Brasil Observer # 26 - English Version

B R A S I L O B S E R V E R LONDON EDITION GUILHERME ARANEGA / ESTÚDIO RUFUS (WWW.RUFUS.ART.BR)

WWW.BRASILOBSERVER.CO.UK

ISSN 2055-4826

APRIL/2015

# 0 0 2 6

G N I L A D E P THE EFFORTS AND CHALLENGES OF SAO PAULO AND LONDON IN TRANSFORMING URBAN MOBILITY WITH BICYCLES

STAGNANT ECONOMY To reassume growth, Brazil needs increased investments REPRODUCTION

EMICIDA EXCLUSIVE Brazilian rapper hits London and speaks to Brasil Observer DIVULGATION

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

SUMMARY 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 21 24 26 28 30

IN FOCUS The future of energy in Latin America

LONDON EDITION

GUEST COLUMNIST Pedro Ekman defends the media regulation in Brazil

Is a monthly publication of ANAGU UK UN LIMITED founded by:

PROFILE Eliane Elias and the inspiration that comes from silence

ANA TOLEDO Operational Director ana@brasilobserver.co.uk

Global Brazil On two wheels: Sao Paulo and London on cycling revolution BR-UK CONNECTION British companies attend the largest travel fair in Latin America

GUILHERME REIS Editorial Director guilherme@brasilobserver.co.uk

BRASILIANCE Dilma Rousseff has considerable hurdles to recover the economy

ROBERTA SCHWAMBACH Financial Director roberta@brasilobserver.co.uk

BRASILIANCE The meanings of the protests of the 13 and 15 March in Brazil

ENGLISH EDITOR Kate Rintoul Kate@brasilobserver.co.uk Shaun Cumming shaun@investwrite.co.uk

CONECTANDO From Tunis, a point of view on the World Social Forum GUIDE Exclusive interview with Brazilian rapper Emicida

LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC DESIGN Jean Peixe peixe@brasilobserver.co.uk

GUIDE Clube do Choro UK: Back to Brazil without leaving London CULTURAL TIPS Concerts and exhibitions to enjoy London with a Brazilian flavour

CONTRIBUTORS Ana Beatriz Freccia Rosa, Andressa Moreno, Franko Figueiredo, Gabriel Noleto, Gabriela Lobianco, Michael Landon, Pedro Ekman, Ricardo Somera, Rômulo Seitenfus, Wagner de Alcântara Aragão

COLUMNISTS Franko Figueiredo on what freedom means Ricardo Somera on what happened at Lollapalooza Brazil TRAVEL Kerala, the country of God

PRINTER St Clements press (1988 ) Ltd, Stratford, London mohammed.faqir@stclementspress.com 10.000 copies DISTRIBUTION Emblem Group Ltd.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

E D I T O R I A L

ON BRAZIL AND THE UK

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On the eve of Britain’s General Election, the temptation to draw comparisons between the correlation of political forces in the UK and what we have witnessed in Brazil is inescapable. So let’s see. Taking into account the televised debate between leaders of seven British parties, here we can say we have a more progressive scenario – in theory, because in an election campaign the impossible is usually promised.

Obviously, labour’s Ed Miliband is equivalent to Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff (Workers Party) and the conservative David Cameron to Aécio Neves (Social Democrats).

Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, because of the role played by his party in the last Parliament, could be compared to someone from PMDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party), but judging by the last presidential election in Brazil he is more like Marina Silva, then the candidate for PSB (Brazilian Socialist Party) – nor right, nor left, quite the contrary.

In the remaining four pieces, the subtle difference that makes the British situation unique can be considered more progressive than in Brazil. While Nicola Sturgeon (Scottish National Party), Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru) and Natalie Bennett (Green) advocate an end to austerity and the development of a new political-economic-environmental paradigm, only Nigel Farage (UKIP) plays a bizarre role – blaming immigrants for all the nation’s ills.

In Brazil, this weirdness had two names: Pastor Everaldo (Christian Social Party) and Levy Fidelix (Brazilian Labour Renewal Party). The defence of “problematic” issues as marijuana legalization, decriminalization of abortion and progressive taxation, for example, was with Luciana Genro (Socialism and Freedon Party) and Eduardo Jorge (Green).

Other than that, due to the differences from the political system of each country (parliamentary in the UK, presidential in Brazil) and different levels of development of each, any comparison would be a guessing exercise.

