We love Brazil!
Published:Friday | September 10, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Simply put, Jamaicans love Brazil.
Whether it's the football or the sunny demeanour of the people, Brazil is always a hit. So when it was time to celebrate the 188th anniversary of Brazil's independence from Portugal, the invitations couldn't go out fast enough. Ambassador Alexandre Gueiros briefly illustrated how his homeland had moved from a collection of regions that didn't communicate with each other (and a few million inhabitants), to a bustling country of 192 million people.
He noted that ties with Jamaica have intensified with agreements in areas such as education, culture and biofuel. He also revealed plans for an airline to travel between Kingston and Brazil (the next World Cup and 2016 Olympics will be held there) so it could be samba meets reggae more frequently. Toasts and light conversation aside, the highlight of the evening was a lively capoeira demonstration from Grupo Cativeiro Capoeira of Jamaica. Capoeira is an African slave-inspired style of dance fighting that is as Brazilian as Rio de Janeiro. Guests were left captivated by the pulsating rhythms and the agility of the participants.
Guests out included Canadian High Commissioner Stephen Hallihan and wife, Cathy; head of the European Union delegation Ambassador Marco Mazzocchi-Alemanni; French Ambassador Marc-Olivier Gendry; Senegalese Ambassador Dr Nafissatou Diagne; Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Yamaguchi and wife, Yoko; Ecuadorian Consul Clelia Barreto de Hunter; Isiah and Tammie Parnell; Ambassador Elinor Sherlock; Ambassador Douglas Saunders; Ramon and Deidre Corvera; Liu Kan; Marcelo Munoz and Madai Hernandez; Aubyn and Tamara Hill; Stephen Facey; and Karl James.