 |
|
  |
|
| These
photographs were taken when I lived in São Paulo, Brazil from 1990-1992.
Four of them are of children who live in a favela (slum/community) in
São, Paulo.
The other eleven photographs are of children from river villages along the Brazilian Amazon near the city of Santarém. They are of a group of people called Caboclos. The Brazilian Amazon Caboclo is a disappearing culture. This rural group of people, Portuguese speaking, of Portuguese and Indian origin, represent the largest population within the Amazon region. Their distinct culture is at great risk due to the rapidly changing frontier. The lure of modern society and the migration to the cities and towns is adding to the disintegration of their culture which has roots dating as far back as the aborigines. They possess an invaluable wealth of knowledge that can be used to help in the preservation of the natural resources and the ecosystem within the rainforest. The Caboclo, with its history and tradition, its spiritual affinity to the water and land, and peacefulness and harmony is a culture that is in need of preservation. As a photographer living in Brazil, it was not difficult photographing Brazilian people, especially children. For many of them, who are poor, it was a way for them to feel famous. Many of the poor people have television and America (North) is what they dream about. As I looked through the lens, I tried to see the truth of the Brazilian faces that surrounded me. It was a way of entering into their lives if only for a mere second. Whatever they were feeling showed without defense, just honestly and with pride. I learned much from the Brazilian people. In February, 1997
I exhibited these photographs in Boston, Massachusetts. A Brazilian,
Valeria Galvão Wasserman, who had recently moved to Boston from
Brazil wrote the following:
|
 |
|
|
|
|
