Today, eventhough most of the cityhas been classified World HumanPatrimony by UNESCO, and itsCarnival is the most appreciated ofBrazil (ahead of Rio de Janeiro), it'sthe common people of Salvador whomake the city a vibrant and poignantplace. Far from the make-up ofCarnival and its fake reality for tourists,far from the usual clichés of Brazilwhich are football, beaches andbeautiful women.Moreover, São Salvador da Bahia daTodos os Santos, the Bay of All Saintslives on despite the death of worldfamous writer Jorge Amado, translatedinto 54 languages, who passed awayin August 2001. Chronicler of the citywhich he dearly loved, and of which hewrote profusely, his books demonstratea deep rooted respect for the "people"and for the typical situationsexperienced by these residents whoseviolent lives and histories are alsocharacterized by laughter andsensuality.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado.Photos and text by ©Sylvain Savolainen/LightMediation

Contact - Thierry Tinacci - LightMediation Photo Agency - +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 thierry@lightmediation.com

2355-02: A syncretic mass (mixture of several religious trends) punctuated by chants and the use of percussion instruments in the celebration of O dia da Baiana, a day of tribute and celebration of the Baianas, orwomen, symbols of the negritude of Bahia and followers of the candomble -African Brazilian religion- in which worshippers all dress in white.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-01: The main square of the historic quarter ofPelourinho. To the right, the facade of the Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Pretos Church. This church was

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-02: A syncretic mass (mixture of several religioustrends) punctuated by chants and the use of percussion instruments in the celebration of O dia da Baiana,

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-03: Seller of roosters in the large working classmarket of Feira de Sao Joaquim. The Feira de Sao Joaquim is probably the most lively and crowded

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-04: Bar in the Ladeira da Montanha, the streetknown for its mafiosis, prostitutes, dealers, and cachaco which sells for 50 centavos. In this bar, no need

2355-01: The main square of the historic quarter of Pelourinho. To the right, the facade of the Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Pretos Church. This church was founded by slaves in the 18th century. The geographical,cultural and historical epicenter of Salvador de Bahio, this area is reflected in the novels of Jorge Amado: "Suor", etc. The entire old city is now mentioned on Unesco's World Heritage list.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-05: In the old city of Salvador da Bahia, just minutesfrom the shops where tourists buy souvenir mementos. In his novel, "Suor", describing life in this same

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-06: A young girl on the square in front of the NossaSenhora do Rosario dos Pretos Church (Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black Man) for O dia da Baiana, a

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-07: In the heart of the old city of Salvador'sPelourinho square, the congregation leaves the church of Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Pretos after a

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-08: At night, at a table of the red light district ofSalvador da Bahia, the Comercio: beer and prostitutes. When Tome de Souza in 1549 first set foot on the

2355-06: A young girl on the square in front of the Nossa Senhora do Rosario dos Pretos Church (Our Lady of the Rosary of the Black Man) for O dia da Baiana, a day dedicated to the celebration of the Baianas (thewomen of Bahia), symbols of negritude in Bahia and followers of the candomble religion, a mixture of African and Brazilian influences in which worshippers mandatorily dress in white.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-09: Around the harbor of Salvador "And what elsehave I been, said Jorge Amado, than a novelist who recounts the stories of whores and vagabonds {...}

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-10: Atmosphere in a bar on Saturday evening, in thered light district of Salvador da Bahia: o Comercio. Here, soccer fans come to finish the evening with

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-11: In the old city of Salvador da Bahia, theatmosphere resembles the daily events of a novel by Jorge Amado: "A fetid world, with neither hygiene

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-12: Symbol of the power of the church and thecolonial invader, in total contradiction with the vow of poverty of its patron saint, the baroque San

2355-12: Symbol of the power of the church and the colonial invader, in total contradiction with the vow of poverty of its patron saint, the baroque San Francisco church in the old city of Salvador da Bahia displayslimitless wealth and splendor. Gold leaf is used like wall paper. Forced to build the church of their masters and prevented from practising their own religion, the craftsmen-slaves from Africa took revenge through their

work: their cherubs grimace rather than smile, and some of the angels have oversized genitals, while yet others appear pregnant.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-13: An elderly beggarwoman in front of the NossoSenhor do Bonfim church. Built in 1745, the church has a reputation for producing miraculous healings.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-14: The Nosso Senhor do Bonfim church. Built in1745, this church is known to produce miraculous healings. This is the most important and most widely

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-15: Nosso Senhor do Bonfim church was built in1745 and is known for its ability to produce miraculous healings. This place of worship is the most

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-16: The cane cutters or farm workers in general arenicknamed "Boias frias" (cold food). Trucks come to pick up the workers at dawn, dropping them off in the

2355-36: Festivities in a working class neighborhood.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-17: Brazil and India compete for the title world'slargest sugar producer. In the sixteenth century, colonial Portugal introduced sugar cane into north-eastern

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-18: Brazil and India compete for the title world'slargest sugar producer. In the sixteenth century, colonial Portugal introduced sugar cane into

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-19: The cane harvesting season, called the Safra,lasts six months. This is how long the cane cutters contracts last, and once the harvest is over, they must

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-20: Before the harvest, the sugar cane fields areburnt to remove excess greenery and allow the cutters to do their work and avoid snakes. Despite the

2355-16: The cane cutters or farm workers in general are nicknamed "Boias frias" (cold food). Trucks come to pick up the workers at dawn, dropping them off in the fields, where, to save time and money, they eat coldmeals rather than leave the plantations. Each evening, the same trucks take them either back to their villages or to company dormitories.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-21: Brazil and India compete for the title of theworld's greatest producer of sugar and by-products such as drinkable alcohol or fuel alcohol. During the

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-22: The cane cutters or farm workers in general arenicknamed "Boias frias" (cold food). Trucks come to pick up the workers at dawn, dropping them off in the

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-23: Early evening in a working class neighborhood./ Brazil / Salvador da Bahia

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-24: Emblematic scenes and symbols visible inSalvador da Bahia: the Bay of All Saints and the Lacerda elevator, which links the cidade alta (the high

2355-13: An elderly beggarwoman in front of the Nosso Senhor do Bonfim church. Built in 1745, the church has a reputation for producing miraculous healings. This is the most important and most widely veneratedchurch in Salvador

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-25: Saturday evening in a bar in the Engenho Velhode Brotas quarter. The bar has been temporarily transformed for the night into a dive. Checkers, dominos

