The Women of the Hidden Valley – A Culinary Experience
Eldorado SP | Quilombo Ivaporunduva | Dona Jardelina Pedroso da Silva Photo credits: Rogerio Albuquerque This is a story of a hidden valley in the invisible universe of the Brazilian traditional communities. But this is also the story of brave women empowered by their own culinary culture. A bit of context In the Ribeira Valley […]
The letting-go sigh
It doesn’t matter how many are the times that I’ve been in this situation -and there certainly have been a lot of these since I was born. Each time that a train leaves its platform at the station, I can’t help but feel a deep overwhelming sense of lightness that takes all over me, throughout. […]
The route to Freedom goes through the Quilombos
The route to freedom goes through the Quilombos When Iaia Piedimonte of Gender Responsible Tourism (GRT) asked me to select a project from Brazil to present at the International Women’s Day Special at the ITB Berlin this year, I had no doubt which one it would be. And I went back to Brazil. The project […]
Traditional Communities on stage
Reflections after ITB 2019 I found ITB Berlin this year to be a heart-warming and hope-giving experience for the positive signs I saw regarding the sustainability of people and local communities in tourism. It was great to see communities coming up on stage and be in the spotlight not only as the beneficiary of tourism […]
Fighting with art for their independence
Article originally published on Equality in Tourism‘s Blog on 10 October 2018. The Jequitinhonha Valley (in Minas Gerais, Brazil), once a prosperous region whose economy was driven by the gold mines, today is one of the poorest areas in Brazil. Poor only from an economic perspective – very rich in culture and humanity. The inhabitants […]
Slum Tourism: is it ethical?
This interview was originally published on Travindy on 1 April 2018 (New pictures were included in this version) Slum Tourism: is it ethical? It is difficult to find someone that can answer this question from both a professional and an academic background. However, Tamara Ramos finds the perfect fit: Elisa Spampinato. She has studied Anthropology […]
The Berlin Declaration has a new signatory.
Many are the activities and initiative that represent a positive and constructive change in the tourism industry. However, not many are those who suggest a change of paradigm. The Berlin Declaration on Transforming Tourism is one of those. If you are curious about it, this is its story, briefly. Very proudly to know that the […]
Community-based tours in the biggest favela of Latin America
Published on Tourism Concern Blog on 18 October 2017 Few years ago, in Rio de Janeiro, I met Ailton Macarrão, who introduced me, as one of its promoters and founders, to the Rocinha Community Tourism Forum (Forum de Turismo da Rocinha), which was the community-based response to the growing demand for tourism in the favela, […]
Residents in control: locally owned Favela Tours in Brazil
Published on Tourism Concern Blog on 3 April 2017 Located on Cantagalo Hill in the centre of Rio de Janeiro, privileged by the beautiful views of Copacabana beach on one side, Ipanema on another, and the fascinating Lagoa on a third, Cantagalo, Pavão e Pavãozinho slum complex is the home of the Museu de Favela […]