Blogs

During this past month, I have been diving deeper into developing knowledge for the final project. Vivian and I reviewed the topics that would produce ideas for Korean culture. She had recommended a lot of good sources that informed the history, societal issues, and influences of foreign countries. 

A super helpful video that goes over the history of Korea was produced by an entertainment channel called “Infinite Challenge.” This channel is one of my favorite entertainment shows that I grew up watching with my brother. Through collaborating with rappers, the show members had to make hip-hop music that held significant figures and important historical happenings. One of the videos Vivian and I watched was talking about the Independence Movement Day and the activists who we should never forget. The first activist during 삼일절 was a young lady named Gwan Soon Yoo. Even at a young age, she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinion. Another activist, Dong Joo Yoon, who was a Korean poet who was born in China, wrote multiple poems expressing the yearning for Korea’s liberation. It was interesting to see these poets that were in Chinese characters, which have been significantly simplified compared to Korean characters nowadays. Finally, the teacher in the video talked about the most famous two figures, Kim Goo and Yoon Bong Kil. Kim Goo had created the Korean Patriotic Organization and was even physical towards the Japanese soldiers. Yoon Bong Kil left to Shanghai, also where Japan took over, and threw a lunch box shaped bomb towards the Japanese soliders. In a short and consice way, these entertainment shows provide impactful information to casual viewers. 

It made more sense how the Korean language had been influenced in a significant way by the Japanese and Chinese. These poems and letters written by these activists are the foundation of how Korean has been developed. These historical videos are very encouraging and makes me proud to be a Korean. It is very helpful in learning as they are very informative and entertaining at the same time. 

Another great show that she recommended is called “The Glory.” I will be creating the final presentation for this Netflix show. This show contains and portrays the social hierarchy and the characteristics of high school bullies, called 일진. Bullying is very common in Korea and has been a topic that has been focused on in current media culture. Although the show expresses the extremes of Korean bullying styles, it still depicts the main characteristics clearly. Not only does this show represent the revenge towards the bullies, it also shows how economic stances take a huge toll on everyone's lifestyles. 

I have noticed huge improvements in my Korean this month. As I am constantly watching videos that are only in Korean, I was able to understand most of the content even without the subtitles. My goal this month is to fully get rid of subtitles unless I come across vocabulary terms that I am not familiar with.

Ireecha is a traditional holiday celebrated by the Oromo people towards the end of September or the start of October. It is meant to mark the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the harvest season. This transition is significant because in Ethiopia generally the winter, which occurs during the U.S. summer season, is thought of as a difficult time for the people. One main reason is that families are unable to see one another during the rainy and winter season because it is challenging to travel internally. Therefore, Ireecha is meant to be a time when the Oromo people thank the Creator, Waaqa in Afaan Oromo, for getting them past this arduous time and allowing them to see the bright days that await them ahead. However, the people also use Ireecha to thank the Creator for the blessings of the rainy season, which brings new life to the land and sustains their crops and livestock. Although I knew about the holiday before, I learned more deeply about it after getting closer with my cousin who is a yearly adamant celebrator of the holiday. He showed me videos of all the times he has celebrated and it was beautiful to see the holiday come to life via his phone screen. The holiday is celebrated in outdoor locations such as rivers, lakes, and mountains, which are considered sacred by the Oromo people. The celebration involves various rituals and activities, including prayers, songs, dances, and the offering of grass and flowers as a symbol of gratitude to Waaqaa. The community also engages in communal feasting, where they share food and drink as a way of promoting unity and solidarity. As you can see in the pictures below, millions of people gather at a lake, hora in Afaan Oromo, and engage in celebratory practices there. Interestingly, one of the main places this festival is celebrated is in the town my mother was born and raised and where my grandparents still live in. I hope to one day attend. Furthermore, this act of prioritizing nature, God’s unaltered creation, is an effort to strengthen their bond with the Creator Waaqa and their ancestors. Tragically, in the 2016 Bishofto festival, a result of ineffective security forces, up to 300 festivalgoers were killed in a stampede. All in all, I believe that Ireecha serves as a reminder of the value of traditional practices and the need to preserve cultural heritage in the face of modernization and globalization. As we continue to advance technologically and socially, it is essential to remember the traditions and customs that have sustained our communities for generations.

