São Paulo Express
“Penetra surdamente no reino das palavras.” (Penetrate silently into the kingdom of words) With this verse, which is part of the poem Procura da poesia, by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, I invite you to check out the Museum of the Portuguese Language.
Inaugurated in 2006, the museum was built in downtown São Paulo, next to the charming Estação da Luz train station, which was especially restored for the museum inauguration. As a translation student, I could not fail to step foot there at least once…
My morning began precisely at the train and subway station. Such a beautiful scene! Dating back to the early years of the 20th century, the Victorian building was built after sites like the Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Hardwood doors, crystal chandeliers, detailed plaster ceiling and iron arches make up the interior. In the middle of the entrance hall leading to the platforms, there is a simple piano, though sufficient to complement the movement of those passing by.
At 10 AM I was already in the museum! The excursion begins with a video about the origins and the evolution of Brazilian Portuguese, narrated by renowned actress Fernanda Montenegro. We are then transported to some language planetarium, on where images and audio are projected. Language here is a concrete experience, almost like a hand that touches our senses.
Poems and tongue twisters in the voices of singers Chico Buarque and Maria Bethânia and actor Matheus Nachtergaele are accentuated by colors and live forms on the celestial dome. You cannot leave the Praça da Língua (Language Plaza) without first taking a walk of fame on the floor of projected poems. Pure delight!
The elevator is in fact panoramic! A full view of the Árvore de Palavras (Word Tree) on our way to the second floor (as we were on the third floor). Not to mention the mantra composed by poet and singer Arnaldo Antunes, who repeats the words “language” and “word” in multiple languages. Much better than “Smile! You are on security camera!”
The second floor begins with the Grande Galeria (Great Gallery), a screen that extends the entire wing. Here there are projections of the Portuguese language in the daily lives and history of its users. But I am not saying that you are a mere spectator! Beco das Palavras (Alley of Words) and Mapa dos Falares (Map of Dialects) are like our own personal Maracanã. The former is like a game with a big electronic table where we place the letters to form words and learn about their meanings and origin. The latter is an electronic booth where we can touch the screen to see and listen to testimonials of Brazilian speakers throughout the country and check the local color of each speaker. Linha do Tempo (Time Line) and the totems named as Palavras Cruzadas (Crosswords) are also worth a look!
I am not going to tell you what I saw on the first floor. You have to see it for yourself. The exhibits on this floor are temporary. Once you have been there, you can tell us what you saw. The Ccaps Blog is precisely for this! 
What do you think? If you want to embark on the idea of visiting the museum, just make sure to not go on Monday as it’s closed! The reasonably priced entrance fee is your passport to a great museum collection. Flying first class, of course, just like when you buy Ccaps services! =)
2009-10-22 at 4.05 pm
It is a beautiful museum I have had the pleasure of taking my son there.