Original subtitles

LATIN GUITAR THEME, BREAKING WAVES

Our third visit to the coast of Brazil

takes us to the states of Sergipe and Bahia.

Bahia has the longest coastline in the whole country.

BEAT OF DRUMS

In Pirambu, volunteers work to help sea turtles survive.

RAPID DRUMBEATS

In Salvador de Bahia,

Mary makes acaraje in the tradition of Candomble.

What would Salvador's Pelourinho district be

without Joao and his troupe, Olodum?

In the Bay of All Saints, Roberto preserves the traditional saveiro.

Near Ilheus, the Terra Vista community produces organic cocoa.

By studying Bahia's coral,

Simoni hopes to discover the medicine of tomorrow.

And finally, in the Abrolhos Marine Park,

Milton and his team monitor the humpback whales.

Our first step takes us from the Sao Francisco River

to the beautiful city of Salvador,

stopping on the way at Pirambu Beach.

Running for almost 3000 kilometres, the Sao Francisco River

is the longest wholly Brazilian river.

It has a special place in the national imagination.

Linking the richer southeast to the poorer northeast,

it is known as the 'river of national unification'.

LIVELY MUSIC

The fishermen of its estuary still live very simply...

in marked contrast with the prosperity seen along its course,

far to the south.

RHYTHMIC CLAPPING AND CHANTING

In its final stretch, the Sao Francisco marks the border

between Alagoas and Brazil's smallest state, Sergipe,

with a coastline of barely 160 kilometres.

Its sandy tidal flats make an ideal trotting ground.

The people here

are among the most disadvantaged on the north-eastern coast,

even if the local production of sugar and oranges is increasing.

CLAPPING AND CHANTING CONTINUE

MOTORBIKE ENGINES

This stretch of coastline sees very few tourists.

It remains pristine, and a haven for wildlife...

especially the beaches of Pirambu,

where several species of marine turtle come to lay their eggs.

The Tamar Project began in Pirambu in the early 1980s

to protect these vital spawning sites.

It now operates in 20 locations

scattered along more than 1000 kilometres of coastline.

THUNDER

OTHERWORLDLY MUSIC, RUMBLE OF THUNDER

Just why turtles come back to their birthplace to lay their eggs

remains a mystery.

Turtles migrate over long distances.

They seem to have an acute awareness of time and direction,

which may be linked to the earth's magnetic field.

After maturing for several years at sea,

female turtles find their way back to the beaches

where they were born.

Each turtle lays between 70 and 200 eggs.

Augusto is in charge of the Pirambu centre.

He has always been fascinated by sea turtles.

One of Tamar's main achievements at Pirambu

was to create a protected area on the beach

where a quantity of Olive Ridley turtle eggs could be kept safe

until they hatched.

With 53 kilometres of coastline under its care,

the Pirambu base now protects 2400 nests.

That's over 100,000 baby turtles every season.

LIVELY GUITAR MUSIC

Like these baby turtles,

which he hopes will return in a few years' time to lay their eggs,

Augusto has forged enduring ties with Pirambu.

LIVELY BRAZILIAN MUSIC, SURF

LIVELY MUSIC, BREAKING WAVES

Some of the turtles cared for at the conservation centre

are tagged to keep track of their movements.

The Pirambu centre is one of four Tamar centres in Sergipe,

which reflects how important this short stretch of coastline is

for nesting turtles.

By comparison, the coastline of the nearby state of Bahia

has only five centres,

even though it stretches for almost 1200 kilometres,

or seven times as far.

RELAXED BRAZILIAN MUSIC

The idyllic resort of Praia do Forte, in northern Bahia,

is one of the most popular on the whole Bahian coast.

Praia do Forte also houses the headquarters of the Tamar Project.

600,000 visitors flock to its refuge and information centre every year

to learn more about turtles and the project's activities.

So far, it has released an estimated 10 million turtles into the sea.

The beautiful Coconut Coast,

stretching 250 kilometres south to the city of Salvador,

is named for its host of coconut palms.

Until the 1960s, they were among the region's main resources.

In the far south of this magnificent coastline,

there is a city on a peninsula,

with the Atlantic on one side and the Bay of All Saints on the other.

It is Brazil's "capital of happiness", Salvador.

Salvador, population 3½ million, is Brazil's seventh-largest city.