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-26: Saturday evening in a bar in the Engenho Velhode Brotas quarter. The bar has been temporarily transformed for the night into a dive. Checkers, dominos

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-27: A beach popular with working class crowds, theOndina, located between the neighborhoods of Barra and Rio Vermelho. Rio Vermelho is also the quarter

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-28: In the Bay of All Saints in Salvador da Bahia, asaveiro (a boat with a rectangular sail typical of northern Brazil). On board the coastal hugging ship, two

2355-27: A beach popular with working class crowds, the Ondina, located between the neighborhoods of Barra and Rio Vermelho. Rio Vermelho is also the quarter in which the Iemanja temple is located. The temple isdedicated to the goddess or orixa as she is known in the candomble African Brazilian religion of the sea. She protects families, children and fishing, and her preferred color is light blue.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-29: In the bay surrounding Salvador da Bahia, theBay of all Saints, a saveiro (a boat with a rectangular sail typical of northern Brazil). On board the coastal

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-30: View of the old city of Salvador da Bahia,figuring on the World Heritage List published by Unesco. / Brazil / Salvador da Bahia

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-31: "His eight years did not prevent him fromalready being the head of a gang of kids which wandered over the hill of Chate Negro and other nearby

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-32: Emblematic scenes and symbols visible inSalvador da Bahia: the Bay of All Saints and the Lacerda elevator, which links the cidade alta (the high

2355-08: At night, at a table of the red light district of Salvador da Bahia, the Comercio: beer and prostitutes. When Tome de Souza in 1549 first set foot on the Bay of All Saints to found the city of Salvador, sent by theKing of Portugal with a royal delegation of 400 soldiers, 400 settlers, priests and...prostitutes. Althought city historians would rather forget the fact, prostitutes did play a major role in the foundation of the city, as did the

first governor of Brazil. Such women were chosen by Jorge Amado to represent both his literature and the city of Salvador, most remarkably in his novel "Tereza Batista".

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-33: Inside a boxing academy of former worldchampions Luis Carlos Dorea and Acelino Freitas aka Popo. A hero of mythical proportions in Salvador de

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-34: "Balduino was satisfied as he observed thewhite man lying at his feet. Then he drew his gaze upwards towards the inquisitive eyes of the crowd

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-35: November 20 is a special date in Salvador daBahia, corresponding to what elsewhere in Brazil is known as the Day of the Black Conscience "O Dia da

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-36: Festivities in a working class neighborhood. /Brazil / Salvador da Bahia

2355-24: Emblematic scenes and symbols visible in Salvador da Bahia: the Bay of All Saints and the Lacerda elevator, which links the cidade alta (the high city) and rich area in which citizens of note built hundreds ofchurches in the past, to the cidade baixa (lower city) characterized by the port and commercial area, housing former slaves and whores, on the sea. The only escape route was the sea and probably drowning. Although

today cheap souvenirs are sold here to tourists, at one time the Mercado Modello (Model Market) stored and sold slaves.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-37: Festivities in a working class neighborhood. /Brazil / Salvador da Bahia

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-38: The newest consecrated cultural representativeof Salvador da Bahia is musician Carlinhos Brown. Today he is considered among the best percussionists

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-39: Facing a badly maintained building used as ashelter for the homeless, Mae Preta (Black Mother), a former prostitute working in Pelourinho in the

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-40: Facing one of the streets doted with the worstreputation in all of Salvador da Bahia, the Ladeira da Montanha, a man and his son sleep in a homeless

2355-18: Brazil and India compete for the title world's largest sugar producer. In the sixteenth century, colonial Portugal introduced sugar cane into north-eastern Brazil, earning part of its great wealth from the sugartrade, produced at almost no cost with the use of slave labor. Today much has changed, yet in some ways little has changed: although the imperialistic style has changed, being neo-liberal today, the then slaves are now"farm workers". Each worker must cut 3.2 tons of cane per day to meet requirements, otherwise he is fired. The daily production quotas must be reached to receive a salary of 180 Reis per month, the minimum wage in

Brazil. For comparative purposes, a one way bus ticket costs 1 Real.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-41: Picked up off the streets and now living in ashelter for the homeless in one of the streets enjoying the worst reputation of all Salvador da Bahia, the

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-42: Mae Preta (Black Mother), a former prostituteworking in Pelourinho in the 1920's to 60's, who well knew Jorge Amado, at home. / Brazil / Salvador da

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-43: The Quinta dos Lazaros cemetery competeswith the Camp Santo cemetery for the honor of the classification as oldest graveyard of Salvador da

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-44: An old man on a bench in the Pelourinhoquarter. The black population of Salvador surpasses 75% of the total population. / Brazil / Salvador da

2355-23: Early evening in a working class neighborhood.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-45: Working class open market at Feira de SaoJoaquim, in which countless workers carry produce and perspire abundantly. The site is a major fair

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-46: The immense and hugely popular Feira de SaoJoaquim market is inhabited by countless workers heaving heavy loads of produce. Brazil and India

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-47: Working class open market at Feira de SaoJoaquim, in which countless workers carry produce and perspire abundantly. The site is a major fair

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-48: 1, Liberty Street, the neighborhood of Salvadorda Bahia with the largest black population. / Brazil / Salvador da Bahia

2355-53: A woman entering a state of transe is possessed by a spirit during a candomble ceremony. This African Brazilian religious ceremony is celebrated in honor of Ere, the spirit of children and childhood. The uses ofsong, dance, percussion, costumes and trances punctuate the ceremony.

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-49: Alley way in the old city of Salvador da Bahia. /Brazil / Salvador da Bahia

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-50: Gypsies and fortune tellers in a camp ground onthe outskirts of Salvador. According to this family, their ancestors came to Brazil from Egypt. / Brazil /

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-51: Gypsies and fortune tellers in a camp ground onthe outskirts of Salvador. According to this family, their ancestors came to Brazil from Egypt. / Brazil /

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-52: A candomble ceremony (African Brazilianreligion) celebrated in honor of Ere, the spirit of children. Song, dance, percussions, costumes and transes

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-53: A woman entering a state of transe is possessedby a spirit during a candomble ceremony. This African Brazilian religious ceremony is celebrated in honor

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-54: An African Brazilian candomble religiousceremony is celebrated in honor of Ere, spirit of children and childhood. Song, dance, percussions,

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-55: During a candomble ceremony, a religion ofAfrican and Brazilian origins. / Brazil / Salvador da Bahia

Salvador da Bahia : the world of Jorge Amado / 2355-56: A card game shared by fishermen at the smallport area of Rio Vermelho, a site which inspired many scenes in the novels written by Jorge Amado. /

Salvador daBahia : theworld of JorgeAmado. Text.

