São João da Feira do Porto de Cachoeira-Ba: pioneering e valorização das expressões culturais festejam em lados opostos

Abstract

This thesis aims to analyze the changes in the Sao Joao’s Festival of the Feira do Porto in Cachoeira, located in the Recôncavo Baiano region, based on the strategies of cultural tourism promotion in a city that was fallen. To do so, an immaterial element was left and its effect on various forms of expressions’ identity. It is an empirical research of inductive nature, studying the specific case of the Festival of Sao Joao in Cachoeira. To achieve these goals we used historical and descriptive methods. This allowed us to know and analyze the city's history, its cultural heritage, socio-cultural relations inherited from the festival and the tourism element. It was concluded that the Festival of Sao Joao of Feira do Porto in Cachoeira is an event recognized by the municipality and the state as one of great importance to the local culture and economy. After the celebration of the Boa Morte, it is the time of year that the city gets the most attention in the State of Bahia. It was observed that in the last decade of the twentieth century, the new promotion strategies adopted for the festival became transgressor elements for the local culture. In regards of the management of tourism, it indicates the need to encourage local popular participation in the process, strengthening the festival program through the ancient traditions. The rescue of the festival needs re-branding with typical elements and the greater involvement of the countryside. Finally, this thesis is a step forward towards progress in studies related to the Bahia tradition and culture, in order to understand and improve their contributions to the development of the communities involved.