With its bristling skyscrapers,

it looks at first glance like any other Brazilian metropolis.

From 1549 to 1763, Salvador was the capital of Brazil.

It fell into decline,

but has revived thanks to industry and tourism.

As often happened with Brazilian cities,

its period of decline

helped save some of its most historic districts.

The old colonial centre, Pelourinho,

is one of the finest historic centres in Latin America.

Pelourinho is rich in Renaissance and Baroque churches

and brightly painted colonial houses.

A little further up the peninsula is Salvador's most famous church,

Nosso Senhor do Bonfim.

It is the focus of the city's largest religious festival.

Held every January,

the Festa do Bonfim typifies the diversity of Bahia and Brazil.

It incorporates into Catholic ritual

other rituals that slaves brought with them from Africa.

From the earliest days of Portuguese rule,

Salvador was a hub of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Today, many different backgrounds and traditions coexist there.

TWANG OF STRINGED INSTRUMENT

Salvador is notably African in its music, its rhythms and its beliefs.

TWANGING CONTINUES

For example, the Baianas in their traditional white dresses

are undoubtedly the most popular figures in all of Brazil.

TWANGING

In Se Square, in the heart of Pelourinho,

Mary and her fellow Baianas sell the traditional acaraje fritters.

WINGS FLAPPING

Her first batch is destined for the orixas,

the spirits of the Candomble religion.

In 1985,

the Pelourinho district was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Its architectural treasures are a visitor's delight.

In streets from another era,

visitors can enjoy a display of capoeira,

a combination of dance and acrobatics.

It came to Brazil from Angola four centuries ago.

The symbols of Catholicism are everywhere.

Missionary orders like the Franciscans

built magnificent sanctuaries,

such as the monastery and church of Sao Francisco.

CHURCHBELL TOLLING

The church, adorned with gold, floral motifs

and other sculptural ornamentation,

is an architectural jewel

reflecting the Baroque ideal of the late 18th century.

BELL CONTINUES TOLLING

'Pelourinho' is Portuguese for 'pillory'.

The name comes from the whipping-post

where slaves were publicly punished,

in the square right in front of the sugar planters' mansions.

TAMBOURINES, DRUM

Displaced by capoeira, the pillory is long gone.

But while the historic centre has been partly restored,

its people have long suffered poverty and insecurity.

OMINOUS DEEP NOTE

Thanks to the Olodum movement, that is changing,

as its president, Joao Jorge, explains.

DEEP NOTE REPEATED

RHYTHMICAL DRUMMING

With its logo of the peace sign filled with pan-African colours,

Olodum has become an institution in Salvador.

It has helped transform Pelourinho from a seedy, dangerous district

into a buzzing tourist area with restaurants, art galleries

and all sorts of little shops.

It actively celebrates Afro-Brazilian identity and culture.

DRUMBEATS

MAN SINGS IN PORTUGUESE

SINGER CONTINUES WITH DRUMS

DRUMBEATS, SINGER CONTINUES

Known for its merging of musical styles,

Olodum created what is known as samba-reggae.

Its standing in Brazil has earned it the opportunity

to perform with major international artists

such as Paul Simon and Michael Jackson.

CHEERS, APPLAUSE

DRUMBEATS, CHURCHBELLS

To reach the port from Pelourinho, you can take the Lacerda elevator,

first built in 1873 and newly modernised.

GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC

At the foot of the elevator is the harbour,

where we meet Roberto, nicknamed Malaca, and his crew,

for another glimpse of Bahia's past.

Roberto welcomes us aboard the centuries-old Sombra da Lua,

or 'moon shadow'.

And it's time to set sail.

Saveiros can be up to 15 metres long.

Each part of the boat is cut from a specific wood,

sourced exclusively from rare exotic species,

including jaqueira.

The rectangular cotton mainsail is hand-sewn and covered in lime.

In 1920, there were 1500 saveiros in the bay.

There are barely 20 left today,

and only two naval shipyards still able to make them.

For Roberto, it's a heritage that must be preserved.

ETHEREAL MUSIC

Leaving Salvador de Bahia and the Bay of All Saints,

we now head for Ilheus, which used to be the cocoa capital of Brazil.

LIVELY MUSIC

Stretching away to the south of Salvador is the Dende Coast.

'Dende' is the Portuguese name of the tree that yields palm oil,

highly prized by the food industry but also controversial,

because its plantations may displace virgin forest.