There are places in the world, cities, thatare music. Havana in Cuba and NewOrleans in the United States belong to thatgroup. There are others, which, becauseof their effervescence, because they are abit the world and humankind inthemselves, inspire and attract artists andthinkers from all horizons. Calcutta, Paris,would probably belong to this category.Salvador da Bahia, the first capital ofBrazil and of the Portuguese empire in theAmericas, which was still called not solong ago São Salvador da Bahia de Todosos Santos, belongs to both categories.Without any doubt, it is one of those citiesthat deserves to reside in the constellationof the seminal cities of today's world, withas a prerogative all that this title calls for interms of real life, of suffering, of humanity,of earthly difficulties and spiritual life. Nearly equidistant from the North and thesouth Pole, it is not crazy to see inSalvador a third pole, more historic andhuman than geographic, but just as"magnetic" on the map of History. Indeed, for the period from 1500 to theend of the 19th century, the figure of 3.5million slaves having been imported to ortransported through Salvador has beenput forward. Salvador da Bahia will godown in history as the biggest slavemarket that Humankind has ever known.Just in comparison, by the end of the 19thcentury, the United States had seen only

about 430,000 slaves arrive.

A displaced and scattered population grewhere, which, with its flesh, created a bloodbrother to the African continent, a blackAmerica, an invisible and dilutedcontinent, from Louisiana toPort-au-Prince, from Havana to Kingston,going all the way south of the Tropic ofCapricorn. Of this world, Salvador daBahia is the indisputable epicenter andcapital.The capital of the "black gold" that thecolonists and traders, torturers, criminalsand swine - supported by the greatpowers of the time - put in chains,transported and often left to die in the holdbefore even selling them. The rest weknow: the sugar, cocoa, cotton andtobacco plantations. Out of this intense meeting of uprootedand dumped Africans, of quasi-decimatedIndians and of settled Whites was born aculture, a mythology and beliefs forming"the essence of an 'International' of godsin exile". We'll come back to that? This was, in fact, an entire world that wasbegotten. A fringe of humanity that wasnot destined to last, which had to bowdown its head, and raise it also, just toexist, a world of little people, the workingclass, a popular world that Jorge Amado,writer and bard from the Brazilian state ofBahia, celebrated. Albert Camus commented on the workand the world of Amado in these words:"Importance is given to life, that is, to anensemble of gests and cries, to a certainorder of enthusiasm and desire, to abalance of yes and no". Laughter andtears, lives thrown entirely into themoment, sometimes without thought fortomorrow. Amado himself summed up his work andhis heroes in a language of truth, of humorand of tenderness, tinged with the accent

of restrained anger, by saying "And whatwas I other than a novelist of whores andvagabonds? If some beauty exists in whatI write, it comes from these dispossessedpeople, these women branded with a hotiron, from those on the fringes of death".

Jorge Amado died on August 6, 2001, atthe age of 88, in Salvador da Bahia. Hewhom the Brazilian people had acceptedas their beloved ambassador ("amado",what is more, means "loved" inPortuguese), he whom the entire worldhonored, whose name was regularlyuttered as a possible Nobel Prize winnerfor literature, was born in 1912 inFerradas, on a cocoa plantation inSergipe, to the south of the state of Bahia.At the age of ten he went to a Jesuitboarding school. These latter saw a callingfor him and him becoming, one day, oneof them. Three years later, they said amass and prayed for his soul when theyoung Jorge fled after declaring himself anatheist and Bolshevist. An unsettled life began. "My teenageyears were very important for me. Then Ireally knew the life of the people in Bahia,the people of the port, the capoeira circle(the martial art and dance of African origindeveloped in Brazil), the African cults". Atthat time Jorge Amado mixed with acolorful put downtrodden world, that of thepoor working class and of the womencalled "working girls". He went from onesmalltime job to another, from writingobituaries to becoming a young journalist. Experience and knowledge have a price,for Amado it would be high. In thebeginning of the 1930s, he joined theCommunist Party. Getulio Vargas in themeantime carried out a coup d'état, andthe communist party was banned. ForJorge Amado a series of exile andimprisonments, of episodic returns, began.His books were publicly burnt by the

military and banned. He was all the sameelected Communist deputy in 1945. Hedistinguished himself by supporting theAfro-Brazilian Macumba cult of theCandomblé, up until then brutallyrepressed by the police. He even had legalization granting thefreedom of religious faith voted in,henceforth being able to count on therecognition and sympathy of theCandomblé networks and priests. Oncemore forced to go into exile in 1948 whenthe Communist Party was againprohibited, taking refuge in France, thenexpelled from there and declared personanon grata for 16 years, an itinerant militantin the so-called people's democraciesduring the Cold War, he finally returned toSalvador to never again leave. In 1956 hehad left the Party. His bond and his attachment to Franceplanted seeds of respect. Jean Soublin, inLe Monde, wrote at the time of his death"His fervent and sincere actions as apolitically committed writer under severaldictatorships earned him many enemies.Less than others who have died becauseof it, but more than others who kept quiet.(...) His taking of positions, the injusticesendured without groaning, the suffering,gave him in the eyes of his readers adignity, an authenticity, which made himcredible when he recounted in his booksthe struggle for the earth, the strikes, theassassinations. The public felt good: thatLeft was not champagne socialism, itcould be listened to."

