OLAVO BILAC CARDOSO

Conferência: "Historiografia da Literatura Cabo-verdiana", com o Professor Doutor Alberto Carvalho

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 18:31:00 +0000

Páscoa de Pedra

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 13:29:00 +0000

Páscoa de Pedra

I
Assim! Nasço & vou
Nos pés das pedras que nos perseguem
o rosto a órbita o movimento
Deambulam! perto
Os Acrobatas da «Pedra Rolada»
E o deserto bebia pelas dunas
As ondas do crepúsculo
E as ruínas da catedral

Assim! nasceste & estás
Nas mãos das pedras que nos projetam
o corpo a decisão o desejo
E se perguntámos? às pedras
Uterinas & consanguínas
Da fortuna do mar...
Na boca das pedras: a pedagogia do marulho
Do marulho à dor! da erosão ao amor

II
Mas onde? onde encontrar
No deserto da fala
A pedra sonora
A língua de pedra
Que salpica de verde
A lucidez da nossa loucura...
Mas onde? onde encontrar
A pedra Mãe! a pedra amante
A primavera de pedra
No verão que nos devora
A montante da infância
A jusante da velhice
isto é
A pedra de cicatriz
A pedra da primeira memória
A leveza
que ergue no coração
esta chuva de pedra
A pedra que foge
da mão do engenheiro
do pé do arquitecto
E constrói
no terraço da alma
a ogiva
De uma salva de palmas

Corsino Fortes (1933-2015)

The Power of Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 19:25:00 +0000

"In my youth, before I left
my parents' house with a will to travel,
I already knew the breaking of the sea
from the pages of books I had read."

Ruy Belo

Dia Internacional da Mulher

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 17:48:00 +0000

“A mulher não é só casa

mulher-loiça, mulher-cama

ela é também mulher-asa,

mulher-força, mulher-chama

E é preciso dizer

dessa antiga condição

a mulher soube trazer

a cabeça e o coração

Trouxe a fábrica ao seu lar

e ordenado à cozinha

e impôs a trabalhar

a razão que sempre tinha

Trabalho não só de parto

mas também de construção

para um filho crescer farto

para um filho crescer são

A posse vai-se acabar

no tempo da liberdade

o que importa é saber estar

juntos em pé de igualdade

Desde que as coisas se tornem

naquilo que a gente quer

é igual dizer meu homem

ou dizer minha mulher”

Mulher, de Ary dos Santos (1937-1984)

Olhos da criança africana, Artemisa Ferreira

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 18:21:00 +0000

Olhos da criança africana

Esses olhos tristes que me vê
Esses olhares tristes que me chamam

Esses olhares tristes que me matam

Não sei como olhar para elas
Não sei como não olhar para elas
Não sei viver sem pensar nelas

Esses olhos que choram o passado
Esses olhos que choram o presente
Esses olhos que choram o futuro

Esses olhos que choram as suas próprias lágrimas
Esses olhos que choram a solidão
Esses olhos que choram a dor

Esses olhos que vivem de esperança
E choram o destino
Choram o que será o amanhã

Aí como dói meu peito
Ao ver o que não posso fazer
Como não consigo parar essas lágrimas

Essas lágrimas que rolam
sem cansar
Essas lágrimas que choram o seu viver

Esses olhos que sofrem sem saber a sua razão
Esse olhar infantil africana,
Que sabe o que é ter lágrimas.

Artemisa Ferreira

Consultado no blog da autora.

Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 20:01:00 +0000

Love & Friendship

By Carolyn A. Davis

You're the one I most admire, with great intentions and loving desires.
Passion and trust and knowing that you care, brings a lifetime of
Happiness for us to share...
Being so gentle, understanding, and kind, brings comfort, faith, and a
Joy that shines.
Tears and laughter are fellings that's rare, but a true heart shall
Never dispare...
Love is unique in it's very own way, taking risks, and challenges
Day by day.
But when a heart is made of gold, there is so much to share. Like joy,
Laughter, and a friendship that's there...
So I give you my heart as a token of love, from one friend to another,
And the heaven's above.
So take my heart and cherish it too, cause there is no us without
You!

Retrieved from: Famly Friend Poems, February 14, 2017

Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Sat, 21 May 2016 17:56:00 +0000

My mother is a spider.

My mother is a spider, silent and waiting. My mother is a spider inside a coat sleeve in the closet. She crouches in shadow in the toe of my shoe. She lives in the dark without worrying about her eyes. My mother can feel the smallest breeze, find any crack near a ceiling or floorboard. She adores corners. She has never asked anyone to bring her food or water. My mother inhabits the space between a file and the paper in it. She gains entrance to every box I have ever saved to move farther away from her. She mills about stairwells and entrances. My mother is a spider tattooed on the arm of a man who plays drums in his basement. The hair on her legs is his hair. My mother is a spider hanging from a tree. My mother is a spider in my bed. My mother is a spider tucked inside the mouth of a pillowcase. She lives in woodpiles and in outbuildings. All the things my grandmother said are tucked inside her mouth. My mother is a spider with a sac. Her sac contains me. My mother has a particular idea of housekeeping. She appears still, symmetrical. To stand next to her is to show your mathematical work. My mother is a spider inside my mind.

.........................

