Stories about Portuguese from June, 2010
Cape Verde: Bau Talks On Being a Musician in a Small Country
In an interview for blog Café Margoso [pt], musician Bau shares his dream of creating a music school for the children of Cape Verde. The artist says that because he is based in “such a small country”, he finds many restrictions to the possibilities of growing as an artist.
Angola: Once Upon a Time in Roque Santeiro
The development experienced by Luanda holds one of the most frequented commercial spaces in the city. The Roque Santeiro Market, that generates thousands of dollars a day, to account, is about to close its “doors” to reopen in a more dignified and modern area, in Panguila.
Brazil: Michael Jackson Immortalized at a Slum in Rio de Janeiro
Michael Jackson was honored this week in Rio de Janeiro's Santa Marta Slum. The terrace where he recorded part of the video “They don't really care about us” in 1996, is now officially called “Michael Jackson Terrace” and it is also the scenario for a statue of the artist (see...
Brazil: Standing Against Mining in Gandarela
Local communities and netcitizens who care for the biodiverse Serra da Gandarela in Minas Gerais, Brazil, are taking a stand against Vale S.A. - a major mining multinational whose record is not one of the best at the eyes of environmental groups.
Guinea-Bissau: Are Armed Forces linked to Narcotraffic?
General António Indjai, who led the military unrest of April in Guinea Bissau, was yesterday appointed [pt] Armed Forces Chief of Staff by President Malam Bacai Sanha. The blogosphere has been talking about his aledged active role with narco trafficking [pt].
Mozambique: 35 Years of Independence
On the 35th anniversary of Mozambique's independence [en], blog Moçambique Para Todos [Mozambique For All, pt] publishes several opinion articles, reflecting upon the political situation and the economical dependency of the country as well as the conclusions of a survey related with the political decisions which were made in 1975.
East Timor: “Blogs Factory” Announces Production Cuts
Fábrica dos Blogs [Blogs Factory, pt], a collective that feeds blog Timor Lorosae Nação (one of the most active sources of information and places for discussion about that country, in Portuguese), announced today that, after almost four years online, it will cut its publishing frequency from daily to weekly, due...
Brazil: “Tsunami” hits some of the poorest riverside cities
At least 46 people have been killed and an estimated hundreds are missing after torrential floods swept through states in the north-east Brazil, in the worst environmental tragedy in the local population's memory.
Cape Verde / Equatorial Guinea: Journalists Kept Away from Official Visit
Amilcar Tavares posted several diagrams [pt] in his blog comparing the development of Cape Verde with Equatorial Guinea. The controversial President of the latter, Teodoro Mbasogo, visited Cape Verde last week and was kept away from journalists by the President Pedro Pires.
Brazil: “CALA BOCA TADEU SCHMIDT”, Phenomenon Continued
After the huge success of "CALA BOCA GALVAO", a similar phenomenon arose in the Brazilian social media, this time involving Brazil's main television network, Rede Globo, one of its reporters, Tadeu Schmidt, and the national football team coach, Dunga.
East Timor: Expansion of the Energy Sector under Discussion
The past months have revealed serious tensions between Timorese leaders, Australia, and Woodside Petroleum, a multinational company hoping to profit from new petroleum resources in Timorese and Australian territory. At issue is where to pipe valuable Liquefied Natural Gas.
Brazil: Fire in Rio de Janeiro Mobilizes Online Campaign
One of the city’s postcards, the Lagoa neighborhood, was victim of a huge fire at Morro dos Cabritos, an area of Atlantic Rainforest. Soon a campaign against the release of hot air balloons - which are a possible cause of the fire - began to run through social media.
Portugal: A Tribute in Unison to Nobel Prize Winner Jose Saramago
Today the Portuguese writer and only Portuguese language Nobel Prize Winner in Literature José Saramago died at age 87 in his residence in Lanzarote. Though he might not have liked it, he received a tribute in unison on Twitter.
São Tomé & Principe: Continents United Through Art
René Tavares, an artist from São Tomé & Principe, describes the nature of his work as creoule in a video interview [pt] for Sao Tome Blog, claiming that art can represent a marriage between Africa and Europe.
Cape Verde: “Blog Joint” on Prostitution
In a Blog Joint Project, netcitizens from Cape Verde are reflecting about prostitution in the country: Emilio gives law background and quotes statements from public figures; Edy, who defends it should be legalized, points it as one of the main social problems in the country; Wilson agrees with him and...
Brazil: Stefhany, Authentic Pop Star Rises from the Web
Stefhany is known as “Beyonce from Piauí”. Her first video “Eu sou Stefhany” [I am Stefhany], uploaded to Youtube by a friend and fan, has had almost 2 million views so far. She is a great example of Web 2.0's power to create new pop stars.
Brazil: Soccer Dream Team Murals for the World Cup
During the first day of the World Cup, a group of 12 urban artists painted a wall of 240 m2 in the city of Rio de Janeiro featuring what they believe to be the Brazilian soccer dream team. The result may be seen at the event's blog “Grafite Futebol Arte”...
Brazil: The “CALA BOCA GALVAO” Phenomenon
Millions of twitter users told Galvão Bueno, a famous Brazilian narrator and broadcaster, to shut up: a phenomenon that soon became a worldwide joke.
Brazil: Graffiti Artists Lighten Up Europe
Once persecuted by the authorities, street art has made it to the mainstream. The Brazilian twin brothers known as GÊMEOS are on exhibition in the first event of street art in a Portuguese museum, according to local bloggers [pt]. In collaboration with Italian graffiti artist Blu, they also left their...
Brazil/Israel: Open letter to the Israeli government
“Now, after the coward attack in international waters carried out by Israeli military against the fleet of humanitarian aid to Gaza” says Maria Frô [pt], “again [the movie-maker Sílvio] Tendler manifests” in an open letter to the Israeli government.
Global: Chances Team by Team at the 2010 World Cup
Hugo Albuquerque from O Descurvo blog writes [pt] about each and every national football team that will play in the 2010 Fifa World Cup describing the pros and cons of every one of them and also a little bit of each one's history on international matches.