On a brighter note, I have added an article by Olivia Sheringham.

Father José Geraldo pointed out that the chaplaincy was mission based, having four priests, three being in London and one in Oxford. Amongst the issues that Brazilians struggled with he emphasises the climate, the lack of sunlight and depression and affirmed that the Church provides a meeting place for migrants facing difficulties.

João Neto, a lay member of the chaplaincy emphasised the health problems caused by drug abuse and sexual illnesses. He also indicated the educational problems faced with a lack of parental supervision, culture shock and the lack of groups that emphasise Brazilian culture. Also as a former chef, he lamented the lack of cooks able to prepare typical Brazilian dishes with the right ingredients. On a more positive note he pointed out that the Catholic chaplaincy had grown from one mass a week to masses held in 9 churches attended by 5,000 Brazilians.  He also claimed that there has been an improvement in the situation regarding false documents with many Brazilians seeking to regularise their situation and many new arrivals intending to settle and thus integrate in the UK.

The final presentation was by Claudio Souza from ABRIR. Here I must confess that my mental tiredness, and the need to start preparing to pick up my daughter from her babysitter started to get the better of me and my notes got a bit vague, apart from the fact that he focused on the various institutions and ways to provide education in Portuguese and Brazilian culture.

The first person to speak in the Second Panel was Cicero Garcia, from the Brazilian General Consulate.  His most significant points were:

• The consulate in London competes with that in Lisbon for size, but is the one which emits the most working visas for Brazil.
• The issuing of passports in London continues to increase and the change of Headquarters was due to the large number of Brazilians seeking assistance.
• Last year 19 Brazilians died in London.
• Significant problem of undocumented Brazilian women who are vulnerable to abuse by foreign husbands.
• Last year there were 113 Brazilians imprisoned in the United Kingdom, 59 for false documents for which there is a usual sentence of 4-5 months incarceration.

Dr McIllwaine, first on the right

The fourth presentation for the first panel was by Dr. Cathy McIllwaine, Queen Mary’s, University of London. It was another presentation which was full of data, which I tried to scribble down as best as possible, below are what I could remember.

Dr. McIllwaine was presenting initial findings of a research into Latin American Community in London of which contains many Brazilians.

• Difficulties in estimating the size of the Latin American population, but the survey included 130 Brazilians.

• 67% were aged between 18-39 and 35% between 30-39.

• 46% arrived after 2005.

• Brazilian migration peaks 2003-2005.

• Relatively well educated but with low levels of English (only 33% could read and write.)

• Entry 45% tourist visa 28.5% student 21% EU. Currently 35% are undocumented, 30% have EU passports (no indication how many are genuine) and 13% are married to European citizens.

• In terms of State of origin in Brazil Sao Paulo (30%) Goias (11%) and Parana (11%) are the most significant.

• In terms of cities Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Goiania most significant.

• Location in London shows wide dispersal with Tower Hamlets and Lambeth being the most significant.

• Reason for coming mainly economic.

• Significance of social network in choosing to come to London.

• 85% on arrival worked first in elementary jobs, at time of interview this was still at 60%. 22% earning less than the national minimum wage and 42% claiming to face problems at work.

• 98% in touch with family at home. 68% send money back to brazil. In average send £7049 p.a. The main purpose of remittances is for family maintenance, paying debt and buying things.

Daniel Clark, first on the left.

The third presentation for the first panel was by Daniel Clark (aka me). Rather than wearing my GEB hat I was there as a Baptist pastor and focused on some issues which most surface at a church level. These included the quest for dignity for Brazilian migrants, especially, although not exclusively undocumented migrants. I also discussed about some of the challenges that families faced and also the issue of returning to Brazil. I discussed the idea of a paradigmatic return narrative, the success story of triumphing in the UK and returning to Brazil having bought one’s house and how many find it difficult to fulfil.

