Literatura de Cordel

LITERATURA DE CORDEL
I’m really not sure how to go about this as I am no wondergust when it comes down to fictional literature and its critical offspring. As a result, it would merely be pompous, pretentious or simply inauthentic if I were to draw wideball comparisons between different schools of prose or poetry. However, many of us find songs and poetry somewhat more accessible or less daunting than the overwhelming realm of a novel or series of novels.God bless them, novel writers, as we sure do like translating their toils. In all honesty, I prefer a good novel over a lazy weekend than a collection of poems, no-matter how carefully selected and sequenced the poems are. In many ways, although this may appear to be an unforeseen arrogance, I think musicians should be serving poets and the singers, well, I guess they’re more bearable if they can play an instrument or two. As I don’t play anything more than discs, I might be considered as a musical neotooltwirler. However, as I delvea little more into lyric-writing, poetry with melody, I cannot avoid hovering over the knowledge that musicians have an enormous luxury of being able to lounge in the luxury that there are oceans of lyrics just waiting for music and performance artists to set the words alive from the screens the lyrics are being read from.
Without writing too many further tangentially distracting lines, those of us who have discovered ‘literatura de cordel’ and made sufficient time and energy to stroll with it, have been endowed with a gemstone grounding in a beautiful form that can only enchant readers, singers and performers alike. If you don’t know or learn Portuguese, whether it is African, Asian, South American or European makes little difference. Cordel, as it is more usually called, has everything that modern poetry might. Imagine hiphop, limericks, prose and any other accessible, easy to consume product and then add cultural heritage, a tropical climate and an adaptability to themes of all kinds.
In structure, most cordel poems or songs are between 20 to 80 verses, normally six line verses but not necessarily. Each verse follows a rhyming pattern and if read or sung aloud there is an additional rhythmic variation that many cordel writers add to their product. Like an extensive rap without the electronica, a carnaval samba without the drums and repetition or a short epic in their own right, each poem covers a specific character, pair or group of characters and more regularly an historical thread, era or event. Some writers tackle awkward social phenomena, like the Beatles, Zeca Pagodinho, political revolution or individual idolatry and heroism. With nearly all the examples of cordel I’ve read, I’ve been unable to repress open, loud, hearty laughter. The result is an infectious rhythmic and possibly melodic artform that holds most readers in trance to the completion of each ‘book’. I’ve written book because they are sold as paperback leaflets, with each poem being a short story in its own right. Each writer has his own method of publication and this commercial aspect has led to its regionalism being dissipated.
Without digging too deep on cordel’s history, it is a traditional northeastern cultural dominion that has however, spread back beyond its hardcore, Alagoas and its closest neighbours to most of coastal Brasil. It has a stronghold in central Rio de Janeiro as it did originally, when it arrived from Portugal. The largest known collection is in a small specialist bookshop in Santa Tereza just up the hill from the world-famous Lapa, with its charming arched tram bridge and bohemian reputation. Knowing a little of coastal Brasil is useful in understanding some of the more intimately written pieces with a certain depth of characterisation in historic northeasterners, like Lampiao, os cangaceiros, Brasil’s first president of the republic or any number of regular personae who, whether based on real northeasterners or from the imagination of the writers’ experiences, certainly capture the essence of what it is to live and be part of northeastern community living. For example, in “Matuto Zé Cara” by Jorge Calheiros, resident in Maceio. With a short extract and a little knowledge of Iberian languages you’ll probably appreciate this,
Ò grande deus soberano
Reforçai a minha mente
Pra mim narrar com firmeza
Uma historia descente
O senhor me ajudando
Termino rapidamente

Um homen pra ser poeta
É só deus lhe da o dom
Pode ser preto ou mulato
Ser gelago até marrom
Até mesmo na areia
Escrevendo fica bom

And that is just his prelude to the story of Matuto Zé Cará. For most of us who keep up with Brasil’s current and traditional cultural phenomena, “A fantástica história de Zeca Pagodinho, o disco voador e o extraterrestre” is a cackle from a head cockrel at the edge of the enormous cauldron, also known as samba. Victor Alvim Itahim Garcia has the edge to cut the froth from the ever popular romanticism, pagode, at the periphery of the world reknowned pandemonium that samba really always should be. Without quoting again, he simply situates Zeca right where he sometimes finds himself, the butt of really good humour. One of the most prodigious cordel writers is J.Victtor, who seems capable of covering a never-ending diversity of themes and topics. There are no barriers or frontiers when Victtor is putting pen to paper. Here’s another reason to learn at least some portuguese, before coming to South America. From his slender semblence of verses on “Os Beatles”,
As artes às vezes são
por muitos, classificadas
por grau de dificuldade
e nas listas anotadas
a música é a primeira
de todas as artes criadas.

Música traz alegria,
paz e serenidade,
unindo povos, pregando
a mais fraterna amizade,
transpondo fronteiras e
trazendo boa irmandade.

John Lennon, Paul McCartney
George Harrison e Ringo Starr
formarem a maior banda
de rock para tocar,
revolucionando o modo
de compor e de cantar.

Why not reflect on your own cultural heritage? Is there a mass popular cultural phenomenon that can share this shelf? Consider if limericks are really comparable or if hiphop has the merits to be carelessly plonked alongside cordel. We know cordel began in Portugal in the eighteenth century but it has certainly taken shape and form in Brazil. It has been said that cordel has also set roots in Africa, specifically in Angola, though I cannot confirm this, having never read African cordel. Goodness knows, there may be cordel writers residing in Goa, Macau or Timor L’Este but you can be sure, it is alive and well in South America’s Brasil. If you take a step back then maybe you’ll find some more grey matter between these black and white lines, just challenging enough to set you a hobby for your accumulated freetime meanderings. On sc reen, intellectualisation isn’t what this is but keeping it light and simple, cordel is possibly the hors d’oevre that you really should snack on to begin learning Portuguese.

