In the latter part of the trip, we visited one of the favelas (impoverished communities) which ironically sits across the highway from the majestic  buildings of billion-dollar corporations.  These communities were built when migrants from Bahia (and elsewhere) were unable to find housing. As it is in many poor countries, the people appear to be  in high spirits and possess pride despite their meager existence.  The children were full of life and absolutely adorable. I donated a chess set, instructions and 50 Chess Drum pens to the Centro Communitário Ludovico  Pavoni community center in the favela. Who knows what may come of it? One can only plant the seeds and hope that they somehow take root.

When the Portuguese brought  the African slaves to Brazil to work in the coffee plantations, they brought many of the spiritual and cultural aspects with them. One of these art forms was capoeira. We were given a demonstration by a group while at the Universidade Zumbi dos Palmares and it was awe-inspiring. The chess-like moves of this art focus more on avoidance than with strikes and blocks… the balletic movements are a thing of beauty to watch. Of course, a few of members of the group were asked to join in the impromptu dance and I was one of them. The performers and audience seemed to appreciate my headstand and spinning kick (armada). One performer graciously commented that I had a future in capoeira!

While in Brazil, David Allen e-mailed me about Afro-Brazilian players. From a chess standpoint, I didn't find much in Afro-Brazilian history, but I did get a few leads. In fact, we visited the Raça (pronounced ha-sa) magazine which caters to Afro-Brazilian life and culture and they may run a "Chess Drum" special… in Portuguese of course. Conceição Lourenço, the "Directora de Radação"  of  Raça, possesses an effervescent personality and seemed to enjoy our group discussion about issues in the Black Diaspora.

I only met one Afro-Brazilian who played chess ("xadrez" pronounced "sha-drez"). He was primarily a disk jockey who worked at company that publishes Raça. I gave him a tour of The Chess Drum after which he mentioned his father who runs an Afro-Brazilian website (www.portalafro.com.br). He also stated that his sister used to compete for Brazil years ago, but no longer plays.  Hopefully, I will find out more about her or about any Afro-Brazilian players. One member of my tour group stated that he saw two players playing blitz on the beach in Sao Paulo. Shame on me!

Foreign travel is certainly an eye-opening experience and it is important that people of African descent see each other and learn of the commonalities that we all share. Of course, the differences cannot be denied, but there is something to be said about our common struggles which cause us to have a deep appreciation for who and what we are. Language barriers have served to divide us, but there are certain forms of communications that  are as clear as the spoken voice or the written word.  This spirit is as evident in Brazil as it is on the African continent itself!

Note: Sincere thanks to Caio  Cardoso and Thalita Stein for serving as wonderful hosts and making this trip memorable.

Composed and Written: 25 March 2005