This has been such an amazing experience. I’ve never had a language experience like this one before. In my podcast interview, I express immense happiness for taking a class like this. I had never heard of it until last semester and it wasn’t until I had extra space in my schedule that I went searching for a class like this. To my delight, I came across a course that would allow me to learn a language outside of the often-taught romance languages while simultaneously working at my own pace and tending to my own needs. One of my favorite aspects of the class was definitely the final cultural presentations and generally, the classes focus on the integral relationship between culture and language. Our final presentations made that vigorously discussed topics come to life in different parts of the world. On the other hand, I wished the class incorporated our individual languages more seamlessly into the topics we discussed. Rather than summarizing what the articles we read argued, it would have been both helpful and insightful to relate them to one another personal language journey. This experience has in some ways reinforced what I knew about myself as a language learner while awakening me to others. For instance, as I predicted I learn language best when it is personalized to me. Unfortunately, learning language in a classroom at school doesn’t allow for this, and obviously, it would be silly to expect it to. However, this class facilitated a semester-long interaction between a native speaker and a student which allowed for this personalized language learning to take place. As I’ve mentioned in my language journals, my classes with my teacher were personalized to me; for instance, the sentences and vocabulary I learned were seldom random, they reflected my life, the people in it, what things constitute my days, etc. The most challenging aspect for me was, although cliche, overcoming the fear of making mistakes and feeling self-conscious. It can be uncomfortable to speak a language you're not completely fluent in, and it's easy to feel embarrassed or frustrated when you don't understand something. However, I've found that the more I practice and make mistakes, the more confident and comfortable I become. This class has granted me the opportunity to practice, informally and without pressure. Frankly, I feel a little discouraged with the prospects of my language journey after the completion of this class and more importantly after my time with my language partner ends. Although I have native Oromo speakers literally in my household, I am scared that my practice with the language will stop when my time with her does because I have garnered the confidence throughout the semester to actually speak in Oromo despite countless mistakes. I am unsure if I can develop this confidence and discipline independently of my language partner. But on the bright side, I know that my genuine innate motivation for acquiring fluency in Afaan Oromo will push me past this difficulty and unsureness. 

Final Project: FengShui Link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ClUd1XMeYCLFDSSppeM9N1dLm-FFyGhO/view?usp=sharing

Slides Link

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dZi8uHn-XrIUgduI5vX768WYvxDQoTywX8skitBO8qI/edit#slide=id.p

a)  As a language learner, I have learned that every language has its unique features and complexities. I now know three languages and each of them is very different from the other no matter of phonetics and morphology. It really takes patience, dedication, and consistent practice to master them. Even if I am only a beginner in Korean, I realize that as long as I put sufficient effort into it, I can improve it. In the beginning of this semester, I can only speak several phrases that are so popular in Korean dramas. However, throughout the whole semester, I got to learn a lot about grammar and basic vocabulary. It is also essential to have a genuine interest in the language itself and the culture it represents. As a cultural explorer, I have gained an appreciation for the rich history and diversity of both Chinese and Korean cultures. As I am digging through the language, I find that I know more about the group of people who are using it. For example, the use of honorifics reflects how social hierarchies are represented in Korean culture. My research project is about how Chinese and Korean language influences. The existence of loan words also strengthens my thesis. The most challenging part of learning a new language is the memorization of new vocabulary and grammar rules. However, I enjoyed the process of learning new sounds and sentence structures, and it was rewarding to see my progress over time. To continue my learning progress, I recommend practicing regularly. Practice makes perfect! Also, talking and listening to native speakers are also very helpful. I have a lot of friends who speak Korean. Immersing oneself in the language and culture through media and conversations with native speakers is one approach I found useful in my English learning process.

b)  Among all the readings and learning activities we did in class, I found lectures that provided us with a clear explanation of the language’s structures and rules, along with examples of how they are used in context. The study of phonology and morphology gives new perspectives on my learning. This knowledge is very important in terms of academic learning. They were particularly helpful in understanding the building blocks of the language and how they come together to form words and sentences. Also, outside of class, I also participated in many online tutorials that my friends suggested. They are always free but with essential knowledge of the language. I would love to learn more about the cultural nuances and idiomatic expressions in the Korean language to improve my fluency and understanding of the culture. I will visit South Korea in the summer. It is a good opportunity for me to apply what I learned to real life. In conclusion, this course is very helpful with the support of my academic background. And real-life practice is imperative in improving my speaking and listening skills.

