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- [00:10]
A
In Rio's Sao Kostovo district, there exists a huge pavilion designed by architect Sergio Bernardes that brings together all the best offerings from Brazil's northeastern region. Protected from the discrimination that those from the northeast can often experience, the fair offers a safe space for market holders to share what makes their region special. You're listening to Tall, a monocle production brought to you by the team behind the Urbanist. I'm Andrew Tuck. In this episode, Tomas Pinero takes us to the Ferra de so Krestovo, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.
- [00:56]
B
In Rio, there's a place where the gentle rhythm of bossa nova give way to the rustic pals of Forro. It's fated to San Cristovo, a sprawling fair housed in a stadium like pavilion designed and reinforced concrete by modernist architect Sergio Bernard. The imposing pavilion was originally intended for international expositions. However, it ended up serving a more provisional role, housing samba schools as they crafted their elaborate floats for for rio's Carnival. In 2003, Mayor Cesar Meyer turned the space into the home of the Northeastern Market Fair, which had grown organically around it. On its parking lot, he officially named it the Luis Gonzaga center for Northeastern Traditions, an homage to a famed composer of that faraway region, though everyone knows it as Feder di San Cristovo. Today the pavilion's interior has been transformed into a kaleidoscopic enclave of northeastern Brazil, draped with colorful flags from the Son Juan festivals. Some 700 stalls and multiple stages filled the hall, offering everything from regional dishes to crafts, produce and plenty of exuberant music. The fair, begun in the 40s with makeshift camps of tarp and wooden stalls raised by migrant nordiskinos, men and women who left behind the arid hardships of Brazil's poorest quarter. They came to the southeast region in search of work, often landing in Rio or so Paulo. One such journey was that of Vandu. He arrived in rio at just 16, coming from the state of Paraiba.
- [02:40]
C
So I'm Vandu from Paraiba, born in Lagoa Seca. I've been living in rio for almost 30 years, and since then I've always worked at the San Cristovan fair. Back in the early 90s, in my region, some crisis arose. There were no jobs, there were water shortages, and my father came ahead in search of a better life. Six months later, he sent for my mother with five children.
- [03:07]
B
Within a week of arriving in Rio, Vando had found work at the San Cristoban fair, joining the stall of a fellow migrant. The job came through a northeastern network, a web of acquaintances helping one another gain foothold in the city, often in the face of entrenched prejudice.
- [03:27]
C
I think that as soon as I arrived in Rio de Janeiro, there was a lot of prejudice against Northeasterners. And back then the prejudice was so strong that if you wanted to listen to typical Northeastern music, to some fohro, or enjoy something that reminded you of your roots, you felt a bit hesitant. That's because the prejudice was a lot more intense than it is today.
- [03:51]
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Van Der recalls that residents of the surrounding San Cristovo neighborhood often complained about the fair's noise and disorder, and that city officials repeatedly threatened its very existence. Of course, they were no match for the resilience of the hot blooded Nordic Jews.
- [04:10]
C
But Northeasterners are a resilient people, people who fight and who endure. And whenever something came up that threatened to disrupt or shut down the fair, North Easterners would come together.
- [04:24]
B
Now an established entrepreneur, Vando runs three shops in Rio, two inside the fair and another just beyond its gates, each with his own team of employees. The shop where we met is a large market brimming with goods, and 80% of which comes from the northeast region. From cassava flour, hapadura and cachaca to its star attraction, a spectacular kwaiu cheese, the San Cristovan fair is a rare mix, a place where entrepreneurship meets unbridled creativity. Steeped in northeastern flair, few embody that blend more fully than Haimundo, a charismatic figure known to all as Bigorgi because of his prominent moustache. Usually crowned by a gray fedora. Musician, poet and master of accordion repair, he has been a fixture at the fair since arriving from the state of Sierra in 1973.
- [05:23]
D
I was born in the countryside of Sierra, and I've been living here for 53 years. I'm a specialist in assembling and tuning accordions. I've done work in several countries across Europe.
- [05:34]
B
Like Vandu. The fair became one of his first anchors in Rio and at once a place of leisure.
- [05:41]
D
Back when we came from the northeast to Rio, on the very first Sunday, everyone was already saying, let's go to Sao Cristavo fair, let's go to the fair. So I came here and I liked it.
- [05:52]
B
Bigorje has long kept stalls at the fair, but these days he appears more devoted to social dancing. He is a fixture at the Brazilian Academy of Forro, and the first and only of its kind in the country, whose headquarters are housed within the fairgrounds. It's something rather odd for a genera famously born in the Northeast. The fair has its own rhythm. Visit on a weekday, and it moves at the unhurried pace of shoppers come on a Sunday and it takes on a family air. That's when most household workers, from whom Sunday is often the only day of rest, gather with their families and friends. In recent years, Fridays and Saturdays, now ticketed affairs, have drawn a younger, hip crowd. Lured by the growing cult appeal of all things Northeast. Prejudice has gradually faded with the new generations. Bars and karaoke rooms have sprung up in response. Sadly, not all of them are faithful to the Northeastern spirit that gives the place its soul. That hardly bothers Bigoji, however. For him, the fair is about conviviality and celebration, and he welcomes whoever happens to join in.
- [07:05]
D
This is a party, right? The fair is a celebration. Here you can have fun with everything. All nine North Eastern states are represented here. It's a place people come to enjoy themselves and buy things you can't find elsewhere, only here, like North Eastern foods, you know.
- [07:22]
B
Before bidding farewell to me, Bigorji makes sure to recite a quick poem to Luis Gonzaga, whom he has met in person. He does so in typical Northeastern style, filled with humor, irony and sarcasm, and then he strolls towards the Fortaleza stage, greeting friends along the way as he searches for a partner to join him in the lilting sway of Warhol.
- [07:57]
A
Tall Stories is a Monocle production from the team behind the Urbanist. This episode was written by Thomas Pinero and produced and edited by David Stevens. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to receive new episodes every week. I'm Andrew Tuck. Goodbye and thanks for listening. City lovers Sam.