“Have you ever been to Bahia, Donald?” asks Zé Carioca.
“No.” replied Donald.
“No, I am sorry for you. Ah, Bahia…” sighs Zé Carioca.
“It is like a song in my heart, a song with love and beautiful memories.”
This is a scene from “The Three caballeros”, a Disney animated movie released in 1944, where Zé carioca—Donald Duck’s Brazilian counterpart—takes Donald through an exciting journey to Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, Brazil.
Like Zé carioca, this project intends to showcase Brazil, more specifically Bahia, to an american audience, but doing the reverse: bringing Bahia to Pittsburgh. The state of Bahia is known for its diverse and creative culture and as the birthplace of many world renowned Brazilian artists, writers, musician and composers. This interdisciplinary project will present activities combining elements of literature, arts, politics, music and dance.
A Week In Bahia is to take place in various locations throughout the city. Over the course of four days, a variety of lectures, workshops, exhibits, music and dance performances will shine a spotlight on this unique area of Brazil.
The main objective of this ambitious project is to promote Bahian culture, to impact and enrich the Pittsburgh community, to raise awareness and interest among the general public about this part of Brazil and at the same time, to enrich the experiences of the students who will have one-on-one opportunities to interact with these international artists, writers, scholars and more.
