.  Apparently members are forbidden to read certain books and are under strict control from superiors.  The members never introduce themselves as such; they do not even explain their true objectives and heir actual practices when recruiting young children.  In the book, Betty makes readers aware of the dangerous and dubious practices of Opus Dei, which explains why the organization is considered a sect, or cult. Her main goal of the book is to make parents, youth, schools, and the general public aware of the sect’s despicable and shameful practices.  Another issue taking up in Opus Dei: The False Work of God is women’s rights.  Betty bashes Opus Dei and their misogynist views on women within the cult, which she states is an old-fashioned view on women in the current world.  Her conclusion is that the type of life professed and the system of domination practiced by Opus Dei is much worse for the women than for the men. With regards to current women’s rights in Brazil, Betty wrote: “A women's rights movement emerged fairly late compared to that in the United States and has just started influencing legislation and the political process at the onset of the twenty-first century” (Silberstein).  It is no secret that women’s rights in Brazil need some improvement but Betty believes that Brazil is on the right path towards women equality and hopes to see continued improvement.  Another topic of discussion that garnered a response from Betty was the issue of prostitution in Brazil.  Throughout the year, our class has had several texts and discussions on prostitution, so we thought it would be ideal to see what Betty had to say about the subject.  Betty expresses her thoughts on adult prostitution and says that there are no laws against adult prostitution in Brazil; it is legal.  Child prostitution, on the other hand, “is widespread and a serious problem.  Brazil is considered to have the worst levels of child sex trafficking after Thailand with an estimated 250,000 children involved” (Silberstein).  Betty closely relates this phenomenon to the high poverty levels in some areas of the country.  She says that the Brazilian government is working hard to stop the illegal child prostitution but that they are not doing a very reliable job.

However, it seems another major concern is the leadership of Brazil and the path to ruin they are creating with their short-term vision as the host of the Olympics and World Cup. The FIFA world cup is soccer’s biggest stage and one of the grandest in all of sports. Unlike the NFL super bowl or NBA Finals, it is a world-class tournament that is hosted by countries around the world every year. This year the games will be held in Brazil. Hosting an event like the World Cup is suppose to spark a huge boom in economic growth for the host country due to the drastically increased tourism, the free world publicity and the caliber of the event. However, first there must be preparations by the country to get it camera ready. In this case it comes in the form of a $900 million dollar soccer arena although the country itself has no major team and it's the second most expensive soccer stadium in the world and a total output of $11.5 billion dollar budget. In business it is a universal law that one has to spend money to make money however, there is a difference between investing some money in an event and completely blowing it. The political leadership in Brazil is boldly doing the ladder. The construction of the arena has been a host of corruption and over spending. Coincidently companies contributing to the arenas construction have also increased political campaigns contributions, which have raised suspicions about the gains politicians are seeing as a result of this “monument to national sadness ad waste” says CBS news.

Brazil is a country of about 190.7 million with a poverty level of about 26%. That is about 46 million people who live in a severely impoverished state in a nation that’s leadership has set its eyes on their own pockets and pulling the wool over the world’s eyes to portray Brazil as a paradise. “I am not very enthusiastic about our government. I don’t see ANYTHING being done to “attack” the roots of poverty: education, health, security, and transportation. NOTHING is being done in the country. Now the only thing you hear is about the world cup.” Said Ms. Silberstein when asked of her hopes for political reform and improvement. She went on to speak of the billions that the country is spending on these games and how much better use the money could have been put to much better use.

There could have been better schools built, hospitals, and above all beneficial infrastructure that will be of use after all this “partying is over”. The construction of these arenas has displaced peoples in Brazil and will do more to harm the country than mend it. Furthermore the hosting of the World Cup is not the end to the “partying” Brazil leadership has planned. They also intend for the country to host the 2016 summer Olympic games.  There is concern right now that the World Cup will already deplete the nation so much that there won’t be enough to host another lavish global event. To the world that is unknowing of Brazil’s inner workings, the World Cup will be an amazing celebration of game of soccer but in the words of a citizen like Ms. Silberstein it is “A pity. I can’t see anything good being done by the politicians about all this and do not see any light at the end of the tunnel…”.