Jennifer Gravley makes her way in Columbia, MO. She is a writer of sentences and a watcher of bad television. Her work has recently appeared inSweet, Rat’s Ass Review, and Bayou Magazine, among others.

Retrived from clementineunbound.wordpress.com/2016/05/01/jennifer-gravley -my -mother -is-a-spider/, May 20, 2016.

Projeto sobre o Tarrafal vale prémio internacional a estudante da FLUP

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Thu, 19 May 2016 08:14:00 +0000

É a primeira vez que um projeto português vence este concurso. Foi no dia 5 de abril que Marzia Bruno recebeu o telefonema de Nova Iorque, mas diz que ainda hoje não consegue acreditar… “Não consigo descrever a felicidade”, diz esta italiana, a frequentar o Doutoramento em História de Arte da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto (FLUP). Entre as 423 candidaturas enviadas por 53 países, o júri do apexart International Franchise Program 2016-17, composto por 200 elementos de todo o mundo, selecionou quatro propostas, mas foi a de Marzia que ficou em primeiro lugar. O projeto de curadoria chama-se “A Glimmer of Freedom”, o que se poderá traduzir por “Um lampejo de Liberdade” e vai concretizar-se no próximo ano no Campo do Tarrafal, em Cabo Verde.

Marzia Bruno é italiana. E foi em Florença que concluiu o curso de Belas Artes. Em 2005 veio para Portugal ao abrigo do Programa Erasmus e foi aí que todo o percurso de vida mudou. Decidiu que seria na Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto que faria o seu Mestrado em Estudos Artísticos, com especialização em Estudos Museológicos e Curadoriais. Foi ficando por cá, trabalhou no Museu de Aveiro e, já com uma bolsa da FCT, aventurou-se no Doutoramento em História de Arte da FLUP. Porque não em Florença? “Porque a decisão de fazer o doutoramento em Itália seria óbvia. Um dado adquirido. E o meu interesse é por culturas novas”, diz.

O projeto de curadoria que lhe valeu este prémio internacional nasceu de uma visita realizada a Cabo Verde em 2014. Foi durante essa visita que percebeu o interesse da valorização histórica deste lugar que entre 1936 e 1954 abrigou presos políticos portugueses. “A Colónia Penal do Tarrafal ficou conhecida como o ‘Campo da Morte Lenta’ justificado pelas péssimas condições climáticas, saúde, alimentação e um regime prisional marcado por um extrema violência. Mais tarde, de 1962 a 1974, sob o novo nome – ‘Campo de Trabalho de Chão Bom’ – foi usada para aprisionar líderes das guerras pela independência em Cabo Verde, Angola e Guiné-Bissau. No total foram lá presos mais de 340 antifascistas portugueses e cerca de 230 nacionalistas africanos”, recorda Marzia

Atualmente, as instalações do Tarrafal preservam a estrutura arquitetónica das celas e as grades originais das celas de tortura. O projeto de Marzia Bruno pretende fazer o levantamento dos prisioneiros que estiveram no campo, entrevistar os que ainda se encontram vivos e desafiar os artistas locais a apresentarem propostas

“Os relatos de histórias pessoais das pessoas e o espaço físico são um legado do colonialismo e pretendem ser um veículo para a reflexão deste projeto curatorial. O nome Tarrafal, por si só, refere-se à Luta e Liberdade, e a exposição irá explorar a visão dos artistas sobre estas questões, articulando o espaço físico com questões contemporâneas. Relacionando-se com a memória do espaço, quatro artistas serão desafiados a criar obras de “Land Art”, técnica também conhecida como “Earth Art” ou “Earthworks”, na paisagem envolvente, dentro dos limites de prisão”, explica a estudante na proposta submetida a concurso
A decorrer entre abril e maio de 2017, a exposição irá reunir várias instalações “site-specific”, no interior das celas, enquanto as paredes exteriores irão exibir mapeamentos de projeção digital (“Video Mapping” ou ” Projection Mapping”). Espaços como o refeitório, a enfermaria ou a cela “frigideira” (a forma mais atroz de punição perpetrada no Campo) serão os espaços que servirão de inspiração ao trabalho dos artistas. Estas instalações serão produzidas com materiais locais, os efeitos sonoros e os mapeamentos de projeção irão ser utilizados na manipulação do espaço. Em simultâneo, serão levadas a cabo iniciativas como música tradicional, dança, narração de histórias, mesas redondas com ex-prisioneiros e atividades com as comunidades escolares locais.

Sobre o apexart International Franchise Program

O apexart International Franchise Program é uma iniciativa da apexart, uma associação artística sem fins lucrativos norte-americana que visa dar a curadores independentes e artistas emergentes e estabelecidos a oportunidade de proporem e produzirem uma exposição a acontecer em qualquer lugar do mundo, com exceção de Nova Iorque. Fundada pelo artista Steven Rand em 1994, a apexart concretiza esta missão através de exposições, um programa internacional de residência, uma iniciativa de publicação de livros, programas públicos e eventos.

As propostas vencedoras (na edição deste ano – a nona de sempre – houve quatro) recebem um financiamento que pode ascender aos 10 mil dólares e apoio administrativo para a sua implementação no terreno. O projeto “Um Lampejo de Liberdade” venceu na categoria “Programa Franquia”.

