Bring Us Some Men
There's a remote village in southeast Brazil about 500 km from
Rio De Janeiro called Noiva do Cordeiro. It sits in a valley called Belo
Vale, which literally translates as beautiful Valley and it's a place
that lives up to its name. The village has groves of tangerine trees,
banana plants and exotic plants covered with bright yellow flowers.
But if you go to Noiva do Codeiro the landscape is not the only view to catch your eye. There are also the people who live there. To be more specific, I'm talking about the village women. But that is also Noiva do Codeiro's curse as much as it is a blessing.
Apparently this area is famous in Brazil for producing more women than men. But right now too many of them are single and looking for love and there just aren't enough men around to go round if you get my meaning. But the women of Noiva do Codeiro are undaunted. They are determined to do something about it. They've launched a Brazil wide appeal and an international appeal for eligible men to come to their village.
As one of the young village women lamented: The only men that single girls meet in the village are either married or a relative. Everyone is a cousin. She says: we all dream of falling in love and getting married. But that is not to say they need a man. They don't. The village women are pretty good at what they do working the fields and quite happy the way they are. They manage the village accounts, and basically run the show in the absence of men. In fact what makes the place so special is the sense of community that exists there. People work together, and because they work so hard it makes them want to look out for one another. The village has a saying: Life is good because we are always with friends.
Now at this point you might be wondering why there is such a lopsided gender balance in favor of women. It has to do with Noiva do Codeiro's chequered history. The village was first settled in the late 19th century. Its founder was a woman called Maria Senhorinha de Lima who arrived after she was accused of adultery and exiled in 1891. That stigma has never left the place. The villagers say it meant that Novia do Codeiro was isolated because of prejudice and they've been fighting a campaign to ensure that the authorities don't continue to ignore the community.
Clearly, there are men who live in Noiva do Codeiro but they spend the working week away as miners or in the nearest big city. The village women acknowledge they are not the norm for rural Brazil. But the times they are a changing in Brazil. Women are taking over. The President of Brazil is a woman. A woman heads the country's leading oil company and women make up more than a quarter of the senior management positions in Brazil's leading companies.
This latest publicity has helped to spread Noiva do Codeiro's notoriety far and wide and certainly beyond Brazil. The place has a history of visiting men falling for the women of the village. And that is what the women of Noiva do Codeiro are hoping for. It is now on the tourist trail for some French travellers. If only the village women could speak French.
But if you go to Noiva do Codeiro the landscape is not the only view to catch your eye. There are also the people who live there. To be more specific, I'm talking about the village women. But that is also Noiva do Codeiro's curse as much as it is a blessing.
Apparently this area is famous in Brazil for producing more women than men. But right now too many of them are single and looking for love and there just aren't enough men around to go round if you get my meaning. But the women of Noiva do Codeiro are undaunted. They are determined to do something about it. They've launched a Brazil wide appeal and an international appeal for eligible men to come to their village.
As one of the young village women lamented: The only men that single girls meet in the village are either married or a relative. Everyone is a cousin. She says: we all dream of falling in love and getting married. But that is not to say they need a man. They don't. The village women are pretty good at what they do working the fields and quite happy the way they are. They manage the village accounts, and basically run the show in the absence of men. In fact what makes the place so special is the sense of community that exists there. People work together, and because they work so hard it makes them want to look out for one another. The village has a saying: Life is good because we are always with friends.
Now at this point you might be wondering why there is such a lopsided gender balance in favor of women. It has to do with Noiva do Codeiro's chequered history. The village was first settled in the late 19th century. Its founder was a woman called Maria Senhorinha de Lima who arrived after she was accused of adultery and exiled in 1891. That stigma has never left the place. The villagers say it meant that Novia do Codeiro was isolated because of prejudice and they've been fighting a campaign to ensure that the authorities don't continue to ignore the community.
Clearly, there are men who live in Noiva do Codeiro but they spend the working week away as miners or in the nearest big city. The village women acknowledge they are not the norm for rural Brazil. But the times they are a changing in Brazil. Women are taking over. The President of Brazil is a woman. A woman heads the country's leading oil company and women make up more than a quarter of the senior management positions in Brazil's leading companies.
This latest publicity has helped to spread Noiva do Codeiro's notoriety far and wide and certainly beyond Brazil. The place has a history of visiting men falling for the women of the village. And that is what the women of Noiva do Codeiro are hoping for. It is now on the tourist trail for some French travellers. If only the village women could speak French.
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