[English translations below]
Céad grianghraf. Céad aiste ghearr. Cur síos i bhfís agus i bhfocail ar thír aduain, anaithnid… atá i lár an aonaigh.
Tá aird an tsaoil mhóir ar an mBrasaíl agus beidh go ceann roinnt mhaith blianta:
2014 – Corn an Domhain sa Sacar i dtír na Brasaíle,
2016 – Na Cluichí Oilimpeacha i gcathair Rio de Janeiro.
Go heacnamaíoch agus go polaitiúil, tá ról níos tábhachtaí ná riamh ag fathach Mheiriceá Theas ar an stáitse idirnáisiúnta.
Seo cuireadh duit aithne a chur ar an mBrasaíl – aithne cheart,
aithne a sheachnaíonn an cliché. Sa leabhar seo, tugann Alex Hijmans,
atá ina chomhfhreagraí idirnáisiúnta sa tír ó 2007, léaspairtí ar an
mBrasaíl nach bhfeictear sna cártaí poist.
Seo inár ndiaidh roinnt sleachta as an leabhar a fhoilseofar níos déanaí in 2013 - agus tá aistriúcháin gharbha Béarla leis na reamhshleachta seo i gcás go bhfuil a leithéid uait. Tá ná téacsanna a ghabhann leis na grianghraif níos faide ná na sleachta anseo, ar ndóigh.
One hundred photographs. One hundred short essays. A faraway country
in words and pictures, unknown ... but in the right at the heart of the
world market.
All eyes are on Brazil at the moment and will be for the near future:
2014 – the World Cup in Brazil,
2016 – the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Economically and politically Brazil is now more important than ever
before on the international stage as the giant of South America.
Here’s your invitation to get to know Brazil – to really get to know
it, to avoid the clichés. In this book Alex Hijmans, a foreign
correspondent in the country since 2007, shows you insights into Brazil
that aren’t found on the postcards.
Here are some extracts from the book to be published later in 2013 - with totally exclusive English translations of the previewed extracts.* The texts accompanying the photographs in the publication are longer than those presented here, of course.
NÍ CÁRTA POST É SEO - THIS IS NOT A POSTCARD
Tá meirg ar an bpictiúr seo, agus féasóg ar an scéal a insítear
ann. Ach tá gá leis.
Páistí ag imirt sacair, mar íomhá den Bhrasaíl? Seanchaite! Gan trácht ar thránna! Agus tá an sliabh sa chúlra – Pão de Açúcar (Sliabh Charn an tSiúcra) – ar na hionaid turasóireachta is iomráití ar domhan – inchurtha le Buckingham Palace, Niagara Falls nó an Taj Mahal. Agus seo iad – na páistí, an trá agus Pão de Açúcar – san aon ghrianghraf amháin.
Is ea, is cárta poist é seo. An t-aon cheann amháin sa leabhar. Sin an fáth a bhfuil sé ag an tús. Séard is fearr a léireoidh nach cártaí poist atá sna grianghraif eile sa saothar seo ná cárta poist ceart a thaispeáint i dtosach.
Ach, ag an am céanna, ní cárta poist é seo – níl aon bhréaga á n-insint ann. Ní aisteoirí atá fostaithe ag Bord Fáilte na Brasaíle iad na himreoirí óga sacair; fíordhaoine iad agus fíorchluiche ar bun acu – fiú mura bhfuil ach leathfhoireann acu ann...
This picture is a cliché. As is the story it tells. And yet it needs to be here.
Children playing soccer - an image of Brazil? Hackneyed! Not to mention the beaches. And the mountain in the background Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) is one of the most famous tourist sights in the world - along with Buckingham Palace, Niagra Falls or the Taj Mahal. And here they all are - the children, the beach and Sugarloaf Mountian all in one photograph.
Yes, it's a postcard, alright. The only one in this book. That's why it's at the start. The best way to show that the rest of the book isn't a collection of postcards is to show one at the beginning.