Consultado no Portal da UP

Literature

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 01:42:00 +0000

INFOGRAPHIC OF THE DAY

This Infographic Unearths the Truth Behind Famous Literary Pseudonyms

A new infographic goes from Charles Dickens to JK Rowling to reveal the pseudonyms of famous authors and the reasons behind many of them.

[Photo: Everett Historical via Shutterstock]

JOE BERKOWITZ 04.27.16 11:07 AM

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." William Shakespeare famously wrote in Romeo and Juliet. Of course, the bard's actual identity has long been in dispute,leaving us to ask wonder whether his plays would read as well if they came from a name that hadn't accrued centuries of inherent significance. A new infographic plays the literary name game with some of the other most famous authors of all time by revealing the true identity of several pseudonyms.

Created by U.K.-based rare book depot, Jonkers, The Author Behind The Pseudonym drops the actual names of many authors, along with the reasons behind the obfuscation. In some instances, the author used anom de plume at the time of publication, but has since gone on to worldwide renown under their actual names, like Charles Dickens, who once wrote as the mononymous Boz. Others wrote under a pen name their whole career, like Mark Twain, with many not realizing their actual names (in his case, Samuel Clemens.) But those examples are for amateurs. The infographic digs further and unearths alternate names for Patricia Highsmith, C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, and many more.

Have a look at the infographic below, and let us know in the comments about any glaring absences.

Retriever from www. Fastcreat.com

Obituary: Russell Hamilton, Portuguese scholar and U professor

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Sat, 16 Apr 2016 18:55:00 +0000

Portuguese wasn’t Russell Hamilton’s first language, but it defined the course of his life.

He grew up in New Haven, Conn., a community rich with people from the island nation of Cape Verde, and was drawn to the Portuguese tongue at an early age.

In his later years, Hamilton could trick native speakers into thinking that he, too, knew the language from infancy.

“He was a language buff,” said his wife, Cherie, listing a half-dozen other languages he studied. “But I guess it wasn’t until his uncle gave him his first Portuguese dictionary and it just took off from there.”

The love of language was lifelong for Hamilton, a lauded professor and associate dean at the University of Minnesota. He died Feb. 27 at Walker Methodist in Minneapolis after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease and pneumonia. He was 81.

In 1964, Hamilton was among the first people to receive a doctoral degree in Portuguese from Yale University, and he eventually became the first black dean at Vanderbilt University.

“The fact that he had gone to Yale in the ’60s, and all the places that maybe he was the first or only black person in the field, speaks volumes,” said his son David. “He was able to bridge gaps, bring people together and walk into any situation and succeed.”

Language wasn’t his only love.

On their first date, Hamilton took Cherie to see a foreign film at the University of Connecticut, where they were both undergrads. He studied English and Spanish. She majored in math and minored in Spanish.

Maybe he wanted to impress her with the movie choice, but it didn’t matter — she was already smitten. Before he went to Madison, Wis., for his master’s degree in English and Spanish, they eloped in New York. She stayed in Connecticut to finish her studies, and he came back to enroll at Yale. She also joined her husband in Brazil, where he worked on his doctoral thesis as a Fulbright scholar.

After graduating from Yale, Hamilton was whisked away to the University of Minnesota, where he introduced Portuguese studies to the school’s romance language department. The young couple lived in Prospect Park — close enough for him to walk to work every day. There, they raised their four children: two boys and two girls.

After 20 years as a professor and associate dean at the U, Hamilton moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he was the dean of the graduate school at Vanderbilt. He retired from Vanderbilt in 2005 and returned to the U as a visiting professor.

A teacher and adviser beyond the classroom, Hamilton often invited graduate students to his home, where Cherie would prepare dinners from Portugal and Brazil, and other international cuisine.

The family traveled the world, living in Brazil, Portugal, Cape Verde, Angola and Mozambique during sabbaticals where they forged many lasting friendships.

“He exposed us to a lot of different things and we were able to learn cultural differences — that was the norm,” David said.

In the obituary published by Vanderbilt, Hamilton was quoted as telling a reporter in 1985 that “there was never any doubt in my mind [about going to college]. I wanted to be a professor.”

His study was lined wall-to-wall with scholarly books — 90 percent written in Portuguese.

“He always had a book open or was writing something,” Cherie said.

She recently donated 200 books to the U, 150 to a school in Michigan, and another 150 to a university in Brazil. There’s a crate bound for another university.

“And there’s still about 1,000 left here,” she added.

David said he’ll miss their talks. “He was the smartest person I’ve ever met,” David said. “When I was in grad school we talked about world politics. His perspective was so insightful. He was so worldly on many things.”

In addition to his wife and son David, Hamilton is survived by daughters Cherie Andrea and Melissa Elena, son Russell Malcolm, a sister, 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. There will be a symposium in his honor at the University of Minnesota in October.

By Karen Zamora Star Tribune

MARCH 10, 2016 — 6:17PM

Retrieved from Star Tribune. April 16, 2016.

Ciclo de Cinema Ambiental, CCM

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 20:27:00 +0000

Literature

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 14:00:00 +0000

‘Do Indian English writers have any relevance in the global scene other than their Indianness?’

The explosive Malayali writer KR Meera talks on the need to preserve regional languages in literature and the value of translation.

