One of the amazing things about McGill is the array of cultural diversity that you can find on campus. There are dozens of McGill-associated clubs and societies dedicated to celebrating specific cultures, so you’re sure to find something to fit your style. The McGill Brazilian Student Association (MBSA) is one of those clubs and wants to introduce you to the beautiful (and exciting) world of Brazilian culture. Her Campus McGill got the chance to sit down with some of the members of the collective to learn more about what this lively club has to offer.
Alexandra Sakellariou for Her Campus McGill (AS): MBSA is a relatively new club at McGill, right? How did it get started? What was the inspiration behind it?
Ricardo Alchini Ipn (RI): Yes, MBSA only became a SSMU club in April 2015. Still, some of us were already organizing events for the Brazilian community since last year. The number of Brazilians at McGill has been rapidly increasing over the last few years, and several departments started hosting activities to welcome these students. It was just natural that we decided to join forces and all work for the same purpose: to include Brazilian culture in the McGill community.
AS: Can you tell us about some of the events MBSA has hosted? What were your favorites?
Isa Engels (IE): The first event MBSA partook was a barbeque. What better way to introduce a Brazilian club right? We also organized a party of 300 people in the start of the fall 2015 semester. We also had a brigadeiro (a common Brazilian delicacy made from condensed milk, powdered chocolate, butter, and chocolate sprinkles) bake sale, a forró (Brazilian dance) event on Halloween, a movie screening, and more! [We had] all of this in only one semester. The best event is hard to pinpoint due to the diversity, but one of the best events was the Bailamos party and the brigadeiro sale in which we sold out in two hours!
Guilherme Franzmann (GF): Let us not forget that Brazil is also about famous parties and dancing styles, so no surprise we partnered with other clubs to have a Latin party and also a Halloween Forró night, as crazy it seems! And last but definitely not least, Brazil has a rich cultural and scientific background, and as such, we were partners with Cinemá du Parc during the Brazilian Film Festival and have just screened a documentary about outreaching astronomy to isolated communities in Brazil and Bolivia. I guess all of them are my favourites!
MBSA’s Picnic and BBQ event last year at Parc Jeanne Mance.
AS: How would you describe Brazilian culture for someone who isn’t familiar with it?
Cecilia Rocha (CR): I think that Brazilian culture is a nice mixture of what you find around the globe but different, happier, louder, with a lot of human contact; we hug, we kiss, we touch – that’s normal! Brazilians normally are not super shy; we like to get together for eating and drinking with friends and/or family. Very important: Brazilian families are big and loud! Everything that you could do with more people and more food is the Brazilian way!
IE: Relative to Canadians, Brazilians have a much greater, relaxed style of life. Lunches are an hour, not exchanged for sandwiches on our way to class/work. After work, we go to a bar to have a beer. The culture is very much rooted in African culture. Brazilians have passion and, hence, do everything according to their passion of life. Economic success is not as important as personal wellbeing is in North America. Of course, there are the parties, the football, and women – but it is much more than that! It’s a lifestyle.
AS: What is the best part of being in MBSA?
Clarissa Fleck (CF): Probably, as it is with many clubs in McGill, the constant cultural exchange and interest from people inside and outside McGill. The club is growing really quickly and this is giving us power to organize really nice events.
Nadège Rohrbacher (NR): The best part is meeting new people who share a similar interest in Brazil as well as Brazilian culture. It is a great way to learn and make new connections while having fun celebrating events related to Brazilian traditions and cultural activities. I recommend joining MBSA to anyone interested!
From the yummy Brigadeiro sales to Latin dancing to interesting movie screenings, the McGill Brazilian Students Association is one club you have to check out! Whether you’re Brazilian or not, you’re sure to always find welcoming people and a fun time with MBSA. For more information on how to join or upcoming events, you can check out their Facebook page. As Enrique would say, “Bailamos!”
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