July 2, 2002:
GREEN
AND YELLOW FESTIVITIES IN HOLLAND Whoever went by the avenue in front
of the Central Station in Rotterdam last Sunday would not have believed that
they were in Holland—green and yellow flags, samba, and caipirinha.
That's right. Around two hundred people, amongst them Brazilians, folks
from the Cape Verde Islands, Latinos, and those who cheered for Brazil were
celebrating the one-and-only title of 5-TIME CHAMPIONS reached by Brazil in the
World Cup of Football (Soccer).
Watching
the World Cup in Holland Brazil is a country seen with
charisma and sympathy in the entire world.
In Holland, it could not be any different.
You only need to put on the green and yellow shirt that people smile and
joke in good humor with you, mainly the children, immediately remembering
Ronaldo and Rivaldo. We carry a
very strong image in our football (soccer) that is full of style and grace,
different than all others. This was an extraordinary World Cup.
For the Brazilians, the playing times did not help the fans.
For me, not only was I working when the games were aired, but I also was
many miles away from Brazil. As the
Cup progressed, Brazil went getting better, and my desire to be in Porto Alegre
cheering with my friends also went growing... And
finally the big day came… On the last Sunday of
June, there were more than 200 people watching the final game of the Cup in the
Brazilian bar and in the Latino disco next to it.
Obviously, it was mostly Brazilians, but mixed in there were people from
the Cape Verde Islands, Latinos, and family of Brazilians.
There are many people from Cape Verde Islands living in Holland and they
identify very much with our Brazilian culture.
They love Brazil and so they cheered and celebrated with us.
I found out that Senegal is the country where Candomblé
(typical African dance) came from and that Angola is very similar to Brazil,
especially like the Carioca (person
from Rio de Janeiro) with respect to music tastes (they have the semba),
dance, and the carefree attitude.
This is how I came upon our curious and interesting African roots, almost
perchance. The first half of the
game was tense and the many goals lost went leaving the folks uneasy.
In the second half came the goals and the relief of letting go the shriek
that was bottled in the throat up until then.
At the end of the game, everyone was hugging and celebrating the
championship for the fifth time.
Tears, screams, joy!
A confusion of sentiments that becomes much more intense for those living
away from their country for a longer period. For many Brazilians that
emigrated to Europe, Brazil's victory represented more than being homesick and
happy, but it also gave them a reason to be proud about being a Brazilian.
It was a kind of unique opportunity to be able to say that we are the
best in the world, at least in football (soccer).
Many Brazilians have lived here in Holland for ten years or more.
Most of them are from the North and from Rio de Janeiro and a few are
from São Paulo and Minas Gerais. The
party in the streets After the game, the party went to the
street, which was blocked off by the police.
The small block on the avenue of the Central Station in Rotterdam seemed
to be a little piece of Brazil were it not for the cold wind and the overcast
sky. The Dutch sympathize with
Brazil, try to dance along, put on the shirt.
Afterwards, the cars begin to pass by honking and celebrating with the
Brazilians. A stand with caipira,
pagode, and a lot of yellow and green was soon set up and Portuguese
was being spoken. The party
continued into the night. I was
able to remember old times, despite my longing to be in Brazil at such a time,
celebrating with friends and family, proud that we are FIVE-TIME CHAMPS OF THE
WORLD! Images of the celebration: Translated by Traduzca
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