Wrapping this semester up, my partner and I discussed what we did and what I'd like to achieve in the future. Using my writings as a basis, we went over what I had improved on and what I needed more improvement on. With the final writings, I made sure to focus on quality over quantity, and chose political news as topics to ensure the formality/complexity of syntax. By writing on political news, I definitely found my writing ability improving, at least when I reverted back to simpler topics. I focused less on the writing amount and more on making less mistakes, and I think that definitely helped me improve. Although my partner and I still engaged in conversations for speaking proficiency practice, writing was definitely the main focus here. With conversations, I think we have reached a plateau, and if I wanted to really improve, it'd have to be in a very rigorous environment, as I think the spoken conversations between my language partner and I are pretty comprehensive and insightful as it is. Looking forward, I'd have to think of an aspect of my learning I'd improve on, but until then, I will continuously practice my writing ability.

Hwaseong Fortress, 화성, is a stone and brick Fortress in Suwon, Korea, where it remains as an UNESCO world heritage site. It was built by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty in the late 1700s, when he planned to move the capital of Joseon from Seoul to Suwon. The Fortress itself was a show of power and a tribute to his late father, and to this day it proudly displays Korea’s historical architectural style. The walls of the fortress span 3.5 miles, and because of the hilly terrain, these walls can be seen from afar. However, we know that Suwon never became the capital as the King passed before it could take place. Looking at Seoul’s proximity to the North Korean Border, I’m sure citizens wish it had been otherwise.

Today, it remains very much a part of the city, and in order to preserve as much of the fortress as possible, roads have been paved under the walls where possible, and a good amount of the area are like parks. When I went to Suwon, I would unintentionally see this fortress everytime. There are a lot of activities set up by the fortress, such as a tethered hot balloon allowing overviews of the city, and outdoor target archery in the fields of the fortress itself. The walls themselves have small holes every so often, which I guess were used to fit tools to apprehend intruders. There are also outposts on the wall that give nice views, and overall it is a nice fit to the otherwise modern city.

Some pictures of the fortress:

Podcast

For this cultural post, I will be talking about the Gada System, the indigenous democratic socio-cultural system of the Oromo people. The Gada system is very important because it is the core of Oromo culture- the Gada system is the foundation of Oromo culture, the root, and it holds up the different branches of Oromo culture. As a Global Studies major, I think the importance of the Gada system also lies in something bigger than Oromo culture. There is often a prevailing belief that democracy is not compatible with African culture and people because it is a Western conception therefore it would be in the best interest of  African people to stop trying to implement democratic systems in their countries because it will inherently never work. The Gada system is particularly important because it disproves this widely-held belief-that democracy is the brainchild of the West. The Gada system was created and used by the Oromo since approximately in the 1400s (but it can go back even further than this). The tree (Odaa in Afaan Oromo),  is culturally significant in Oromo culture because it is under a sycamore tree that the Gada Assembly takes place. It is during the Gada Assembly that the community gathers together and engages in healthy dialogue and reaches a consensus about their community. The system has many functions but generally, it regulates political, economic, social, and religious activities of the community dealing with issues such as conflict resolution, reparation and protecting women’s rights, enforcing moral conduct, building social cohesion, and expressing forms of community culture. The making and reviewing of laws are also integral to the system's functions. The way the system is structured is also indicative of its emphasis on collaboration, community, and the rule of law. So firstly there are five permanent parties and unlike the Western system of democracy where a party can lead consecutively, these 5 parties are never in competition with each other. Every party is in power, taking turns. These turns are 8 years long. So over the course of 40 years, all 5 parties would have had a chance to lead & serve the people. Life under the Gada system is also separated into stages, each lasting 8 years. This means that every member of society has specified roles based on what stage of life they are in. It’s in the 5th stage that a member has the chance to be elected leader, the “Abba Gaada”. Abba means father and “gada” means era. Very interestingly, as I mentioned earlier when talking about the system's functions, one of the system's major tenants, known as “Sinquee”, is the safeguarding of women's rights. So although, of course,  it is evidently a male-centered system, women have historically had a large participatory role in it, especially when it comes to this tenant of “Sinquee”. In fact, if the Abba Gaada dies during his 8-year term, his wife who is known as “Hadha Gada” (mother of the era), takes his place-not a male successor. There is actually a surprising amount of academic scholarship that studies the role of women in the Gada system arguing that without their significant role again especially in upholding this major tenant, the system would be fruitless.  

