I found the most beautiful model I saw this year in Icoaraci. Also a fashion genius. I took the best negroni of 2021 in a certain Vila Container. I discovered an accommodation that bridges the 19th and 21st centuries on the Campos Sales lane, and even there I saw the work of a wonderful artist called Kambô.
“Mare!” will say the people from Belen who recognized the names and places I mentioned above. Last week I was, of course, in Belém, and I was able to see once again how this is one of the most culturally vibrant capitals in Brazil.
But isn’t there also the setting for the Círio de Nazaré, one of the strongest, most beautiful and important religious manifestations in the world? Course is. And I say without hesitation that every person from Pará is very proud of it.
In addition to this postcard, however, I have to defend that there is an incredible, modern city, focused on the now and… irresistible.
Before proceeding, it must be made clear that I am passionate about our traditions. Círio himself was the subject of one of the most emotional texts I wrote in this space. However, when we travel to the same places several times, we need to be open to know something beyond what the tourist brochures offer us.
On this last visit to Belém, I was lucky to be accompanied by a journalist who loves mining different things in the city where she grew up: Trisha Guimarães, who publishes her findings on Instagram @acasacomoelae.
It was a find. Not that I didn’t already know the potential of Belém. Six years ago, while doing a report, I came across fantastic graffiti: the work of Éder Oliveira.
In 2017, to celebrate the title of Creative Capital of Gastronomy, granted by Unesco, I was also there to try the most traditional delicacies (the maniçoba by Dona Jerônima) to the most modern reinventions (the jambu pastry by Solange Saboia). And then there’s the song: Rainer, Liège…
This year, I also went to Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, and had similar experiences. I freaked out with the music of Luísa and the Alchemists. With the delights of a new bar called Severina. With the works of art I saw in Crico Felix’s multicultural space, Iguales. With the poetry I saw on the streets of the state capital.
And here again I swim against the obvious. Just as it is easy to “sell” Belém by virtue of its exuberant Círio, Natal (and all of RN) is almost exclusively associated with the beauty of its coastline, where the wind literally makes the curve.
All of this is invaluable, the roots of our culture, essential pieces in this wonderful mosaic that translates the soul of Brazil. But beyond what we already know and love, modern and exciting cultures exist in these places. And it’s worth knowing this up close.
The such fashion genius in Icoaraci, Belém district, is the incomparable Labô, who has been on the covers of fashion magazines around the world, caused a furor in the latest SPFW, and lives in a simple house, where the backyard is the inspiration for his creations vegetables.
That model is your neighbor, goes by the name @f1er6e, and is one of the most endearing faces I’ve encountered recently. The almost perfect Negroni is from Muamba, and the hosting…
Casa Amazônia is a work of love by Jô Alves and Fernanda Stefani, who make the ideal connection between the past and present of Belém. And, in this huge renovated house, there is space for a gallery that exhibits artists as incredible as the Kambo.
And that’s how I always want to know this Brazil: with one foot revering the past, and the other exploring the future.
.