Overall, Betty Silberstein gave us some fantastic responses and views on many important issues in her writing and on the country of Brazil in general.  She informed us with great knowledge and gave us some insight into many situations that occur in the country.  We would again like to thank Ms. Silberstein for all of her help and hope that we can continue to be in talks with one another. Thanks!

  

Bibliography

"Brazil Strives for Economic Equality." The Rio Times. The Contributor, 7 Feb. 2012. Web. 12 May 2014. <http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-business/brazil-strives-for-economic-equality/#>.

"REBRA - Rede De Escritoras Brasileiras." REBRA - Rede De Escritoras Brasileiras. REBRA, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014

Silberstein, Betty. Opus Dei: The False Work of God. March 12, 2011.

"World Cup 2014 construction in Brazil marred by corruption, waste." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 10 May 2014. Web. 12 May 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/world-cup-2014-construction-in-brazil-marred-by-corruption-waste/>.

Christina Hernandes: Life as a Brazilian Woman Writer, by Sara Wenger and Emma Hauer

Sara Wenger & Emma Hauer

WGS 383

Paula Gandara

Christina Hernandes: Life as a Brazilian Woman Writer

            Christina Hernandes was born in Paraisópolis, Minas Gerais, but when she was only four years-old  her family moved to São José dos Campos. Growing up in Southeastern Brazil has provided Christina with a lot of opportunities. In one of our numerous e-mails, she went into great detail about the differences between North and South Brazil. South Brazil is a lot more developed because of all the industries that settled there. A lot of industries migrated to the South because of the tax incentives given by the government. Christina told us the government did not want big industries to settle in the North because all of the droughts and lack of professionals.

            Christina describes São José dos Campos as a beautiful place to live. There are prestigious universities, highly qualified teachers, cinemas, shopping malls, and a very prominent engineering university. She has been married for 37 years to a lawyer, Wagner. Christina illustrates their life together as very happy and says that her “life is very good.” They have two children together: a daughter who is 36 years-old and works as a dentist in the Brazilian Air Force and a 33-year-old son who works as a federal civil servant. Christina reiterated to us her family dynamic has never changed because she is a writer and she always has the support of her family.

            She was inspired to become a children’s writer from her maternal grandfather. He would always read to her and her nine brothers at bedtime. The world of fantasy was introduced to her at the age of three, and motivated her to follow her passions. When we asked her if there was one message she wants her readers to receive from her books she said “to make friendship an art living.” We loved this concept because it demonstrates that cultures, no matter how different they can be, share the importance of family and friends. She also emphasized the importance of passing on “a positive message and moral, ethical, solidarity concepts.”

We read one of her stories called “The Battle Has Ended” and learned firsthand how powerful and heartwarming Christina’s messages are for her children audience. The story was heart-wrenching because it is about a little boy who loses his best friend, and although the little boy is grieving for his best friend, he manages to stand strong until the end of the story. He sits outside every single day in the same spot and one day his mother asks him why he insists on sitting out there. He tells her he is waiting until his best friend, who is dead, to be situated in the new life he is in. Until then, he will continue to sit out there. It shows children friendship is something to be treasured and loved no matter what life might throw your way.

It was wonderful being able to form a relationship with Christina. Because of her, we now have a much deeper understanding of the Brazilian culture. A lot of what we learned in class was solidified through our friendship with Christina. It was a rare opportunity to actually be able to communicate and form a friendship with a woman whom we have never met, but we could not more grateful. We know she is very busy with her book about the Health Care Institute, coming out in September, but she happily replied to our questions and never made us feel like we were bothering her. We are eternally thankful and hope to one day visit Brazil!

