Sesc SP

Sao Paulo – In 1554 the city of Sao Paulo was founded by Jesuits – religious members of the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus who came to Brazil in order to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity. These native peoples were enslaved, then they were replaced by Africans brought to Brazil to work as slaves as well. In these 450 years the very intense process of miscegenation taken place in the country has given rise to a huge mass of poor, who had to move in the direction of the periphery of the city to make their living.

Popular participation – In spite of difficulties the masses of people in want have always fought for their rights, although only recently they have organized themselves to take an active part in political decisions concerning their lives. Popular demands in the areas of health, housing, culture and leisure are showing good results as a consequence of the mobilization of the population in want.

Inner-city area revitalization – Five architects talk about their works to revitalize the inner-city area of Sao Paulo. They have set up projects to restore buildings which are parts of the city historical and cultural heritage such as the Municipal Market, the Mario de Andrade Library, and the Luz Railway Station. These professionals also make comments on the challenges of the city.

Boca do Lixo – A very small part of downtown Sao Paulo is known as Boca do Lixo (something like Garbage Mouth). In the 1960s and 1970s the area was a kind of a red-light district concentrating the largest population of prostitutes and criminals in the city. At the same time the region was one of the major places of filmmaking production in Brazil. In the 1990s the area became known as crackland, due to the trafficking and consumption of crack.

Homeless shelter – The homeless population in Sao Paulo is continually increasing. To face this challenge the City Hall and many non-governmental organizations are putting a lot of effort into making these people find shelters and opportunities of getting income.

Capoeira – The slaves brought from different regions of Africa have developed a style of fighting which could be taken as a form of dancing and celebration, with typical musical instruments accompaniment, in Brazil. It is the capoeira. There are thousands of people practicing capoeira in academies or in performances on the streets. Striving to maintain the integrity of their art, they fight to preserve capoeira tradition and their independence from any organization that wants to keep control of their activities.

History – At the end of the 19th century six Italian immigrants arrived in Brazil with the purpose of conducting the most important anarchist experiment in the country – the establishment of the Colonia Cecilia. Based on Giovanni Rossi’s ideas, an Italian philosopher and scientist, the settlement has lasted for only four years.

Memory – The many times awarded journalist Mario Mazzei Guimaraes speaks about his days of combatant in the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932, in Sao Paulo. He also makes comments on the newspapers he has worked for and on the innovations he has introduced in the language of this media.

Economy – Rubens Ricupero, Brazilian ambassador and former minister, has made a speech at the Federacao do Comercio do Estado de Sao Paulo on ‘How to Improve the Exports Performance’.