Original subtitles

Our journey along the coast of Brazil begins in the north,

in Amazonia.

We will visit Macapa, Belem, and Sao Luis.

BURST OF DRUMS

At the mouth of the Amazon,

the ribeirinhos collect the precious acai berries.

North of Macapa, the people of Curiau

celebrate their ancestors' escape from slavery.

On the island of Marajo, Ana Tereza breeds water-buffaloes.

In Belem, we'll follow the Cirio de Nazare procession,

the largest Catholic festival in the world.

In Maranhao, Maria Domingos and other processors of babassu nuts

fight for their rights.

In Sao Luis,

Clarissa and her father introduce the colourful Bumba Meu Boi.

And finally, Luis tells us about the traditional boats he's restored.

The first leg of our journey takes us along the coast of Amapa state,

in Brazil's far north,

from Oiapoque to Macapa, at the mouth of the Amazon.

WAVES, FAINT IN DISTANCE

The coast, facing the Atlantic Ocean,

is lined by the virgin jungle of Amazonia.

The coastline is almost untouched,

with no settlements for hundreds of kilometres.

Beyond the thin strip of beach there looms a wall of vegetation.

The only way to reach the interior is to go up-river, or to fly.

DISTANT BIRD CALLS

Three-quarters of the State of Amapa

is covered by one of the richest biomes on the planet,

the Amazon rainforest.

The forest is laced with a maze of 'rios'... rivers.

They are fed by a multitude of secondary rivers,

which are themselves fed by tiny tributaries known as igarapes.

Deep in water for part of the year,

the forests of the varzeas, the floodplains,

are spread across the vast alluvial plain of the Amazon.

The forest is exceptionally dense

on the shores and alluvial islands of the Amazon estuary.

DISTANT BIRD CALLS

The area is home to the ribeirinhos, the river people,

who live in small houses on stilts.

DISTANT BIRD CALLS

A few kilometres north of where the Matapi River joins the Amazon,

the Matapi is itself fed by the igarape Pirativa.

And this is where Manoel and his family live.

RHYTHMICAL BRAZILIAN DRUMS

Manoel is from one of the many communities of fishermen

and acai pickers who still depend largely on the river for a living.

The ribeirinhos are descended from native Indians

and Portuguese settlers.

For centuries they have lived in harmony with their environment

and the seasonal fluctuations of the river.

The Amazon has some of the richest freshwater fishing in the world.

From a very young age,

the children learn to fish and help their communities,

which are often poor.

Few go to school, as it's too far away.

In the dry season,

the river is at its lowest and the fishing is limited.

Filipe, Manoel's son, needs all his skills to catch a few prawns.

As well as fishing, the children also help with acai picking.

PARROT CALLS

Expert though he is at scaling acai palms,

Filipe dreams of other things.

Deforestation because of logging

is taking an increasing toll on the varzeas.

Large-scale acai plantations are also taking their toll.

Traditionally the staple food of the ribeirinhos,

the berries have become very popular throughout Brazil.

PATTER OF BERRIES

But Manoel remains optimistic.

LIVELY BRAZILIAN MUSIC

Let's hope Filipe's dreams come true.

With the help of international NGOs,

some Amazonian communities are already campaigning

for permanent protection of the river's natural resources.

Perhaps he will be able to join them.

LIVELY MUSIC RESUMES

A hundred kilometres inland from the ocean,

deep within the Amazon estuary,

lies Macapa, the capital of the State of Amapa.

With approximately half a million people, the ever-expanding city

is home to 60 per cent of the state's population.

As it does everywhere along the river,

fishing plays a significant part in the city's economy.

The symbol of Macapa, the Monumento do Marco Zero,

is a reminder that the city is right on the Equator.

They say you can balance an egg here, as if by magic!

Another symbol of the city is Fort Sao Jose,

built by the Portuguese between 1764 and 1782

to control access to Amazonia.

Its ground plan, a four-pointed star,

was clearly inspired by the designs

of Louis XIV's military architect, Vauban.

A few kilometres north of the city

lies a small tributary of the Amazon, the River Curiau.

Let's go upstream.

HIGH-PITCHED INSECT NOISE

Varzeas are usually covered in rainforest.

BIRD CALLS

But some have other vegetation and a quite different ecosystem.

For example, the Curiau floodplain.

Though adjacent to coastal and river forests,

it comprises vast areas of savannah, grasslands, marshes

and wet meadows.

Covering almost 22,000 hectares,

it is both an environmental protection area

and excellent farmland, with a poignant history.

Curiau is home to a quilombo...

a settlement founded originally by runaway slaves.

After slavery was abolished in 1888,

many of these escaped-slave communities faded away.

But Curiau's survived, and its traditions are still going strong.

Its oldest resident is Tia Chiquinha.

Adelson, Esmeraldina's brother, is a passionate quilombola.