But in another way, this isn't a postcard - it's doesn't tell any lies. The young football players aren't employes by some Brazilian Bord Fáilte; they're real people, playing a real game - even if they only have half a team...
ann. Ach tá gá leis.
Páistí ag imirt sacair, mar íomhá den Bhrasaíl? Seanchaite! Gan trácht ar thránna! Agus tá an sliabh sa chúlra – Pão de Açúcar (Sliabh Charn an tSiúcra) – ar na hionaid turasóireachta is iomráití ar domhan – inchurtha le Buckingham Palace, Niagara Falls nó an Taj Mahal. Agus seo iad – na páistí, an trá agus Pão de Açúcar – san aon ghrianghraf amháin.
Is ea, is cárta poist é seo. An t-aon cheann amháin sa leabhar. Sin an fáth a bhfuil sé ag an tús. Séard is fearr a léireoidh nach cártaí poist atá sna grianghraif eile sa saothar seo ná cárta poist ceart a thaispeáint i dtosach.
Ach, ag an am céanna, ní cárta poist é seo – níl aon bhréaga á n-insint ann. Ní aisteoirí atá fostaithe ag Bord Fáilte na Brasaíle iad na himreoirí óga sacair; fíordhaoine iad agus fíorchluiche ar bun acu – fiú mura bhfuil ach leathfhoireann acu ann...
This picture is a cliché. As is the story it tells. And yet it needs to be here.
Children playing soccer - an image of Brazil? Hackneyed! Not to mention the beaches. And the mountain in the background Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) is one of the most famous tourist sights in the world - along with Buckingham Palace, Niagra Falls or the Taj Mahal. And here they all are - the children, the beach and Sugarloaf Mountian all in one photograph.
Yes, it's a postcard, alright. The only one in this book. That's why it's at the start. The best way to show that the rest of the book isn't a collection of postcards is to show one at the beginning.
But in another way, this isn't a postcard - it's doesn't tell any lies. The young football players aren't employes by some Brazilian Bord Fáilte; they're real people, playing a real game - even if they only have half a team...
Chuir Jamopoty (ar dheis) agus a fear céile Taquari a bhfeisteas traidisiúnta orthu nóiméad sular ghlac mé an grianghraf seo. Ní ligeann siad d’aon duine a bpictiúr a thógáil agus a ngnáthéadaí – jíons agus T-léine – orthu.
Polaitíocht.
Níl rud ar bith in Olivença, parrthas surfála i ndeisceart stát Bahia, a thabharfadh le fios don chuairteoir go bhfuil coimhlint ghránna ar siúl ann. Níl poill philéar sna fuinneoga, níl graifítí gríosaitheach ar na ballaí. Ach fiafraigh de dhuine ar bith faoin bplean atá ag rialtas na Brasaíle tearmann a chruthú do threibh bhundúchasach áitiúil, agus ní bheidh srian leis an ngoimh...
Polaitíocht.
Níl rud ar bith in Olivença, parrthas surfála i ndeisceart stát Bahia, a thabharfadh le fios don chuairteoir go bhfuil coimhlint ghránna ar siúl ann. Níl poill philéar sna fuinneoga, níl graifítí gríosaitheach ar na ballaí. Ach fiafraigh de dhuine ar bith faoin bplean atá ag rialtas na Brasaíle tearmann a chruthú do threibh bhundúchasach áitiúil, agus ní bheidh srian leis an ngoimh...
Jamopoty (on the right) and her husband Taquari donned their traditional costume moments before I took this photograph. They don't allow anyone take their photo when they're wearing their ordinary clothes - jeans and T-shirt.
Politics.
There is nothing at all in Olivença, a surfer's paradise in the south of the State of Bahia that would give the visitor to believe that a nasty struggle was under way. There are no bullet holes in the windows, no incendiary graffiti on the walls. But ask anyone about the Brazilian government's plan to create a sanctuary for the local tribe native to the area and the anger bubbles straight to the surface ...
