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Oconee County High School
As the Brazilian rap artist sang his song, his intense attitude resembled that of American rappers, but unless one spoke Portuguese the message passed unknown.
But the Oconee County High School students attending this lecture on Brazil seemed to enjoy the video as they observed this Brazilian counterpart of American music.
Besides music, the students were introduced to many other facts about the country of Brazil, which is larger than the continental United States with about 5,000 miles of coastline in South America.
The program was presented by University of Georgia Portuguese professor Susan Quinlan and doctoral students Paula Pontes and Katia Santos. UGA has the second largest Portuguese program in the U.S.
''In conjunction with the language program we have an undergraduate minor and Ph.D. program that makes it attractive,'' Quinlan said.
They were invited to the school by teacher Clarence Harris and the Multi-Cultural Committee, which hosts monthly talks on various cultures around the world.
Brazil has the largest tropical rain forest in the world and is the fifth most populous. It was founded by Portugal, consequently Portuguese is the national language.
Quinlan said there is a city in Brazil called Americana, which was founded after the Civil War by Americans from Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia who wanted to maintain a lifestyle, including slave ownership. However, Brazil also freed their slaves in 1888. The people there still celebrate July Fourth and make apple pie, yet few still speak English, she said.
Soccer is the national sport.
On a historical note, Santos said the slaves in Brazil were in many instances able to preserve their African cultures because slaves from the same regions of Africa were kept together, whereas in the U.S. they were often separated so they could not bond.
Consequently the black people in Brazil were able to maintain many cultural and religious practices from Africa which exist today.
Quinlan, who visits Brazil frequently, said her favorite city in the country is Rio de Janeiro.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, January 30, 2002.
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/013002/ath_0130020009.shtml
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