The I.C.B.I.E. Blog

The previous post bragged about exciting contacts with important people, and among them, the mayor of Salvador João Henrique, who has received us several times in his office at City Hall.  Little did I know that, more or less at the same time that I was writing the article, the mayor and several city councilmen were making an official visit to the ICBIE!

As soon as Pietro found out about this, he quickly organized a meeting with all the city’s street artists who participate in the Salvador Graffita project, to make the event into a big end-of-year cultural summit, with more than forty people attending, including two famous local artists, Leonel Mattos and Paranaguà.  Speaking to the assembled group, the mayor offered his formal thanks for ICBIE’s support of Salvador Graffita, and especially, for our help in organizing the tour to Italy of Julio and Bigode.  He also expressed his gratitude to the ICBIE’s Italian team, for their wonderful help and, in particular, for organizing the visit of the two city councilmen, including our friend Tucanaré, who was present at the meeting.

After the art caucus, Mr. Henrique remained, as he wanted to meet all the people on our team.  He chatted candidly with Marlene, with Lu, with our sweet and ever-present student Mito, and with all of Julio’s young ICBIE artists.   Then Pietro took him on a leisurely tour of the grounds, lingering in our empty theater space, where he told the mayor about our progress in the plans to build a proper building, including the exciting prospects with the Engineers Without Borders, whose central office has approved our project.  In the course of the conversation, the mayor inquired about how much assistance we receive from the Italian government, and was flabbergasted to learn that the ICBIE has received no institutional support whatsoever.   He asked how we were able to achieve such an effective and dynamic institute, all on our own, and Pietro then told him the whole story, of D’Artagnan and his paintings, of our personal sacrifices, putting our life savings into the building of the ICBIE dream, and of the donations of groups of friends and of schools in Italy, all done in the name of social solidarity, to help the young people of the Cidade baixa.

The mayor, overwhelmed with emotion, was moved nearly to tears, and he left the ICBIE, rubbing his eyes.

In closing, as a New Year’s greeting, here’s a photo taken in a New York City bar, sent to me by our nostalgic and ever-faithful supporter, Mary Norris!   Saúde!!!

Roy Zimmerman

2007 has been a banner year for the ICBIE: courses are thriving, cultural activities are growing bigger and bigger, many new friends have joined our team of supporters, and fund-raising has increased. We are very grateful for all the time, hard work and yes, money, that people have given to the Institute.

In addition, the ICBIE’s future looks bright, because this year we’ve made important contacts with some very powerful people. Here is a summary:

1) The Italian ambassador in Brazil, Michele Valensise

2) The Italian General Consul in Brazil, Massimino Bellelli, and 3) the Italian Consul in Salvador, Giovanni Pisanu

4) The Governor of the State of Bahia, Jacques Wagner

5) The Mayor of Salvador, João Henrique

Congratulations to ICBIE President Pietro Gallina for his splendid diplomatic ability and his unflagging efforts to promote our mission.

And we wish all our friends a happy, healthy and prosperous 2008!

Although the ICBIE faces constant challenges to make ends meet, we know how lucky we are, considering the conditions in our neighborhood. For example, just a few blocks away, on Rua Marques de Santo Amaro, is the Minha Vó Flor orphanage, where fifty small children live in a crowded and decrepit building. Founded in 1997 by Florenice Gomes Macêdo, the orphanage struggles to survive: the rent is expensive, and it continues to rise, while government support is insufficient. As a result, even routine maintenance has to be postponed, month after month, because there is no money. For the last two years, the ICBIE has worked hard to help them, led by one of our original supporters, Yvonne Fluckiger Righi, who has become a true activist for their cause, raising funds in Italy and Switzerland. Our dream is to help Minha Vó Flor to purchase their building, because it would free them from paying so much of their available funds for rent.

The ICBIE has also enlisted its other supporters to help them, and an elementary school in Casltelboglione (Asti) and the American Overseas School of Rome have provided them with funds, with Minha Vó Flor’s children participating in AOSR’s self-portrait project (see sidebar).

