Just let’s talk about samba

 by Miriam Müller Vizentini, Switzerland

If you think you are going to read something “high intellectual stuffed philosophic thoughts” about Brazilian’s way to managed life, please stop right now … if you want to be in a good mood, than go ahead !

Someone asked me once how I could find balance in life.

Well, I confess I was surprised myself, when I’ve realised I could not thing about anything else than samba ! Samba ???

I was born in Brazil, São Paulo, but I live in Switzerland since 1990 with my family, working as a teacher in in-Company Language Schools (Portuguese courses), where I have this incredible opportunity to deal with many people from several countries, sharing experiences and opinions.

If you would have had the chance (as I had) to grow up with this kind of stuff: rhythms, “ginga”  - a way to balance our bodies, like in a football game or capoeira, in order to avoid “undesirable situations” - and beautiful lyrics, maybe naïve at a first look, you’ll understand what I mean.

I used to criticize my folk, who in my (wrong) opinion apparently had not realised how bad and difficult life could be and put not so many effort to change that.

For me, living was just “go for it”, or “fight to change this, or get that”. Now I believe I had not understood that they were fighting for a better life, just in another way.

After so many years, managing to live with so different points of view and cultures, dealing with so many bad & good situations, I’ve realised I actually have this “ginga” and a mix of sad-happiness in my flash-blood and soul, like in the Brazilian’s sambas. Maybe that’s why - I’m quite sure - I got balance in my life.

So, that’s my answer to the “balance” question, like in the lyrics of this music: “it's better to be happy than sad because happiness is the best thing that exists, it is like a light in the heart (…) lay on a little love in the cadence and you'll see that in this world nobody can discuss the beauty of the life.”

Well, if I can really do it all the time, I don’t know, but I’m really trying to - I swear …

Just try it now, hear the sound track “Samba da Benção” by Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim (Samba of the Blessing – lyrics bellow) - if you get this chance you will understand what I’ve meant ...

Good bless you, “Saravá” and “Axé” for you all !

Samba of the Blessing

by Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim

It's better to be happy than sad
Happiness is the best thing there is
It is like a light in the heart
But to make a samba with beauty
It's needed a bit of sadness
If not the samba can't be made

To make a samba is not like telling a joke
And who makes samba like this is worth nothing
The good samba is a kind of prayer
Because samba is the sadness that sways
And sadness is always hopeful
Of one day not being sad any more

Lay a bit of love on a cadence
And you'll see that in this world nobody wins
The beauty that a samba have
Because samba was born in Bahia
And if today it is white in it's poetry
It is very black in it's heart*

* Reference to black and white people

Samba da Benção

by Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim

“É melhor ser alegre que ser triste
Alegria é a melhor coisa que existe
É assim como a luz no coração
Mas pra fazer um samba com beleza
É preciso um bocado de tristeza
Senão não se faz um samba, não

Fazer samba não é contar piada
Quem faz samba assim não é de nada
O bom samba é uma forma de oração
Porque o samba é a tristeza que balança
E a tristeza tem sempre uma esperança
De um dia não ser mais triste não ...

Ponha um pouco de amor numa cadência
E vai ver que ninguém no mundo vence
A beleza que tem um samba não
Porque o samba nasceu lá na Bahia
E se hoje ele é branco na poesia
Se hoje ele é branco na poesia
Ele é negro demais no coração

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