Carnival and Article

I thought that the point in the article about how trying to get Hispanic folks to all subscribe to one cultural identity is foolish was a good one. There are far too many differences in culture between one country and the next for them to all want to come together under one label. I don't really see why we expect that considering that we make such a huge deal out of separating the different European countries' cultures. I know that I would be offended if someone told me that because my ancestors came from Europe I was supposed to eat snails like the French.

I thought that the film was interesting in that it portrayed the different cultural groups within just one city competing and claiming to be different from one another. I think that the need to identify one's self from another group is too strong to completely ignore. It was nice to see that the Carnival in Bahia was able to allow people to express themselves as being different in a (somewhat) safe environment while still letting everyone be free to party.

Celebration

From the reading Tuesday, getting together as a whole and sharing everyones differences was the sole purpose. which is great and understandable, but it seems to restricted to the carnival film. i liked the film more because the concept in both was to celebrate, and the carnival film sure did that. the idea of celebrating was different because the carnival let you be free completely; for 5 whole days. any concerns, dreams, persona's, that had been tucked away is let out during the carnival. free to be yourself and no judgment. while the reading celebrates a stricter celebration and control of all the organized events. you wouldnt her the reading talking about people passing out in the streets and that be the ultimate goal of the celebration. Or see a baby next to a drag queen next to a completly wasted clown during the celebration. it was interesting to see the differences of interpreting the celebration types.

Comparing Carnaval and "Latinismo"

After watching the film and reading the article about Latinismo, I can see some differences between the two.

The film expressly said that the purpose of Carnaval was to have fun, to break from reality for five days out of the whole year while the article reported that the purpose of the Latin culture events was to bring unity in diversity. The article examined several events which had this purpose in mind and reported their level of success based on their "key scenarios."

So, on the one hand, we have a culture event based on fun while the other is founded on the basis of cultural unity and diversity, of finding a common interest and identity while maintaining each Latino country's pride and dignity, which is the tension between nationalism and panethnicity.

Also, the article reported the events in clear though general details and these events seemed to be well-organized events that celebrated this unity in diversity concept. Carnaval, on the other hand, seemed like one of our classmates confided, like "organized chaos." There was lots of dancing and noise and people in the middle of the streets and--at the end of the festival--lots of trash to clean up. Carnaval just seems like a huge event compared to the ones mentioned in the article.

Though I can say that Carnaval did represent all of Bahia's cultural heritages through their respective clubs. I cannot say that for many of the cultural events mentioned in the article, as Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday and other Hispanics try to celebrate it. The Mexicans have historically been the culturally dominant ethnic group in San Francisco. But the Berkeley Fiesta and the 24th Street Fair showed that Cinco de Mayo could represent more than one Latino country in bringing in group-specific music, dance and food.

Carnaval in Bahia seems to already have this unity in diversity concept in hand, though some culture events in San Francisco have some work to do to achieve this goal of Latinismo.

Carnival and Latin American Events

The main thing that Carnival in Bahia had with the events we read about was that there was a mix of cultures. However, the cultures that were mixed were different and the reasons were different also.  In Carnival there was a mix of South American, Native American, and even African influences because those cultures are prominate in Brazil.  It is a part of Brazilian culture.  The events we read about usually mixed different country's cultures together, in order to show unity among the latinos in America.  There seemed a stark difference between the events we read about and Carnival.  The events in America were a concerted effort to bring people of different nationalities together.  There was a blend that would have made it hard to differentiate the cultures, they were all just latino.  For instance for cinco de mayo in one of the events there were several cultures other than Mexican featured.  They were trying to create a sense of community.  Carnival is a result of community, not an attempt for community.  The cultures there are Brazilian and nothing else, they are already united, and no one is trying to force them to unite, and they are confusing their culture with any other.  The events we read about seemed more contrived, while the Carnival was natural.  There was no greater plot behind it, the point is to just have fun.   

Carnival Edition

The film was interesting because I'd actually never heard of Carnival...or Bahia. The equivalent here[in the U.S.] religiously would be Mardi Gras whilst the equivalent overall would be Key West's Fantasy Fest. With Fantasy Fest, it is the only week long festival where authority tolerates public intoxication and debauchery. The one aspect of the film that stood out to me was when the elderly woman performed a ritual that involved killing chickens to remove the evil from the club. That was one of the only main aspects that didn't really match up with the great carnival-like events in America. As exciting as the carnaval seemed, I don't think I'd personally attend it but it was great to view it through film none the less.

Carnival

The article does a good job in exploring the history of cultural unity within the United States in South and Central America. While the article talked about the unity of different cultural groups and the celebration of Cinco de Mayo in San Francisco, the film was a visual expression of the unity of culture in Bahia.
Different cultural backgrounds were united in a 5 day celebration which incorporated song and dance, although the different social classes would typically divide these groups. It was compelling to see how these distinct groups, each with their own distinct customs and traditions, were able to express themselves with freedom and acceptance.
The film was a great way to see the written words of the article, although different location and demographics. Both the article and video described the cultural unity the Hispanic population shared, despite their individual differences.

Carnaval

The film that we watched in class was very intriguing. I had always known about Bahia, but never heard of this celebration called Carnaval. It is a time for all social classes to get together, forget their troubles, and party for days on end. In many ways I was reminded of the Mardi Gras celebration that takes place in New Orleans. The article also concerned Carnaval, but in America, San Francisco to be exact. Unfortunately, clearly the experiences of the two are completely different, due to the more generic feel given off by the San Francisco celebration than the Bahia one. While the Bahia celebration was a coming together of all different types of Latino people celebrating different aspects of their heritage, the San Francisco one was much more subdued and made so that all of their residents, not just Latino one, could take part in the fun. Overall I found the video to be much more compelling to the article and enjoyed watching it.