It’s impossible not to notice, however, another factor in common – and which, incidentally, is easily identifiable in almost all Western democratic systems. It’s the fear of anything that questions the status quo.

Nicola Sturgeon is the party leader who best represents this. She was the one who best pointed out the irresponsibility of Nigel Farage’s speech; the contradictions of the Labour Party; the hypocrisy of Nick Clegg; and the lack of competence of David Cameron. And by acting based on nothing beyond the sacrosanct factual truth, she is being considered by right wing media as the most ‘dangerous’ person in the UK because her party could shake up the Westminster system like never before (it’s important to remember the SNP can only be voted by those in Scotland). Let’s see if the polls feel

the same.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, those who spread fear when there is the possibility of any meagre progress toward a sovereign social democracy and are able to disarm the secular structures of the national backwardness are even lauder. What could we wait for, after all? If even those chosen to represent the emancipatory desire of the society cannot – whether through incompetence or bad faith – practise the program for which they were elected, who else will do that?

Had Dilma Rousseff and the Workers Party the political capital necessary to follow the agenda with which they were elected democratically, for the fourth consecutive time, the country would be seriously debating at least two elementary issues to overcome the central problems of the current days: the formation of a Exclusive Constituent Assembly to lead political reform, with ending business electoral campaign financing being one of the main points; and a tax reform to correct the primary distortions of a regressive system that punishes the poor, as well as the fight against corruption and the fiscal adjustment that the country needs go through these two debates. If not, how will the government be able to save more than 60 billion reais without affecting the middle classes? And how is it possible to do that without harming investment and employment?

When Rousseff promised not do all that she is doing now, she erroneously postponed the debate on these questions, which are, after all, inherent to cycle transitions. The “everyone wins” model that was so successful in the years of President Lula no longer works. The world is different. A purely economic adjustment is not enough. A political adjustment is necessary. But who is in charge? The agenda in Congress is led

by Eduardo Cunha and Renan Calheiros (from PMDB, but they are acting practically as opposition), while the base of support for the government crumbles, in offices and on the streets.

It is pertinent to analyse that the Workers Party failed to politicize the millions of Brazilians who rose socially thanks to public policies put in place by Lula and Rousseff governments. But it was the minimum that needed to be done. People have the right to grow on their own – and feel aggrieved when they see that their rights are at risk in the hands of those who promised to ensure their achievements. And no one supports corruption cases involving the party anymore, no matter if bad habits are not exclusive to the party and actually spread to society.

When the fear to advance prevents the action of those who always represented the questioning of the status quo, no makeup can resist the facts. Those in power back the establishment and see society as the enemy. This goes for Brazil. This goes for the United Kingdom.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

IN FOCUS

BRAZIL HAS A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN RENEWABLE ENERGY BUT NEEDS TO BE MORE CONFIDENT, SAYS HAMILTON MOSS

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The Vice-President for Energy at CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America, Hamilton Moss de Souza gave a keynote speech in the event organized by Canning House in March, ‘The Future of Energy in Latin America – bright prospects for the renewables sector?’.

In his speech, Moss de Souza was keen to defend Latin America, “a reliable region for investors”, even in the face of an unfavourable economic situation (mainly because the fall in commodity prices and the lack of certainty about the global financial conditions), and acknowledged that “much investment is still needed for us to embark on a new development cycle”. According to data presented by CAF’s Vice-President, in the energy sector alone the region needs at least 71 billion dollars a year over the next decade, in a reality where 30 million Latin Americans do not have access to electricity.

After the event, Moss de Souza, who joined CAF after a major career in the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Brazil, where he headed the Energy Development Department and coordinated the preparation of the National Energy Efficiency Plan, answered to Brasil Observer.

There is no Latin American integration unless Brazil and Mexico close ties commercially and economically

What is Brazil’s position in the renewable energy sector?

Leslie Bethell, Emeritus Professor of Latin American History (University of London) during public talk on the ‘Americanization’ of Brazil’s Foreign Relations (1889-1914) organised jointly by Canning House and the Brazil Institute at King’s College London

In certain areas, we have a leadership role in the world, because of two aspects.

Firstly the size of Brazil, because, even if it was not good from a technical point of view, we would have an important role – and we are good technically on the issue of alcohol and biomass, for example.

And secondly the hydropower issue; for

over 100 years, Brazil has used hydraulic power in several areas. The use of solar and wind energy is still small, but they are growing. So Brazil ends up influencing the markets by volume and technical capacity.

