Youths from the Brazilian favela Monte Azul go on tour

For more than 30 years the Associação Comunitária Monte Azul have been working in the favelas (slums) of the mega city of San Paulo. Founded by the Waldorf teacher Ute Craemer, this social project has tirelessly been working toward improving the living conditions of the “favelados”. Monte Azul does not only care for the practical every day living of the people but also for enriching their cultural background.

Already at the tender kindergarden age the children sing Brazilian folk songs, poems and celebrate Brazilian festivals. In the after school care groups the history of African slavery and the culture of the Brazilian Indians are taught in main lesson blocks and at the end they present the work done in a theatre performance. The cultural centre of Monte Azul does not only present the work of their children - youth orchestra and theatre groups but also that of external artist.

Knowing and experiencing their culture helps the children to develop their own personalities and helps them to not only orientate themselves around the materialistic values of modern consumerism but also to look at it critically.

Normally a young person from the favelas is not able to afford expensive brand name shoes or mobile phones. Insufficient school knowledge and cultural education leaves them without perspectives. This is usually the beginning of a downward spiral which forces many young Brazilians from the favelas into drug dealing. If people have an inner security, cultural roots and inner values it is easier to resist crime and violence and learn an honest trade, as is the example in the carpenter workshop or the bakery of Monte Azul. 60% of the people working here live in the favelas.

Since its beginning Monte Azul were particularly interested in keeping the cultural traditions and heritage of the Favela inhabitants alive. Most of them come from the federal state of Minas Gerais or from the Northeast of the country, the so called poor house of Brazil. Thus Monte Azul regularly celebrates the “Festa Juninas” (the June festival) with its associated plays, dances and songs, for example the “Bumba-Omeu-Boi” (get up my ox). As well as regular performances at Christmas time, of the traditional three kings play “Folia des Reis” from the Northeast of the country.

Meeting Brazils culture and problems

The aim of the tour is to connect youths to Brazilian culture as well as the social project Monte Azul through the arts. At the end of January/beginning February 2010 a group of 16 co workers from Monte Azul will be coming to Europe to introduce the social and cultural work of the Associação by means of a theatre performance. Their luggage contains everything that might contribute in getting to know both bright and shady sides of Brazil. Meeting this foreign culture (mostly associated with soccer and carnival) through the work of Monte Azul could prove valuable and inspiring for young and old. Through the play the history and development of Brazil can be experienced, the creation and problems of development- as well as understanding emerging markets and having discussions on the effects of globalisation.

From the very beginning Monte Azul has encouraged the exchange of ideas and cooperative work between people of different cultures and heritage. Since 1981 young people from all over the world have been coming to Monte Azul to work for a year as volunteers “voluntarios”, in the kitchen, garden, educational institutions or wherever work needed to get done. The philosophy of the founder is and was to build bridges. Building bridges between social strata as well as between cultures.

Even today especially in Germany many people are still deeply connected to Monte Azul, because the year spent there has set the tracks for their later life. What they have learnt there they continue to carry in their lives. They are “messengers” for the creation of a more humane world. In the meantime the “voluntários” have joint forces and founded an association to work toward strengthening and supporting this Brazilian organisation. The tour of Monte Azul is being prepared by this association.

During the tour many ex “voluntários” will be joining to help, to organise, to translate but also to meet old Brazilian friends again. The co-workers coming from Brazil are not wealthy. Many of them live in the favelas. This tour is for many of them the once in life time chance to come to Europe and show something of their culture as well as experience European culture.

Possibilities for the tour

The aim of the tour is to give young people an appropriate picture of the cultural wealth of Brazil, but also to show the socio-economic hurdles and injustices and to demonstrate concrete possibilities of how, regardless of these hindrances, one could still impact creatively on culture and promote community. By means of cultural exchange and lively experiences curiosity for a foreign culture is awakened. This contributes to widening the horizons of especially children and youths, promotes tolerance for other people and cultures and a feeling of responsibility in: we are all one world!

Special aims: Giving a lively picture of Brazilian reality (in a playful manner), getting to know Brazilian history and its development. How the emergence of developing countries and emerging economies bring its own problems. How slums originate and what life there is like. As well as reflecting on globalisation.

Target audience: The project is aimed at schools, curative institutions and cultural centres. Participating institutions have no costs or respectively restricted to material costs. From the 6^th class onward the daily project could accommodate up to 200 youths. We are writing to different schools and institutions and consider positive responses on available facilities. The aim is to attract a large audience on the one hand but also to create the possibility for intimate deep meetings between people.

Music theatre: The co-workers from Monte Azul have developed a play from the creation stories of the Guarani Indians (native Brazilians) and about the development of the favelas in Brazil.

Possible Workshops: Capoeira (a traditional “war dance”), Brazilian folk dance (for example Forro and Samba), Music, crafts, Brazilian cooking, afro-American hairstyles (dreadlocks), rounds of discussion.

Possible lectures: social work in San Paulo / Monte Azul, reports from “voluntários” (volunteers) about the work in Monte Azul as social sculpture, problems in a developing country.

An example of the possible daily programme:
08:00-10:00 Lecture on the history of Brazil and the history of Monte Azul.
10:00-12:00 Workshops
13:30-15:00 a former volunteer reports on his experiences in Monte Azul
15:30-17:00 Workshops or round of discussion
19:30 Performance by the co-workers from Monte Azul, followed by Sarau (evening open for music and dance where contributions can be made from all present).

Tour dates – January/February 2010

22.01. Arrival in Switzerland 23.01.-28.01. Rehearsals and performance of “Folia de Reis” in Rünenburg Basel 30.01. Performance in the school for mentally handicapped children in Bern 02.02. “Folia de Reis” (Song of the three kings) at public places in Bern 04.02. Performance in the BernWaldorf School Ittingen06.-14.02. Performance in Germany

06.02. Waldorf school Hagen
08.02. Waldorf school Hannover-Bothfeld
10.02. Waldorf school Kassel
11.02. Waldorf school Bad Nauheim
12.02. Living community Bingenheim
13.03. Christian community Darmstadt
16.02. Return to Brazil

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