Trisha Gupta · Yesterday · 12:30 pm

K R Meera is among Kerala's most celebrated contemporary writers. Born in 1970, she worked as a journalist for many years, writing short stories on the side. In 2006, she gave up her job to write fiction full-time – which, as her prolific output reveals, she really does.

The provocative and disturbing tale of a young Bengali woman appointed state executioner, Aaraachaar was originally serialised in Madhyamam Weekly and published as a book by DC Books in 2012. It has now sold nearly 50,000 copies in Malayalam. In 2013, it was published in J. Devika's vivid English translation as Hangwoman, and placed KR Meera firmly in the national literary spotlight. Meera speaks about her place in the Malayalam literary sphere, the strange but powerful impact of English translation, and why we must preserve languages to preserve our Indianness.

You've been publishing fiction since 2002, and been a full-time writer since 2006. Your output – five collections of short stories, two novellas, five novels and two children's books – is extraordinary. When would you say your books started to get attention among Malayali readers?Actually, there is one more book, Trisha, a collection of essays. Also, the number of novels will soon be six, as the one which is currently being serialised will be published in book form.

When did my books start getting attention among Malayali readers? Well, that is a difficult question. As we Malayali writers start by publishing stories and serialising novels in periodicals, by the time the books are in the market, we would already be noticed by the discerning readers. For example, I had published only three short stories in different periodicals when DC Books contacted me and offered to bring out my first short story collection, one among 10 books by debut writers. There were 1,000 copies in the first impression. The next book got released along with the second impression of the first book.

In those years, even if the copies were sold out, we (the then-young writers) had to wait for months before the reprints came. By 2005, I think I had earned a strong base of sincere readers who patiently waited for my works. They were not many in the beginning, but each year the number kept growing. I was writing with both hands those days – columns, articles, novels, serial scripts and even film scripts (which unfortunately didn't develop into films due to several reasons).

I realised that readers do pay attention to what I write, when people started coming up to me in public places and started quoting lines from my stories. By the time Aaraachaar ( the Malayalam original of Hangwoman) came out, I was getting calls from readers almost daily.

How much of that attention, and the actual copies of your books sold, do you think was a result of reviews, media coverage, awards?
When the first book came out, I was not sure whether readers took my stories seriously. But by the time my short story Moha Manja (translated as Yellow is the Colour Of Longing) and Ekanthathayude Noor Varshangal (translated as Noor: Light Years of Solitude) appeared in the periodicals, there were signs of acceptance. Though the very first book was selected for about four awards, it didn't have overwhelming sales at that time. In those days, critics in Malayalam were yet to take our generation seriously. So there were not many reviews. But we were sought after by periodicals for stories for their special issues. A photo along with the story was all the media coverage we were assured.

In my case, it was with Aaraachaar that the readers’ love was converted into sales. When DC books proposed printing 5,000 copies with five different covers for the first edition, I was worried, visualising bundles of unsold copies. But the first edition got sold out in four months. From then onwards, there are reprints every two months, sometimes every month.  When it was selected for the coveted Vayalar Award and the Odakuzhal Award followed by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award, the sales increased further. And there was a steep increase in demand for my other books, too.

Generally speaking, my observation is that awards and media coverage do help in directing the spotlight on a book for a while. But if the book fails to touch the heart of the reader, it would just fade away. On the other hand, if the book is good, the sales figures will grow slowly but steadily.

An example is my novel Nethronmeelanam (literally the eye-opening ritual of the idol), written in 2006. While writing it, I was sure that the book would be well-received as the craft and the theme were not expected from a young woman writer. But somehow, it went unnoticed, in the sense that there were no awards or reviews. There was not much publicity either. But Thrissur Current Books, the publishers, were ready to reprint it, as there was demand from those readers who went in search of my other books after chancing upon one or two stories in periodicals.

Slowly, I started getting feedback from very serious readers that the book is brilliant. And after Aaraachaar, Nethronmeelanam also got renewed attention and now more and more readers tell me that the book is equally haunting, though the theme, craft and narration have a sea of a difference.

When were you first translated into English?My first story to be translated was Ormayude Njaramapu, as The Vein of Memory , by Dr Jayasree Ramakrishnan Nair. It was published in the journal Samyukta.

It was in 2004 that Dr J. Devika, whom I knew only through her articles, called me and asked whether she could translate my story Moha Manja. I consented, though I didn't expect the translation to be successful, as the rhythm of my language is difficult to capture in English. But when she mailed me the translation, my ego crashed. That was the closest translation I could ever imagine.

Later Devika translated 15 pieces of my short fiction and Penguin brought out the collection in 2011 as Yellow is the Colour of Longing, and then Aaraachaar as Hangwoman. She has also translated Aa Maratheyum Marannu Marannu Njan (as And Slowly Forgetting That Tree) and Karineela (working title: Poison Blue) for Oxford University Press. Another short novel, Gospel of Judas, has been translated by Rajesh Rajamohan.

Could you give me a rough sense of the number of copies sold in Malayalam, versus the number of copies sold in English, of Moha Manja/Yellow is the Colour of Longing and ofAaraachaar/Hangwoman?Moha Manja as a single book is nearing 10,000 copies in sales. The book was out of print for a long time, after the publisher (Thrissur Current Books) published the story as part of a collection of stories from three books. Aaraachaar is nearing 50,000 copies and the book remains the top Malayalam seller for the past two years, ever since its release.