What’s Brazil’s strategic advantage in this sector?

The advantage of investing in Brazil is that the country has a scale that alone is already sufficiently advantageous, regardless of anything else. But, in addition to its own market, Brazil has a technical and market application leadership, so investing in the country can be a first step to extend investments for other Latin American countries.

And disadvantages?

What needs to be improved?

Brazil must first be more confident, and needs to recognize more its qualities, because we are very critical of ourselves.

Foreign investors see many possibilities in Brazil, but sometimes by a lack of confidence the country do not take advantage of them. Then there is the issue of bureaucracy, which is almost unanimous.

We are very bureaucratic, so we need to simplify things, make life easier for those who want to invest, both foreign companies and national ones.

You can have access to the data presented by Hamilton Moss de Souza at the event through the online address http://goo.gl/7ofcQ9

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Human Rights and Judiciary in Post-Authoritarian Argentina Canning House and Instituto Cervantes are co-presenting this series of talks that looks at military dictatorships in 20th Century Latin America and their legacies. This lecture explores the role of the Argentine judiciary in addressing the legacies of state repression.

When: 16 April (18:30-20:30) Where: Instituto Cervantes – 102 Eaton Square Tickets: Corporate Members: Free Individual Members: £5 Non Members: £10 www.canninghouse.org

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Discussion on the Social Movements of Latin America Event held by the Institute of Latin American Studies at University of London has the participation of Clifton Ross, editor of ‘Until the Rulers Obey: Voices from Latin American Social Movements’, which analyses the movements behind the recent wave of change in Latin America.

When: 21 April (18:30-20:30) Where: Senate House – Malet Street Tickets: Fee not available by the time of writing www.ilas.sas.ac.uk

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Colombia Conservation – An Opportunity for Green Business This Conference will be divided into 2 sessions. The first will concentrate on the implications of the recently launched National Development Plan 2014-2018 in regards to doing green business in Colombia, while the second will focus on how this can be achieved.

When: 29 April (14:30-20:00) Where: Canning House – 14/15 Belgrave Square Tickets: Corporate event events@canninghouse.org

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IV Oxbridge Conference on Brazilian Studies Organized by Cambridge University and Oxford University Brazilian Societies (CUBS and OUBS), this multi-disciplinary event brings together scholars from the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities to discuss the potential effects of their research to Brazil.

When: 2 May (9:00-19:00) Where: Hughes Hall – University of Cambridge Tickets: Fee not available by the time of writing www.oxbridgeonbrazilstudies. webs.com

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Gala Dinner and Personality of the Year Awards 2015 A Câmara Brasileira de Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain will recognise the achievements of two business leaders – one Brazilian, one British. The recipients of the 2015 Personality of the Year awards will be Marcos Molina and Sir Martin Sorrell. Brazil’s finance minister, Joaquim Levy, will be the keynote speaker at the gala dinner.

When: 12 May (19:00) Where: London Hilton – 22 Park Lane Tickets: Individual Members: £215 / Non Members: £270 www.brazilianchamber.org.uk

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

GUEST COLUMNIST

WILL BRAZIL DISCUSS THE MEDIA? (WE CAN TURN IT OFF, IF YOU FEEL BETTER)

Standing up to Brazil’s Media Monopolies and pushing for media regulation

By Pedro Ekmanu g

Pedro Ekman is member of the Executive Coordination of Intervozes - Brazil Collective of Social Communication (www.intervozes.org.br) g

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The first designs of a democratic system may best be likened to representation of the Greek agora, a kind of public square where people gathered to make decisions about the direction that society should follow. In this space everyone could expose their arguments, listen to opposing views and make decisions freely, voting according to their personal convictions and interpretation of the facts. In today’s society in Brazil, making decisions in the public square with hundreds of millions of people at the same time is not feasible. Perhaps the internet someday will allow it, but with the current digital inclusion level we are still far from this scenario.

To solve the problem of our inability to meet in a common public space to make decisions about the country, we invented two instruments: the system of political representation and electronic media; both are described and defined in the Federal Constitution. The National Congress becomes the public square of debates where elected representatives participate with voting rights. The radio and TV organise the debate made by millions of Brazilians in a country of continental dimensions. Through the discussion on social communication through electronic media like radio and TV, society is informed to take decisions, electing representatives and taking to the streets to protest against what it perceives to be wrong.