https://urcapture.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=6c0b00b2-a0e0-47ef-a77d-aff100594324

When I was completing my first cultural post on music and Oromo culture, I was in the comments of the youtube song that I wrote about and one of the top comments was that Oromo artists are the heart of the Oromo people. Therefore, I wanted to focus this cultural post on Haachalu Hundessa, an Oromo-Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist who was assassinated three years ago. I doubt that you would ever come across something in regard to the Oromo people without coming across Haachalu Hundessa. Despite being a charismatic hero in the eyes of many (mine included), Haachalu carried a voice that literally would bring people to tears. When I traveled to Ethiopia this past summer, I would not go a day without seeing a three-wheeler taxi (bajaj), which has taken over the country (they are everywhere), without Haachaluu’s face plastered inside and/or outside the taxi. In the Oromia region, in particular, his music would persistently play from stores and restaurants at every corner. Haachalu Hundessa was born in Ambo, a growing town in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. At the age of 17, he was arrested for five years for taking part in protests. This was in 2003, just a year before Ethiopia's then administration engaged in violent human rights abuses in an effort to consolidate their power and corrupt the ‘elections’ they said would take place Haachaluu’s entire first album was composed and written during his time in prison. This album was titled Sanyii Mootii, translating into the royal lineage/race. His second album titled Waa’ee Keenyaa, meaning ‘About Us’ received never before seen recognition reaching the #1 best-selling African music album, suggesting that his music transcended beyond the Oromo or Ethiopian people. Unfortunately, Haachalu was not able to finish his final album titled Maal Mallissa (What is ought to be done) nor see the reaction it garnered across the globe as he was killed a week after revealing that he was working on it. The album was then released on the one-year anniversary of his death, inciting an emotional response from the people. I remember the day of his death as if it was yesterday. I remember my father calling my mother to deliver the news, quietly wiping away tears. On the other side of the ocean, my grandmother and her neighbors all left their house, wailing on the streets as if someone they personally knew had passed. This all is a testament to Haachalu’s revolutionary impact and influence. Hachalu’s life and work illustrated his courage, passion, and talent. He was not just a singer, but also a cultural icon and a political activist. His music inspired and mobilized people across Ethiopia and beyond, and his death was seen as a major blow to the Oromo movement and the struggle for democracy and human rights in Ethiopia. In just about anything he did he was able to capture his people's aspirations, fears, plight, culture, and values. Hachalu Hundessa was a remarkable individual who used his music to champion the cause of the Oromo people and to demand justice and equality in Ethiopia. His life and legacy are a testament to the power of music as a tool for social change, and to the resilience and creativity of the Oromo people in the face of adversity. While his death was a tragedy, his memory lives on in his music and in the hearts of those who continue to fight for a more just and inclusive society in Ethiopia and beyond.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UNX9qm8ztamh9q9jgFUod0ZRKW1hcYb7/view?usp=share_link