But make no mistake about it; it is notsterile ideology that haunts Amado'sbooks but the heartbeat of Salvador andof Bahia de Todos os Santos, the bay ofall the saints. Salvador and Amado: rare and probablywithout equal are the love stories thathave so linked a city, source of inspiration,

and its chronicler. The writer has passedaway, but what has happened to hisworld? I am going to tell you. It is moreover in this way that I am offeringyou my feature inspired by a sentence, apassage, the places, the people ofAmado, the images that I have broughtback. Because yes, everything, all thewomen and the men are still there. TheLacerda elevator, boxer-bruisers, sugarcane cutters, swaggerers of the port andthe girls of the port, the streetwalkers,those members of the oldest professionalor hustlers by hazard, "ladies of theevening", whom Amado in his last novel"Navegação de Cabotagem" (CoastalSailing) all called by one name: Maria."Maria each one, all of them, passengerstaken on at the port of call, fleetingshadows on the quays of the ports, fromport to port, the ancient mariner's round". Maria does exist, I found her. MariaDavina Rodrigues de Oliveira todaynicknamed Mãe Preta (the black mother),former prostitute, a friend of Jorge Amado,a neighborhood companion, bedfellow. I'll tell you where she is. Between thecidade alta (the high city), that of the richwho, at the time, built hundreds ofchurches like just so many little corners ofParadise, and the cidade baixa (the lowcity) that of the port and the Comércio, ofthe slaves and, of course, the prostitutes.Here, there is a type of Hell, a sort "noman's land", with as a way out, not thechurches and Heaven, but the sea anddrowning. That's where she is...Under the big Lacerda elevator of more orless Art Deco architecture, linking the cityheights to the port, separating like a cleanbreak the two parts of the city, on the sideof the cliff, there is the Ladeira da

Montanha (the mountain's side). Andwhen you say this name in Salvador, thewhole city shudders and grows pale. TheLadeira da Montanha is synonymous withdanger and horrors. This is no longer Salvador of Bahia, butSALVAGE YARD of Bahia, UN-SALVEDODOR of Bahia. It is Amado's world andpeople in his book "Suor". Sweat. It shedstears, fear does. The world has madewhores out of these women; their childrenmake it a world of ill repute. The Ladeirada Montanha is a slope of blue, green,yellow building facades, the paint peeling.There are blocked-up doors, knockeddown doors, bars where they play poolwith, on the green baize, a naked womandrawn with the chalk. The cachaça, theonly drink served, costs 50 centavos (25cents).

In the one hundred and sixteen rooms,more than six hundred people. A world. Afetid world, without hygiene and withoutmorals, with rats, cursing and people.Workers, soldiers, Arabs speaking indistorted tongues, peddlers, porters,people of all colors, from all places, in alldress, fill the building. They drink cachaçaat Fernandes' bar and spit in the stairwaywhere, sometimes, they piss. The onlynon-paying tenants were the rats. An oldblack woman sold acarajés and munguzáat the door.

This is where Mãe Preta is. 79 years old, 35 years since she gave upprostitution, she lives in the Ladeira andhouses, feeds, helps as much as shepossibly can - as needy as she is herself -those, who like herself, have no otherrefuge than the Ladeira da Montanha.Maria shares. I saw, in her shelter,baskets of food in front of me. No cons, no

misappropriated funds, without eventalking about misappropriated funds whenit comes to organized crime. But wait! Thesounds of sobs, coughing, blows, sicknessand pain, that's what the poor share themost. There is this fantasy that the richhave of the poor, the "good poor", sohumble, so generous, so nice in the end -especially when they stay in their ghetto -who share, and share some more?. Acomforting idea. An alleviation for greed,for uneasiness. Exoticism of morals,fantasy. Exoticism tinted withsentimentalism: "Fascinating", we hear,"how the poor share...!" Okay, excuse theexpression, but the reality is that poverty isshit, and that's what Mãe Preta and thepoor have to share.

But there is also, of course, music, Joywith a capital J, Elation even, or as theysay in Brazil: Alegria. And drinking,dancing, making love to the mulatto girls,in the evening, by the sea, "sleep withoutdreaming" wrote Amado. Just so manyinalienable riches. The blues, jazz, flamenco, samba, todayall part of our "world music", all thosesounds have drawn their beauty and theirenergy from these poor worlds wherealcohol is holy water. And then there are the children,neighborhood urchins, genuine lights ofthe city where electricity is a given that isnot to be found everywhere. When theyare not in school, they fly kites, play thepercussion, kick a ball around and gain?They gain, yes. Not a salary: they gaincuts, bumps and scars. That's how theygrow up. But as Gilbert Salem wrote,"There where we are prepared to showsome compassion, we discover joy." It's asort of recognition, indebtedness to one'sday of birth.

Being barely eight years didn't stop himfrom already being the leader of the packsof kids who roamed the Morro do CapaNegro and the surrounding hills. But in theevening, no game could tear him awayfrom the contemplation of the lightscoming on in the city, so close and so faraway. (...)What he did not want to lose was theappearance of the lights, a revelationalways new and beautiful for him. (...)But the appearance of the lights purifiedeverything. Antonio Balduino lost himselfin the contemplation of the lines ofstreetlamps, gazed with his keen eyes intothe brightness and felt the desire to bekind to the other young Negroes of the hill.If one of them approached him now, hewould have without doubt caressed him,he wouldn't welcome him with the usualpinches, he wouldn't utter the four letterwords that he knew so well already. Hewould have without doubt patted thecompanion's mop of hair, held the friendagainst his bosom. And maybe he wouldeven have smiled.

That smile, it's even a mission to elicit itfor Carlinhos Brown. He who had beenone of those children from a poorneighborhood, the Candeal, a bit of hillinhabited by down and outs rather thanthe up and coming. He learned to playmusic by beating on the garbage cans. Heis today the key figure of Salvador, theestablished ambassador of Bahia,considered one of the best, if not the best,percussionist in the world. He is author, composer, singer,percussion machine, creating machine,reaction machine, man laser show all inone. From concerts to interviews, in soloor with his band, the Timbalada, heexhales an irresistible energy that pulsesthrough the city and the body. Become a star, Carlinhos Brown has not

abandoned his neighborhood. EverySunday he gives a concert there wherethe upper class of Salvador and Brazilcome, obliged to descend amidst theworking class. Moreover, Brown activelycontributes to the development ofCandeal; he has instituted differenteducation programs, the renovation ofhousing and sanitary development, hailedby everyone. Carlinhos, a street urchin,has become a model, a revenge.

And then, there are obviously others.Those with a less glorious career.Dockers, porters or sellers in the market ofFeira de São Joaquim for example.Without doubt, that is the most lively,chaotic, vibrant and teeming spot inSalvador. It's here where you find thefaces, the biggest "mugs" and the biggest"mouths" also. Several hundred squaremeters of workers toiling and boiling in thesun, often a soccer ball cut in half on thehead to cushion the weight of the load.Everything is sold here, of all shapes andvarieties: dried snakes for black magic,mangoes, statues of the gods, alarmclocks, bull testicles, incense, cumin,saffron and cardamom... It's the greatemporium of animals, vegetables and ofpeople. Saveiros, those boats with rectangular orsquare sails from Nordeste, drawalongside to deliver their cargoes of sugarcane.