Government Woes

The Brazilian government has faced a lot of trials and tribulations throughout history. In 1958, when Christina was born, Brazil was under rule by the second republic. The dictatorship played a huge role in censorship (Brazil: Government and History). Directors and authors had to be creative when they directed or wrote anything about the government: if it was not a positive message about the government, it would have never have been printed or appeared on the big screen. In order for authors to convey their central messages about the government, they had to be subtle. Carlos Diegues, director of  Xica de Siliva did this and so does Christina. 

In Hernandes’s short children’s story“The Battle Has Ended,” the initial message children will take away is friendship is forever, but throughout the story there are subtle criticisms of the government. She starts the story with two little boys who love to play G.I . Joes and Indians. For days they play the game of war, and when Hernandes comments on the casualties of war, she says, “unfortunately, this war was meaningless, women, children and soldiers died. But also, there was no way to avoid it.” This sentiment would arguably not quite register with young children, but luckily a majority of children’s books are read to children by their parents, who will definitely understand the message Hernandes is attempting to convey. She is not simply remarking about the game the boys are playing, but the wars the Brazilian government has partaken in. Hernandes is calling attention to her belief that wars are unnecessary and do not solve anything, only leaving devastation and heartbreak in their path.

“Rat Seminar” by Lygia Fagundes uses similar tactics as Hernandes’s short story. On the surface,  it seems like a silly children’s story, but if we look for a deeper meaning, we see Fagundes is also criticising the Brazilian government. For example, when the chief tells the secretary about how many of the citizens are angry with them because they are having the seminar in a remote place and want for them “to be in the central areas, amongst the problems,” it is a direct attack on the Brazilian government. It is addressing the long-standing idea that the Brazilian government tends to only help the wealthy and leaves the people in poverty to fend for themselves.

Brazil’s Fate

In class we talked a lot about the upcoming 2014 Fifa World Cup that will be taking place in Brazil. Someone mentioned how they had read an article about how thousands of people in the city are being pushed out to make room for the games (Class Discussion on 5/7). Instead of working on providing for their citizens, the Brazilian government is forcing its own people out of their homes so they can make a profit. It is all very heartbreaking because it only further illustrates the need for the Brazilian government to help its people, all people, not simply the wealthy. Robert and Rahsaan’s author, Betty Silberstein, reiterated the sentiment that she is afraid for the fate of Brazil due to the 2014 Fifa World Cup. When we brought up the subject of politics to Christina, she said, “unfortunately we have politicians who do not deserve to be mentioned.” No country is completely happy with their government, but from class discussions, thoughts from Prof. Gândara, and the quotes from our author, we understand the necessity for the the Brazilian government to begin to have growth and ongoing change.

Prostitution Problems

Poverty is not the only concerning aspect of the 2014 Fifa World Cup, but prostitution as well. In class, we read numerous personal accounts and interviews of actual prostitutes. The personal accounts demonstrate to us that women become prostitutes for numerous reasons, and while not all of them hate their profession, most do it because they have no other option. In one account, a woman exclaimed “You know what causes prostitution here in Brazil? It’s society, because the salary you earn is not enough!” (Class Discussion on  4/9). In this course, we have learned that many prostitutes are actively trying to learn English in preparation for the expected influx of clients resulting from the upcoming games. As a result, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the estimated amount of prostitution appearing on the streets of Brazil. Close to 600,000 foreign visitors are expected to visit Brazil for the games and the age of consent in Brazil is only 14 years-old (Class Discussion on 4/9). Those facts alone are incredibly alarming and only exemplify the need for the government to implement stricter rules to protect prostitutes and children.

When we asked Christina about her views on prostitution, she was very reluctant to explicitly state her thoughts on the matter. She said prostitution is a social problem, but “we cannot forbid something that has been occurring since the beginning of mankind” (Hernandes). A factor contributing to Christina’s lack of willingness to talk about an ugly subject like prostitution is that she is children’s writer. She’s an expert at turning uncomfortable subjects into pretty words and happy stories, something that can be both helpful and a hindrance.