One of my favorite aspects of Oromo culture is its music. I knew that I had to learn the language because when listening to its music even without understanding what was being said, the music was still able to invite an emotional reaction from me. I thought if I love Oromo music even without understanding the lyrics, I can’t imagine what kind of feeling it would invite when I do. Before diving deep into an actual authentic artifact, I think it’s important to discuss the significant and integral role music plays in Oromo culture. Music has been used as a source of social commentary for the Oromo people for quite some time. For instance, in 2018 Ethiopia was going through a politically transformative period where the Oromo youth along with the youth of other ethnic groups were on the streets protesting against the federal government, particularly its mass urban expansion project and consequently displacement of Oromo farmers from their land. During that time the Oromo music industry experienced a massive boom with artists from nearly every locale putting out intricate music videos and captivating lyrics commenting on these issues. Interestingly however, what I find personally most beautiful about these songs is that at first glance one would not assume that it is politically motivated music, rather it is when you listen closely and look for metaphors, symbolism, etc that you see the social commentary it is making. For instance, let’s explore an Oromo song that came out relatively recently and played at nearly every Ethiopian function, in nearly every Ethiopian household garnering more than 20 million views on YouTube in just one year. Funnily, its top comment reads “I’m from Mozambique, I didn’t understand a single word but I love this song”.  The song is by Yosan Getahun and it’s titled 3OBsa. The music video vividly captures people, old and young, dancing and wearing beautiful traditional clothing-its exciting and makes you get up on your feet. Behind the repetitive lyrics and enticing melody is the artist's intricate and intentional use of Afaan Oromo to metaphorically convey a very important message. Yosan speaks on the struggle of the Oromo people, specifically seeking justice for the fallen people who have spoken out against oppression. In the music video, we see a caged-up white horse, a metaphor that is used to call out the government and its imprisonment of political prisoners that are imprisoned merely for opposing the regime. The chorus of the song goes “Fardi Qofaan Kaatum, maa qofaa kaata…Didee garbuu nyaachuu luugama nyaata, Buloon garmaamu tola mana”. This translates into something along the lines of this “The horse is running alone, why is it running alone, he refuses to eat, the beauty of the horse is when it’s rolling around, why stay caged up”. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zlm6JVbi2U

Throughout my language learning process, one of the things I have learned about myself is that I am a visual learner. I prefer to see and read things, rather than just hearing them. This has made reading Korean texts and watching Korean TV shows and movies particularly helpful in my language-learning journey, as it was a lot more engaging for me. This also had the benefit of allowing me to fill in the blank, rather than just searching up the translation of words I didn’t know––for instance, there was a type of vase in a Korean Youtube video I was watching, but simply having the person point to the object when they said it created a connection which has lasted far longer than if I had just searched the translation. However, I have also discovered that I struggle with remembering subtle differences between more advanced vocabulary words, especially when it comes to words with similar meanings, as the nuances of language cause these words to have particular uses, even if their translations are poorly representative of those differences. This takes me back to our reading on communicative competence, and so far, I plan to simply continue exposing myself to some of the principles of the CC approach.

Despite these difficulties, learning Korean has continued to be enriching. One of my favorite things about the Korean language is its structure. It is different from the English language in many ways, which has made it a fun challenge to learn, and though part of it feels innate to me as someone who grew up speaking Korean, consciously applying these grammatical rules feels like a live puzzle. I also enjoy the process of learning about Korean culture and history as I improve my language skills. It has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the country in ways that I would’ve never learned, even as a Korean-American.

Moving forward, I plan to continue my learning by incorporating more speaking and writing practice into my daily routine, working on quickly switching between Korean and English fluidly is a big goal of mine for the summer, and I plan to (try to) do just that with my parents. Additionally, I want to immerse myself more in “Korean-Korean,” or the more traditional practices, such as the ancient instruments, making rice cakes, and of course, learning about all the varieties of Kimchi. Though this isn’t necessarily vital for improving my Korean, still having the cultural knowledge to be able to speak on these things would be nice, especially when someone alludes to certain traditions and customs outside of modern Korea.