Sugar. That of the cane cutters. In the16th century, Portugal introduced sugarcane into the northeast of Brazil. It made apart of its wealth out of it, out of the tradein sugar, produced at a cost next tonothing by the labor of the slaves.

Today, everything has changed andnothing has changed for the cane cutters,the boias frias (cold food) as they arenicknamed. To be able to respect the yieldimposed on them, to save time, they gulpdown their cold meal on the plantations.Colonialism has changed it's nature, todayit is neo-liberal; the slaves have changedname, now they are "farm workers". Istayed for a few days on the plantations; Isaw them lacerating their hands andbreaking their backs to cut, each of them,each day, 3.2 tons of cane. 3.2 tons, eachday! And that for a salary that buysnothing. 180 Reais per month, the legalminimum in Brazil and not a cent more. Toput it into perspective, a bus ticket costs 1Real.In 1988, the government recognized theright of the slaves' descendants to theland that their ancestors and theythemselves worked over the centuries. Buttheir claims meet with an absence ofproof. A long time ago already most of theofficial archives concerning slavery weredestroyed. At today's count, 5% of thepopulation owns 80% of the country'sland. I'm telling you, those of you who don'thave the heart of a slave driver, if youspend a few hours on these plantations,you will leave with your stomach in a knot,your jaws clenched with anger. In the evening, I was in the cane cutter'ssleeping quarters. The silence ofexhaustion reigns. I spoke with Antonio,he told me about his 14 children! It's themof whom he thinks when his machetestrikes the cane. I also saw one afternoon,in the middle of the fields, Jijó's hands.They seemed to be beseeching. Burnt,shriveled.You can't drink a coffee in the samemanner anymore. The purchase ofproducts coming from equitable trade hasbecome a moral duty.

And the hands reaching down toward theearth, large and callused, to gather thefragrant tobacco leaves. The hands riseand fall to an unvarying rhythm. Onewould say the motions of prayer. Thiswork produced a pain in the back, anacute and persistent pain that continued,even at night, to cause suffering

Amado, in "Jubiabá", one of his majorworks, ended the book writing about theuprising of the workers, the strikes andwinds of change, the murmur of hope.Some would see in it a puerile literarydevice, others a prophecy. How not to, inany case, immediately think of theBrazilian president, Luis Iñacio Lula daSilva, the historic head of the WorkersParty... "Lula" to the Brazilians, thesteelworker from São Paolo, jailed manytimes, today the head of state. It was thevoice and the vote of the people thatbrought him to power. The voice of thelowest orders of Brazil who dared tobelieve in his capacity to defend theirinterest to build for themselves their lot inlife. But in Bahia, they also see theintervention of the orixás, the gods of theCandomblé. Is it chance that Ogun,protector of visionary writers, of Amado, isalso the god of metal, the patron of ironand the technological civilization, theprotector, consequently, of Lula... Whatever it may be, the Candomblé isomnipresent in Salvador. For over fourhundred years, in the terreiros (thetemples), the gods and men meet to thesound of the tam-tams. There are chants,dances, the audience clapping theirhands, entities that appear and takepossession of bodies, shaken by spasms,which enter into a trance. The successive powers did not look on it

favorably. The terreiros were considereddangerous. The expression of the blackconscience, of a people that were findingtheir identity and solidarity, a cultural andsocial cement. Forbidden to practice it,the slaves had to hide their venerationsbehind the masks of the Catholic saints.They revered Saint Anthony, SaintGeorges and Saint Barbara in thechurches, Omulù, Xangô, Yémanja in theterreiros.Since the legalization of the religion byAmado, the straw costumes, the pearlmasks, the sabers, the gildedheaddresses, drums and white robes arehidden less. They are more vibrant thanever, because despite the total absence ofproselytizing in the Candomblé, thenumber of its followers does not cease togrow.

Barefooted, the women pounded thebeaten earth. The bodies undulatedaccording to ritual. Sweat streaming down,all were gripped by the music and thedance. Gordo was trembling all over anddidn't see anything but the confusedshapes of the women and the saints andthe capricious gods of the faraway forest.The white man stamped his feet; he saidto the student: - I can't stand it anymore. I'm going todance...The saint greeted Jubiaba. Arms formingacute angles honored Ochossi, the god ofhunting. Lips clenched, hands, bodiesshook, in the delirium of the sacred dance.All of a sudden Ochala - who is thegreatest of all the gods and who is dividedinto two persons: Ochodiyan the young,and Ocholoufan the old - possessed Mariados Reis, a little fifteen year old Negress,with a virgin and smooth body. Shebecame Ocholoufan, old Ochala, stooped,leaning on a staff of light. When she cameout of the small chamber, she was

dressed all in white. The congregation saluted her by prostrating themselvesright on the ground (...).

Maybe some would judge that the world of Salvador da Bahia celebrated byJorge Amado, that of the Blacks, the prostitutes, the poor, corresponds to aconventional image of Brazil. But this world is not a caricature. It is thatfringe of society that, more than others, suffers from being ignored, fearedand the most often scorned. A lack of attention, of kindness and of respectfor which the writer would have compensated. In that, he would have beenthe magnanimous spokesman for these "little" people, "those fighter menand women, poor without being sorrowful, exploited without being beaten."

N.B : Excerpts from Jorge Amado in italics.

Text aids: J.B. Harang, M. Lindon, J. Soulin, J-J. Mandel and C.E. Cobb.

Salvador daBahia : theworld of JorgeAmado.Synopsis.

In 1549, Salvador da Bahia was foundedfirst capital of Brazil, by Tome de Souza. For centuries, the city draw its richnessfrom sugar production and slaves trade,even being the most important slavesmarket of all time. These fruitful businessenable Salvador da Bahia to become oneof most shining city of the Americancontinent.

Today, eventhough most of the city hasbeen classified World Human Patrimonyby UNESCO, and its Carnival is the mostappreciated of Brazil (ahead of Rio deJaneiro), it's the common people ofSalvador who make the city a vibrant andpoignant place. Far from the make-up ofCarnival and its fake reality for tourists, farfrom the usual clichés of Brazil which arefootball, beaches and beautiful women.

Moreover, São Salvador da Bahia daTodos os Santos, the Bay of All Saintslives on despite the death of world famouswriter Jorge Amado, translated into 54languages, who passed away in August2001. Chronicler of the city which hedearly loved, and of which he wroteprofusely, his books demonstrate a deeprooted respect for the "people" and for thetypical situations experienced by these

residents whose violent lives and historiesare also characterized by laughter andsensuality.