Gabriela Boing, first on the left, presented data from the IOM on the return of Brazilians

The second presentation on the first panel was by Gabriela Boing, communications officer for the International Office for Migration. As the picture is evidence of, I spent much of my time scribbling away so the following is as much as I can recollect, other contributions are most welcome.

Much of the presentation discussed the Assisted Voluntary Return of Irregular Migrants Programme (AVRIM).

Brazilians are the most represented nationality and their participation is increasing.

2009: 627 cases

2008: 481

2007: 339

2006: 289

In terms of total returns through the IOM Brazil came second to Iraq, although most of the Iraqi returns were of failed asylum seekers.

Statistics were also provided for some of the years, I managed to pick up the following.

• 2005: 110 left due to expired visas, 17 irregular entries. 92 were based in London. 102 were single. 16 were couples. 8 were families of three people, 1 was a family of five. Mostly men, in terms of age clustering between 20-40.

• 2006: 195 visa expired; 39 irregular; 202 London; 201 single; 17 couples; 12 family of three; 3 family of four; 1 family of five; cluster 20-29.

• 2007: 184 visa expired; 50 irregular; 157 London; 176 single; 37 couples; 17 family of 3; 2 family of men; cluster men 20-39

Carlos Mellinger Holding the List of Problems the Brazilian Community faces

Starting with this post, we will begin a series of reflections on the II Seminar organised by GEB to promote a dialogue with the Brazilian Community. This seminar consisted of two panels and a poster presentation session.

For the first panel, the first speaker was Carlos Mellinger of the Casa do Brasil London, whose contribution was based on a sheet of paper circulated amongst the audience with the most significant problems faced by the Brazilian community in the United Kingdom.

The most interesting parts of the presentation which stuck in my memory were:

• Cases of Brazilians arrested despite the fact that they have dual nationality as because they do not speak English they are not able to explain themselves to authority. Often this results in them having to spend the night in Jail.
• • Brazilians do not remain unemployed for long. Casa do Brasil indicates employers.
• • No high incidence of prostitution or people trafficking.
• • Serious problems occur with landlords.
• • Estimates that 60% of the Brazilians are without documents but many are regularising. This results in serious problems as that leaves them without access to GP and often forced to pay hospital fees in case of emergency.
• • Serious problems of acting out of law.
• • When Brazilians are exploited by fellow Brazilians Casa do Brasil faces the challenge of protecting the individual with the negative impact that calling in the authority may have on the wider community.
• • Complains of discrimination by other groups and by the state.

If there are any rich millionaires out there looking for a future PhD student to sponsor what better thing than these articles as a reference?

Not quite in the same league is my own “Samosa and Black Beans”. As an explanation I add

1) It is a theological article written for a Christian magazine, hence its explicitly confessional nature. The more secularised amongst us might wish to take an extra shot of caffeine (or passion fruit juice) before reading it.

2)Historically it represents, as Cleopatra might say “my salad years when I was still green in judgement” about migration, especially Brazilian to the UK, and had yet to receive GEB’s light to show me the way. Nonetheless I believe that the questions it raises are still valid.

BTW it comes first on the list because the bibliography is arranged in alphabetical order. If I were surnamed Zybieneski I promise it would have come last. But really, I am relying on those GEB members with surnames ending in A or B to send material in to save me from any accusation of vanity.

Edson Ioshiaqui Urano, Ph.D. in economics, is a lecturer at Sophia
University, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Department of Portuguese
Language and Luso-Brazilian Studies (Tokyo, Japan). His work focuses
on the sociology of work, industrial relations and international
migration. He has been researching the migratory process of Latin
Americans to Japan and the transnational dynamics of this phenomenon,
as well as their subordination to the flexible labour market and
production system and implications on their working lives. He has
analysed community unionism  in Japan, as an alternative way to
organise peripheral workers, and the meaning of this movement in the
context of global social  movements.

The link is actually an email address. Now, did I do this because I am so clever that I am trying to fool the automatic spam softwares that plague the net; or because I am ignorant about how to add an email address to the sidebar…