Yellow is the Colour of Longing was long-listed for Frank O'Connor prize and short-listed for the Crossword award, but it was not converted into sales. There were 2,000 copies in the first edition. There is no reprint yet. Hangwoman was brought out in hardback, with 2,000 copies as the first imprint. R. Sivapriya, until recently Commissioning Editor at Penguin, had informed me that they are shortly bringing out a paperback reprint.

How was the media reception to the English editions of your books different from the media reception you experienced from the Malayalam press?Of course, the space allotted in the English media for literature is much greater than that in the Malayalam press. But in the case of Aaraachaar, I have no reason to complain as there were many in-depth studies and interviews in almost all media. Thankfully, the English press has extended very good coverage to Hangwoman, with rave reviews and prominently displayed interviews.

You've received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award, and a host of other awards, for Malayalam literature. Do these awards create the same kind of buzz in Malayalam publishing that literary awards seem to create in the English-speaking world in India? Also, are there literary festivals for Malayalam writers?Malayalam is a small language in terms of the number of speakers compared to the English-speaking world. So how can we expect the same kind of buzz, if we define 'buzz'  in terms of numbers, or the amount of money involved? But considering the highest literacy rate and the vibrant publishing scenario, I feel that there are many reasons for the Malayalam writers to feel proud of their language and people.

Still, it is very difficult to make writing a means of living in Malayalam. I have heard that there are attempts to conduct Malayalam literature festivals, but I am yet to participate in one.

As someone already well-established and acclaimed in your own language, was being translated into English still necessary for you to be “discovered” at the national level? What has been your experience?Seven years ago, when I attended a women writers’ colloquium in Delhi, I felt like a government school kid attending an international school day. Nobody knew me or noticed me. Last year, Penguin sent me to the Jaipur Litfest. That was a marvellous occasion where I could see all the who’s who of India around me. There also, nobody other than Malayalis recognised me.

That was in January 2014. Hangwoman got released in July. In October, I participated in the Goa Writers and Readers Festival. I didn't expect anybody to notice me there, too. But soon after the inaugural session, a young man came to me and asked whether I am not KR Meera. I was surprised. Then he said he came to that festival only to meet me! He was Vivek Tejuja, critic and writer. My day was made.

And then at the Chandigarh Litfest in November, more surprises were in store for me. Writers like Anjum Hasan and Suresh Menon recognised me. While I was a journalist, I had read Bitter Chocolate and become an ardent admirer of Pinki Virani’s. At Chandigarh, she came to me and told that she attended the festival only to see me! This was repeated in the Odisha Fest also. Hangwoman was released by Arundhati Roy.

When she talked highly of the book, I thought I was dreaming. Then one day, Anita Nair surprised me by reviewing the book in Outlook. In Jaipur, hers was one session I attended religiously. But for Devika’s translation, I don't think this would have happened.

On being discovered at the national level, I feel proud of reminding the world that top class literature is produced in regional languages, too. It is very exciting as a writer to be opened to another world, where there are a new group of readers with a new set of evaluation tools subjecting your work to the tests of literary significance and universality.

Any other thoughts on being translated into English – for instance, the fact that Bengalis were suddenly able to read Hangwoman, which is set in Calcutta?While writing Aaraachaar, that it would be read by non-Malayalis was not in my wildest dreams. So when it was translated, I was waiting for the response from Shatarupa Ghoshal, the editor of the book at Penguin who is a Bengali. Till she okayed it I remained nervous. Then after the book came out, one of the first calls I received was from Kadambari, a famous Odissi dancer and actress, originally from Kolkata but settled in Mumbai. When she talked fervently about the book and about Chetana, I felt like crying with joy.

Recently, when I went to Muscat to receive an award, a friend told me that someone from Bengal is eager to meet me. She came to the friend's place to meet me. I was really surprised to meet her. She was Toolika Chaudhari, daughter of the renowned Salil Chaudhari, who has composed many hit songs in Malayalam also. I can never thank Devika enough.

Now I wait for the day when it will be translated into Bengali.

What would be your response to Bhalchandra Nemade's recent comments on Indian writing in English?When my daughter was a kid, I used to force her to read Malayalam stories and learn Malayalam poems by heart, which she would resist vehemently. But when she came home after her 11th grade exams, she surprised me. She said that she wanted to learn more Malayalam poems, as she has realised that when she reads Malayalam, she feels stronger in English too. I was so glad that she arrived at the discovery so early, all by herself.

It is so sad that writers like Salman Rushdie do not appreciate the wisdom of Nemadeji (I am not sure whether he was politically motivated; I am not for BJP at all), nor realise how important and integral regional languages are to Indian English writing. What would be the role of Indian English writers in the ocean of English literature if we subtract the diversity of Indian life, nature, flora and fauna?

But for the actuality of Indianness, do Indian English writers have any identity or relevance in the global scene? And if the Indianness is to be preserved, how can we do that without strengthening the regional languages?
Language is a tool for communication, but it is also a record of various forms of life and information regarding the complex relationships evolved between humans and humans and between humans and nature over centuries. If an Asian or African regional language dies, along with it die a number of words which would denote the indigenous culture, environment and time-tested knowhow of the people who spoke that language, too. Global English has never been successful in bringing out the myriad nuances of these languages.