The choice is given: In addition to anoriginal presentation of Salvador da Bahia,the feature story can be presented as atribute to the author Jorge Amado.

Street life and house interiors, the sugarcane cutters, the impressive elevatorwhich slices the city in two, separating thehigh from the low, the wealthy areas in theheights of the burg and the poor downbelow, the boxers, bars, prostitutes,candomblé - Afro-Brazilian cult, chiefreligion of this land - all of the above aresnapshots with which visitors are struckwhen moving in and around Salvador daBahia. For those who have thoroughlyprepared for their voyage, the influence ofthe posthumous voice of Jorge Amado,the people's troubador who lived here,was exiled and finally died here, isinevitable.

This photo feature pays homage to theliterary man, and directly or indirectly, aquotation accompanies each image. Theboxer Balduino, protagonist of the book"Jubiabá", first published in 1935, lives on.Mae Preta (which literaly translates to theblack mother), the prostitute with whomthe author was friend, is a white hairedeldress today, and although she no longerreally works the streets, she does take inabandoned children and she still likes tostrum on her guitar. The famous elevatorstill works, and continues to represent thesocial fracture dividing the country stillafflicted by a weak economy.

Captions.

2355-01: The main square of the historicquarter of Pelourinho. To the right, thefacade of the Nossa Senhora do Rosariodos Pretos Church. This church wasfounded by slaves in the 18th century. Thegeographical, cultural and historicalepicenter of Salvador de Bahio, this areais reflected in the novels of Jorge Amado:"Suor", etc. The entire old city is nowmentioned on Unesco's World Heritagelist.

2355-02: A syncretic mass (mixture ofseveral religious trends) punctuated bychants and the use of percussioninstruments in the celebration of O dia daBaiana, a day of tribute and celebration ofthe Baianas, or women, symbols of thenegritude of Bahia and followers of thecandomble -African Brazilian religion- inwhich worshippers all dress in white.

2355-03: Seller of roosters in the largeworking class market of Feira de SaoJoaquim. The Feira de Sao Joaquim isprobably the most lively and crowdedplace in all of Salvador. Here is where theloudest voices and the biggest boastersare to be found. A universe in whichworkers carry heavy loads and perspire inequivalent quantities. This is the largestmarket for animals, vegetables and menalike.

2355-04: Bar in the Ladeira da Montanha,the street known for its mafiosis,prostitutes, dealers, and cachaco whichsells for 50 centavos. In this bar, no needto consult the drink list, because theyserve nothing other than cachaca!

2355-05: In the old city of Salvador da

Bahia, just minutes from the shops wheretourists buy souvenir mementos. In hisnovel, "Suor", describing life in this sameneighborhood, Pelourinho in 1928, JorgeAmado wrote: (...) the walls made ofplanks of wood, the roofs of zinc sheetmetal. When the sun beat down, the cabinwas on fire. No one could stand thesuffocating compartments - a living area, abedroom and an excuse for a kitchen,which was merely four stones on whichthe bean pot rested. (...) The owner wasthe only one to call it a home. Theinhabitants would say "my hole".

2355-06: A young girl on the square infront of the Nossa Senhora do Rosariodos Pretos Church (Our Lady of theRosary of the Black Man) for O dia daBaiana, a day dedicated to the celebrationof the Baianas (the women of Bahia),symbols of negritude in Bahia andfollowers of the candomble religion, amixture of African and Brazilian influencesin which worshippers mandatorily dress inwhite.

2355-07: In the heart of the old city ofSalvador's Pelourinho square, thecongregation leaves the church of NossaSenhora do Rosario dos Pretos after asyncretic mass. O dia da Baiana, day oftribute to the women of Bahia, whorepresent the state of negritude in Bahia,and to worshipers of candomble, thepredominantly African Brazilian religion, inwhich the color of predilection is white.

2355-08: At night, at a table of the redlight district of Salvador da Bahia, theComercio: beer and prostitutes. WhenTome de Souza in 1549 first set foot onthe Bay of All Saints to found the city ofSalvador, sent by the King of Portugal witha royal delegation of 400 soldiers, 400settlers, priests and...prostitutes.

Althought city historians would ratherforget the fact, prostitutes did play a majorrole in the foundation of the city, as did thefirst governor of Brazil. Such women werechosen by Jorge Amado to represent bothhis literature and the city of Salvador, mostremarkably in his novel "Tereza Batista".

2355-09: Around the harbor of Salvador"And what else have I been, said JorgeAmado, than a novelist who recounts thestories of whores and vagabonds {...} Andif there is any beauty to be found in what Iwrote, it is to be found in thesedispossessed individuals, in these womenbranded by fate, of those who live on thefringes of death {...}

2355-10: Atmosphere in a bar onSaturday evening, in the red light districtof Salvador da Bahia: o Comercio. Here,soccer fans come to finish the eveningwith prostitutes and mugs of beer. Yetother similarities to Amado novels, suchscenes suggest "Dona Flor and her twohusbands" or "Jubiaba" and the bar itselfrecalls "The Drowned Man's Lantern".

2355-11: In the old city of Salvador daBahia, the atmosphere resembles thedaily events of a novel by Jorge Amado:"A fetid world, with neither hygiene normorals, with rats, swear words andpeople. Workers, soldiers, Arabs and theircrippled use of the language, door to doorsalesmen, thieves, prostitutes,seamstresses, porters, people of all colorsand origins, in all sorts of outfits, filled thebuilding. They drank cachaca fromFernandes' and spat in the stairs, wherethey sometimes also pissed". Unesco hassince added the area to the WorldHeritage list.

2355-12: Symbol of the power of thechurch and the colonial invader, in total

contradiction with the vow of poverty of itspatron saint, the baroque San Franciscochurch in the old city of Salvador da Bahiadisplays limitless wealth and splendor.Gold leaf is used like wall paper. Forced tobuild the church of their masters andprevented from practising their ownreligion, the craftsmen-slaves from Africatook revenge through their work: theircherubs grimace rather than smile, andsome of the angels have oversizedgenitals, while yet others appear pregnant.

2355-13: An elderly beggarwoman infront of the Nosso Senhor do Bonfimchurch. Built in 1745, the church has areputation for producing miraculoushealings. This is the most important andmost widely venerated church in Salvador

2355-14: The Nosso Senhor do Bonfimchurch. Built in 1745, this church is knownto produce miraculous healings. This isthe most important and most widelyvenerated church in all of Salvador.

