Educator on the Move
What happened in February?
A lot! I was in Brazil, and where I go, children are never far away. My journey began child-free in my favorite city, São Paulo, and ended with the Carnival in Salvador.
São Paulo
In São Paulo, I had an extensive tour of the city's most important and spectacular foundations, museums, and buildings, guided by architecture and art lecturers Peter and Paulo. I visited key buildings by many of my favorite architects, including Oscar Niemeyer, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Lina Bo Bard, Lúcio Costa, Villanova Artigas, Affonso Eduardo Reidy, and Gregori Warchavchik. I also had the opportunity to speak with freshman students at the renowned Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo (see Instagram) and met some lecturers who were enthusiastic about KidsKultur. Future collaboration opportunities could include lectures and seminars on cultural education.
Bahia
The culmination of my trip was the famous Carnival in Bahia, which highlighted Afro-Brazilian culture. The events often feature traditional dances like Samba de Roda and Capoeira, as well as music genres like Axé, a blend of African, indigenous, and Brazilian influences. One of the key events during Carnival in Bahia is the "Bloco," where people dance and sing in large groups on the streets. It was an extraordinary experience!
It was wonderful to see children participating not only in special children’s parades and events but also fully engaging with Afro-Brazilian culture. In historical costumes, they even joined the festivities until the early morning hours. I missed the CultureKids greatly and thought it would have been a fantastic experience for them!
