rest in the arts. 

How did you become interested in the arts? 

My maternal grandfather was a Luthier [someone who makes or repairs musical instruments] and his family was par of a movement called Violas de Queluz (Violas of Queluz). They use to teach how to play various instruments in front of his house. That means I always had a connection with music I could never really get involved, perhaps for lack of focus. Some five years ago, I began a project with my friend Reginaldo Córdoa here in Matão to work as volunteer hospital clowns. And from that we developed the idea of creating a choir. 

How did you come about your hospital clown project, Pazlhaçada? 

A friend of mine, Lilian, said there was someone else interested in getting involved. We began to talk and the idea naturally progressed. And that’s how Pazlhaçada began. I started a partnership with a true friend, Caio, who has the sould of a clown! The idea for this name [a Portuguese language pun mixing the words paz, or peace, and palhaçada, which derives from palhaço, or clown] came from a message from the Spirit of the famous Brazilian clown, Arrelia, in 2011. (Editor’s note: – Click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UDCAidZw64 to watch a presentation from the group on 18/9/2016) 

Tell us a bit more about that experience. 

My theatre teacher, Marcos, always says that a clown is not something we create. It simply comes from inside us. To be a hospital clown is an experience that teaches us a great deal. I will try to sum up the experience here. Through the colours and odd combinations of his clothes, the clown teaches us that the differences can live alongside each other in harmony. To be a hospital is a serious business! In a hospital room we don’t necessarily make people laugh. Sometimes we are there to hear, we hug each other and most importantly we respect the moment of the other person, approaching them only when they allow us. Another important point is that we begin to reflect on our own lies, reviewing our attitude and goals. We often meet in those circumstances people facing the end of their corporeal life and it is only natural that we get to think. It is like people began to review their journey ad they approached the end line. That is why we face many instances of happiness, sadness, frustration, rebellion and very particular feelings that we cannot or must not point out. All we must do in those situations is facilitate, if possible, the occurrence of moments of peace and tranquility.  

Tell us about the Frater Choir. 

What comes out first is its name, Frater – brother in Latin, of which fraternity derives. In the choir we learn that voices that are dissonant in isolation become harmonious when directed by the maestro’s baton. The possibility of singing liberates innate and repressed feelings that we cannot even imagine: a joy, an emotion and a kind of satisfaction that we can only express when we sing. Music brings about important values, such as discipline, dedication, respect, the capacity to overcome challenges and humility. Singing helps us overcome our fears, depression, anxiety. There are people in our group facing those feelings who found another meaning for their lives through the choir. No one of us will probably become a professional musician, but we will certainly change and become different people through music. 

How can you define Spiritist art? 

Léon Denis said in Spiritism in the Arts that Spiritism has come to open new perspective to the arts, limitless horizons. Spiritist art is a tool for education, not for entertainment. We must look at it as an excellent tool, which is a subtle manner manages to change the way we see and act upon the world, awakening important perspectives in the spectator. We must not forget, by the way, that we are the first spectators. Elevated arts enable us to educate our feelings and I think that is the biggest benefit it brings to us.  

What is your assessment of the impact of the arts in your presentations and talks? 

The arts have a language that is free of prejudices, making it easier for us to present the content in a light and pleasant manner, which is also easier to understand. If we take that into consideration we can awaken in people feelings that they had often forgotten they had in them. The arts can bring about emotions on us and other people. We often seen people crying after listening to music, or changing their perspectives after hearing an extract of a book or poem they already knew. They often look at the clown and remember that simple things can make us happy. It is interesting how people react to the arts, as our feelings are so often muddled by the adversities and problems of life, by frustrations and by the mere fact that we many times feel we are useless. Well, these moments the arts provide will not give you a better salary, a better job or social status. They will simply enable us to take on a lonely journey inside ourselves, a meeting with ourselves.  

What would you like to highlight from your experience in this area? 

One of the great problems of humankind is our problem accepting others. Yes, to accept other people as they are, with their positive and negative aspects. Through the arts we can work on that for the simple fact that we must respect other people in order to communicate with them and achieve our goals.  

Anything else you would like to add? 

Sing, dance, jump up and down, smile, cry, charm others, declaim poems out loud and free the artist that is inside each one of us. Put yourselves forward to life with the best thing you have: you!