2355-15: Nosso Senhor do Bonfim churchwas built in 1745 and is known for itsability to produce miraculous healings.This place of worship is the mostimportant and most widely admired of allSalvador. For worshipers of theAfrican-Brazilian candomble religion,Nosso Senhor do Bonfim is also thechurch of Oxala, the father of all Orixas orgods of the candomble. White is the colorof predilection in the candomble religion, acolor of purity representative of thecandomble. For certain members of theolder generations, savoir vivre, eleganceand good manners are part and parcel oftheir identity.

2355-16: The cane cutters or farmworkers in general are nicknamed "Boiasfrias" (cold food). Trucks come to pick up

the workers at dawn, dropping them off inthe fields, where, to save time and money,they eat cold meals rather than leave theplantations. Each evening, the sametrucks take them either back to theirvillages or to company dormitories.

2355-17-18: Brazil and India compete forthe title world's largest sugar producer. Inthe sixteenth century, colonial Portugalintroduced sugar cane into north-easternBrazil, earning part of its great wealth fromthe sugar trade, produced at almost nocost with the use of slave labor. Todaymuch has changed, yet in some ways littlehas changed: although the imperialisticstyle has changed, being neo-liberaltoday, the then slaves are now "farmworkers". Each worker must cut 3.2 tonsof cane per day to meet requirements,otherwise he is fired. The daily productionquotas must be reached to receive asalary of 180 Reis per month, theminimum wage in Brazil. For comparativepurposes, a one way bus ticket costs 1Real.

2355-19: The cane harvesting season,called the Safra, lasts six months. This ishow long the cane cutters contracts last,and once the harvest is over, they mustfind other work. Each worker must cut 3.2tons of cane per day to meetrequirements, otherwise he is fired. Thedaily production quotas must be reachedto receive a salary of 180 Reis per month,the minimum wage in Brazil. Forcomparative purposes, a one way busticket costs 1 Real.

2355-20: Before the harvest, the sugarcane fields are burnt to remove excess

greenery and allow the cutters to do theirwork and avoid snakes. Despite the (oftenworn out) gloves they wear, the canecutters hands are blackened by thecharred cane and constant rubbing of themachete handlegrip.

2355-21: Brazil and India compete for thetitle of the world's greatest producer ofsugar and by-products such as drinkablealcohol or fuel alcohol. During thesixteenth century, Portuguese settlersbrought sugar cane to north easternBrazil. Dependent upon slave labor, as inthe southern United States, the principalsource of wealth to the motherlandPortugal was the state of Bahia and itssugar crop.

2355-22: The cane cutters or farm workersin general are nicknamed "Boias frias"(cold food). Trucks come to pick up theworkers at dawn, dropping them off in thefields, where, to save time and money,they eat cold meals rather than leave theplantations. Each evening, the sametrucks take them either back to theirvillages or to company dormitories.

2355-23: Early evening in a working classneighborhood.

2355-24: Emblematic scenes and symbolsvisible in Salvador da Bahia: the Bay of AllSaints and the Lacerda elevator, whichlinks the cidade alta (the high city) and richarea in which citizens of note builthundreds of churches in the past, to thecidade baixa (lower city) characterized bythe port and commercial area, housingformer slaves and whores, on the sea.The only escape route was the sea andprobably drowning. Although today cheapsouvenirs are sold here to tourists, at onetime the Mercado Modello (Model Market)stored and sold slaves.

2355-25: Saturday evening in a bar in theEngenho Velho de Brotas quarter. The barhas been temporarily transformed for thenight into a dive. Checkers, dominos andcard games, beer, bets and cigarettes areamong the joint's principal activities. Herea game of buraco is played. Theatmosphere recalls the nights spent byVadinho, an inveterate gambler and heroof an Amado novel "Dona Flor and HerTwo Husbands".

2355-26: Saturday evening in a bar in theEngenho Velho de Brotas quarter. The barhas been temporarily transformed for thenight into a dive. Checkers, dominos andcard games, beer, bets and cigarettes areamong the joint's principal activities. Herea game of buraco is played. Theatmosphere recalls the nights spent byVadinho, an inveterate gambler and heroof an Amado novel "Dona Flor and HerTwo Husbands".

2355-27: A beach popular with workingclass crowds, the Ondina, locatedbetween the neighborhoods of Barra andRio Vermelho. Rio Vermelho is also thequarter in which the Iemanja temple islocated. The temple is dedicated to thegoddess or orixa as she is known in thecandomble African Brazilian religion of thesea. She protects families, children andfishing, and her preferred color is lightblue.

2355-28: In the Bay of All Saints inSalvador da Bahia, a saveiro (a boat witha rectangular sail typical of northernBrazil). On board the coastal huggingship, two men, one black, one white,return to the village of Maragogipe, inlandbut along the river, the Reconcavo. Thesame destination, and same type ofvessel are used in a surprising manner by

two very similar protagonists in adescription written by Jorge Amado in hisnovel "Jubiaba": the black man couldreplace hero and boxer Antonio Balduino.

2355-29: In the bay surrounding Salvadorda Bahia, the Bay of all Saints, a saveiro(a boat with a rectangular sail typical ofnorthern Brazil). On board the coastalhugging ship, two men, one black, onewhite, return to the village of Maragogipe,inland but along the river, the Reconcavo.The same destination, and same type ofvessel are used in a surprising manner bytwo very similar protagonists in adescription written by Jorge Amado in hisnovel "Jubiaba": the black man couldreplace hero and boxer Antonio Balduino.

2355-30: View of the old city of Salvadorda Bahia, figuring on the World HeritageList published by Unesco.

2355-31: "His eight years did not preventhim from already being the head of a gangof kids which wandered over the hill ofChate Negro and other nearby hills.(...)What he didn't want to miss was thefirst lights of the day: a revelation alwaysrenewed and always beautiful". Amongthe first lines of a novel by Jorge Amado"Jubiaba".

2355-32: Emblematic scenes and symbolsvisible in Salvador da Bahia: the Bay of AllSaints and the Lacerda elevator, whichlinks the cidade alta (the high city) and richarea in which citizens of note builthundreds of churches in the past, to thecidade baixa (lower city) characterized bythe port and commercial area, housingformer slaves and whores, on the sea.The only escape route was the sea andprobably drowning. Although today cheapsouvenirs are sold here to tourists, at onetime the Mercado Modello (Model Market)

stored and sold slaves.