LIVELY MUSIC, SURF

The Dende Coast is oriented toward tourism,

but it also finds room for this high-value-added crop.

450 kilometres south of Salvador,

the city of Ilheus made its fortune, not from palm oil,

but from the export of cocoa.

The city's beaches make it a tourist mecca.

But it was also the home of Brazil's best-loved writer, Jorge Amado,

who set several of his novels in Ilheus.

In the 1990s, the cocoa industry was ravaged by a fungus

and suffered a sharp decline.

IT industries and a newly built deep-water port

are beginning to fill the gap.

But cocoa processing still goes on in Ilheus,

and the State of Bahia remains Brazil's largest cocoa producer.

ROAR OF DISTANT SURF

Just inland from the coast,

where cocoa grows in the shade of the original Atlantic rainforest,

the MST, or Landless Workers' Movement,

has taken over a number of old farms.

Claudio, from the NGO the Cabruca Institute,

is helping the Terra Vista settlement

develop environmentally friendly techniques.

The settlement is led by Joelson.

Here, cocoa is grown both in the garden and among the trees

in what is known as 'agroforestry'.

In Terra Vista, eco-farming offers a future for the young.

The region is set to become Brazil's benchmark

for organically grown cocoa.

Next in our exploration of Bahia's coastline is the Discovery Coast,

particularly the region around Porto Seguro.

UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC

This reproduction caravel

commemorates the first landing of the Portuguese in Brazil

on the 22nd of April, 1500.

Hence the name 'Discovery Coast'.

Tourists are drawn to the historic centre of Porto Seguro,

the founding point of the nation,

even if it was only added to the National Heritage list in 1973.

The city has many historic sites and colonial-era buildings.

Visitors can also sail up the River Buranhem

to discover the different ecosystems of Atlantic rainforest.

The Discovery Coast is famous for its coral reefs,

yet another drawcard for tourists.

Since 2005, the resort of Arraial d'Ajuda,

just south of Porto Seguro,

has been the headquarters of the Living Coral Project.

Simoni and her colleague Cristiano come here regularly.

For ten years,

Simoni has been trying to isolate a number of proteins

in different species of coral.

She is focusing on one in particular.

The Coral Vivo Project is located inside an eco-tourism park.

Simoni and Cristiano take their samples to the laboratory,

where they will extract and analyse various fragments and substances.

Thanks to this work, Simoni was able to isolate a coral protein

that killed the superbug known as KPC.

It had caused 110 deaths in Brazil in 2010-11.

ROAR OF BREAKING WAVES

Between Arraial d'Ajuda and the neighbouring town of Trancoso,

the coast is a line of cliffs up to 45 metres high,

and coloured ochre-orange or white.

Above the cliffs are patches of Atlantic rainforest,

or palm plantations that have taken its place.

The Discovery Coast boasts some of the most beautiful beaches

in the State of Bahia.

Stretching between Salvador in the north

and Rio and Sao Paulo in the south, it is a magnet for young revellers.

Though it is still relatively undeveloped,

the Discovery Coast is coveted by the tourism industry.

Trancoso's golf course shows why the coast is coveted.

The work of a team of American designers,

it's a must for wealthy golfers

who can enjoy a game between the coastal cliffs and the forest.

The mouth of the Trancoso River is still pristine.

Some historians believe it was here, and not in Porto Seguro,

that the Portuguese first landed in Brazil.

LIGHT LATIN MUSIC

The last leg of our journey takes us to the Whale Coast

and the Abrolhos Marine National Park.

The estuary of the River Caravelas is one of the main departure points

for trips to the Abrolhos Archipelago,

60 kilometres off the coast.

In June, humpback whales converge on the marine park

to give birth and suckle their young.

It is a paradise for Milton.

CRY OF A SEABIRD

THUNDEROUS SPLASH

HIGH-PITCHED WHALE SOUNDS

Milton heads the Humpback Whale Project,

which studies the behaviour of humpback whales

and aims to conserve them.

Today, he and his team are using hydrophones

to learn more about the whales' songs.

DEEP-PITCHED WHALE SOUNDS

After being hunted for centuries,

humpback whales became an endangered species.

Off the coast of Brazil, their numbers dwindled.

We close with a look back at the faces we met in Bahia

during this third episode of our voyage along the coasts of Brazil.