Sesc SP

Popular culture – A tradition that relives the biblical episode of the Three Kings, the folia de reis party arrived in Brazil in the XVIII century, coming from Portugal. Throughout the Christmas season and New Year’s Eve, millions of faithful take part in this pilgrimage to the sound of music and religious chants.

International – It has been long known that the population of Angola, a country of the Portuguese-speaking Africa, is influenced by programs broadcast by Brazilian Globo and Record television networks. Now, for market reasons, these broadcasting companies are beginning to produce tailor-made attractions for that audience.

Society – The time is long gone when women only took care of the house and the children. Today, for various reasons, they are increasingly also becoming responsible for the financial keeping of the household, regardless of their spouses.

Labor market – To comply with a quota bill, several private companies have been investing in capacity-building programs for physically disabled persons, so as to integrate them in the labor market.

Immigration – Last July came into force the Migration Amnesty Law. With this measure, the government expects to regularize the situation of immigrants who entered Brazil up to 1 February 2009 and still have not got their documentation in order.

History – The coast of the state of Santa Catarina, famous for its beaches, boasts other treasures. Researchers discovered old sunken ships in the area and are bringing to light relics and other information on the navigation routes used by colonizers and adventurers.

Transport – Pothole-ridden roads, a fleet on the verge of obsolescence, and loose regulation are practically rendering unfeasible the cargo road transportation sector in Brazil. In face of the situation, the government has decided to establish more stringent rules to reorganize this important segment of the economy.

Health – Just as happens in other countries, rich or poor, the Brazilian population has been suffering the effects of bad eating habits, which, among other diseases, cause obesity. According to specialists, only through reeducation campaigns can this picture be reversed.

P&D – Brazil, contrary to other technologically well-developed countries, keeps most of its researchers inside the universities and scientific institutions, not inside companies. The result is the low number of patents registered by Brazilians.

Science – A pioneering scientist who is practically unknown today, Brazilian priest Landell de Moura may be considered a precursor to the invention of the radio, the television, the telex, the remote control, and even of the optic fiber.

Literature – A profile of Mozambican writer Mia Couto, whose works have good penetration in the Brazilian market. With a production that shows a lot of his land, he has been gaining recognition and collecting awards worldwide.

Memory
• A politician, diplomat, and writer, Joaquim Nabuco went into history for his role in the abolition of slavery in Brazil. The year of 2010 marks the centennial of his death.
• Renowned internationally, jurist Miguel Reale has his birth centennial celebrated this year. In addition to being a lawyer, he was a philosopher, educator, writer, and political activist.

Minorities – The city of Sousa, in upstate Paraíba, is home to a community of gypsies who have become sedentary in the mid-1980s. Of their traditions, transmitted over generations, very little is left. Today, neither the caló dialect nor the art of palmistry attracts the younger generations.

Thematic panels – Congressman Roberto Magalhães, a former governor of Pernambuco, manifested, at a meeting of the Economics, Sociology and Politics Council of the São Paulo State Fecomercio, Sesc and Senac, his concern with the sovereignty of parts of the Brazilian territory, threatened, according to him, by the establishment of large Indian reservations that could, with the support of interested foreign countries, declare independence.
At the same council, on a different date, journalist Rolf Kuntz delivered a talk on Brazil’s economic and political transformations over the last years, showing apprehension with regard to the present government, which, instead of a government project, is putting together a power-driven project, with harmful consequences for the future.