SENSES OF CONNECTION
UNDERSEA CABLES IN MACUMBA BEACH
MICROFICTION
Feeling the energy of a group of artist-researchers, a caxixi (a type of percussion instrument) lost on Macumba Beach shakes temporalities. In the sway of the waves, in the gusts of air: a force from another time feels its body shiver with the sound of the shaking. It shakes the ground with the force of the sea, the South Atlantic that came to knock down the ground, the current that brought down the boardwalk, which sank. The force of the water that will erode and flood the cloud – in the submarine cable station that was touched – a caxixi of fiber optics and microchips shaking.
INFRASTRUCTURAL TERRITORY
Submarine cables play a crucial role in global connectivity, and Brazil, due to its strategic position in the South Atlantic, is a key point in this system. Currently, Praia do Futuro, in Fortaleza (CE), is recognized as one of the main submarine cable hubs in the world, connecting several continents. However, other points along the Brazilian coast are also important for this technological infrastructure.
Among them, Praia da Macumba, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), stands out as a strategic point for anchoring submarine cables. This location integrates the network of data entry and exit points that cross the ocean, complementing other locations such as Praia do Flamengo (BA) and Praia Grande (SP). The importance of Praia da Macumba lies in its contribution to ensuring the robustness and redundancy of Brazilian connectivity with the rest of the world.
COLLAPSE CONTAINMENT INFRASTRUCTURE
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praia da macumba
The origin of the name "Praia da Macumba," located in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Rio de Janeiro, is a story rich in faith, struggle, and tradition. This account, first shared in a post on the Abaixo Assinado newspaper, goes back to the experiences of Judith Ibrahim Morgado, a respected Mãe de Santo (priestess) and pioneer of the region.
The Story of Judith Ibrahim Morgado
At 16 years old, in 1945, Judith had already "made the saint" in the Umbanda tradition. During an excursion, she visited Praia do Pontal, a place still little frequented at the time, located in a rural area. Enchanted by the beauty of the place, she prayed to the Orishas, asking for help to acquire land in that seaside region.
The realization of this dream was a process that extended over decades. It was only in the 1950s that the land in the area known as Gleba B began to be subdivided by Joseph Wesley Finch, an American who claimed ownership of the land, although the legality of his possession was questionable. In 1973, Judith managed to acquire a plot of land located in the community known as 8W, at the foot of Morro do Rangel. The purchase was made in installments, and the payment was completed in 1985.
However, the achievement was not without challenges. Judith faced an attempted fraud by Leo Rumsen, an alleged land grabber who tried to claim ownership. Despite his maneuvers, including the use of a forged signature to invalidate the land transfer, Judith managed to register the ownership at the land registry office, securing her property.
The Founding of the Spiritist Center in Recreio
Before moving to Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Judith was already conducting spiritual work in Nilópolis, in the Baixada Fluminense region, where she founded the “Spiritist Center of the Sinai Sister Ursula Group” in 1958. In 1977, with her dream finally realized, she settled at Rua 8W, nº 189, and continued her spiritual work, creating the first Umbanda center in the region.
The rituals and services were frequently held in locations close to nature, such as Pontal Beach and Itapuã Rock, which became known as Macumba Rock. This name reflects the historical and spiritual relationship of the place with Afro-Brazilian religious practices, perpetuating the memory of Judith and her devotion to the Orishas.
The history of Macumba Beach is a testament to cultural and spiritual resistance, as well as highlighting the struggle for property rights during a period marked by legal uncertainty in the region. Judith Ibrahim Morgado left a legacy that transcends generations, consolidating the presence of her traditions in one of the most emblematic spots on the Rio de Janeiro coast.
EMBODIED EXPERIENCE
A MULTISENSORY AND MEDITATIVE COLLECTIVE MEETING ON INFRASTRUCTURAL SURFACES
This project, conceived in December 2023 by a group of artist-researchers associated with Brisalab—Ananda Carcavalho, Fernanda Branco, Júlia Brasil, João Eliel, Walmeri Ribeiro, and Fernanda Branco—along with the young artist Sávio, who spontaneously joined the initiative.
The proposal involved collectively synchronizing one's breath while touching fiber optic manholes and the submarine cable station at Praia da Macumba.
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EMBODIED EXPERIENCE
BUZZ
For a period of 30 minutes, walk through the area seeking to exchange ideas with people about the presence of submarine cable infrastructure in the location (whether they know it exists, whether they know where it is located, whether they have any memories of these cables being anchored) and what impression they have of the area's vulnerability to sea level rise due to climate change.
BUZZ
Since Macumba Beach is divided into two sections by the rock where we were exercising, the group split into two sides and, in practice, into three different groups (1. Sávio and João Eliel; 2. Walmeri Ribeiro and Fernanda Branco; 3. Júlia Brasil, Ananda Carvalho, Ruy Cézar, and Bárbara Lito).
In group 3, we went for a walk, approaching some people along the way.
We had two conversations that caught our attention. The first was with two men who were exercising on the boardwalk. One of them is called Raul and, surprisingly, he is a doctoral researcher at the University of Georgia, in the field of anthropology, researching sanitation infrastructure in the region. The conversation was quite fruitful, with the strangeness of the situation and at the same time an epistemological affinity. He commented on having seen a ship and a technical operation taking place between August and September 2023 and indicated the possibility that it might be related to the submarine cable. We exchanged contact information, and a week after the activity, he sent an informational poster distributed by Petrobras throughout the area.