Regarding the most useful readings and learning activities, I found practicing reading and writing Hangul, the Korean alphabet, to be incredibly helpful, primarily for my substandard handwriting. Continuing, I’ve really enjoyed reading middle school level books, as the language in those texts are about my level, challenging me to learn new vocabulary while still being coherent enough for me that I can still engage with the material, without having to pause at every other sentence. Overall, my experience learning Korean thus far has been both challenging and rewarding. Of course, this comes with the enterprise of learning any new language, but I do think that, at the very least, I’ll continue to use Korean more often now that I’ve improved a bit, even if I stop learning formally. 

Coming into this class this past January, I wasn’t sure what to expect. As a wanna-be polyglot, I have been searching for the skills to independently explore language in a way that is both fun, effective, and efficient. As I wrote about in my initial letter in the beginning of the semester, I became fascinated with language learning from a desire to know and understand myself better. Coming from an Italian-American family, I often wondered what it would be like to be able to understand and see the world through the lens of my grandparents, and their parents, and so on and so forth. There is so much deep history that comes with having roots in another culture. Once I learned Italian, I soon realized that the desire to understand myself turned into a passion from wanting to connect and understand others. Building a plan and starting to learn French on my own using the information shared in this course has helped me see and approach language from a different and personal direction. While I have studied Spanish and Italian in a classroom setting, it has become abundantly clear to me that language is also something that can only ever be more rewarding the more the process is tailored to the individual. Creating and sharing resources for independent use has given me so many different ideas for how to enhance the experience for myself. 

I have really appreciated the process of learning all of the different aspects of language beyond the basic romance language setting. I always wanted to take a linguistics class during my time in undergrad, but I have always been a little bit hesitant and intimidated by the intricacies of grammar and semantics. I really appreciated learning the IPA, that is something that is so essential, but I had never taken the time to truly understand. Also being able to dissect grammar variations and decipher the parts of speech of completely foreign language structures was so interesting. I really enjoyed the class that centered around language families as well, I believe that it is so important but often forgotten about in the western world where English dominates intercultural exchange and had only ever learned about english and the romance language roots. 

Throughout the course of the semester, as my career path has become more clear, it became very obvious that these skills from the class will be utilized well after graduation. I hope to go into a field where language is such an asset and having not only lingual, but also cultural competency is essential. I think that the cultural presentations were so interesting and a great way to end the class. I learned so much information about different cultures that I have not encountered, and might have otherwise not encountered. This class opened my eyes in so many different ways and fostered a curiosity within myself to learn more! I hope to continue my French Language acquisition, re-encounter spanish independently, and possibly explore some completely new languages post-grad. I hope to continue to utilize language in a career in global communications and foster curiosity and community both in the US and abroad, so I deeply appreciate the skill set that I am leaving this class with!

An interesting topic that came up when Leticía and I went off topic during one of our Portuguese sessions was that the Portuguese language, particularly its spelling, has changed more than I would have predicted in the last 30 years. Leticía would talk about how she was taught certain spellings in elementary school, only for them to be eliminated in the future. This was a commonplace occurrence to her, but interesting for me to hear about. She said that a Nova Acordó Ortográfico came out when she was a child (in 1990), which established changes in the spelling of Portuguese that had been made. These changes were then given some time, around six years, for the population to adapt to them and have been permanent since they were established.

An example that Leticía gave was the trema, a u with two dots above it that used to be used in Portuguese. It was eliminated from Portugal Portuguese in 1945 and from Brazilian Portuguese in 1990. Some examples of spellings that were changed as a result of the trema being eliminated are freqüencia (frequency), aqüífero (aquifier), agüentar (to withstand), and pingüim (penguin). The new spellings are the same but the u no longer has a trema. I was not able to find whether it had any connection to the German umlaut, which is the German word for the two dot symbol above letters. The umlaut is still commonly used in German in current day.

Other examples are the loss of many hyphens in Brazilian Portuguese after certain prefixes, the elimination of c’s and p’s as silent consonants, making weekdays, months, and seasons lowercase, and making only the first word of titles uppercase.

