Imaging Brazil 307: Terrace in Historic Diamantina, MG (2011)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

307: Terrace

The historic center of Diamantina has been well preserved. Since 1999, the cozy center is added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Every year, around one hundred and fifty thousand tourists come to Diamantina; not only for the historical architecture, but also for the music. The Seresta is a Brazilian music style, based on the ancient serenade. There are regular seresta nights with a selection of musicians and their orchestras. The city center is then completely occupied by music lovers. On quiet weekdays, you can walk through the center, and watch a bar owner preparing the terrace tables and chairs for his customers.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2011, 2017

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Imaging Brazil 250: Selling Colorful Umbrellas in Olinda, PE (2009)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

250: Colorful umbrellas

Pernambuco has a rich and colorful culture. Both Recife and Olinda are widely known for colorful carnival that attracts millions of visitors. Also well known is the frevo, which has a very interesting history. Late nineteenth century, two military bands participated in carnival parades. These bands were very competitive and tried to outdo each other by playing louder and faster. Some members of these orchestras drove the bystanders apart with capoeira movements and with knives, and soon these rough guys from both orchestras were fighting each other. These fights resulted in many injuries and even deaths. Eventually, the knives were replaced by little, colorful  umbrellas, and capoeira movements were further refined to the typical frevo dance. The man in the picture sells the little umbrellas.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2009, 2017

Imaging Brazil 248: Folk Singer in Olinda, PE (2009)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

248: Folk singer

The city of Olinda, and particularly the  colorful historic center, attracts many tourists. This center is well preserved, and is therefore included on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. The city was founded in 1535, and barely a century later it was looted and burned by the Dutch invaders. The rebuilt city was capital of Pernambuco for a long time. The tourists draw many craftsmen and artists to the center: you will see dozens of stalls with a broad range of manually crafted merchandise, and several musicians wandering around. This musician played and sang locally known songs, thereby attracting several dozen interested listeners.

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2009, 2017

Imaging Brazil 237: Berimbaus in Olinda, PE (2009)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

237: Berimbaus

There was a small outdoor market in the cozy historic center of Olinda. Several dozen stalls were full of a wide range of crafts and utensils. Most of this merchandise was typical for this region. A handful of vendors tried to sell their own works of art to the public: small paintings, miniatures of houses and folkloric scenes, crocheted and knitted dresses, and colorful handbags. There was a stall that just caught my attention: berimbaus were offered for sale. These stringed instruments, with an open calabash as a sounding board, are common as the accompanying instrument in capoeira. The man showed me how to play this instrument: with a smooth stone, the string is stirred into a steady rhythm. Indeed, I managed to produce a nice sound, but it wasn’t easy to keep the rhythm. Not bad, for the first time.

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2009, 2017

IMAGES OF BRAZIL: SELEXION 2006 – 010

A selection of photographs taken in Brazil in 2006.

Part 10:
Salvador (BA) – Singer Belchior
Salvador (BA) – Warning flag
Salvador (BA) – Shoreline
Salvador (BA) – Foam self portrait

Salvador (BA) – Singer Belchior

Salvador (BA) – Warning flag

Salvador (BA) – Shoreline

Salvador (BA) – Foam self portrait 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2016

Imaging Brazil 081: Skank in Belo Horizonte, MG (2006)

A personal selection of photographs with their stories.

081. Skank

OCTOBER 2006: Skank

Belo Horizonte is the cradle of several pop musicians and groups. The most famous pop groups from this city are Jota Quest and Skank. Skank, pronounced like Skaankie, is also slang for weed and might cause some confusion in the United States. The pop group Skank has nothing to do with weed, and manages to attract thousands of enthusiastic fans during their shows. The band of singer Samuel Rosa was founded in 1991 and has produced more than ten albums, of which more than six million were sold. I have attended two concerts of Skank in Belo Horizonte. The first was a three-hour show in a large indoor hall. One year later, I managed to hear them play again, at the large Praça da Estação, for free. This concert was on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of Brazilian oil company Petrobrás. Skank? Eu vou!

 

© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014