#BLM Art and Former Statues

#BLM Art and Former Statues

Not only have there been gorgeous murals going up around the world in support of Black Lives Matter, but they are also painting the streets themselves. Black Lives Matter in huge letters, visible from space, or at least from small aircraft.

And the statues, ALL the statues seem to be coming down, all the ones which lack compassion.  And even the ones of old men, who might be on the good side of history.  In these days, it is better to rethink everything.  Even those who fought, did they not fight hard enough?  Did they do everything and we are still stuck in this world? Would their ghosts be fighting for change, along with the protesters? 

I imagine the ghosts on the better, more equitable side of history, cheering on the living.  All the energy (both living and dead) are contributing to the new world.  And even the ghosts with regretful pasts, are changing their minds.  Even they can change their minds, even they can fix things for the better from the grave.  

All the souls in the world want mercy for the future.

Even in Portugal,there is a sense of reckoning.  The idea that "Portugal is not a racist country" has been brought up again-how can the country which started the slave trade and commissioned histories to define the hierarchy of races- Prince Henry the Navigator has lots of statues-but we must now understand who he really is.

https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2020/06/06/black-lives-matter-movement-to-hold-more-rallies-across-portugal/

https://lithub.com/ibram-x-kendi-how-racism-relies-on-arbitrary-hierarchies/

Socially Distanced Sopas Festival!

Every summer, it is traditional for there to be many celebrations of the saints.  And for every island of the Azores, there is a special feast for the community.

We were able to celebrate the feast of Saint Anthony at his church in Cambridge, MA. Saint Anthony Parish

Of course, we are all in the middle of a pandemic.  Instead of a long line in the sun and then crowded into communal tables and large bowls of soup, each car was given a to-go pan of soup. (Open your trunks, do not get out of your car)

My mother missed the arroz doce the most.  I missed the ability to mix the table wine with orange soda-a drink for old ladies and aspiring children.

We also missed the idea of getting together-although a drive thru line was a new experience!  It makes me value the memories of actual experience even more, and makes me look forward to being able to do it again in the future.

Porco de chao vs Marmota

Porco de chao vs Marmota

We had a groundhog in the yard last year for the first time.  He came out in the middle of the day, in the middle of the yard, to check everything out.  We thought it was cute the first time we spotted him. 

But then this animal began digging.  I like to think of myself as a basic gardener, but this little guy made holes bigger than anything I've ever dug with a spade or a shovel.

As my mother was trying to describe this animal/monster to her sister in Sao Miguel, she could only translate it as the Pig of the Ground. Which it is. Totally appropriate.  I looked it up and found another name for it. but I like hers better.

Rebuçados-Cough Drops

The world has stopped for coronavirus. Everyone is at home, trying to hide from the world, hoping nobody breathes on you. Watching for every little sniff, sneeze or cough.

My mother just stormed into my room, telling me that I've been coughing and asking if I need any Rebuçados.  I know its serious when she teaches me a new word. She had an operation recently, and I've been taking care of her.  But she's a Portuguese mother and prefers to mother me.

A few months ago, talking about whether she should get an operation or not, we had a lot of life or death discussions.  Everything seemed depressing and sad.  And now, we are at a similar place again. Wondering about mortality, how lightly to take this serious threat.  We haven't been around a lot of people lately-except for people in the hospital.

The waiting game is hard.  But not as hard as the coughing and the gasping for air.  I hope you have lots of cough drops, everyone.  Good luck, stay safe, stay at home and stay healthy!!!

Rabugenta: Cranky

My mother called me out on one of my behaviors, and frankly I'm surprised it's taken this long for her to name it. 

Cranky, grouchy. As in: Oscar the Rabugento.

She's been sick lately, and by rights, should have been the one to be grouchy and in a foul mood. And frankly, I haven't been any worse than usual, but sometimes the subconscious comes up with great descriptors for the world around us.

And oddly enough, it made the both of us laugh. Enough to get us both feeling good and to kick us out of any kind of cranky mood. 