A lot of these changes have been made to make Brazilian Portuguese more like Portugal Portuguese. Therefore, in internet searches and legal documents across borders the spellings of certain words in Portuguese would still be the same. The reforms in 1990 actually affected more words in Portugal Portuguese (1.5%) than in Brazilian Portuguese (0.5% of words). However, there were definitely difficulties in the transitions of legal documents, business transactions, and particularly school materials to the new spellings.

 Leticía also says that many Brazilians believe that another motivation behind the accents being eliminated are to make Portuguese more similar to English, but it seems as though consistency between dialects was the true reason. Tangential to the point of Portuguese potentially becoming more like English is that in Portuguese there is also the concept of estrangismo, the overuse of foreign words instead of having original Portuguese words for things.

All of these language trends are the result of globalization bringing the world’s languages in more contact with each other and countries with commercialization hubs dominating these language flows, such as English. However, this globalization also created the importance of consistency between Portuguese dialects that originally motivated these spelling reforms. The consolidation of Portuguese spellings in the long run makes it a more powerful player in an increasingly integrated world of languages. Overall, the reforms in 1990 have now created 98% consistency between Portuguese in Portugal and Brazil.

Marta Vieira da Silva, known to most Brazilians as simply Marta, is a female futebol (soccer) legend. She has her origins in pelada, pickup Brazilian soccer games that I described in a previous cultural post. These are very informal, involving a makeshift ball and anyone in the neighborhood willing to play. However, she faced a lot of difficulty growing up playing with boys who were not accepting of her playing soccer with them as a female. She initially played with a local boys team, but was discovered by a scout at age 14. This is a typical age for soccer recruitment in Brazil. In a previous article that I read, it was talking about 16 year old boys describing themselves as “too old” to be recruited and that they now played in peladas just for fun. She was recruited by the scout to play on a new women’s team for a well-known soccer club in Rio de Janeiro. She played on Brazilian women’s teams until 2004, when she joined a team in Sweden. She led them to many prestigious tournament championships and scored 111 goals in 103 league games during her time with the Swedish team. This was when she began to attract international acclaim. Afterward, she continued to play on teams in the U.S., Brazil, and Sweden. She also played on Brazil’s women’s team in the Olympics and World Cup. She has 17 World Cup goals, making her the highest goal scorer in Women’s World Cup history. She also has won the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year award in 2006-10 and 2018 (6 times).

She is also a UN Women Goodwill ambassador as a role model and advocate for women’s equity in sports. She is also just generally seen as a role model among female Brazilians for the classist and sexist barriers that she had to break through to have her success in soccer.

She was also appointed as a Sustainable Development Goals Advocate for 2019-2020. She works specifically in the division of female empowerment. She believes that women playing sports is an important means of empowerment for women to be able to “challenge socio-cultural norms and gender stereotypes and increase their self-esteem, develop life skills and leadership; they can improve their health and ownership and understanding of their bodies; become aware of what is violence and how to prevent it, and look for available services and develop economic skills."

I’m writing about Marta as my cultural post because she truly created a cultural movement through being a woman in futebol, which is a powerful means of change and social movement in Brazil. She is a household name and one that is female, rather than many of the male soccer legends that come from Brazil. Her work on the field and off the field has no doubt inspired many women across the world, but particularly those in Brazil. While there are still a lot of improvements to be had in terms of women’s soccer in Brazil, Marta undoubtably continues to change its course for the better.

The Festa de Iemanjá is a festival whose purpose is to give blessings to the orixá (saint in Yorubá, a west African language) Iemanjá. Its origins lie in the Brazilian religion Candomblé, which combines Brazilian and African religious traditions. Iemanjá represents maternity (this festival specifically honors the importance of her representation of fertility, family, and the protection of children. The festival involves offering flowers and other gifts to Iemanjá by sending them out on a body of water that flows toward the ocean. Attendees of the festival usually dress in white, which is one of the colors that is representative of Iemanjá. After the offerings are given, the celebration continues with music, dancing, and general festivities.

The Festa de Iemanjá takes place on February 2^nd every year. The most popular place to attend the celebration is Salvador, which is the capital of the Brazilian state Bahia in the northeast of Brazil on the coast. This is an area that has some of the highest numbers of Candomblé followers due to its origins in the trade of enslaved peoples and Bahia’s location on the coast of Brazil. The festival in Salavador specifically occurs on the beaches of the Río Vermelho (Red River).  