Another conversation was initiated by Ananda Carvalho with a kiosk worker who spoke about his perception of the erosion of Macumba Beach as being related to the force of nature, but not necessarily to climate change. Furthermore, he commented on the presence of ships and platforms at the beginning of the semester and seemed certain that it had to do with submarine cables.
Other people were approached in the process, but few knew of any information about the submarine cables.
On the other side of Macumba Beach, Group 1's first approach was at a kiosk. The person they spoke to informed them of construction work on the boardwalk that could be related to the submarine cable. The group spoke with other people but kept this information to share with the entire group when they met again.
Group 2 walked along the beach, spoke with some people about the submarine cables, but obtained no information. With this in mind, the focus shifted to encountering an erosion control infrastructure found on the beach, and an activity was organized for the moment of reunion with the group.
The "buzz" lasted about 40 minutes and culminated in the group meeting at an intersection where there is a culvert marking the presence of a submarine cable. After sharing our accounts of the experience, we gathered around the nearby culvert to carry out the first encounter with an infrastructural surface, as proposed by group 3.
EMBODIED EXPERIENCE
MEDIA ARCHAEOLOGY
LANDING OF A TRANSATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE IN RIO DE JANEIRO
19th century Copacabana'sundersea cable station
Piece of the first undersea cable to land in Brazil, displayed at NatioNal Historic Museum (RJ)
December 25, 1873 (DIÁRIO DO RIO, p. 1)
As we had announced, work began yesterday in Copacabana on laying the submarine cable brought by the steamer Hooper. Shortly after 11:00 AM, the barges carrying the cable left the steamer and headed for land, assisted by a launch from the naval arsenal and its crew.
Before noon, the cable had reached Ermidinha point, and the delicate operation of laying it then began. At this time, His Majesty the Emperor arrived, accompanied by his weekly attendants: it was almost noon, and the work continued in his presence. In a small house near the church, which is to serve temporarily as a station, the telegraph apparatus was set up, and the wire was run there, a task that finished at 2:00 AM.
The ease with which this operation was carried out, a spectacle that was indeed curious for the spectators, became even more remarkable when the skill and practice of the English engineers managed to prepare and assemble the apparatus in a few minutes, making it ready to function. The Head of State was then invited, whose presence and encouraging words clearly demonstrated his interest in this very important improvement, to initiate communications and conduct the experiment himself.
His Majesty then approached the transmitter, and the attention of all those present was fixed on the receiver, anxiously awaiting the clear proof of the reality of this encouraging element, which has transformed the relations of all countries and supported their common efforts to hasten the progressive march of modern civilization.
The Emperor pressed the signal on the keyboard indicating: attention; and in less than a minute the Bahia station had responded to the signal, indicating that the cable was perfectly landed. The most pronounced sensation of pleasure was evident on every face; From the sovereign to the admired local fishermen, who were there to confirm the benevolence of the august head of state, all felt a surge of patriotism, witnessing an improvement that is the clearest indication of the great work we have already done to achieve the position reserved for this great country, and also of the powerful help it provides to hasten that result. This sincere joy gives the impression that the feeling of love for the homeland and its progress predominates in all sentiments.
As a consequence of the chief engineer's statement that it was necessary to adjust and prepare the apparatus more safely before dispatching the messages, the Emperor's greetings to the provinces of Bahia, Pernambuco, and Pará were not transmitted at that time. The telegrams remained at the station to be transmitted later, which probably occurred. His Majesty also had the pleasure of receiving the replies from the presidents of those provinces yesterday at the São Cristóvão Palace.
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INFRASTRUCTURAL SURFACES
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AMPHIBIOUS COMMANDOS
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CONTRASTING EMBODIED EXPERIENCE
MILITARY EXERCISES
Between May 20th and 24th, 2024, and for the first time, ships, scuba divers, as well as Special Operations troops (Combat Divers and Amphibious Commandos) and vessels from the Brazilian Navy's Fleet Command, conducted a training exercise on the defense of submarine cable infrastructure at Macumba Beach.
In addition to focusing on critical submarine infrastructure, the Task Force also prepared actions aimed at land-based submarine cable stations off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, including the use of a surface drone.
The training was coordinated by the Naval Special Operations Command aboard the Submarine Rescue Ship "Guillobel" and included the participation of the Institutional Security Office; the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency; the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation; and the Portuguese National Telecommunications Agency. Furthermore, several telecommunications companies contributed to the event, including Claro.
During the exercise, real-life situations that occurred in Brazil and around the world in the last 4 years were simulated. The training model adopted is inspired by the European trinity: know – watch – act, and its application required five dives following the steps below:
1) To have a collective and effective understanding of the real situation;
2) To improve procedures and legislation to enhance safety;
3) To promote the monitoring and recording of the presence of vessels in areas near the cables;
4) To acquire maritime intelligence and improve the passage of georeferenced satellites over the position of these cables;
5) To learn about the sensors and systems for constant monitoring of the Blue Amazon;
6) To operate these sensors and the means (ships) for the effective implementation of this constant monitoring;
7) To test the resilience of the systems against sabotage or a navigation incident in waterway traffic.