Gabriel and the Mountain (Gabriel e a montanha)

In memory of my friend Gabriel Buchmann

- Nyove! - Yes?

Come.

- What for? - Come!

- I found the white one. - What? Where?

There.

Really?

- Here? - Yes.

He's dead, my friend.

- Are you sure? - Yes.

Dead as can be.

With all his belongings.

What do we do?

We try to find some coverage and call.

Call for help.

He wasn't killed, he has all his belongings.

We leave everything?

Yes, let's hurry.

Leave everything.

Come, let's go.

We'll make a call and see.

A plane searched the mountain and he was there all along?

Incredible.

GABRIEL AND THE MOUNTAIN

Chapter one

KENYA

70 days before

Good morning, Gabriel.

Good morning, Alex.

Mzungu!

What does “Mzungu" mean?

Mzungu means “the white man".

But I'm Brazilian, so I'm not a Mzungu.

Even if you are Brazilian, in Africa

someone of your color is called a Mzungu.

First of all, Gabriel...

was a man who smiled a lot.

He was a very simple man,

very sociable.

He was doing research on poverty in Africa.

And he used to eat a lot.

He really ate a lot,

at least three or four plates of food.

He was very generous to my family

which is why I decided

to call my son Gabriel.

I'm a Brazilian Mzungu,

so it's kind of different.

With drenched clothes and a shining soul

Every artist must go where the people live

If it is so, so it will be

When singing, I disguise myself and I never tire of living

Nor of singing...

Thank you.

My dearest Mom, my sweet love and João,

fellow travelers on this fantastic journey

and my little sister, Nina...

After a week of total immersion in the heart of Africa

I found a cybercafé in Jinja, Uganda, at the source of the Nile,

and I'm writing to say that I'm doing great.

After spending a few days with my Congolese refugee friend,

in a shanty town in Nairobi,

I ended up, God knows how, amongst a remote Maasai tribe

with whom I chased after giraffes, zebras and antelopes

in "roots" fashion.

I dress in colorful printed fabrics,

I carry a stick and a steel sword.

Since I arrived in Africa, I've met no other Mzungus.

I travel as I've always dreamt of doing,

in a non-touristic and sustainable manner,

spending 2 or 3 dollars a day

and giving 80% of my daily budget

to the locals who feed and shelter me.

Here, with almost nothing, you can really impact people's lives.

My Congolese friend, for example... With 12 dollars,

I paid his rent.

With 40 dollars,

I paid for a year's schooling for a Ugandan child.

Every day, I meet fascinating people,

who introduce me to others,

and encounter by encounter I delve into the soul of Africa.

I could write for hours.

I'm very happy, as everything is beyond my expectations.

But I'm writing, above all, to say I'm alive.

Hey, brother. How are you?

Thank you.

Good day

Good day, everyone

How are you?

Very well

Strangers, you are welcome

At Kilimanjaro, no worries...

I drink a draft of incredible power

That shows us all in its very truth

Up I went, up and up

I rose with joy

And when I reached the summit

I found the Virgin Mary

When I reached the summit

I found the Virgin Mary

Up I went, up and up

I rose with love

Until I found the Eternal Father and Christ the Redeemer

I found the Eternal Father and Christ the Redeemer

Up I went, up and up

As I'd been taught to do

Until I found...

Long live the Eternal father and the divine beings

Long live the Eternal father and the divine beings

On the way down,

we met an old Chagga, from the Marangu region,

like me.

He said to me: "This man is rich.

Do not judge him by his poor man's clothes.

Take good care of him, because later,

this man will change your life."

When I heard his words,

my heart was glad.

Chapter two

TANZANIA

What's this outfit?

You took ages.

I didn't know the hotel's name and I was last through immigration.

I sent you at least 30 emails!

So what's with the costume?

- It's not a costume. - Yes, it is!

I missed you.

I have to get this bag off.

You dropped your magic wand.

It's not a magic wand.

Jump!

Everyone's looking at us!

Careful!

Like it?

The advantage oi dressing like this, with this sword,

is that it creates empathy.

As if you needed extra empathy.

Which hand?

Both, it looks big.

What is it?

Open it.

A sarong?

What is it?

A necklace!

The Maasai,

for their rite of passage

at the age of 13 or 14, head out into the savanna

and hunt down a lion.

They encircle the lion, and the strongest Maasai

grabs it by the tail,

while the others kill it with their spears.

No kidding.

Yeah, my friend Brian, Lenny's brother,

grabbed a lion by the tail when he was 13.

Or 14...

You believe that?

It's true, baby.

What else? Tell me more.

I want to see you...

dressed as a Maasai.

You'll be a Maasai too,

my Mzunga Maasai.

Let me see you for real.

Let me see you as you are,

I've forgotten.

I've not been with anyone since we parted in India...

I love you.

I missed you so much.

I met Gabriel

at a party I organized with three friends of mine.

I saw him from behind.

He was talking with a friend.

But I noticed

that they were in deep discussion.

So I gave up and went to the kitchen.

Later on, Gabriel came into the kitchen.

Stop.

We began to chat.

He was kind of awkward.

He suggested we go outside, so I agreed.

And he began...

to recite a poem by Mario Quintana.

We hooked up

that day.

And a month later

he set out to travel the world for a year.

- We go down? - No, let's do it.

Quickly.

I already know how to say: "asante sana",

"hakuna matata",

"pole pole",

"sawa sawa"

What else?

"Tutu-nana"...

- What does that mean? - "Bye".

Ah, "kwaheri".

Århus. Where were you in Denmark?

Vordingborg.

He charged me triple, he paid for everyone!

That wasn't the deal.