On the 6th of September, the day before Brazil celebrates its independence from Portugal, Brazilian Historian Genaro Oliveira, will talk about the many interpretations of this historic day and the multiethnicity of Brazilian society, in the talk:
ONE NATION, MANY NA(RRA)TIONS: OLD AND NEW INTERPRETATIONS OF THE BRAZILIAN INDEPENDENCE
Why Brazil, unlike the former Spanish colonies in the Americas, became a single country after the independence process? Should D. Pedro I be considered a national hero or an authoritarian ruler? Which date best represents our independence, the 7th of September of 1822 or the 2nd of July of 1823?
In this presentation, Genaro Oliveira will discuss the many (and often contradictory) interpretations historians have given to the theme of the Brazilian independence, since the nineteenth century to the present days. He will also share some of his recent research on this theme, using computer graphics and Webdesign to reinterpret Pedro Americo’s famous painting “Independence or Death”.
Genaro Oliveira is a PhD Student in the Art History Department at the University of Auckland. Before moving to New Zealand, he worked as a researcher for the Federal University of Bahia (Brazil) and the Brazilian Council for Scientific Research (CNPq). He has teaching experience both in secondary and tertiary schools, as well as doing social work in NGOs.
Reservations by email: cultural@brazil.org.nz. The presentation is part of the 2011 "Brazilian Topics at the Embassy" programme.