winter 2014 portuguese@newcastle · event, feijoada cultural, in which our ... ilha grande - a...
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School of Modern Languages Newcastle University
WINTER 2014
PORTUGUESE@NEWCASTLE Edited by Ana assunção and loiana pavlichenko
The Languages for the Future report of 2013
identifies Portuguese as one of the most
vital languages to the UK over the next 20
years. It was chosen based on economic,
geopolitical, cultural and educational fac‐
tors including the needs of UK businesses,
UK overseas trade targets, diplomatic and security priorities, and
the prevalence of Portuguese on the internet. This year Newcastle
University is celebrating 50 years of Portuguese teaching at
School of Modern Languages, and to mark the anniversary we
have a whole programme of seminars and events, including a lec‐
ture by the President of Camões ‐ Instituto da Cooperação e da
Língua as “Distinguished Speaker” on the 13th of March, as well as
exhibitions and student activities. The Portuguese Language Cen‐
tre at Newcastle University promotes and supports research pro‐
jects in the areas of Language, History, Literature and Culture of
Portugal and the Lusophone world, and provides students, teach‐
ers and other stakeholders with the means of deepening their
knowledge and implementing their projects, by providing materi‐
als and organising activities of a cultural nature related to Portugal
and the Lusophone world.
2014 is also the year in which Portugal
celebrates the 40th anniversary of the
April revolution, with the subsequent
independence of the African colonies.
The April revolution is also known as
the Carnation Revolution: the red car‐
nation became the symbol of the Revo‐
lution in April 1974, when a florist from
Lisbon distributed red carnations to the
population, who offered them to the
soldiers. On that day the flowers were
put in the rifles, symbolizing the desire for peace.
On April 25th 1974, the Armed Forces
Movement (MFA) put an end to the
dictatorial regime which had over‐
whelmed the Portuguese for 48 years.
On the morning of that day, the mili‐
tary kept their promise and put an end
to the repression, the war and the
colonial policies. The colonies were
finally free and democracy was re‐
stored.
This movement ended the isolation of
Portugal and helped the birth of new
independent countries. It was a pioneer movement of huge demo‐
cratic change around the world and demonstrated that the Armed
Forces do not have to be an instrument of oppression and may
instead be the liberators of people.
Democratizing, Developing and Decolonizing was the
motto that was then brought back to Portugal as a forum of free
nations and peace lovers.
In 2014 we will also celebrate the 140th anniversary of Eça
de Queirós’s consulship in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Eça de Queirós is one of the most important Portuguese
writers of all time. He was also a diplomat and lived in Newcastle
upon Tyne in 1845 where he was consul. He wrote some of his
major works in this city, such as O primo Basílio, O Crime do Padre
Amaro as well as several texts in which he expresses his views on
the English: Cartas de Inglaterra, Crónicas de Londres, Notas Con‐
temporâneas and Correspondência. But it is in his master piece, Os
Maias, that we can find his
deepest view of England ide‐
alized as a model of the civili‐
zation. Eça de Queirós lived in
53, Grey Street. Nowadays his
house is a cosy café. It’s well
worth a visit!
A warm welcome from our staff We are very pleased to present to you the second edition of the Portuguese Newsletter. We intend to offer you an insight into the Portuguese learning experience at Newcastle University through our students’ testi-monies and our social and cultural events. We hope the newsletter shows you how involved our staff and students are in promoting Portuguese language and Lusophone culture inside and outside the classroom.
The Portuguese Language Centre is al-
ways promoting social events to give our
students opportunities to develop their
communicative skills, but above all, to
have fun! We know “Uni time” is the best
time of our lives and we need to make the
most of it!
Last term, the Portuguese Language Centre and our student social committee, formed by Eddie Taylor, Tim Anstey
and Kerry Wilkin, organised regular meetings of the Portuguese Cafe, our most traditional
event! The Cafe has taken place in different venues: sometimes at a pub, to warm up for the
night ahead with some informal and relaxed chatting, other times at Bar Loco, a multicultural
venue, in which diversity is more than welcomed! The Portuguese community is always mas-
sively present and its members simply love to help the students who are keen to use their Por-
tuguese to gain confidence and fluency. The highlights of the events at The Goose, as well as at
Bar Loco, were a fun quiz, music offered by the Portuguese DJ, Paulo Gama, and a super show,
performed by Tuga Tribe, a Portuguese duet that mixes traditional Portuguese folk music and
electronic music. Tuga Tribe and DJ Paulo were also present at our food friendly
event, Feijoada Cultural, in which our
students not only experienced the flavours
of Brazilian and Portuguese Cuisine, but
also learnt their first Samba steps. Caipi-
rinhas, the Brazilian national drink and
one of Bar Loco’s specialties, made the par-
ty even more relaxed! We truly believe that learning happens everywhere!!!
