2009 Bahia Street Study Trip Information Now Available
A wonderful immersion into place, culture, and history
- 2008 Study Trip Participant
2009 SOCIETY, EQUALITY AND CHANGE STUDY TRIP
May 15-26, 2009
$2,000 NOW $1,800 (not including airfare)
Proceeds support Bahia Street programs.
Pretty darn amazing… I’d come back in a heartbeat…. The people were incredible (leaders as well as other group members)…. Well-organized… unique…. Carefully organized and offered with love…. Once in a lifetime… but hopefully not!
The Bahia Street Society, Equality, and Change study trip explores race, class, poverty, and society in Bahia, Brazil. It introduces participants to people making a difference in their communities in and around Salvador. It allows participants to go “inside Bahia” and experience Salvador through the eyes of its African-Brazilian majority. Overall, the trip is designed to be both fun and educational.
Trip leader: Melanie Wyffels
Featuring: Dr. Margaret Willson (US) & Rita Conceição (Brazil)
Co-directors of Bahia Street
View 2007 study trip slideshow (very large download). Download Quicktime.
Please contact us by phone or e-mail for more information!
ABOUT THE STUDY TRIP
Study trip participants will spend ten days in Bahia hosted by Bahia Street, a Seattle- and Salvador-based non-profit organization working to break cycles of poverty and violence through education.
Over the course of ten days, we will explore diverse areas within Bahia, including a small fishing village, an interior river town, a nature preserve within the Atlantic rainforest, and Bahia’s capital city, Salvador da Bahia. You will have the opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds as you learn about different facets of Brazilian and Bahian society.
TRIP LEADERS
The trip will be led by Melanie Wyffels, a Brazilian-American based in Seattle with strong ties to Salvador, Brazil. Melanie was born into a family of renowned educators in Brazil, is fluent in Portuguese and English, and has extensive experience in intercultural communication and exchange.
During the course of the trip, you will also meet Bahia Street’s co-founders, Dr. Margaret Willson and Rita Conceição. Dr. Willson, an anthropologist who has worked in Salvador since 1991, will give an orientation to Salvador, discuss its history and society, and outline anthropological issues related to the topics covered by the study trip. Ms. Conceição grew up in one of Salvador’s most notorious shantytowns, and she remains an activist and civic leader working for a better life for impoverished African-Brazilians. She will lead a discussion about Bahia Street and a tour of Salvador’s shantytowns.
PROGRAM
All participants will arrive into Salvador during the day of Saturday, May 16. You will be met at the airport and transported to a hotel in the Barra neighborhood of Salvador, giving you a chance to rest and prepare for the rest of the trip.
Cachoeira
The study trip begins by traveling through the area surrounding Salvador called the Recôncavo. This is a region with rich fertile agricultural land on which farmers grow sugar cane and tobacco, among other products, and a . We will spent two nights in Cachoeira, a historic town full of lovely colorful Portuguese buildings from the 1800’s. This town was central to slavery and African-Brazilian history and was a home to some of Bahia’s most noted African-Brazilian intellectuals. Cachoeira sits along the Rio Paraguaçu and is a center for delicious local liquors made from area fruits. Many famous woodcarvers call Cachoeira home, and it remains a center for practitioners of the African-Brazilian religion of Candomblé. Weather permitting, we will spend a day on the river exploring the area by boat.
Ituberá
Ituberá is located south of Salvador in the Mata Atlântica, a tropical rainforest created by tradewinds. The region around Ituberá is beautiful, with stunning forest and mangroves along the coast, and with agro-floral farms growing lilies and other tropical flowers for sale around the world. North of Ituberá within the Michelin Plantation is a beautiful waterfall, the Panacada Grande. Activities include taking local hikes, visiting the waterfall, and exploring the city of Ituberá. The birding is this region is amazing, so bring your binoculars!
Salvador
You will visit Bahia Street, the non-profit organization directed by Dr. Willson and Ms. Conceição that is working to break cycles of poverty and violence through quality educational opportunities for young women and girls in Salvador. Early in 2005, Bahia Street dedicated its new building, where visitors can see the tremendous energy and excitement in which Bahia Street girls now learn and thrive.