DRUMS, CHANTING

In 2012, Adelson founded Brazil's first quilombola troupe.

Their songs tell the story of their people

to the sound of traditional marabaixo music,

the music of runaway slaves.

DRUMS, CHANTING

DRUMS, CHANTING

APPLAUSE

Altogether, there are 3000 quilombos in Brazil.

Most of them are still waiting

to gain ownership of the land their ancestors settled.

We leave Amapa for the neighbouring state of Para,

to explore the island of Marajo and the capital, the devout Belem.

RHYTHMICAL MUSIC, SURF

Facing the Atlantic in the north,

Marajo is flanked by the mouths of two rivers: the Amazon and the Para.

Marajo is about the size of Switzerland.

It is the world's largest island to face the sea on one side

and fresh water on every other side.

In the rainy season,

the combined flow of the two rivers is so powerful

that it drives the salt water back a few kilometres from the coast.

A coast of long, sandy beaches backed by impenetrable mangroves.

Like the other Amazonian islands,

Marajo is subject to the whims of the two rivers.

Much of the island is flooded between January and June.

So here, as elsewhere in Amazonia,

the easiest way to travel is by boat.

The eastern half of the island has no rainforest.

Instead, it has vast areas of wet grassland,

ideal for raising water buffalo.

An hour by canoe from Soure, capital of Marajo,

Ana Tereza runs a huge fazenda... a ranch.

COWBOYS WHOOP

Which perhaps explains the sharp increase

in the number of water buffalo in Amazonia.

Marajo alone has over 600,000 of them.

But they are not what matters most to Ana Tereza.

ANIMAL LOWS

HISS

HISS

BRAZILIAN MUSIC

In Soure, the capital, buffalo have other uses

proof that they're an integral part of life on the island

and have been since they were introduced in 1895.

QUIRKY MUSIC

A well-established trade in buffalo hides

feeds an important leather-goods industry.

BANGING OF HAMMER

Marajo is also known for its pottery

and boasts one of the oldest ceramic traditions in Brazil.

But the buffaloes of the mounted police are exclusive to Soure.

They are one thing you won't see anywhere else.

TROTTING HOOVES

We leave Soure, and the island of Marajo, via the River Para.

The rivers and the sea, along with air routes,

are still the main means of travel in a region where roads are few.

DISTANT ROAR OF OCEAN

Contrary to what many people think,

the River Para is not an arm of the Amazon.

It is fed by one of Brazil's longest rivers, the Tocantins,

which has a water system all its own.

It's a three-hour voyage from Soure to Guajara Bay

and the capital of Para state...

Belem.

DISTANT BLOWING OF HORNS

With a population of almost one-and-a-half million,

Belem is the second-largest city in Amazonia,

and the eleventh-largest in all of Brazil.

Despite its high-rise development, Belem is a rather laid-back city,

a world apart from the bustling economic centres of the south.

The centre of this great river port is still the old town,

with its Portuguese colonial architecture and colourful landmarks

where the locals enjoy meeting, especially the Ver-O-Peso Market,

the largest outdoor market in Latin America,

and perhaps the most beautiful in Brazil.

Its name, which means 'see the weight',

comes from the colonial era,

when tax collectors checked the weight of goods

and collected taxes for the Portuguese Crown.

From dawn, the market bustles with fishermen gutting fish,

farmers bringing meat to the butchers' stalls,

and deliveries of fruit everywhere.

Underneath the Art Nouveau ironwork of the Mercado de Ferro building,

or beneath the white tents that stretch along the wharves,

an amazing variety of products are on sale every day,

offering a taste of the succulent local cuisine.

Belem in English, Bethlehem is a devout city.

It grows especially fervent in the second weekend of October.

It begins in the small port of Icoaraci,

north of the city, on the Saturday morning.

Overnight, the world's largest Catholic festival got under way.

The Cirio de Nazare, or 'Candle of Nazareth',

is a succession of eleven huge processions.

The Cirio de Nazare originated in medieval Portugal.

Imported to Brazil in the 17th century,

it has been celebrated in Belem on an ever-increasing scale

since 1793.

The river pilgrimage is one of its many events,

as Evandro, a fisherman from Marajo, explains.

BANG OF FIREWORKS

BANG OF FIREWORKS

BOAT HOOTER

DRUM MUSIC

The river pilgrimage commemorates the arrival by boat

of Amazonia's first missionaries.

It is relatively new, dating from only 1986,

but like the wider festival it too is an implicit tribute

to the epic of Portuguese colonisation.

The river pilgrimage allows the communities

that cannot attend the land procession

to pay their own tribute to Our Lady of Nazareth,

whose statuette usually remains in the cathedral sanctuary.

Almost 1000 boats follow the corvette

that returns the statuette to the pier at Belem.

Evandro is preparing for Sunday, the high point of the festival.