2355-33: Inside a boxing academy offormer world champions Luis CarlosDorea and Acelino Freitas aka Popo. Ahero of mythical proportions in Salvadorde Bahia, Antonio Balduino, a tallmuscular black man, was the mainprotagonist of Amado's novel "Jubiaba".

2355-34: "Balduino was satisfied as heobserved the white man lying at his feet.Then he drew his gaze upwards towardsthe inquisitive eyes of the crowd whichcheered him on, seeking anyone whowould dare claim he was no longertriumphant over white men". A few linesdescribing Antonio Balduino, a blackboxer and hero of Jorge Amado's novel"Jubiaba". A boxing ring in a working classneighborhood in Salvador.

2355-35: November 20 is a special date inSalvador da Bahia, corresponding to whatelsewhere in Brazil is known as the Day ofthe Black Conscience "O Dia daConsencia Negra". For this event, themajor percussion groups such as Olodum,Ile Aye and Dida parade through thestreets playing their instruments andrecalling the music of the slaves.

2355-36-37: Festivities in a working classneighborhood.

2355-38: The newest consecratedcultural representative of Salvador daBahia is musician Carlinhos Brown. Todayhe is considered among the bestpercussionists in the world. Author,composer, singer, and drummer, he is anenergetic creative force in himself. He is

as talented a musician as he is an agentprovocateur and source of social unrest.Born in the quarter of Candeal, one of thepoorest in Salvador, he has set up his ownrecording studios in the sameneighborhood today, as well as hisconcert arena. Every Sunday, Brown gives concerts here, and the wealthypopulations of Salvador de Bahia and allof Brazil compete to attend the events,despite their being held in a poorneighborhood.

2355-39: Facing a badly maintainedbuilding used as a shelter for thehomeless, Mae Preta (Black Mother), aformer prostitute working in Pelourinho inthe 1920's to 60's, announces a free mealwhile playing with the other residents.Today, no other street in Salvador daBahia has a worse reputation than theLadeira da Montanha, and although thesetting has been transferred fromPelourinho to Ladeira da Montanha, eightyyears later, the events which take place inJorge Amado's novel "Suor" are stillapplicable to today's way of life inSalvador.

2355-40: Facing one of the streets dotedwith the worst reputation in all of Salvadorda Bahia, the Ladeira da Montanha, aman and his son sleep in a homelessrefuge, called the Mae Preta shelter (theblack mother). A former prostitute from thePelourinho quarter in the 1920's to the1960's, she knew Jorge Amado, whofrequented prostitutes and the world of thecommon people, sharing their misery andtheir lot restricting them to day to daysurvival. This world and the peopleinhabiting it inspired his novel "Suor".

2355-41: Picked up off the streets andnow living in a shelter for the homeless inone of the streets enjoying the worst

reputation of all Salvador da Bahia, theLadeira da Montanha, is this young boy,abandoned by his mother, a prostitute.Some call him "son of a whore".

2355-42: Mae Preta (Black Mother), aformer prostitute working in Pelourinho inthe 1920's to 60's, who well knew JorgeAmado, at home.

2355-43: The Quinta dos Lazaroscemetery competes with the Camp Santocemetery for the honor of the classificationas oldest graveyard of Salvador da Bahia.Burial is free, and the former is mostcherished by members of the workingclass. For the most part, the graves arenameless. The deceased are buried for sixmonths, the bodies then exhumed tomake room for the new dead.

2355-44: An old man on a bench in thePelourinho quarter. The black populationof Salvador surpasses 75% of the totalpopulation.

2355-45: Working class open market atFeira de Sao Joaquim, in which countlessworkers carry produce and perspireabundantly. The site is a major fairgrounds and sale area for animals andvegetables attracting huge crowds.

2355-46: The immense and hugelypopular Feira de Sao Joaquim market isinhabited by countless workers heavingheavy loads of produce. Brazil and Indiacompete for the title of the world's tipsugar producer and sugar by-productssuch as drinkable alcohol and fuel alcohol.During the sixteenth century, Portuguesesettlers brought sugar cane to northeastern Brazil. Dependent upon slavelabor, as in the southern United States,the principal source of wealth to themotherland Portugal was the state of

Bahia and its sugar crop.

2355-47: Working class open market atFeira de Sao Joaquim, in which countlessworkers carry produce and perspireabundantly. The site is a major fairgrounds and sale area for animals andvegetables attracting huge crowds.

2355-48: 1, Liberty Street, theneighborhood of Salvador da Bahia withthe largest black population.

2355-49: Alley way in the old city ofSalvador da Bahia.

2355-50: Gypsies and fortune tellers in acamp ground on the outskirts of Salvador.According to this family, their ancestorscame to Brazil from Egypt.

2355-51: Gypsies and fortune tellers in acamp ground on the outskirts of Salvador.According to this family, their ancestorscame to Brazil from Egypt.

2355-52: A candomble ceremony (AfricanBrazilian religion) celebrated in honor ofEre, the spirit of children. Song, dance,percussions, costumes and transes inwhich spirits appear through bodies ofparticipants all play an important role.Among the specific characteristics of thecandomble: 1) No clear moral divisionbetween the notions of Good and Evil 2)No will to either evangelize or convertothers to belief in candomble. Far frombeing a religion on the way out, thecandomble is very much present in thecultural, religious, artistic and social life inBahia.

2355-53: A woman entering a state oftranse is possessed by a spirit during acandomble ceremony. This AfricanBrazilian religious ceremony is celebrated

in honor of Ere, the spirit of children and childhood. The uses of song,dance, percussion, costumes and trances punctuate the ceremony.

2355-54: An African Brazilian candomble religious ceremony is celebrated inhonor of Ere, spirit of children and childhood. Song, dance, percussions,costumes and transes in which spirits appear through bodies of participantsall play an important role. Among the specific characteristics of thecandomble: 1) No clear moral division between the notions of Good and Evil2) No will to either evangelize or convert others to belief in candomble. Farfrom being a religion on the way out, the candomble is very much present inthe cultural, religious, artistic and social life in Bahia..

2355-55: During a candomble ceremony, a religion of African and Brazilianorigins.

2355-56: A card game shared by fishermen at the small port area of RioVermelho, a site which inspired many scenes in the novels written by JorgeAmado.

2355-57: The quarter of Alagados, in which shaky huts on stilts are perchedabove stagnant brackish waters and in which a portion of the population ofSalvador lives, well below the poverty line. Pope John Paul II, after visitingthe area considered that what was needed was a church to be built. It nowstands on the banks of the very same neighborhood today.