People begin bringing flowers and offerings the day before the festival to a shrine near the beaches of the Río Vermelho. Then, a fireworks display at sunrise on the following day signals the beginning of the festival. The offerings are blessed and then brought out to sea by fishermen in their boats. The offerings can be flowers, food (particularly white foods, including sweet rice and coconut puddings, such as manjar branco a classic Brazilian dish that is said to be connected/representative of Iemanjá), and objects like perfume, lipstick, jewelry, and mirrors. Sometimes small boats that are meant to be replicas of the larger fisherman boats are sent out as well. If any of these offerings or gifts wash up on the shore, it is assumed to have been rejected by Iemanjá, while if it floats out to the ocean, it is seen as her accepting your gift and therefore, she gives you her blessing.

The popularity of the festival in Salvador has gotten to such proportions that imitation festivals have begun to occur in other cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and Recife. In Rio de Janeiro, the Festa de Iemanjá occurs on January 1^st. Everyone who attends still wears white, but the ritual that occurs can involve bringing offerings to the sea, but attendees also run into the ocean and jump over 7 waves, which is meant to represent getting closer to Iemanjá.

The celebration is now widely televised and is bringing further national recognition to the religion of Candomblé, particularly because of the tourist crowds that the festival is now attracting. Attracting similar large crowds can be seen as part of the reason why other cities are starting to hold duplicate festivals. However, it is also allowing those of Candomblé faith in those areas to express their devotion and may continue to generally make the festival more accessible and visible.

A concept that I learned about through Leticia is pelada, a word that means naked in Portuguese. In certain contexts, however, it is used to describe pick-up soccer games that occur all over Brazil. The nickname is meant to represent the stripped-down nature of these games. They can occur anywhere, on any surface (beach, stone, concrete, asphalt…), and are a central component of Brazilian culture. Formal soccer that is played on curated fields and in stadiums with spectators is called futebol in Portuguese (the term for soccer). However, pelada is considered to be very different. It sometimes involves a ball, or other times it involves a ball of socks, cardboard, or plastic bags. Anyone who can come plays and it is usually, to use the English term, shirts vs skins. The rules are simple. Someone sets a timer on their cellphone for 10 minutes and then the game begins. The game ends when either a goal is scored or the timer goes off. Players then switch off to play as many continuous rounds as possible. A lot of times these matches will begin at night after people get off work, but they can go into the early morning, depending. Instead of a crowd of spectators surrounding pelada, there are just people waiting to get into the next game. It’s pelada, the game being played for the sake of the game. It also can be an escape from long workdays and neighborhoods that have higher levels of crime and violence. Some community organizers are using it as a way of keeping kids away from engaging with illegal activity.

The article linked describes the diversity of people who will play in these games, some with shoes and some without. It describes a player who said that he dislocated his toe during a game. He just set it back so that he could keep playing. Apparently, scouts will come to peladas or organize their own games to find and recruit players that they are impressed by. Romário, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo, all Brazilian soccer legends, were discovered this way. Brazil is one of the top exporters of professional soccer players. However, some scouts have been brought to Brazilian court because of their treatment of recruits they ask to come from other regions to play in peladas in more populated regions.

Pelada has had to adapt to the changing landscapes of Brazil. For example, pelada games used to be concentrated on the shores of the rivers in São Paulo. The games would be called futebol de varzea (lowlands soccer) but as it has developed as a city, the games are now limited to quadras, small, open squares in the city surrounded by metal fences. The reporter of the article attached visited one of these games and said that it was played silently, except for infrequent inter-team dialogue.

Most games usually only involve men, but can involve female players. However, there is a lot of stigma related to women playing to this day. Brazil still does not have a national women’s soccer league.

 https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/sports/soccer/pickup-soccer-in-brazil-has-an-allure-all-its-own.html

Attached is the link to the podcast.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anna-liu96/episodes/Semester-Wrap-Up-S23-e22prvc