The date has been set: the Leonardo da Vinci International Library will officially open at the end of this month.  Thanks to funding from the city government (SECULT), this valuable resource will finally be available to the public, and a big two-day launch is in the final planning stage.  On Friday, July 30th and Saturday,…

Yesterday was Brazilian Independence Day, a national holiday, and it conveniently coincided with Brazil’s big World Cup game with Holland, so Pietro and Marlene got busy and prepared for a big lunchtime party, starting with the game at 11 AM and then a churrasco. Despite the gray skies and constant rain, our spirits were high…

Alas, yesterday morning the four Engineers Without Borders (Brian, Tiffany, Kurt and Rhett) departed for home.  As always, we had a big dinner party for them the night before, with plenty of food, drink, music and conversation. Not only did they do a lot of work on our theater project, but they made themselves useful…

Months ago, when Brian Stephenson began organizing the second EWB assessment visit to the ICBIE, he expressed an interest in visiting the Kilombo Tenondé, a revolutionary agricultural and social project initiated by an extraordinary capoeira master named Cobra Mansa (Cinézio Feliciano Peçanha), who Brian had met in Washington DC. As a result of their ongoing…

Notoriously plagued  by violence and despair, Saramandaia is an absurd place, tucked away just behind Salvador’s most modern commercial area.  The favela’s sole bright light is a small but remarkable cultural center, Arte Cosciente, where children and young adults learn percussion, silk-screening, graffiti art, circus arts and boxing.  Although they have achieved remarkable results (even…

After a frenetic week, today was dedicated to watching two big World Cup Soccer matches, punctuated by a lavish lunch.  A large group of ICBIE people were on hand and, with the sole exception of Veronique, who was still busy working on a business plan for our theater project, everyone was in a totally festive…

Another busy day at the ICBIE!  This morning we had a visit from Phillip Wagner from Rhythm of Hope and Stephen Bailey, a young student that he is mentoring.   Of course, it was thanks to Phillip that we got in touch with the Engineers Without Borders in the first place, so for everyone, it was…

O ICBIE, juntamente com a SECULT, através do Projeto Leitura, Arte e Inclusão Digital na Cidade Baixa, gostaria de convidá-lo para a exibição de mais um filme do nosso Cineforum 2010 Filme:   A Vida é Bela                 Direção: Roberto Benigni Local, data e horário:  Sede do ICBIE, 18 de Junho, sexta-feira, às 18h30. Um pouco sobre…

The first full day with the Howard University Engineers Without Borders was filled with incessant activity and concrete decisions.  Right after breakfast, the EWB team leader Brian Stephenson laid out the pressing issues: there were measurements to verify and details to be decided upon.  The rest of the morning was spent in the theater space,…

The Howard University team from the Engineers Without Borders arrived safely in Salvador early this morning for their second visit, to make final plans for the ICBIE theater.  It was an emotional occasion for all, but especially for Tiffany and Brian, who were back again, and for Rhett and Kurt, on their very first visit…