BANG OF FIREWORKS

WHIRR OF HELICOPTER

Once the statuette of the Virgin is back on shore,

hundreds of motorcyclists escort it on a procession through the city,

with frequent stops for more tributes and fireworks.

Belem's Cirio is getting bigger every year.

In a country with severe housing, health and education problems,

the cult of the Virgin is a source of hope for many.

A major procession is about to begin.

Before daybreak on Sunday, tens of thousands of the faithful

gather in front of the Cathedral da Se,

where Mass is celebrated.

Some have come to ask the Virgin for help.

Others are here because she has answered their prayers

and they have made a pledge of devotion.

Cleicimar is here with her son.

Some promesseiros, pilgrims fulfilling a vow,

do penance to show their gratitude. Like Marilia.

APPLAUSE

The rope, now an integral part of the Cirio, dates from 1855.

It is tied to an enormous metal grid that believers use to pull the wagon

transporting the statuette.

The rope is 400 metres long,

and everyone wants to touch it to win the Virgin's favour.

An estimated 15,000 people grasp it during the procession.

The procession is huge, a human tide.

In 2013, over two million people took part,

more than the total population of Belem.

In stifling heat, the statue of Mary somehow makes its way

through the frenzy of devotion and along the 3.6 kilometres

between the Cathedral da Se

and the Sanctuary Basilica of our Lady of Nazareth,

where it will remain for the next two weeks.

CROWD CHANTS

Dom Zico, the Emeritus Archbishop of Belem,

is always impressed by the crowd's devotion.

FIREWORKS

In five hours, the Virgin will reach her destination,

and the promesseiros will share pieces of the rope.

The festivities will continue for another two weeks.

DISTANT CHANTING OF CROWD

The third stage of our journey along the Amazonian coast

takes us to the State of Maranhao, first to Itapecuru,

and then to Sao Luis, the capital.

'My land has palm trees.'

So wrote the poet Goncalves Dias in his 1843 poem 'Song of Exile'.

He wrote it while living in Portugal,

but he was born in Maranhao.

He was remembering the huge forests of babassu palms

that cover the hinterland as far as the eye can see.

From his time to today,

the babassu palms have been an essential natural resource,

as well as a source of income.

The town of Itapecuru-Mirim,

50 kilometres inland from Sao Marcos Bay,

lies in the heart of the precious palm groves.

The trees and the nuts they produce

have helped shape the region socially and culturally.

Some 200,000 women, known as quebradeiras,

work as collectors and breakers of babassu nuts.

It's hard work,

and for a long time it was poorly paid and under-recognised.

Since the mid-90s, however,

the quebradeiras have organised to improve their living conditions

and, above all, to win a new pride and independence.

Maria Domingas is the president

of the Association of Babassu Breakers in Itapecuru.

Maranhao produces 95 per cent

of the 110,000-tonne yearly output of babassu nuts.

A single nut breaker can open up to 450 nuts in a day.

As well as having strength and dexterity,

the nut breakers need to know how to sort the nuts

according to their future use.

Maria believes this skill should enhance the women's status

in their communities.

Thanks to their organisation,

the quebradeiras have gone beyond just breaking the nuts

to processing them themselves.

The nut kernels yield oil,

which is used in cooking as well as for making soap.

When pulped, the fruit of the palm makes flour,

which boosts the local diet and makes biscuits and cakes.

GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC

Empowered by their organisation,

the nut breakers are now fighting for legislation

to protect their palm groves and their livelihood

from large-scale farming.

GENTLE GUITAR CONTINUES

The capital of the State of Maranhao,

picturesque Sao Luis, overlooks Sao Marcos Bay

where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Although it is sometimes dubbed 'the Lisbon of the Americas',

Sao Luis is the only state capital in Brazil

that was not founded by the Portuguese.

Rather, it was founded by the French in 1612.

Even so, it is highly reminiscent of Portugal,

especially its beautiful tiled houses.

3500 of the city's buildings, spread over 220 hectares,

were listed as a World Heritage site in 1997.

Clarissa loves another part of Brazil's heritage,

the dance Bumba Meu Boi.

Her father, Jose, founded one of its many companies.

Bumba Meu Boi, a kind of danced street theatre,

is second only to Carnival in its fame and popularity.

Dating back to the 18th century,

it reflects the relationship between masters and slaves

and features the death and much-celebrated resurrection

of a bull.

SINGING

ALL CHEER

Paradoxically, it was the city's commercial decline

in the early 20th century

that saved its historic centre from development.

It's now partly restored... but almost uninhabited.

Most people live

either in traditional neighbourhoods further out,

or, if wealthy, in featureless waterside high-rises

in the affluent districts of Sao Francisco and Punta d'Areia.

Sao Luis has a strong maritime identity,

symbolised since the 1970s by its harbour,

where huge ore carriers are docked.

But the Maranhao coast is also known for much smaller craft.

They are the passion of Luis Filipe Andres.

BRASS BAND PLAYS