2006 March

Bahia Street News

Dear All,

I am freezing! Yesterday was spring, and today it’s winter again. Nancy and I just walked to the bank and my fingers are so cold I can hardly type. March is making sure we notice its lion entrance.

By contrast, I was just speaking with Rita yesterday, and she says Salvador this year is hotter than she can remember. She cannot sleep at night, and people are actually getting sick from the heat. Salvador—and other parts of Bahia—are also not getting the rain they should, Rita has seen very little since November. The girls are all returning to classes after Carnival, and Rita is trying to obtain extra fans to make the classroom heat tolerable.

Fio and Rita have spent the summer months painting the interior of the (new) Bahia Street Center, and Rita says the walls are now all bright pinks and yellows. She will be sending us photos which we will put up on the website. They are very busy now with the beginning of the year, hiring new teachers and organizing the schedules of the girls. This is incredibly complicated. All the girls go to public schools (in addition to Bahia Street) for four hours a day, but the school day in Salvador is divided into three parts for the students, one session in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Bahia Street classes are all in the afternoon. All the girls go to different schools in neighborhoods scattered all over the city. This means that Rita and Fio have to negotiate with all these schools to get the girls put into the morning public school session so they can attend Bahia Street in the afternoon. A huge undertaking, particularly when we consider that they are doing this for fifty girls.

However, our efforts are paying off. Daza was one of the early girls to join Bahia Street. She is also one of the girls whose mother has always been very supportive of her work. And this year, on her first try, Daza passed the university exam. Not only did she pass, but with the high marks that will allow her to enter Salvador’s federal university. These federal universities are the most difficult to gain admittance, but they are free if one gets in. So, Daza is this month beginning her first year at the Federal University of Bahia in Communications. This makes the second girl from Bahia Street to enter university, Juliana last year and Daza this year. Bahia Street is a long term investment in people, but we are now beginning to see the wonderful and concrete results of our work. Thank you all for your support over the years.

And speaking of support, Nancy received an email this week from one of our supporters here in Seattle, Peg, that particularly touched us. Peg is the mother of twin girls who are in the sixth grade. She and her older daughter, Miriam, came to the Bahia Street gathering in January and returned home very excited. This was the result as Peg wrote in an email to Nancy:

“I don’t know if you’ve gotten word of this yet from Naomi and Eliana, but they were very taken with what Miriam and I had to say about Bahia Street. It was their birthday this past week, and they asked their friends and relatives to send them donations to Bahia Street instead of gifts. Many complied, and we have raised over $500!”

It is remarkable to think that these girls would choose to use their birthday gifts to give to others. I feel glad for our future with young people like that around.

We have several exciting events on the horizon. First, Rita is coming to Seattle! We are setting this up for the last two weeks of September and will be having a formal dinner honoring her and celebrating the Tenth Year Anniversary of Bahia Street! (I find this personally amazing). We will let you know more about her visit and the events associated with it as they develop.

Also, following the impressive success of this year’s trip, we are hosting a Study Trip to Bahia again this year. The trip will be a total of seven days in Bahia, scheduled for November. Check out the Bahia Street website at www.bahiastreet.org for more details. The trip is a chance to have fun, learn about the realities of Bahia life, the culture, inequalities, African influences, and to have a chance to meet the Bahia Street girls and see our work first hand. Please email Nancy at nancy@bahiastreet.org if you might be interested in joining us!

And finally, Senzala Seattle, a Seattle based capoeira group, is putting on a benefit for Bahia Street on March 31 entitled Rites of Change at the Velocity Dance Center (915 East Pine Street). It looks to be a wonderful event. It features Brazilian-themed performances by Bem Brazil, DJ Joe Mojo, Roda de Fogo, Erin MacNamee, Senzala Seattle, and Capoeira Malês. Additionally there will be an auction featuring an amazing collection of arts and crafts. The proceeds will benefit an expanded capoeira program at the Bahia Street Center. Tickets cost $10 at the door or through www.brownpapertickets.com. For more information, visit www.bahiastreet.org/events or give us a call at (206)633-1724.

A few days have passed since I began this letter and in that short time spring has reemerged. When I stopped for my morning coffee this morning, everyone was talking about their favorite spot for viewing Seattle’s spring blossoms, one told of the Asian cherry trees in the Arboretum, another of the jasmine at the Locks. Everywhere the air is filled with the scent of blossoms and the ground dotted with the bright yellow of daffodils. The explosion of spring brings such joy.

My very best to you all.

Margaret