So next time you are cranky, you can cheer yourself up by thinking of all the ways you can describe yourself. And how you can surprise yourself and others by how you can laugh at your new nicknames!

MIT Hackathon in Virtual Reality

This month, I'm not talking about Portuguese, but about a new technology that can bring us across borders in time and space.

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I attended the MIT Hackathon about XR, actually called a Reality Hack.  I crafted and scripted the narrative about Desegregation in Miami in 1957-specifically a story about Frank LeGree and how his family had picketers outside his house, threw rocks and eventually erected a cross on his front lawn-all in order to get him out of a neighborhood.

The video of the AR experience we created is here: https://youtu.be/C6w3e4wqwfk

Our team would love to do more with AR and explore this and other stories of America's growing pains further. Desegregation of schools, different neighborhoods in large cities i the 1950's. Life for a growing country and how that time period brought forth change that is still unresolved today. 

Connect that period with When They See Us-and #OscarsStillSoWhite and you will see how America still exists in black and white for so many people. The best part of the Hackathon was the idea that so many different people could come together to build a new reality. One in which the only judgments issued are on a lack of imagination.

Mark Twain at the Dabneys in Horta, Faial

I've been doing some research on Twain's visit to the Azores. He stopped in Horta on his way to Palestine-a series of correspondences that would become his book,  Innocents Abroad.

Most of what he wrote about the Azores in that book was not kind, he was trying to create jokes-and also created a cynical sense of the superiority of the American traveler. He made himself the joke of an ugly American-especially viewed from the perspective of today.

In the Book about the Dabneys, there is evidence that he was in their house. Below is a quote from one of the female residents.

“At 10 the parlor was quite full….One young man had his note-book out all the time and remarked as I gave him some verbena,’I am taking notes as I am a correspondent of a paper’. 

‘Horrors;, writes CPD, “how we may appear in print,’

Never too early to plan the next trip to Provincetown!

Having spent Thanksgiving in Provincetown, with all its associated Portuguese heritage, I noticed that there is an Annual Blessing of the Fleet and weekend-long Festival at the end of June (6/25-28/2020) More information can be found here:
https://provincetownportuguesefestival.com/

It's never to early to plan your time in this seaside town, especially bc it fills up so quickly in the summertime. See you then!!

Toronto's 40th Festival of Authors: Anthony De Sa

Last night, I attended a marvelous reading and discussion with the author Anthony De Sa and Wilfried N'Sonde. Both authors were amazing, and revealed the excellent approaches they took about research and their backgrounds and how they contributed to their work. Both were WRITERS first, their backgrounds were just pieces which informed their writings-not characteristics by which they needed to be pigeonholed.

I admit, that I came because De Sa had grown up in the Portuguese neighborhood of Toronto, and I had read Barnacle Love while in the Azores. There aren't enough children of Portuguese immigrants writing fiction today and I loved what I had encountered-feeling as if I was not alone in the experience.

De Sa's new book is about Mozambique, Children of the Moon.  In an aside, he revealed that even though his uncles had fought in the wars (including Angola and Guinea), he had never gotten a fuller story out of them.  When I probed further, he mentioned how difficult it was for them-the strong macho characteristic against the idea of losing a war-and what they had to go through-and make other people endure. De Sa mentioned that everything in the media in the 1960's was about America and Vietnam. And sometimes stories came out of that war-or WWII, which made the soldiers feel like they were fighting for a noble cause.  But colonialism is harder to reconcile and understand. 

I've yet to get the fuller stories from my own uncles. I want to know. War is never easy for anyone, but I hope they have been able to process their memories and make some meaning out of them. I'd love to hear it.

Fuxicos: Visiting a Brazilian Artist's Studio in LaGuardia

I was walking to my flight at the Jetblue Terminal and saw a tiny art studio in the lobby area.

Stopping, I chatted a bit with the woman who was running the space, Anna, but was rushing to my flight and I couldn't linger.  What a funny place for a popup art location, I thought.

And then I came through again, and my plane was delayed. Finally I had the proper time.