It is meaningless to compare writers with one another, because each one has his or her own importance and role in the literary ecosystem. I am sure that Nemade’s work will be read and appreciated even after a hundred years, but I am not sure that many of our celebrated Indian English books will survive their authors. I think that Indian English writers (who are rich, powerful and influential compared to the regional language writers) should be sensible enough to come forward to revive and revere regional languages, for their own sake.

Retrieved from Scroll.in, July 5, 2015

Ambiente

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 11:04:00 +0000

ADN revela que quase toda a caça aos elefantes ocorre em duas regiões de África

ANA GERSCHENFELD

19/06/2015 - 08:53

Novas técnicas genéticas aplicadas à análise forense identificam a origem geográfica do marfim de elefantes africanos apreendido pelas autoridades – e podem permitir intervir mais depressa na fonte desse tráfico ilegal.

Estima-se que uns 50.000 elefantes africanos estejam actualmente a ser mortos por ano ART WOLFE/WWW.ARTWOLFE.COM

Uma equipa de cientistas nos EUA utilizou técnicas de análise genética por ela desenvolvidas para sequenciar o ADN extraído de marfim proveniente do tráfico ilegal de elefantes e apreendido ao longo de cerca de duas décadas pelas autoridades policiais internacionais.

E concluiu que, de 2006 em diante, os elefantes têm sido caçados principalmente em duas regiões do continente africano – e que um destes “pontos quentes” poderá estar a deslocar-se. Os seus resultados, que foram publicados na quinta-feira na revista Science, podem permitir determinar diretamente os locais da chacina, agindo assim mais depressa para a impedir e salvar estes animais, em risco de extinção sobretudo devido à caça furtiva.

Todos os anos, uns 50.000 elefantes africanos são mortos – o que representa 10% da população total de elefantes da floresta e da savana naquele continente. A população destes animais está portanto a ser literalmente dizimada.

Samuel Wasser, da Universidade de Washington, é pioneiro na utilização das técnicas genéticas para determinar a origem geográfica do marfim ilegal. E em particular, desenvolveu métodos que permitem extrair ADN do marfim, o que torna possível identificar a população de elefantes a que pertencia.

“A África é um continente gigantesco e a caça furtiva [aos elefantes] está a acontecer por todo o lado”, diz este cientista em comunicado da sua universidade. “Ora, quando olhamos para o problema desta forma, parece impossível lidar com ele, mas quando consideramos as grandes apreensões de marfim, que representam 70% do marfim ilegal em termos de peso, a paisagem muda completamente. De facto, ao percebermos que este grande tráfico transnacional está concentrado em duas áreas principais, poderemos ser capazes de concentrar os esforços de policiamento nessas áreas e de eliminar grande parte desta chacina ilegal.”

Por um lado, a equipa de Wasser já obtivera um “mapa” genético das populações de elefantes africanos à escala regional extraindo o ADN de excrementos de elefante. Mais precisamente, estes cientistas analisaram amostras vindas de 1350 animais, tanto da savana como da floresta, distribuídos por 71 localidades de 29 países africanos, explica a revistaScience.

Por outro, numa colaboração com a Interpol (entidade policial internacional, a que pertence um dos co-autores do trabalho agora publicado), o laboratório de Wasser tem recebido, desde 2005, amostras de marfim apreendido, que consistem em discos do material colhidos perto da base das presas dos elefantes.

E agora, os cientistas utilizaram a sua nova técnica genética para analisar 28 “lotes” de marfim ilegal, cada um com mais de uma tonelada de peso, apreendidos entre 1996 e 2014 – incluindo 61% do conjunto das grandes apreensões feitas no mundo inteiro entre 2012 e 2014, refere ainda o mesmo comunicado.

E quando confrontaram este ADN com o “mapa” genético dos elefantes africanos, surgiu uma imagem desta actividade criminosa de uma clareza sem precedentes.

A principal conclusão da análise é que mais de 85% do marfim apreendido entre 2006 e 2014 teve origem em apenas duas regiões. A primeira, que diz respeito aos elefantes da floresta, centra-se num território situado entre o Nordeste do Gabão, o Noroeste do Congo (capital Brazzaville), o Sudeste dos Camarões e o Sudoeste da República Centro-Africana. Quanto à segunda, onde se faz a caça furtiva aos elefantes da savana, está localizada na África Oriental, entre o Sudeste da Tanzânia e o Norte de Moçambique.

E não só: um dos maiores lotes de marfim ilegal continha material geneticamente oriundo de ambas as regiões, o que, segundo os autores, sugere que existem relações comerciais entre os principais traficantes que operam naquelas duas áreas. Os resultados também revelam que, desde 2011, o segundo “ponto quente” está a deslocar-se para norte, do Sudeste para o centro da Tanzânia, aproximando-se progressivamente do Quénia. Por último, no total de 28 apreensões cujo marfim foi analisado, 23 eram geneticamente diferentes da população de elefantes presente no país africano de onde esse marfim fora expedido para o resto do mundo

“Colectivamente”, escrevem os autores no seu artigo, “os nossos dados poderão fornecer uma visão global do tráfico de marfim ao longo do tempo”.