In this way, the Congress and the media are public spaces. The Federal Constitution made sure to set them so, they are structuring spaces of representative democratic system. The problem is that throughout its history, following the Latin American tradition, Brazilian politicians have privatised public space, so that debate only features the private interests at the expense of public interests. Representatives of parliament are elected thanks to campaigns that are funded by corporations that with “donations” have their interests truly represented in Congress. Banknotes of dollars and reais replace the ballot in importance, corrupting the democratic system structure. The radio and TV channels are delivered to the few private companies that define the political and cultural debate all over the country.

Brazilian democracy exists on paper, not in practice. Article 220 of Brazil’s Federal Constitution states that there cannot be a monopoly or oligopoly in electronic media. However, Rede Globo controls about 70% of the market, owning more than all other media companies. This is because Con-

gress never drafted laws that define the means by which to prevent the monopoly to happen. And why has Congress remised on the matter? Article 54 of the same Constitution states that members of Congress cannot own concessions of public services (radio and TV channels are public services also provided by private companies). However, the Sarney’s family and senators Fernando Collor, Aécio Neves, Agripino Maia and Edson Lobao Filho are just a few of the dozens of congressman who control radio and TV channels in their states.

Creating laws that make constitutional objectives achievable is precisely what the Constitution should regulate.

Media regulation is nothing more than regulating the articles of the Constitution concerning the electronic social communication, that is, creating rules for the democratic game to be played in a fairer and more balanced manner.

However, in Brazil, Congressmen and large TV companies are making out that it will lead to some restriction of freedom of expression and as an attack from an alleged authoritarian government willing to prevent criticism of its management. This is why the media corporations, recognising the possibility of a scenario in which they will have to share the cake with the rest of society, attack the proposal blocking the debate an inciting fear in society so that it also reacts against the proposal.

To get an idea of the impact of market concentration in the public debate, we can analyse the discussion that is taking place at this moment in Congress about the possibility of lowering the penal age, from 18 to 16. What will be the reaction of a society that is bombarded daily by TV programs that serve cruel crimes allegedly committed by adolescents without even preserve the constitutional right to presumption of innocence? With adolescents condemned by the public square of the TV, the society is compelled to vote for the reduction of legal age, as this seems to be the reasonable path to take on the facts that were selected to be presented to the debate.

Most of the time the most important thing is not what is communicated, but what is not communicated. Recently social networks were spreading a journalistic article aired with a note of the journalist to the editor saying “We can turn it off, if you feel better” after a section of the report that linked the Petrobras corruption scheme to the government of former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. The dialogue between a journalist and an editor is

something absolutely trivial, but to expose the preference when putting to the public debate some information and not others, the society began to think how many notes was left behind and how much information it just did not take knowledge to be able to discuss.

The fact that the media has its own opinion contraries the current discourse that says this media is technical and always opts for the best way to inform the public. It is easy to realise that a highly concentrated market scenario – in which a few businessmen decide on what the whole society debates – is deadly to a democratic society.

Adjusting the media is not an act of censorship nor a communist statement. Non-communist countries such as England, France, Germany and even the United States regulate the media.

It is important to remember that Brazil also regulates the media, that we are not inventing a new subject, but what the country does is not enough. While the owners of The New York Times, for example, cannot be the same owners of a TV station in New York – because US regulation places limits on cross-ownership of media prohibiting the formation of oligopolies – in Brazil the Rede Globo owners can have TV channels, radio, newspapers, publishers, record companies and other such vehicles without limit. If in Brazil TV companies question the parental rating (regulation of content and non-market) in court to protect children from inappropriate content, in Sweden the advertising to children is banned to be aired. The US and Sweden are far from communist project and do not really define media regulation as censorship.

Understanding that the solution to this problem will not come spontaneously from Congress and tired of waiting for a government that decides to address the issue, Brazil’s civil society decided to draw up a popular initiative law project to regulate the Constitution on issues of electronic media. To help Brazilian society to make this discussion more informed than it would if you only had the information produced by big media, Intervozes also decided to produce a documentary about how media regulation worldwide. People can sign the bill in www.paraexpressaraliberdade.org.br and support the production of the film in www.catarse.me/ pt/leidamidiabrasil. If, despite all the efforts of civil society to raise and discuss the issue, it will not appear on TV and radio, it is certainly because someone thought it best to take it off.

