From samba to the dabucuri: being together in Brazil

Aristotle began his Politics by defining humanity as a zoon politikon (ζῷον πολιτικόν), a phrase often translated as “political animal”, but which really means something closer to “community animal” or “animal that likes to be together.” Though day-to-day living together in Brazil owes more to African and indigenous cultures than to ancient Greece, the country is truly a place where people value and seek for ways to be together. Aristotle will not be our guide through contemporary Brazil, but his idea shows that Brazilians are not alone in seeing “estar juntos” or being-together as one of the most important goals of a good life.