Actualmente, dizem ainda, o tráfico de animais selvagens representa a quarta maior rede mundial de crime organizado – e o tráfico de marfim africano é uma grande fatia dessa actividade ilegal. Os autores pensam aliás que a sua técnica forense também poderá vir a ser adaptada para lutar contra o tráfico de outras espécies selvagens.

Retrived from Publico.pt, June 19, 2015

Uganda: the human story behind gorilla tourism

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 13:40:00 +0000

English Contemporary Poetry

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 13:23:00 +0000

Working Travails

by Carole Mertz

He likes to maintain a calm temper in the face of adversity
even though his hours are reduced
and Mellie’s moving away.
So Gregor no longer takes morning coffee with him.

Even though his hours are reduced,
the manager hovers over him;
so Gregor no longer takes morning coffee with him.
He knew the night would be long—

the manager hovers over him.
Somehow the mortgage will be met.
He knew the night would be long
since a woman became CEO.

Somehow the mortgage will be met—
and Mellie’s moving away.
Since a woman became CEO,
he likes to maintain a calm temper in the face of adversity.

###

Poems by Carole Mertz appear in The Lutheran Digest, Page & Spine, Rockford Review, The Write Place at the Write Time, and WestWard Quarterly. Her essays and reviews are in Copperfield Review, The Conium Review, Ascent Aspirations, WOW! Women on Writing, Arc Poetry Magazine, Working Writer, World Literature Today, and in various anthologies. Her tips on writing are included in Writing after Retirement, Smallwood and Redman-Waldeyer, Eds. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014). Carole studied music and fine art in Salzburg, Austria and in Oberlin College, Ohio.

Retrieved from Every Day Poems, June 12, 2015

Língua Cabo-verdiana

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 10:10:00 +0000

Nicholas Quint: “Dar mais peso ao crioulo põe em causa a estrutura do poder na sociedade cabo-verdiana”

English Week IV

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 08:54:00 +0000

Aconteceu na DCSH-SV, de 20 a 22 de Abril.

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:05:00 +0000

publicado em: 02 Abr 2013

Estudantes cabo-verdianos que estão a formar-se na Bridjewater Stade University, nos Estados Unidos, dizem que estão a viver um sonho

Bridjewater State Unisersity

A Universidade, que fica no estado de Massachussets, alberga neste momento um numero considerável número de estudantes cabo-verdianos, muitos dos quais foram de Cabo Verde ao abrigo de um programa de cooperação com a UNICV.

Ontem o primeiro-ministro José Maria Neves visitou a Bridjewater State University e ouviu dos responsáveis da instituição palavras elogiosas em relação aos estudantes cabo-verdianos.

Ao chegar a Bridjewater State University, o primeiro-ministro e restante delegação foram saudados e guiados, em língua cabo-verdiana.

Zita Veiga é um dos estudantes referência da Bridjewater University. Há um ano chegou para fazer um mestrado e as coisas tem corrido melhor do que previa: "Um fazi nha mestrado na educação, um consigui fazel na um anu, e nês momento um sta fazi um certificado pa ensino de inglês como segunda lingua, kel li sta ser um sonho e tanto".

Tal como a Zita, o jovem Nariel Monteiro também se sente realizado pelos lados de Bridjewater: chegou há três anos para fazer uma licenciatura em química, chegou, viu, e está a vencer: "Um sta envolvido também num programa ki mi ê assistente de professor kin ta dâ aula pa alguns alunos li na Bridjewater, por isso um kre fazi nha mestrado li mê".

O actual vice-presidente da instituição, Miguel Gomes, é descendente de cabo-verdianos. E com maior ou menor dificuldade, ainda lá consegue publicitar a sua instituição na língua cabo-verdiana.

Na tarde de segunda-feira José Maria Neves esteve a visitar a Bridjewater State University, e gostou do que viu e ouviu. No fim manteve um encontro com os estudantes cabo-verdianos que estudam na instituição.

fonte: Redacção RCV

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:34:00 +0000

Poeticamente Cabo-verdiano.

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:39:00 +0000

“Há uma torneira sempre a dar horas

Há um relógio a pingar no lavabo

Há um candelabro que morde na isca

Há um descalabro de peixe no tecto

Há um boticário pronto para a guerra

Há um soldado vendendo remédios

Há um veneno (tão mau) que não mata

Há um antídoto para o suicídio de um poeta

Senhor, Senhor, que digo eu (?)

que ando vestido pelo avesso

e furto chapéu e roubo sapatos

e sigo descalço e vou descoberto”

Arménio Vieira

Aaron Swartz, fundador do sistema RSS, morreu aos 26 anos.

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:23:00 +0000

O programador informático Aaron Swartz, que criou o sistema RSS e co-fundou o site Reddit, defensor da liberdade de circulação de informação na Internet, suicidou-se na sexta-feira em Nova Iorque, aos 26 anos.

Aaron Swartz estava a poucas semanas de ir a julgamento acusado de ter roubado 4,8 milhões de documentos de teor científico e literário de uma plataforma na Internet intitulada JSTOR, sujeito a uma pena de 35 anos de prisão e multas de um milhão de dólares.