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

PROFILE

ELIANE ELIAS INSPIRATION THAT COMES FROM SILENCE After the release of her 25th album, the Brazilian singer, songwriter and pianist prepares to perform at the Barbican and talks to Brasil Observer about her music and career

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

Even though you have been living away from Brazil for so long, how do you keep your connection to Brazilian culture?

Many of my albums include Brazilian music. Our music is part of my DNA. No matter where I am, my roots remain.

Many awards and nominations have given you a great global audience.

How does this compare to your career in Brazil?

Awards are part of the recognition of a career, they do not always reflect the success of an artist. I feel proud to have an international career for so many years, doing concerts all over the world and reaching the top of the jazz charts with all my records. I cannot explain why, I’m not so well known or recognised In Brazil as I am internationally.

Can you tell us what you usually listen to?

I love silence! I always need it during the process of making music. I try to keep up with new releases of the genres that interest me musically, but in fact, when I’m working on an album, writing,

DIVULGATION

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“Elias’ distinctive musical style blends her Brazilian roots and sensuous voice with instrumental jazz and classical composition.” This is how the Barbican describes the singer, composer and pianist who will be playing in London on 4 May. And what a mixture for success these things are. Elias’ musical talents were evident from an early age. She started studying piano at age seven and at age twelve was giving perfect renditions of the great jazz masters. By the time she was fifteen, Eliane was teaching piano and improvisation at one of Brazil’s most prestigious music schools. Her performing career began in Brazil at age seventeen, working with Brazilian singer and songwriter Toquinho and the great poet Vinicius de Moraes. In 1981, she headed for New York, where she still lives collecting stories and awards thanks to an acclaimed and international musical career.

In total, Eliane Elias has recorded 25 albums. The most recent, Made in Brazil was released in late March. It was the first time she recorded most of the album in her native country, and in a very global touch fitting for an interview in this newspaper, she also made part of the record in London’s Abbey Road studio.

In this interview with Brasil Observer, Eliane Elias talks about her new album, the mixture of influences in her music career and reveals a surprising factor that’s important during her creative process: silence.

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recording, producing, in the middle of a very busy touring schedule, I prefer silence. This is where born my ideas, my compositions and arrangements.

Why do you mix Bossa Nova and Jazz in your music?

I have been living in New York for 33 years, since I was very young. In the beginning I established myself as a Jazz pianist and composer. I was accepted with open arms in the jazz world, working with the biggest names of the genre. Brazilian music has been incorporated. All my records bring improvisation: ones with Brazilian rhythms; others jazzier, others highlight the side of composition, others emphasise the vocals more. Bossa Nova is a great vehicle for Jazz and improvisation.

Can you describe the creative process for your new album?

First came the ideas, my arrangements and my compositions, as well as the choice of songs and the direction that the album would take. In these arrangements and these compositions I was interesting in working with musical collaborators to create the sound. It’s like painting - first you sketch and then choose the colours that are interesting in those compositions.

The album features has six of your own songs, and others by songs of Ary Barroso, Roberto Menescal and Tom Jobim, they’re all from different generations...

Yes. The album begins with a touch of history, the ‘samba exaltation’, through Bossa Nova and coming to my compositions, which reflect today’s music.

Some of the tracks were recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios.

What was this process like?

In Brazil we did the compositions and arrangements, recorded all the bases and added the vocals of Ed Motta.

In the United States we recorded with the group Take 6, Amanda Brecker and Mark Kibble. Then we went to London to record the strings. The string arrangements were written by Rob Mathes.

It is the third album he participates as orchestral arranger and we recorded the strings in London, in the historic Abbey Road Studios.

In early May, you are playing along with Ed Motta at the Barbican, what have you got planned for the show?

Each of us will do our own show, and we are working on a joint participation.

Ed sang my song called “Vida”, so we think we are going to sing that together.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

GLOBAL BRAZIL

The benefits of using bicycles as a means of transportation have been broadly discussed worldwide and are well known.

In both São Paulo and London, the transformation is underway

By Guilherme Reis

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London, 27 March, 6pm local time.

Near to the Southbank Centre, cyclists gather for another ride organized every last Friday of the month by Critical Mass. Around 7pm, with a gathering that certainly surpassed the mark of 500 people, the trumpets warn that the march on two wheels is about to begin.

In the following hours, to the sound of reggae coming from boxes attached to the bikes of some participants, Brasil Observer follows the procession passing through Holborn, Camden Town and King’s Cross until finally reaching the end point in Covent Garden. The reason for the meeting is simple: to promote the use of bicycles as an alternative for transportation, and raise awareness for the secure sharing of public spaces in the city.