Last month, Yvonne located a wealthy lady in Switzerland, who, though the ICBIE, made a R$7000 contribution to Minha Vó Flor, and some significant renovation can begin.  The photos below show the current, sad state of the home where fifty children live!

As the holiday season approaches and guests arrive, the restoration and building work continue unabated. With the front facade and the entrance way finished, it is time for the smaller details: the ironwork is being repainted, the sign for the Leonardo da Vinci International Library is being completely redone, and in front, facing the main street, a new ICBIE sign is being constructed–in the place where the awful Coca-Cola sign originally stood. The new sign will have the ICBIE logo and also a reference to the D’Artagnan Project.

With these final cosmetic touches, the restoration of the front of the Institute will be complete, and the sun, salt and wind can resume its corrosive work until the next time around.

The biggest work is going on in the back courtyard, where the reconstruction of five small guest apartments is proceeding amazingly well. Since these photographs were taken, a giant concrete roof has been poured, so that, in the future, we can contemplate the construction of a second floor! Each of the five apartments has its own bathroom, and Pietro has confessed that the tiles will be skyblue and white (Lazio colors!), so Guido Zaccagnini and I will be happy.

At this rate, by the beginning of March, we should have more space for our guests!

Hallo Bahia, hallo Roma, hallo world….

Once upon a time (approx. 1967?) in Rome, Pietro met Heinz Kuby - Heinz was one of the “European Vanguard” working hard to create and expand the new European Community. His daughter, Renate Kuby, kept in touch and in the family tradition, is now the leading light within an art group in Limburg, Germany (www.LahnArtists.de). Following a meeting between Pietro and Renate at the recent “Ele D’Artagnan” event in Amsterdam, we decided to try and help the ICBIE project.

But what is the best way for a small organisation to contribute?

We decided to visit Pietro and Roy Zimmerman in Rome during the summer, and have based our campaign on their observations and analysis of the needs of the ICBIE. We have produced a leaflet, and Limburg is now aware of the project. That has had 2 effects: firstly, there are a surprising number of “Brazil Fans” (and not just football fans!) who have responded, and secondly, several wonderful people have given some cash to help us. But for what? Most important was the decision to try and fund one or two local young people to travel to the ICBIE, work there in some role for some weeks or months, and then return to tell us (and the rest of Limburg) all about their experiences. We are halfway there with the necessary finance, and if all goes well, we will be asking Pietro and Marlene what they need or would like from our visitor(s). Then we can try and find suitably enthusiastic candidates who wish to help and, of course, wish to learn from such a wonderful opportunity…..

Yes, we would also like to publicise the accomodation within the ICBIE for “aware” tourists, and one day to sell “Fair Trade” products from the ICBIE, but we don’t really want to try and run before we have learnt to walk… So, as we enjoy the fun of our Annual Art Exhibition in Limburg, we wish everyone good luck in 2008 - in Germany, Italy, and most of all in the ICBIE in Brazil !

Steve

PS: If you want to see the art in Limburg, then try www.lahnufer.de , then click “Die Bilder der Jahresausstellung 2007″, (in dark green, to the left), and then click on “Die Kunstwerke 2007″ for a slide show!

PPS: And if live near here, and want to help our fund, then our Konto is:

Lahn Artists e.V., 53529 4186, BLZ 510.500.15, Zweck ICBIE.

And if you also send your adress, then we can send back a “Spendenquittung” (Tax Credit).

Hallo Bahia, hallo Rom, hallo Welt….

Es war einmal in Rom (ca. 1967)…. als Pietro Heinz Kuby traf - Heinz war einer der “Europäischen Avantgarde”, der hart daran arbeitete die neue Europäische Gemeinschaft zu erschaffen und zu erweitern. Seine Tochter, Renate Kuby, hat den Kontakt gehalten und ist jetzt, entsprechend der Familientradition, der “führende Geist” einer Kunstgruppe in Limburg, Deutschland (www.LahnArtists.de). Nach einem Treffen zwischen Pietro und Renate während des letzten “Ele D’Artagnan” Event in Amsterdam, haben wir entschieden, dem ICBIE Projekt zu helfen.