Swartz, que admitiu publicamente sofrer de depressão, era considerado um prodígio da informática, que aos 14 anos desenvolveu a ferramenta RSS, que permite aos internautas divulgarem na Net informações atualizadas de conteúdos em blogues.

O jovem programador estudou na Universidade de Stanford, que acabou por abandonar por considerar que os alunos não se preocupavam muito com os estudos.

Em 2008 já tinha sido investigado pelo FBI por ter descarregado e divulgado mais de 18 milhões de páginas de informações de arquivos judiciais.

Jornal de Notícias, Ontem

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:42:00 +0000

ISTO PODE INTERESSAR-LHE:

Mestrado em Estudos Africanos da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:35:00 +0000

Shakespeare's first theatre discovered in London

The remains of the Curtain theatre, where Shakespeare's 'Henry V' and 'Romeo and Juliet' may have been first performed, have been discovered in East London.

Parts of the Curtain theatre being excavated in Shoreditch, east London, by the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) as part of regeneration works Photo: PA

12:39PM BST 06 Jun 2012

Remains of the once lost Curtain theatre, which preceded the Globe as the venue which showcased Shakespeare's work, have been found in East London.

It's likely that the theatre was the home to some of the first performances of Romeo and Juliet and Henry V.

The theatre was dismantled in the 17th century and its exact location was lost to historians soon after. Now, the Museum of London Archaeology (MoLA) has found sections of the theatre in Shoreditch, East London.

The MoLA has found the original site on Hewett Street, a few hundred yards from another theatre found by the museum in 2008 called The Theatre. Both this and the Curtain are believed to be the earliest purpose-built theatres in London.

Part of the gravelled yard, where audiences stood and watched the plays, and the foundation walls have been uncovered after 500 years.

Legend goes that the famous actor-manager James Burbage dismantled The Theatre overnight after a dispute with the landlord and set about building the Globe theatre across the river.

Until the Globe was built, Burbage and his troupe used the Curtain theatre to perform in from 1597 for two years. This is the period in which Henry V and Romeo and Juliet were first staged.

The lines from Shakespeare's Henry V 'Can this cock-Pit hold within this Woodden O', may have first been spoken in the Curtain theatre, which was created in a wooden O shape, much like the Globe.

Dominic Dromgoole, artistic director of the Globe theatre, said: "I love the fact that we are excavating London, and slowly clearing away the miserable piles of Victoriana and Empire, and revealing the wild, anarchic and joyous London which is lurking beneath."

The site is owned by Plough Yard Developments, which plan to feature the remains as part of a new office, retail and residential space.

Extraído de The Telegraph

A ÚLTIMA HORA

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:17:00 +0000

A Última Hora (2007) será passado na DCSH-SV, dia 6, às 08:30, sala 1. A sessão foi organizada pelo Núcleo de Investigação em Energias Renováveis (NER) e terá a duração de 95 minutos. A comunidade académica está convidada.

Ver Cartaz Aqui.

Sinopse

Causadas pela própria humanidade, enchentes, furacões e uma série de tragédias assolam o planeta cotidianamente. O documentário mostra como a Terra chegou nesse ponto: de que forma o ecossistema tem sido destruído e, principalmente, o que é possível fazer para reverter este quadro. Entrevistas com mais de 50 renomados cientistas, pensadores e líderes ajudam a esclarecer estas importantes questões e a indicar as alternativas ainda possíveis.

Trailer

Mentes distraídas são capazes de reter mais informação

noreply@blogger.com (Olavo BIlac Cardoso) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 13:28:00 +0000

A equipa de investigação reuniu um grupo de voluntários a quem foi pedido para realizar tarefas simples

2012-05-31

Há pessoas que até se distraem com uma mosca; no entanto, isso não é sinónimo de falta de concentração ou de capacidades. Segundo o estudo publicado recentemente na Psychological Science, pessoas distraídas são mais criativas, porque acumulam mais informação.

Os investigadores Daniel Levinson e Richard Davidson, da Universidade de Wisconsin-Madison, EUA e Jonathan Smallwood, do Instituto Max Planck (Suíça) chegaram à conclusão que existe uma relação entre uma memória mais operacional e a tendência do cérebro em dispersar-se quando realiza tarefas diárias.

Para o estudo, a equipa de investigação reuniu um grupo de voluntários a quem foi pedido que realizasse tarefas simples, como premir um botão ao aparecer determinada letra num ecrã ou ao ritmo de cada inspiração de ar. E mediante as actividades em que se dispersavam mais, os investigadores mediam a memória operacional, através da memorização de séries de letras enquanto resolviam problemas matemáticos. Quem se dispersou mais durante os testes obteve melhores resultados na avaliação de memória. A explicação reside no facto de uma área extra do cérebro ser usada quando fazemos contas, usando dois números, mas não pode escrevê-la. Esta capacidade está ligada a medidores de inteligência, tal como o QI.

Segundo Jonathan Smallwood "os resultados sugerem que as actividades rotineiras, como andar de autocarro ou tomar banho é, provavelmente, são realizadas através da memória operacional". E Daniel Levinson explica que "funciona como se a atenção estivesse tão absorvida por outros pensamentos que não sobrasse espaço para recordar o que pretendiam fazer".

Extraído de Ciência Hoje