Destination: The Americas
Brazil
Entre Rios | Sao Paulo | Immigration
1952"Carnival and frost on the route of the seven transports from Swabians to Brazil"
By Klaus Pettinger, 01/03/2019
"photo: Museu Histórico de Entre Rios"
Ash Wednesday 1952 heralded the beginning of the traditional Christian period of reflection and change. For the Swabian families of the seventh and final transport of the so-called “project Brazil”, docking in the capital Rio de Janeiro represented quite a transformation, on that February 27th. Even though every Carnival has its end, as the song says, there was time for the newly arrived 412 Danube Swabians to take a brief city tour of the Marvelous City, the next day. But before they could get excited about samba and caipirinha (the drink, in this case), the ship Provence set sail for the last stop at the Port of Santos, where the 2,446 members of the seven transports of the immigration project definitely stepped on the Brazilian soil.
In fact, the Danube Swabians' relationship with Carnival has always existed, even if it followed their own traditions. Nothing that prevented the participation of the Folkloric Group of Danças, in 1995, of the parade of Unidos da Ponte (suggestive name for those who live between rivers), in the middle of Marquês de Sapucaí and with live transmission for the whole country - worth the search on YouTube and a future column dedicated to the subject.
And since we talk about samba and caipirinha, football should be added as a tool for historical contextualization. While the Brazilian team lost the World Cup to Uruguay in the mid 1950s, agronomist Michael Moor and Swiss Aid for Europe still feared for the failure of the project that would take 500 families of Swabians from the Danube to Brazil. The termination of the mandates of the governor of Goiás (first location considered) and of president Eurico Gaspar Dutra required political skill and agility, in order to avoid a humanitarian “Maracanaço”.
The articulation worked and stimulated a race against time. While Moor returned to Brazil in February 1951, determined to define the exact place of refuge for World War II refugees, Swiss Aid opened an office in the city of Linz, Austria, where those interested in migrating to Brazil could register. Finally, everything went well, and the first transport left Linz on May 19, 1951, for the journey of approximately 800 kilometers by train to the port of Genoa, Italy.
On May 22, the 221 Danube Swabians aboard the ship Provence were bidding farewell to Europe. It was about fifteen days at sea, with stops to heal the seasickness of the trip (and other details) in Dakar, capital of Senegal, and in Rio de Janeiro, before arriving at the port of Santos. The shortest route, however, between Santos and Góes Artigas, also became the most time consuming. Europeans, accustomed to rail transport, knew the charm and tranquility of Maria Fumaça.
In fact, it was a lull to give and sell: the approximately 700 kilometers were crossed in just under three days. An approximate average of 10 km / h. Not for nothing, it is said that the most bored travelers would get off the train and run after it as a form of entertainment. The steep relief in the mountains, the frequent rains, animals on the tracks, constant refueling, all contributed to Barrichello looking at the scene and saying: “Today, yes! Today Yes! Of those Germans I would win”. Little did he know ...
In addition to the train ride, most Swabians were surprised by the intense cold Guarapuavano. After all, travelers left the icy Austrian Alps to start their lives over in the tropical country, blessed by God, they thought. There was no hashtag yet, but “just not” must have been one of the first idioms learned in Portuguese. Yes, it was freezing on June 8, 1951, on arrival at Góes Artigas, while almost no one had brought heavier blankets, precisely because they were too heavy - and because Brazil should be hot, only “nein”.
The same “plight” went through the 514 Swabians in the third transport, who disembarked on October 8 of the same year. Exactly, frost in the middle of spring, according to shaky reports. The second transport, which brought 87 Swabians, the fourth (500 travelers), the fifth (473), the sixth (239) and the aforementioned seventh transport, did not get as cold after three weeks of travel. Five of them were sponsored by the same ship, Provence, a French name vessel, always departing from the Italian Genoa. The second sailed from Le Havre, France, and also had a French name: Lavoisier. Finally, the sixth vessel had an Italian nickname (Conte Biancamano) and left the Genoese port. As the German poet Tadeu Schmidt would say: do you know what that means? Nothing - it was only exposed for information.
The fact is that, just as frost and Carnival do not match, no one had warned the new inhabitants that Brazil and Guarapuava were different “countries”: one is hot, the other, the cold drinks mate with Stroh Rum to keep warm. Still, in both, there is Carnival.
"Carnaval e geada na rota dos sete transportes de Suábios ao Brasil" by "Klaus Pettinger is a journalist, writer and the author of the novel ‘O Sumiço do Hanomag’. In this space, he shares weekly…", continue reading at: correiodocidadao.com.br/noticia/carnaval-e-geada-na-rota-dos-sete-transportes-de-suabios-ao-brasil
DVHH < Destination: The Americas < Brazil < Entre Rios < Carnival & frost on the route of the seven transports from Swabians to Brazil
