All About Rio de Janeiro

Texto de Nancy de Lustoza Barros e Hirsch na revista Umbrella em Março para a comunidade de expatriados de língua inglesa no Rio de Janeiro. Para a revista na íntegra, clique aqui. 

Rio is 450 years old in 2015. We will hear about its celebrations and history everywhere and about every aspect of Carioca lives. Born under the sign of royalty, our city’s history is so mixed with Brazil’s that to learn about one is to learn about the other. Blame it on the 196 years of being the capital of the country – entry port from the outside world, culture disseminator, politics and administration berth. History is addictive. The more you learn, the more you want to know. Once the questions “Why? When? How? What?” have, like bees, stung your investigative self, you are doomed. However, the antidote may be at hand. Professor Milton Teixeira is the know-it-all you need to hear about Rio--does he have stories to tell! 

An historian and professor, Teixeira organizes groups for touring interesting places where important facts happened, and he tells us all that was cooking back then, for instance: the arrival of sugar cane and slaves in Rio; the shipping of gold extracted in Brazilian mines; the arrival of the Portuguese royal family; architectural trends and designs; the growth of our streets; and, last but not least, the selection as host for the Olympic Games next year. With Professor Teixeira, gossip and hearsay are debated, fiction and reality are explicated about the birthplace of the happiest people in the world –Cariocas, of course. Places like Cosme Velho, Copacabana and Ipanema are visited. He tells us about the birth of Bossa Nova, what transportation in Rio was like a long time ago, and explains how colonial hygiene and sanitation worked. The Professor is concerned about the city’s preservation and points out beautiful and historical buildings that have been neglected. He shows us the difference between the republican and colonial developments in loco. According to Milton Teixeira, you have to go out to “be able to really know about the surroundings”. 

Teixeira’s pupils can learn why Rio’s mayors and governors were, until recently, always  from the opposition political party: it was a loud and clear protest by Carioca voters against the powers that transferred the capital of Brazil to the centre of the country. Losing our “ruling and reigning” status was hard to swallow. 

Milton Teixeira frequently appears in interviews on FM BandNews and his interchanges with the in-house trio of journalists during the morning news are extremely interesting. The radio station also sponsors some of the Professor’s outings and, as this is being written, there is one scheduled for March 1st: a boat will sail the waters in front of the city centre, Glória, Flamengo, Botafogo, etc to celebrate the 450th birthday of Rio de Janeiro. Sadly, due to production deadlines, Umbrella readers will not be able to go on this voyage. However, Prof. Teixeira has many other roadmaps to explore and information is given by the telephone numbers 21 2527- 9129 and 999-522-789. One tip: his lessons are free; however, be prepared to walk, come rain or shine.

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