I just discovered the Globo.tv app, which lets you watch snippets of Brazilian tv programs on your iPhone. Being the sinister media empire that they are, there are dozens of programs available: cooking shows, telenovelas, documentarios, sports clips. It’s a nice way to do some active listening, which is the skill I still need to practice most. Unfortunately, you can’t watch the full shows, only 1-5 minute long clips, but the sheer number of clips is pretty awesome.
My StreetSmart Brazil professora also pointed me to a feature-length documentary on the disastrous Belo Monte dam that Brazil has been trying build on the Xíngu river (a tributary of the Amazon), and the kayapó índios who have been fighting it. The documentary is called Anúncia de uma Guerra, and you can watch the whole thing on youtube or Vimeo. (Ironically, Xíngu Beer is my favorite Brazilian beer, actually one of my favorite beers from any country, and I hate that every time I drink it I think of Belo Monte – though a portion of their profits does go to Y Ikatu Xingu – though not, I note, the more militant Xingu Vivo Para Sempre).