Aber was ist die beste Art für eine kleine Organisation, etwas beizutragen?

Unser erster Schritt war, Pietro und Roy Zimmerman während des Sommers in Rom zu besuchen und unsere Kampagne auf ihren Beobachtungen und Analysen der Bedürfnisse des ICBIE zu gründen. Wir haben einen Flier produziert, und Limburg ist jetzt auf das Projekt aufmerksam geworden. Das hat 2 Folgen: erstens gibt es eine überraschende Zahl von “Brasilien Fans” (und nicht nur Fußball-Fans) die reagiert haben, und zweitens haben einige wundervolle Leute etwas Geld gespendet, um uns zu helfen. Aber wofür? Sehr wichtig war die Entscheidung, ein oder zwei jungen Menschen aus der Region eine Reise zum ICBIE zu finanzieren, um dort für einige Wochen oder Monate mit zu arbeiten - und uns danach (und dem Rest von Limburg) über ihre Erfahrungen zu erzählen. Wir haben schon etwa die Hälfte der Summe gesammelt und wenn alles so gut weiter geht, werden wir Pietro und Marlene fragen, was sie von unseren Besucher(n) benötigen. Dann können wir passende enthusiastische junge Menschen finden, die helfen und natürlich von solch einer wundervollen Gelegenheit lernen möchten.

Ja, wir wollen auch die Möglichkeit des ICBIE als Ort für “bewußte” Touristen publizieren, und eines Tages ICBIE-Produkte als “Fair Trade” verkaufen….. aber wir wollen nicht rennen, bevor wir gelernt haben zu gehen… So, während wir hier den Spaß unserer jährlichen Kunstausstellung in Limburg genießen, wünschen wir allen viel Glück für 2008 - in Deutschland, in Italien, und insbesondere in ICBIE in Brasilien!

Steve

PS: Wenn Sie die Kunst aus Limburg sehen möchten, www.lahnufer.de tippen und dann “Die Bilder der Jahresausstellung 2007″ klicken (in dunkelgrün links), und dann “Die Kunstwerke 2007″ klicken für eine Diavorführung!

PPS: Wenn Sie auch spenden wollen, hier ist das Konto!

Lahn Artists e.V., 53529 4186, BLZ 510.500.15, Zweck ICBIE.

Und wenn Sie ihre Adresse per Mail schicken, dann können wir eine Spendenquittung ausgeben!

Last Friday night, the ICBIE’s third academic year came to an end, with a diploma ceremony and a Christmas party for all the Italian language classes.  More than half of the students who attend courses at the Institute are enrolled in Italian, and that subject has always been the centerpiece of our academic program.  People who speak Italian have a significant advantage in the local job market, due to the tens of thousands of Italian tourists who pack Salvador’s hotels, beaches, restaurants and bars, and ICBIE courses have helped dozens of kids to find meaningful employment.

The success of the Italian program is the product of hundreds and hundreds of hours of rigorous work by Professor Marlene Rosa de Souza.  Many of our kids have never been pushed so hard in their entire lives, as she demands (and receives) total attention, while her rapid fire lessons keep everyone on the edge of their seats.  But her patience and her passion for learning has won the affection of all her students, who, in the end, know that her hard work will help them to improve their lives.

And above all, congratulations to all our students for their achievements!

An overload of rather uncanny and exhilarating incongruities shook the eternal city last night. First there was a terrible tramontana that transformed the scenes on the streets, and the usual leisurely bustle of Saturday evening shoppers was forced to scuttle along quick, with chattering teeth and exaggerated winter apparel. When the thermometer slips below freezing, the Roman lifestyle abruptly looses all its defining characteristics. But that contrast was dwarfed by the surreal appearance of our dear Bogus. He came by train from Reggio Emilia, and the ever faithful Marcella was there at the station to pick him up. We met to have a dinner at Rome’s splendid old beerhouse, the Birreria Peroni on Via San Marcello, just off Piazza Venezia. We had to wait in the crowed anteroom (but with beers to drink), and Bogus was so delighted to hear people speaking with a Roman accent, which he had sorely missed in the north. Unfortunately, bad weather and flu bugs forced a large number of Bogus’s Roman friends to miss out, but Marcella, Daniele Dattilo, his girlfriend Katie and I finally took a great corner table in the back room, while other large groups of holiday celibrants tried to match our good spirits. As he finished his gulash, Bogus deftly attacked the sauce with a piece of bread, impeccably executing the ritual act performed by Romans: la scarpetta.