This time I stayed for a good while, and spoke to Davi Leventhal, an enchanting man who told me about being raised Brazilian in NYC, something I related to, being raised Azorean in Boston. Anna was there as well.

His art was based on fuxicos-simple circles of fabric, which when combined, make a giant tapestry of color and energy.  Visitors are invited to make one and leave one. I made 3, but one fell apart.  He gifted me one-which I will attach to a blanket my Vovo made me.

His assembly method reminded me of my Mousetrap Project, creating small pieces of beauty which are seen as a strong presence when mounted together. And because there was the interactive element, of getting to sit and sew (especially in what is normally a stressful environment), the was a performance piece that I was happy to have experienced.

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For more info:

https://www.davileventhal.com/about.html

https://www.aviationpros.com/airports/buildings-maintenance/press-release/21076449/the-port-authority-of-new-york-new-jersey-local-artist-residency-program-returns-to-laguardia-airports-marine-air-terminal-for-second-year

https://www.queenscouncilarts.org/2019-artport-artists

Cousins Visiting America

So I have a cousin and his family-wife and 2 daughters, visiting America.

They were flying into Boston-because that's where the flights go. But they wanted to go to Disney World.  I told them to fly, They rented a car and 3 days down, 3 days there- 3 days back, they have seen more of America than I have!

Boston, NYC, Cape Cod, all the good stores, all the cheap souvenirs.

I'm amazed.  They are world travelers, but still, this was the first time in the US.

When we asked about the most amazing things, they loved the authentic food in NYC's Chinatown. And being off an island.  The idea of driving for 3 days-and not falling off the island-that is something.

Thoreau/Twain in Concord

And now for some of my other achievements. i wrote a play....


I'm happy to report that the performance of Thoreau/Twain: Brothers in the River for the Thoreau Society was a tremendous success.

Brent Rinalli, Tammy Rose and Joel Hersh

The main performers were Brent Rinalli, who has been in and around Concord giving lectures and historical interpreting as Thoreau for the past few years and Joel Hersh, a local actor known for his varied musical ability-played Twain.

The main conceit of the show is that an Academic is trying to summon the spirits of the authors, to have them discuss a major, and underexplored parallel of their lives.  Both of them had a deep relationship with a brother on the river of their childhood, and both of them lost that brother to a sudden event. This happened before either of them began to write-but both found inspiration in their brothers and documented the influences strongly in their writings.

The authors -who had never met in real life- get deep into conversation, about their lives, commonalities they share-and especially their brothers. Most of the text of the play is taken directly from journals, letters and the formal published writings of the authors-and their contemporaries. They argue with each other using their own words and get a chance to recount a major emotional moment in their lives. (No pop-psychology or therapy here-the drama comes directly from their own words and existing texts).

Thanks to the Thoreau Society and to all the amazing and attentive attendees!  Especially those who took pictures and gave me feedback on new areas to explore between the two!

And extra special thanks to my fellow Tourguides who make all the research and the entire experience of Concord SO MUCH FUN!!!

Imperio Mariense De Saugus

Check out the upcoming event at Imperio Mariense De Saugus, coming up for the first weekend in July.

The Sopas Festival is a tradition that dates beyond what anyone can remember. It is a giant celebration that happens throughout the Azores-the islands trade off weekends, maybe to give everyone an excuse to visit different islands.

The soups (sopas) are made of just a few ingredients, meat, cinnamon, mint and probably a host of whatever magical and regional tastes (or whomever is in charge of the kitchen). And BREAD.

Everything gets served in long tables, community style indeed. There is table wine, and ginger ale-which people sometimes mix.

Sometimes due to multiple seatings, it is required to stand outside in the heat-to wait for hot soup.

