The articles written by the PÚBLICO Brasil team are written in the variant of the Portuguese language used in Brazil.
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Brazilian Thiago Yoshinaga, 44, and Polish Lukasz Gieranczyk, 43, became good friends during their college years. It was common to join other colleagues for fun football matches in Brazil. After graduating, however, life pushed them onto different paths. But, as fate always holds surprises, almost 20 years later the two met again in Lisbon and decided to develop a joint project, the series Bitoques & Imperaiswhich premieres this Wednesday, September 25th.
With five episodes in the first season, which will be available weekly on YouTubethe series arose from Thiago and Lukasz’s many conversations centered around two of Portugal’s most popular gastronomic items, bitoque (steak with sauce, fries and an egg) and imperial (which Brazilians say is like draft beer, but Portuguese refute). “We decided to deal with everyday issues from the perspective of Brazilian immigrants”, says Lukasz, who has been living in the country for the second time, now for just over a year. “This is a very important point of view, as immigrants in Portugal already exceed 1 million, 10% of the country’s population”, adds Thiago.
Initially, Bitoques & Imperials it would be a feature film. However, the filmmakers ended up choosing the series to portray Portuguese reality from an outside perspective. The themes emerged naturally. “Lukasz is an entrepreneur, so we take care of that. Portugal experienced a real estate crisis, so we also delved into this topic”, says Thiago. According to Lukasz, the choice to look at Brazilian immigrants has to do with the increasing growth of this community in Portugal. “Anywhere you go in the country, there are Brazilians. At the restaurant, the owner is Brazilian, the guy serving is Brazilian, the person eating is a Brazilian tourist. The other side of the coin is the one we don’t like very much, that of xenophobia, but it is very small”, he emphasizes.
Polish Lukasz Gieranczyk and Brazilian Thiago Yoshinaga are the directors of the series that can be seen on YouTube
DISCLOSURE
The mission of the series is to show how positive the presence of Brazilians in Portugal has been, in all aspects, and also the idiosyncrasies. “It is important to say that the Brazilian population in the country is not homogeneous. In the episode about the real estate market, there are those who live in luxury properties and those who sublet a room with other people. The differences between Brazilians make people identify with the stories”, highlights Thiago. For him, a more open line of dialogue will certainly help to break down barriers that today fuel waves of intolerance, which are not restricted to Portugal. “It’s a problem in many parts of the world, and it has a lot to do with the economy, with the feeling of loss”, adds Lukasz.
Made with heart
In Thiago’s assessment, it is important to highlight that, despite all the proximity of the language, there are important cultural differences between Brazilians and Portuguese. Lukasz exemplifies: “If a Portuguese person stops the car in a narrow street to pick up something, whoever is behind understands. The Brazilian is already honking.” Therefore, the filmmakers believe Bitoques & Imperialsit is important to be open to understanding differences and knowing how to deal with them. “When you are closed, ignorance prevails, anger on both sides”, emphasizes Thiago.
Lukasz believes that, economically, Brazilians are prepared to exert “the strong arm”, those who take on the hardest jobs, if necessary. “This also generates a certain tension, nothing, however, that compares to what happens in other countries, where very different cultures clash. Brazilians and Portuguese have a lot in common,” he says. “We cannot forget that several generations of Portuguese grew up watching Brazilian soap operas, getting to know the Brazilian way of being. I believe the series will help everyone see the positive side of immigration”, he adds.
For Thiago, who has been in Portugal for a year and a half, the outside view opens up important discussions. “It is always important to ask, even to understand. And we can’t turn a thing into something bigger than it is, and that goes both ways,” he says. “Our goal is for the series to connect with the public in a sincere and authentic way, without major format innovations, but with a lot of heart. We will show joy, colors, diversity, entrepreneurs”, reinforces Lukasz. According to Thiago, the series also has a personal touch, because, when it came out, he was going through a divorce. “Everything was done with heart”, he points out.