As SerrasCanastras

Adventure is often associated with wildlands and life outside of cities. Perhaps sporting practitioners are more capable of explaining the essence of adventure but whatever we think of as being adventurous, if you’re in search of a new experience to thrill your adrenalin driven psyche, then ‘as Serras Canastras’ may just tickle your tango! There are four main urban centres with several smaller villages that are usually linked to this upland region in Minas Gerais. Although visitors are found from all around the world, this enchanting mountain range still maintains its original characteristics with thrilling vistas and a traditional agricultural way of life. There is a central national park area where the restrictions on access and regulations for visitors to follow are fairly standard for a vulnerable ecological balance that is well managed and maintained.
Although the wilderness area extends well beyond the national park, there are also a few tourist hotspots with many family oriented activities and facilities. Depending on what you’re looking for, ‘As Canastras’ have everything to offer. The variations in vegetational ecosystems are also seasonally oriented with a summer ‘rainy’ season and a winter ‘dry’ season, in accordance with southern hemispheric meteorology. As a result of various distinct ecosystems, there is an aviary abundance that is dependent on both plant and flowerlife as well as reptilian and mammal species. Despite the intimidating upland tableau, with its surrounding towering cliff faces, it is possible to walk or drive up onto the central plateau from where innumerable streams and rivers can be sourced, including the famous River São Francisco, which has its own statuesque shrine at the spring.
If you like waterfalls, there is no shortage of spectacles to behold, especially in the summer when they drop off the edge of mountains, like milk rolling off the flat top upland range. Most of these beautiful rivers have naturally formed swimming pools both up above, at the riverheads in the peaks, and below in the valleys that cut down into the lowland farming areas at the foot of the escarpments. Either and both give the opportunity for a delicious dip in fresh crystal clear waters that make for a complete contrast to the scorching sunshine usually associated with the region. The picture postcard waterfall is “A Casca D’Anta”, which has its reputation firmly rooted for both its volume and height, with well-rounded infrastructures and easy access for visitors. In addition to simple walking and swimming, there is a strengthening diversity of activities and facilities available to be sampled by the more adventurous holidaymakers, including occasional extreme sports tournaments.
Like most Brazilian national parks, we have pride in the diversity of animal species that are maintained within and around the wilderness areas. Consequently, some of these species may be dangerous and unaccustomed to human life, which means there are chances of spotting unusual or rare animals, birds and reptiles. This happened to me on a benign afternoon when I was returning to camp in a beautiful lowland valley alongside one of the small rivers in the shadows of an astounding waterfall. I’d sighted a rare owl species soon after sunup as we arrived on the plateau, which had just caught a sizeable lizard in the morning light. This was spectacular enough, as I’d never seen such hunting other than in TV documentaries. So, when I asked a local guide a few hours later, he explained that it was probably a ‘Coruja Burraqueiro’, which sleeps in the heat of the day in small holes or treetrunks. Anyway, having been enlightened, as I was descending off the hill with my urbanised Labrador, she was a few metres ahead of me and had just passed a 30 centimetre diameter hole amongst the dried yellow grass in an open meadow. I thought there might be an awakening owl, hidden down in there, and began to lower my head to have a look, when I saw something move next to the hole, a “Cascavel”, the highly poisonous Rattlesnake. It had already raised its head and it struck out in direction of my right leg. Fortunately it didn’t bite although it had sent its venom into the air in an instantaneous spitting action and as I stood taller and moved back from the metre long or more serpent, it decided I wasn’t its prey and slyly slithered back into its recluse. My medium-sized dog, which had been completely unaware of the reptile and the danger it posed, went back up the hill to investigate what had caused such consternation in me. If I’d let her, she’d have been bitten and died in minutes from its powerful toxin but she is well trained enough to follow my voice sufficiently to protect her. It was a thrilling experience that highlighted only too well that wilderness areas are replete with adrenalin fuelling sights that can be appreciated without getting too close to any hazards. It may be worth remembering that most animals sense perils more than we do and that more often than not, strange human activities and noises are more than enough to dispel rare species sightings, let alone an attack. In conclusion, it is advisable to leave your car, and get your natural walking feet on the move, as you’re far more likely to appreciate more natural wonders just silently making the most of what is there around you.
Adhering to traditional knowledge from local residents and trained, practised guides is the most regular way to learn from wilderness areas and the “Serras Canastras” is no exception to that broad canon, although there are several publications available, which can be referenced from, giving a better understanding of this thrilling mountainous wilderness. There are rarely mountaineers making the most of countless cliff-faces, sometimes paragliders and basejumpers take to the mountaintops and more often trekking and watersports are increasing in popularity, particularly on the southern edge of the park, near Delfinopolis, on what is occasionally referred to as the ‘Paulista’ side, at the southern extreme of ‘O Triangulo Mineiro’. Fishing, waterskiing, canoing and swimming are regular amongst those who weekend near the reservoir, which is usually traversed by a boat service from Cassia. Sacramento and Araxá, to the west and north respectively are also good cities to access the park, while São Roque, Vargem Bonita and some smaller villages also provide good stopping points on your path to the mountains, unmistakeable and widely known as the Serras Canastras.