Maybe these celebrations were designed for travel in fair weather, and the food was designed for the cheapest, easiest way to be most generous to everyone. But hot soup in hot weather is an annual rite of passage. We all suffer, and laugh, together.

http://imperiomariensedesaugus.org/

Saab Center UMass Lowell Poor Planning Ruins Mariza Concert

First and foremost, Mariza always gives a solid performance. She was backed by 5 instrumentalists and she began and ended the main show with traditional Fado songs sung acoustically.  The rest of the show was from her varied career-complete with amplification and Mozambique-influenced styles. Don't  expect a traditional Fadista like Amalia Rodrigues, because she has taken Fado into a modern and innovative style. My cousin and I have seen her perform in Newark, NJ and she was magnificent as always.

It seems the event was designed as a fundraiser-which allowed table seating on the ground floor.  All the Orchestra Level seats were unavailable.  To create a more "intimate" setup, the organizers draped cloth around the seats on the main floor- not even an accessible area.  This left the remainder of the seats in the balcony. Note: there was NO indication on the website that this was the layout. I was taking 2 elderly women with me and would have paid a premium price for Accessible Seating-or at least something on the ground floor.

Lowell and the Portuguese communities have always faced issues of Rich vs Poor, the layout brought the differences into stark reality. This event was designed to celebrate both cultures, but instead served as a reminder that nothing has changed, and in fact, today's world is all about reinforcing the differences between the haves and have nots.

The whole show from the balcony was about looking down at the tables who were closest to the performer. Those with opera glasses or binoculars were lucky enough to be able to see her. The rest of us had trouble seeing anything other than a woman in a light blue dress from that distance.

My main disappointment is with the organizers of the event who set expectations and didn't encourage a good experience for any non-sponsors. I will NOT be supporting any future events that U Mass Lowell organizes because of this. I do not begrudge any fundraising efforts which seek to provide an elegant experience for those who sponsor an event. But they went out of their way to disadvantage and alienate the rest of the audience.

4 main issues that showed a clear lack of professionalism in a public event:

• Starting the show 30 minutes late, and then leaving the audience literally in the dark for an additional 5 without ANY explanation or apology
• Parking:difficult, far , unmarked and an additional $10 vs the Sponsor parking across the street which had several volunteers (they told me to take 4 rights to get to the garage across the river, and then there was a 10 minute walk)
• All non-sponsor seats (ranging from $39-$79) were in the BALCONY, no Accessible seating was indicated and the elevator required a LONG walk across the far side of the backstage area. No link for sponsor tickets, no indication that orchestra seating was not available
• Nobody had considered the experience of the rest of the audience, it seemed like the public was allowed in as an afterthought

When the lights were lowered (at 8pm instead of 7:30 as announced), the audience was left in the dark for a full 5 minutes.  Someone shouted "Anybody here named Maria?" which got a loud laugh and solid applause from an audience awaiting in eager anticipation. No greeting from the organizers-no apologies, no messaging to the audience about what was planned for and what was an accident.

No reflection on Mariza, it ALL reflected poorly on Lowell Memorial and the Saab Center at UMass Lowell.

It's Not Easy Trying to understand American

I met someone at a Satire Festival and we began to exchange experiences about our families coming to America from other places, trying to understand the culture.  Although Lady Liberty is a pretty nice symbol, she's not holding a bilingual dictionary-and the bigger secret is that even native speakers will have difficulties understanding everything.

My mother was catcalled at work by her manager; he called her a swinger.  Even though this was the 70's, she was still VERY offended and came home and told her husband/my father.  But she was still so mad, she couldn't come up with the word.

"He called me a---a --- a JUMPER!" she finally said.  Instead of empathizing with her, my father (a native speaker) laughed.

She laughs about it now, too.  In fact, it's one of her favorite stories to tell.  Now that she's not the butt of the joke anymore (sorry, mom).

There are LOTS of stories like this. (I wonder if technology will end the accidents, or just create more?)

Mariza-The Fado Singer-in Lowell

There will be a great gathering of people from the Portuguese diaspora! Mariza will be coming to perform in Lowell in April. (info below)

https://lowellauditorium.com/calendar/2019/4/20/mariza

She's sold over a million records, born in Mozambique.  There is a distinctive sound of Fado, starting with Amalia Rodrigues-who is like the Portuguese Edith Piaf, or vice versa.