The Power of Words

As previously stated, Christina enjoys writing about and discussing happy ideas and subjects. It is evident from her emails and stories she wants to leave her readers, predominantly children and parents, with a positive message about life. In “The Battle Has Ended,” a little boy’s best friend dies, but instead of making the audience feel sad, the story leaves us feeling sentimental and reflective. The combination of instilling the belief there is life after death and the last sentence, “he will always be my friend, no matter where we are,” (Hernandes) completely changes the tone of the story. It is the power of a few words put together. Christina has a gift with words and it is her talent that makes her stories so memorable and successful. Christina summed up Brazil’s issue of prostitution by saying that it is “far more pleasant to talk about beautiful things, but that's life, it is not only made of roses, but of thorns” (Hernandes). It is such a simple sentiment, but holds so much truth. It is a beautiful statement, and it does a wonderful job of providing an answer, but not fully answering our question. All writers have a unique way of looking at the world. Some see the world in its rawest form, while other choose to see it an optimistic light. This is one of the many reasons why she is so successful in writing children’s books.

Spiritism & Umbanda: The Not-So Distant Connection

            One of the most interesting things about Christina was her spirituality, as it was different from many of the other female writers we had learned about through this project. Christina was raised in the Catholic religion, but now practices spiritualism. In one of her many emails, she told us she follows The Gospel According to Spiritism by Allan Kardec, which believes Spiritism is based on the highest and truest form of Christian morality. When we brought this up in class, Prof. Gândara told us that this was a branch of Umbanda, which is similar to (but has a separate identity from) Candomblé, which we have talked about extensively in class, including when we were discussing Poncia Vicencio (Class Discussion[s] on 4/23, 4/25). Upon further research, we found that Umbanda is a blend of African religions with Catholicism, Spiritism, and even some Indigenous lore. It dates back to the 1600s, and flourished in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo before spreading across southern Brazil, which is where Christina is from. The three major beliefs claimed by Umbandists are The Pantheon, the Spirits' World and the Reincarnation. The Pantheon features a supreme being known as Olorum, who is related to the Catholic God, and features many divine intermediary deities called Orixás. The Spirits’ World features three distinct levels of spirits: Pure Spirits (spirits that reached spiritual perfection), Good Spirits (spirits that possess mediums or initiates during the public ceremonies and act as Guias or guides to believers), and Darker Spirits (obsessing spirits). Finally, there is the Law of Reincarnation, which states that God creates spirits with Self Will all the time (Macumba, Umbanda, and Orishas in Brazil).

In Poncia Vicencio, we discussed how Candomblé was presented in the novel, mostly discussing when Poncia goes into the church and sees all the saints, as well as the village woman representing the figurehead for Candomblé (Class Discussion on 4/23). We also discussed the importance of Oxumaré, a rainbow-serpent present in Candomblé who is half female and half male, representing infinite knowledge (Class Discussion on 4/25). When discussing possession, such as the type found in Umbanda when encountering a Good Spirit, Oxumaré is often avoided in the Candomblé tradition, mostly due to its controversial alignment with equality (due to its rainbow appearance) and the fact it is half man, half woman, therefore allowing possible connections to homosexuality (Class Discussion on 4/25). While we do not think Christina herself would have any trouble with the idea of Oxumaré – even though she does not practice Candomblé – it was just interesting to find out the general religious public’s reaction to a spirit such as Oxumaré, especially in modern times, where sexual orientations other than heterosexuality seem to be becoming more and more visible worldwide.

At the end of the day, what do women truly want?

            Much like the topic of Oxumaré and its connection to homosexuality in the eyes of the religious public, Christina, in her emails, never wanted to outright offend either one of us, and often tried to skirt around the answer, which is what most people do when trying to take into consideration other people’s feelings. The topic of feminism is a perfect example of this. Both of us are either majoring or minoring in women’s studies, and in relation to that, we are proud feminists. Understandably, we know feminism often has a negative connotation for many people. Most people tend to think of feminists as hairy, constantly angry man-haters who protest anything at the drop of a hat. We understand the term to simply mean social, political, and economic equality for men and women. We want women to be paid the same as a man for the same work. We believe a man should be able to be the stay-at-home dad without being judged. We want female bosses to be treated the same as male bosses, and not simply seen as “bitches” for having the same attitude as a man. Lastly, we want a woman who is sexually assaulted or raped to not to be asked by peers, doctors, and officers “what were you wearing that caused this?” To us, these are but a few components of feminism.

