Valença - Bahia - Brazil

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The Hidden Potential of Valença
When I walk along the streets of Valença it saddens me how the town hall and all it´s secretaries have abandoned the town. The Municipal Theatre, for example, has had a padlock on the door for as long as I can remember and the square they supposedly renovated is not only out of bounds and at a complete stand still, but some people swear it was prettier before the renovation. Colonial buildings that are so jealously cared for in other Bahian towns are falling apart or have been superficially painted and mended and rented as store houses. The only tourist service available is always closed, the quay seems to only be there so the mayor can make some money in the summer by charging 2 bucks to get in, and the bars on the port, the only attraction there so far, were built by Banco do Nordeste and sold to locals, and not the loving work of the mayor.

Valença is a magical place. Maybe I love it so much because it is surrounded by such incredible beaches and waterfalls, and landscapes, but I suspect it´s the whole more than the parts.

I have been living here for almost two years, after having tried other towns and cities in Bahia. As I searched for houses to rent and schools for my kids, I realized that there is so much to offer and no one has bothered to make it known. People are incredibly friendly, everything is cheap and decent, the town is clean, the water and light systems work and there are enough services to provide just about anything you

need (hospitals, supermarkets, etc.). Then you have Salvador about 2 1/2 hours away, Tinharé island about an hour away and lots of other towns like Camamu, Ilhéus, etc. just a bus ride away. Valença is in the middle of everything, yet has been ignored for so long that the people here haven´t noticed that tourists just pass through and never think of staying.

Morro de Sao Paulo has been so saturated and is so expensive that I rack my brains wondering why people still go there. Maybe it´s to get stoned all day, drunk all night and look at crowds wondering around. Fun for some....maybe I´m just getting old.

I just wanted a place to live that had everything I needed and I found it. It just pains me to see that the caretakers of this town have such a lack of affection for it.

So what is this hidden potential, I hear you scream. It´s the quality of the land, the abundant water resources and the people. The growth of Valença can only be attributed to the people that love it. Their individual effort produces what Valença is today. It just needs other people to realize what it can become, which I hope has nothing to do with the chaotic expansion of some towns, and for them to invest in it and help it grow. It has a great five-star hotel, another one on the way, good roads and services. Now it just needs the hand of foreigners who seem to be firmer belivers in Bahia than its governors.

By Tim Campbell

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Visit our links page for maps, information on Bahia and Brazil and much more...

Business

Culture/Arts

Frozen Warm water shrimp from Brazil (pdf)

Institute of Brazilian Issues the Minerva Program Spring 2005, Public-Private Partnership and Prisions in Brazil (pdf)

Investments in the Coast of Bahia: Tourism - A Way To Development (George Washington University)

Sales Tax in Brazil

International Capoeira Angola Foundation (Philadelphia Dance Org.)

International Capoeira Angola Foundation New York (Mestre Cobra Mansa)