After dinner, we went to the Factory, where about thirty people braved the cold and the drafts to welcome Bogus to Rome, and where the memories of Julio and Bigode are still enlivened by their artworks. Keeping the incongruity theme right to the end, we danced to a wonderful set of Bahian music, but mostly to keep our feet from freezing!

Roy Zimmerman

From kindergarten to twelfth grade, the American Overseas School of Rome spurs all its students to share their human resources to fight poverty and ignorance, and to tackle the injustices of the global economic divide. Instead of superficially plowing the platitudes of the world’s tragedies, AOSR chose instead to form a meaningful relationship with a small school serving specific local community in the third world, to form reciprocal bonds of friendship and understanding: Bridge to Bahia, AOSR and ICBIE. In the last sixteen months, Salvador has become a familiar place to everyone, and the initials I.C.B.I.E. immediately flash back to another magic Friday, when Julio and Bigode painted their marvelous mural. Today, their artwork acted as a backdrop for the second annual Bridge to Bahia toy sale.

Two weeks ago, the eleventh graders in the International Baccalaureate program gave presentations to all the elementary classrooms, where they talked about poverty and the lack of education in the Third World, and they described the conditions in the Brazilian favelas as an example. Then they asked all the children to bring in one toy or book that they had outgrown, to have a big toy sale for the benefit of the ICBIE.

After a morning of fun, everyone knew that they had done something important for our friends at the ICBIE.

With Bogus safely on the plane to Europe, it’s time to recount another sweet ICBIE story, one that also helps to acknowledge a wonderful lady who has become an essential part of the Institute. Everyone who has visited the ICBIE during the last couple of years has come to love Lu, our quiet and reserved cook and cleaning lady.

Since she arrived in the spring of 2006, Lu and her timid smiles have become an integral part of the place, and her services have become absolutely indispensable. Thanks to her, the ICBIE can maintain its dignified appearance, and without her help, it would be impossible to run the hostel. Her serenity and her kindness are absolutely endearing, and when someone has to spend a stressful day in front of a computer, she always arrives at just the right moment, bringing a hot cup of coffee, or a glass of fresh fruit juice. She is the only person to gain the trust of Pietro in his only holy sanctuary, the kitchen; Pietro’s culinary talent intimidates almost everyone, but she was able to gently insinuate herself in among the pots and pans, gradually becoming an equal partner. Given Pietro’s daunting schedule as ICBIE mastermind, she is there to assure that a lunch is prepared, even if he is far away.

As in all good stories, Lu’s enormous contributions to the ICBIE have also changed her life, and that of her husband and two daughters. She lives in a very poor area, just inland from the Alagados, and her house was a precarious wooden construction, so awful in the rainy season that it was a long time until either Pietro or Marlene were invited to see it. With her work at the ICBIE, she proudly saved every penny to make improvements, so Pietro and Marlene finally decided to offer some extra help, in order to replace the shoddy wooden shingles with proper walls of bricks and concrete, and now Lu is proud of her beautiful new home.

Besides that, Lu’s two daughters Thaiane and Luane were quickly recruited as students, paying no fees whatsoever, and they have both just finished the second level course in Italian. Then Lu confided the great news that Thaiane was going to get married, but they were worried about the money it would cost. So last Sunday, the ICBIE hosted a lovely wedding reception for Thaiane and Sandro!

Another proud day for the ICBIE!  Our extraordinary student Bogus is flying to Milan today.

It’s hard to imagine how the ICBIE will be able to function with out him!  But we’re all thrilled for the wonderful experiences that await him during his two month long tour of Italy.  As the photo below shows, his bags are packed and he’s ready to go!

Tanti auguri, Bogus!