Celebrating Portuguese at Newcastle:
Portuguese Cafe, Feijoada Cultural and 2014 Events
Future Events in 2014 Seminars
06/02/2017 - Notorious and Public Scandal : gender and
power in relationships of concubinage, Bahia 1750-1808, Selina Patel
13/03/2014 - Distiguished Speaker: Camoes Institute
President
24/04/2014 - The Luso-Brazilian Empire 1777-1807, An-
thony Gray
15/11/2014 - 100 years of Brazilian Republic, Professor
Jens Hentschke Social Events
10 –15/03 at The Atrium Gallery - Celebrating The Car-
nation Revolution: a special exhibition telling the story of the 25th of April (full display from 21/04—02/05 at The Long Corridor)
Portuguese Language Day Celebrations
Portuguese Language Centre involved in ¡Vamos! Festival
2014
The Portuguese Cafe
Films display through the year
Projects
The Portuguese Language Centre is also involved in
The Translation Project and becoming involved in the Linguacast run by Newcastle University Language Re-source Centre.
A volunteer in Rio de Janeiro
I’m writing this from Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, where I’ve been working as a volunteer for the
last three months. The organi-sation I’m volunteering for is
Iko Poran and I’m living in a shared house in the Santa Tere-
sa neighbourhood with other volunteers. I study Spanish,
Portuguese and Latin American Studies at Newcastle Uni-versity and wanted to share my year abroad experience so
far. My project in a nutshell: I work at a project in a small community centre where many kids spend part of their
days. I can do many things with the children, including teaching English, telling them about England, different ac-
tivities or games, and sometimes trips to the park nearby. On Mondays they often take me for a little walk around the community, excitedly pointing out their homes and their
relatives as we all walk the little streets, hand in hand. Friday in Rio: Friday is a day off for volunteers and it can
be spent relaxing in our large volunteer house, enjoying the sights of Rio, or embarking on a weekend trip away. Here
are four must-see weekend trip destinations from Rio! 1. Ilha Grande - a beautiful tropical island with amazing beaches, hiking spots, waterfalls, and no cars! Situated
around a 3 hour bus journey south of Rio, (and an hour’s ferry ride too!)
2. Paraty - a popular beach town with cobbled streets, boat trips and beach parties (make sure to stay in the beach hos-tel!)
3. Buzios - an attractive city north of Rio, recognised for its lively nightlife
and expensive shopping scene. Known as the
holiday destina-tion for Rio’s
‘elite’.
4. Salvador - “Brazil’s capital of happiness” is situated in North-eastern Brazil. You can reach Salvador, a centre for
Afro-Brazilian culture, by a short flight or an extremely long bus journey from Rio. Either way, it’s worth it and has prob-
ably been my favourite (long) weekend trip. The city is full of multi-coloured buildings, African cuisine (Salvador has the largest black population outside of Africa), outdoor par-
ties and constant (constant!!) drumming. *By Holly Ingram, currently on her year abroad. Find out more about Holly’s
full experience at http://www.thirdyearabroad.com/work-abroad/volunteer-abroad/item/2168-week-in-the-life-volunteer-rio-de-janeiro.html
From Mozambique to Belgium
My name is Pamela and I am a third-year student. I decided to study Portu-
guese because I’ve been interested in Mozambique since I was a child.
When I was younger I used to visit Mozambique often, going to the beach-es in Pemba, shopping in Maputo and
driving through Tete province. Unfortunately, I did not know the language and so my interaction was limited to my
family. Volunteering in Mozambique: Just before I began my
year abroad I decided to visit Mozambique, having studied Portuguese for two years. Because I could speak the lan-guage I was able to interact more with people around the
town I was living in, I managed to help some
of the other volunteers on the trip with asking questions and inter-
preting what was being said. The best experi-
ence was working with the children in the nursery school and the
orphanage in Inhambane, Mozambique. The kids were great, they didn’t mind that my Portuguese wasn’t always perfect
and they helped me learn new vocabulary too- like how to say ‘can you push me on the swing please?’ Portuguese and Brussels: I am currently working in pub-
lic affairs in Brussels and I still get opportunities to use my Portuguese; for example, monitoring Portuguese and Brazil-
ian media on behalf of clients; greeting Portu-
guese-speaking nationals at embassies or looking around in the Portuguese
quarter in St Gilles! *By Pamela Wilka, currently on her year abroad.