            When we asked Christina if she was a feminist, she replied that she was not a feminist, but is not critical of those who were. She also added that although she is not a feminist, she is for gay rights. Her simple reply demonstrates her tendency for political correctness with every answer. She did add to her comment that men and women should strive to be partners, not opponents. Initially, we thought she was describing essentially what feminism is, the idea men and women should work together to better our world, but not really aknowledging it, similar to Sonia and her article in “Women’s Work” (Daphne Patai) (Class Discussion on 4/9). We understand every culture has its values and beliefs, but the heart of the matter is that nothing excuses a man for mistreating a woman or vice versa. If a person physically or emotionally hurts another person, there should be ramifications, but as it stands now, the harshest punishment for a man physically hurting a woman is a few months to 3 years in jail. Brazil may have a woman president, but until Brazilian men and women start to believe they should be treated equal, nothing is going to change.

Time and Time Again

         While Christina is not a feminist, her writing does have characteristics of feminism. In class, we talked a lot about masculine time versus feminine time. Throughout history, time has been male- dominated (Class discussion on 3/5) and Forman, author of Taking our Time: Feminist Perspectives on Temporality, argues women’s lack of time should be a political issue. A characteristic of feminine time is that it never ends; it comes full circle. This sentiment is demonstrated in Christina’s short story, “The Battle Has Ended.” The message Christina conveys throughout this story is that we are never truly gone. We live on in the memory of our friends and family. Nothing is truly over; there is life after death, which means there is no end. This idea is feminine time. We do not even think Christina is aware she has implemented a feminist characteristic into her story, but it shows how there are women who are feminists, or even have feminist ideals, and do not even realize it.

            Although Christina’s whole message centers on feminizing time, there is a moment when the story becomes masculine. When the little boy is grieving for his friend, his mother tells him, “you know son, our mission here on Earth has a beginning, middle and an end. When our designated time on this existence ends, it is time to go back” (Hernandes). The advice his mother gives him is essentially masculine time. Masculine time eventually ends and this is what his mother is warning him about. It is so interesting, the conflict between masculine and feminine time in Christina’s story, because it is arguably an accurate depiction of reality. There is always going to be a conflict between the two times and every day we, as both readers and people, have to make the decision to choose which one we are going to live by.

What have we learned from all of this?

            Although neither one of us has ever set foot in Brazil, we feel like we have a pretty accurate picture of Brazil and everything it encompasses. Before taking this class, neither one of us knew anything about Brazil. We did not even know the language people from Brazil spoke (probably thinking it was only Spanish -- oh how we have learned since then!). Concepts like feminizing time and the racial stereotypes in Brazil were foreign to us; if someone would have asked us what those terms meant before this class, we would have just stared at them, speechless. We would have never have read novels like Hour of the Star, Island of the Dead, or Ponica Vicencio or seen the movies Luzia or Xica de Siliva. Every text we read, every movie we watched, and every class discussion we had contributed to our knowledge about the Brazilian culture. Emailing Christina has been a great experience because it allowed us to apply what we learned in classroom. We learned so much from her and appreciate all of the information she was able to provide us. After taking this class, we can confidently say we have fully immersed ourselves into a culture without ever even being there, something which we are eternally grateful to have experienced.

Works Cited

"Brazil: Government and History." Scholastic Publishes Literacy Resources and Children's Books

for Kids of All Ages. Web. 10 May 2014.

Forman, Frieda J. Taking Our Time: Feminist Perspectives on Temporality. 1989. Print.

Hernandes, Christina. The Battle Has Ended. Print.

"Macumba, Umbanda, and Orishas in Brazil." Stirling Law. Web. 09 May 2014.

<http://www.stirlinglaw.com/ea/macumba.htm>.

Telles, Lygia. Rat Seminar. 1977. Print.