Other activities in and around Salvador include…
· Learn about candomblé, an African-Brazilian religion that came to Brazil with the slaves and has developed over the last four hundred years in Brazil, particularly in the Northeast where Salvador is located. Candomblé is a remarkable and complex religion that is central to the spiritual life of most Salvador residents. We will explore the religion of candomblé, its connections to Catholicism, its history and roots in Africa, and the politics of racial and religious oppression.
· Tour the shantytowns (both established and more recent ones considered “invasions”) surrounding Salvador’s downtown.
· Experience capoeira, the African-Brazilian martial art and dance that integrates self defense, oral history, and traditional music into an art form.
A translator will be provided for all talks.
Arembepe
We will take a day trip to Arembepe, a small fishing village just north of Salvador. Unlike most of the oceanside communities near Salvador, Arembepe does not attract tourists and has not been overwhelmed by large hotels. Because the town was invaded by ‘hippies’ in the 1960s, middle class Brazilians shunned it. The result has been a small town that is still largely a fishing community on the edge of an estuary preserve. Residents of Arembepe are working hard to save their town and way of life against industrialization and “development.” Arembepe is also host to a TAMAR turtle preserve, which we will visit. You will have time to walk the stunning beaches, eat at superb local restaurants that feature locally caught seafood, and take in the culture of this lovely little town.
Free Time
There is a lot to do in Salvador! You won’t want to miss seeing some of the excellent museums or 365 churches in Salvador, one for each day of the year. There are local shopping opportunities for people interested in exploring stores with local crafts. During the day, you might want time on the beach to relax in the sun and swim in the warm Atlantic water. For the evenings, why not check out some local music or cultural programs—we’ll provide information on what is going on. Bahia Street will help you get a taxi and get where you want to go.
Trip Extensions
Many trip participants choose to stay on in Salvador or travel to other destinations within Brazil. Let us know if you need hotel recommendations in Salvador or Rio!
(Please note that the exact itinerary is subject to change based on local conditions.)
MORE INFORMATION
Participants: We limit the number of participants to 10 in order to be nimble in traveling by van and flexible around individual needs and interests. Participants range in age and background, from student to retiree and from international development staff to corporate CEO. We welcome participants from any country. Participants under 12-20 (inclusive) are welcome with an accompanying adult.
Costs: The cost of the study trip is US$1,800 (not including airfare) from pick up in Salvador to return delivery at Salvador airport. This will include hotel accommodation (double occupancy), group transportation, speaker fees, all breakfasts, and two dinners. Not included is individual transportation to and from Salvador, individual excursions or fees for individual attendance at events or shows, guides hired by individuals, dinners beyond the two included in the trip costs, and the visa needed by US citizens to enter Brazil. Single accommodation is available for an additional US$400. Bahia Street strongly encourages participants to purchase travel insurance.
Flights: You should arrange your air travel independently. In order to coordinate travel, however, we encourage you to consider our travel agent, Anna at Travel Circle in Seattle, Washington (phone: (206)548-0622 or email annaz@travelcircle.webmail.com). Anna will coordinate travel to Brazil through one or two hubs, ensuring that participants travel together with others in the group. Participants from the US should expect to pay between $900 and $1500 for airfare to Brazil, based on their city of departure.
Hotels: Accommodation is at tourist class hotels with private bath and basic services. Internet facilities are available in Salvador.
Visas: Brazil requires US visitors to enter with a tourist visa, which costs approximately $150. (Please note that Brazil matches its visa fees with the United States, charging Americans the same fee that Brazilians are charged to enter the United States. If US fees increase, Brazil fees will do the same.) People of other nationalities have a different visa situation and may contact Bahia Street for information.
Study Trip Information (pdf version)
Study Trip Application (pdf version)
Study Trip Application (word version)
Study Trip Liability Form (pdf file)
What past participants have said about traveling to Salvador with Bahia Street…
Pretty darn amazing… I’d come back in a heartbeat.
The spontaneous stops were amazing!
The people were incredible (leaders as well as other group members).
Well-organized… unique.
Very educational… accommodation for different language and knowledge levels was appreciated.
Carefully organized and offered with love.
The trip was very stimulating, emotionally and intellectually.
Once in a lifetime… but hopefully not!
For more information, please contact: Nancy Bacon at (206) 633-1724 or nancy@bahiastreet.org.