The Year Abroad: students’ testimonies
Contact us If you would like to report on or advertise a Portuguese language-related event, please contact Ana Assunção: [email protected] For information about admissions, please contact Lesley Sherrin ([email protected]) or visit our website http://research.ncl.ac.uk/clpic/
Facts:
Portuguese is the national and offi‐cial language of 8 countries: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea‐Bissau,
Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and, East Timor.
Portuguese is spoken by an estimated 240 million people.
Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the world and the third most spoken in the planet, after English and Spanish.
Portuguese is the third most used language on Facebook and the first most spoken language in South America, because of Brazil’s continental dimensions.
Portuguese is the most spoken language in the Southern hemisphere, because of the Portu‐guese speaking African countries.
Portuguese Language past events Professor Marco António da Silva Ramos from São Paulo Uni‐
versity talked about the opportunities and advantages of spend‐
ing your Year Abroad or continuing your post‐graduate studies
in Brazil. Professor Flavio Madureira Heinz, from PUC‐RS presented a
lecture entitled “Science Techniques and Politics in Brazil”.
Professor Miguel Puga from Universidade Nova de Lisboa pre‐
sented a lecture entitles The British Presence in Macau, 1635‐
1793.
Tabu, film directed by Miguel Gomes, at Tyneside Cinema.
Florbela, film directed by Vicente Alves do Ó, to celebrate the
Day of Portuguese Language.
The visit of the Portuguese Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Regular meetings of The Portuguese Café.
Portuguese@Newcastle supported 4 events at ¡Vamos! Festival
2013.
Learn Portuguese @ Newcastle and enjoy the Lusophone culture!
Olivia Chalmers is doing a BA Hons in Span‐ish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies
My first year experience of learning beginners
Portuguese has been very educational, fun and
interesting. After just one semester I feel that
my knowledge and understanding of the lan‐
guage has advanced significantly. I have also learnt about certain
areas of Portuguese culture, whilst learning certain differences be‐
tween Brazilian and European Portuguese. Seminars and Lab clas‐
ses are a good mixture of grammar and vocabulary lessons along
with oral practice of the language to improve speaking skills. Alt‐
hough certain aspects of the language and grammar can be diffi‐
cult, help and feedback during lessons and on homework have been
informative and worthwhile. I also think that the resources have
been helpful, especially the power‐points on blackboard and the
exercise books purchased. There are also great social events with
Portuguese which involve students, teachers and native speakers
spending time together to have fun in an informal atmosphere.
These events help students meet new people whilst improving lan‐
guage and speaking skills. The language also gives students the
opportunity to go to either Brazil or Portugal during their year
abroad and learn more about the language and culture of both
countries. Learning Portuguese has been a great opportunity and I
am looking forward to gaining more knowledge of the Portuguese
language and culture.
Rebecca Bennewith is doing a BA in Combined Honours
For me studying languages has always been a
way to explore a new culture and my experi‐
ence of learning Portuguese in this first semes‐
ter at Newcastle has provided an opportunity
to learn about both Brazil and Portugal. In our Portuguese seminars
the language learning is well balanced with an insight into Luso‐
phone culture; the art of drinking coffee and Portuguese bull‐
fighting to just name a few. Having studied Spanish before at A
Level I found Portuguese extremely accessible and I am progressing
extremely quickly considering the fact that I hadn’t studied Portu‐
guese before I started in Newcastle. The course provides many
great social opportunities with other students and native speakers
to develop language skills and I have been extremely lucky this year
due to the Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science without Borders) pro‐
gramme in Brazil. I currently live with two Brazilians on this ex‐
change programme, which has really helped with my Portuguese
but also means that I have made international friends in Brazil who I
hope to meet again in my year abroad. As my third year is in 2016 I
will hopefully be in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics and get the
amazing opportunity to volunteer as I will be able to speak English,
Spanish and Portuguese. Studying Portuguese has turned out to be
great fun and is opening many opportunities for me both now and
in the future.
Portuguese language worldwide
My experience of first year Portuguese