Here's is a mail from Amber from Recife, Brazil, it's good to know that ladies so far away are being blessed by hip hop and breakin.



Hello Peppa,

This is Amber writing you from Recife, Brazil. Here I'm known as B.Girl
Berinha. I'm actually canadian, but I've been living in Brazil for
three years and I've made my home here with my husband Sérgio who is from
Recife.

I'm mostly writing to let you know that your videos and words that I have encountered on-line have been a wicked inspiration.

Here in Recife as well as the rest of Brazil, as I'm sure your aware of, Hip Hop is a very serious thing and is considered a social/political/cultural movement that can be used a tool to transform society. Its a way to bring information to the huge perifery that exists and a way for them to protest, espress and talk about their realities. Youth living in the favelas (shantytowns, ghettos) of the big cities really relate to Hip Hop
culture and it's a huge mobilizer.

I'm part of an all girl crew called Rosas Urbanas Crew. Its made up of
a bunch of ladies who decided to get together to share ideas and
strengthen the small representation of females in Hip Hop here. We have ladies
practicing all 5 elements. On the B.Girl side of things, we have really
grown. Lots of little girls and teens in the hood have began to train
the art of B-girling, and let me tell you, this is a very revolutionary
thing.

Unfortunately in this northeastern, Brazilian society, women still
suffer much repression despite the cliché of the "hot Brazilian samba dancer".
In the media, women are portrayed as these sexually liberated
free-spirits. But in reality, women get paid less, are less-educated and often carry the burden of taking care of the homes as well as work and often as single
moms. AND they are under the pressure to be beautiful and available for men.

We work on all sorts of things through break dancing, from basic values
like respect and humility, to how to work in groups and trust eachother. As
most of the girls are afro-descendant, we enter into the question of ethnic
identity which mostly manifest itself through HAIR issues. The Black
Power movement here was quite weak, and in the favela communities, big fros
are seen as dirty and criminal. So we're workin on doing away with the term
"bad hair' and encouraging the girls to accept themselves for who they are
and be the best they can be.

Its a familiar story for you I'm sure. I just wanted to pass on this
info to you. What has been available online has been wonderful for us on this
end.

If you'd like to know more, our venezuelan friend shiver translated
some of our info and its on-line (funny english, but you'll get the point!)

http://rockonloc.bizhat.com/rosasurbanasrecife.htm


Peace, amber