Politics.
There is nothing at all in Olivença, a surfer's paradise in the south of the State of Bahia that would give the visitor to believe that a nasty struggle was under way. There are no bullet holes in the windows, no incendiary graffiti on the walls. But ask anyone about the Brazilian government's plan to create a sanctuary for the local tribe native to the area and the anger bubbles straight to the surface ...
CODARSNACHT - CONTRAST
Ní duine mé a labhraíonn leis féin os ard. Ach nuair a shiúil mé síos fána an chnoic ar a bhfuil seanchathair São Luís tógtha, i dtreo abhainn an Anil, d’éalaigh na focail seo amach ó mo bhéal do mo lom-ainneoin: ‘Ô meu Brasil ...’
‘Ochón, a Bhrasaíl mo chroí’ an t-aistriúchán is fearr a ritheann liom...
‘Ochón, a Bhrasaíl mo chroí’ an t-aistriúchán is fearr a ritheann liom...
I'm not someone who often speaks to himself out loud. But when I walked down towards the river Anil, down the hill on which the old city of São Luís is built I simply couldn't stop the following words slipping out of my mouth:
‘Ô meu Brasil ...’
‘Ochón, a Bhrasaíl mo chroí’ or 'O my poor Brazil' is a rough translation...
‘Ochón, a Bhrasaíl mo chroí’ or 'O my poor Brazil' is a rough translation...
SPÁSÁRTHACH NIEMEYER - NIEMEYER'S SPACESHIP
Nuair a bhí an leabhar seo á chríochnú agam, d’imigh an fear a chruthaigh an foirgneamh sa ghrianghraf thuas ar shlí na fírinne, ag aois a 104 bliain. Lean sé air ag obair go dtí go gairid roimh a bhás. Bhí Oscar Niemeyer, a rugadh i gcathair Rio de Janeiro sa bhliain 1907, i measc na n-ailtirí is aitheanta ar domhan.
Is furasta a thuiscint cén fáth. Ba é a d’fhág an chuma ar Brasília a thugann ar chuairteoir a cheapadh go bhfuil sé tar éis tuirlingt ar phlainéad eile. Cén t-iontas mar sin gur spásárthach, níos mó ná rud ar bith eile, a mheabhródh an Iarsmalann Náisiúnta – sa ghrianghraf thall – do dhuine? Dhear Niemeyer an foirgneamh seo caoga bliain tar éis dó tithe an rialtais a dhearadh, agus is léir nár tháinig aon mheath ar a chuid scileanna sa leathchéad bliain sin ach a mhalairt!
Is furasta a thuiscint cén fáth. Ba é a d’fhág an chuma ar Brasília a thugann ar chuairteoir a cheapadh go bhfuil sé tar éis tuirlingt ar phlainéad eile. Cén t-iontas mar sin gur spásárthach, níos mó ná rud ar bith eile, a mheabhródh an Iarsmalann Náisiúnta – sa ghrianghraf thall – do dhuine? Dhear Niemeyer an foirgneamh seo caoga bliain tar éis dó tithe an rialtais a dhearadh, agus is léir nár tháinig aon mheath ar a chuid scileanna sa leathchéad bliain sin ach a mhalairt!
When I was almost finished writing this book, the man who created the building pictured above passed away - aged 104 years of age. He had continued working up until shortly before his death. Oscar Niemeyer, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1907 was one of the most famous architects in the world.
And not without cause. It was he who was responsible for making the visitor to Brazil think that perhaps they had landed on another planet. Small wonder then that that the National Museum should resemble nothing so much as a spaceship! Niemeyer designed this building some fifty years after he designed the national parliament building and it's obvious that his creativity hadn't declined in the intervening half a century; quite the opposite...
NÓTA FAOI NA hAISTRIÚCHÁIN / NOTE ON THESE TRANSLATIONS
* The translations are rough versions of the original Irish language texts, purely for illustration/pre-publicity purposes - they will not appear in the final printed book.