Here's the traditional version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARS7Zi-Zpkw


Here's one of my favorite of Mariza's songs: Locura
https://youtu.be/BiU0fkwrviM

There is a particular sound of saudade that echoes in both.  And it's a language that goes deeper than translation.  No matter what the songs are actually about, it breaks my heart.

Caucasian or White? Article on the Portuguese in Hawaii

Where do/did Portuguese immigrants to America fall in the scale of race?   America has been so recently terrorized by Drumph's border wall and discrimination and hate crimes are rising. This country is again resorting to nationalistic screeds of who "belongs", with no actual definition and no rhyme or reason. Does the Statue of Liberty mean anything anymore?

I've come across this discussion in my own life, but seldom does it seem to be addressed on a larger scale. "Portuguese" does not fit into the same category as "Hispanic"-even though the very word comes from Hispanola-the name for the Iberian Peninsula in Roman times.

A very interesting article can be found here, about historical treatment of the Portuguese in a society of clearly identifiable races, and how the races are stacked against each other:  http://www.researchjournal.yourislandroutes.com/2016/07/caucasian-but-not-white-race-and-the-portuguese-in-hawaii/

It covers the variety of definitions used officially, and the most defining factor: skin color.  An "Olive Complexion" can be a flattering descriptor, OR it can be a way to define a version of race-without calling it out directly.

An interesting quote: "The Portuguese fell somewhere in between.  Their wages were set lower than White Caucasians but higher than Asians and Latinos.  They could not hold upper management positions, but they could work in supervisory positions."

Portuguese workers fell/fall(?) into an in-between category, which does not allow them to fully "pass" nor does it release them from discrimination. For those who imagine that American issues are divided into black and white, be advised that historically, and even now, there is a scale that is always being adjusted. 

Language, accent, economic status, culture-and background are ways to assess how "American" someone is. Even Tom Brokaw has said that "Hispanics should work harder at assimilation," but he has since apologized for his comments.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/business/media/tom-brokaw-hispanics-assimilation.html

At what point IS someone/a group considered assimilated? When THEY can begin to discriminate?

New year's Eve in Portuguese

Since Portugal used to be everywhere in the world, they will be shouting Feliz Ano Novo! in many countries tonight (and they have already begun)

One day, I plan to create a cookbook that will include Portuguese meals from Goa (India), the islands of the Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde. Brazil! And of course, East Cambridge, Massachusetts, San Jose, California and Toronto, Canada.

And I want to include the 5 other African countries (in addition to Cape Verde) that speak Portuguese: Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe and (since 2011) Equatorial Guinea.

I don't know if I would be lucky enough to make it for New Year's, but one can certainly hope! ;)

Portuguese Thanksgiving in America

Portuguese Thanksgiving include salted cod fish and massa suvada/sweet bread.

This year, there was also laughter about how my aunt made tuna sandwiches.  Spreading the mayo on the bread-like butter-and then putting the tuna on top-dry, instead of mixing it up.  I still can't tell whether it is funny or more time consuming. 

There is still a big divide between things that are American, and things that are Portuguese. And the bits that are Portuguese are fading with each year.

This year, there was no sweet bread. Only sweets.

DISQUIET WRITING PROGRAM

“Everything that surrounds us becomes part of us.”
–Fernando Pessoa

I've just come across a marvelous writing program for those who would be interested in a session in Lisbon, and then maybe Ponta Delgada, Azores.

http://disquietinternational.org

It is named after a certain Book of Disquiet by Pessoa, who explains that it is "the autobiography of someone who never existed" The program is based on:
"inspiration from The Book of Disquiet, the great Lisbon poet Fernando Pessoa’s masterpiece; from the city of Lisbon itself; and from the late Portuguese poet Alberto de Lacerda, who believed above all in the importance of literary community."

There are different levels of participation and fellowships which encourage Luso and Luso-American writers. It all looks like fun!! Anything that encourages Portuguese writers sounds like it could bring together a larger community in ways that can't happen under everyday circumstance.