São Paulo, 27 March, 6pm local time. At the Praça do Ciclista (Cyclist Square), on Paulista Avenue, cyclists, cycle activists and supporters join the ride that happens every last Friday of the month to protest. The reason: an injunction that, a week before, had suspended the construction of cycle routes throughout the city for lack of planning. Just after 8pm, the protest that brought together about 7,000 people began moving towards Paraíso

metro station. On the halfway mark comes the news that the São Paulo Court of Justice has just overturned the injunction that prevented the implementation of bike paths. Protesters celebrate, but know that the fight in favour of the bicycle as an alternative means of transportation, as well as the awareness of citizens for the peaceful sharing of public spaces, continues.

The social, economic, environmental and health benefits of the use of bicycles for transportation have been broadly discussed worldwide and are very well known. That’s why the world’s largest cities have struggled to encourage the use of bikes, an effort that involves the construction of the cycling infrastructure and the awareness of car drivers, pedestrians and cyclists to transform the urban environment safer. Sao Paulo and London, as it should be, also have been adjusted to the new times, although they are in different stages.

SAO PAULO The demand for cycling infrastructure compatible with the greatness of the city of Sao Paulo has been growing for at least three decades, Renata Falzoni, a cycle activist and bike reporter

with over 30 years of experience told Brasil Observer. But only now, under the administration of Mayor Fernando Haddad (Workers Party) – elected in 2012 to four years in office – the subject was incorporated into the city’s Target Program. The plan is to deliver 400 km of cycle routes by the end of 2015, with an estimated cost of 80 million reais.

The last path delivered by the time of writing was in Bom Retiro, in the central area, on 2 April. The city now has 264.8 km of routes for cyclists. Of this amount, the current administration inaugurated 201.8 km since June 2014.

So before that, Sao Paulo had only 63 km.

For the cycle activist Willian Cruz, author of the website Vá de Bike (Go

by Bike), “it is already possible to travel long distances in the city using cycle routes on most of the way, sometimes the whole way.” To Brasil Observer, he acknowledged, however, that “in some places there are irregularities on the asphalt and on signalisation”.

The feeling that things can still be improved is recurring. But, in general, cyclists are satisfied. “We are putting many problems aside. What is being done is basically what is possible at this moment, in this chaotic city that still

depends on the car as much by necessity as by addiction,” said Renata Falzoni.

She believes that cycling infrastructure is being made in network and will connect cyclists. “Only this way more and more people will come by bicycle to the streets, will occupy the cycle routes and, consequently, the public space. The important thing is to connect, occupy and then improve”.

A survey released by Ibope institute last September showed that Sao Paulo has gained more than 85,000 frequent cyclists between 2013 and 2014 - a period that coincides, in part, with the expansion of cycling infrastructure.

According to the survey, 261,000 people had been using bicycles every day for transportation last year. Is the last Origin/Destination research conducted by the Metro service, in 2012, 333,000 daily bike trips were recorded – the number represents about 1% of all trips made by adding all means of transport available.

But there are those who complain about the cycle infrastructure that has been implemented. “The opposition comes from a minimum share of the population that believes public spaces should be privatized for car parking, or for single use of automobiles, a

MARCOS SANTOS/USP IMAGENS

ON TWO WHEELS

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

The bicycle, as a means of transportation, started to be taken seriously in London in 2008, when the mayor Ken Livingstone set a target to increase by 400% bike trips in the city by 2025. That same year, however, he lost the elections to Boris Johnson, who promised to continue supporting the expansion of cycling in the capital.

In 2010, 6,000 bikes were made available on short-rent scheme Barclays Cycle Hire in 400 stations in nine central London boroughs. The number was soon expanded to 8,000 bikes at 570 stations, transforming the so-called ‘Boris Bike’ - a symbol of the city – which is now changing colour from blue to the red of Santander, the new sponsor.

Not everything is so easy though. Of the 12 Cycle Superhighway proposed by Levingstone in 2008, only four have been implemented: CS3 (Barking to Tower Gateway), CS7 (Merton to the City), CS2 (Stratford to Aldgate) and CS8 (Wandsworth to Westminster). All together have 33 km, according to the TFL (Transport for London).

But there are still a number of other routes available that form the London Cycle Network. In 2011, 2.5% of trips to work were made by bike in London – a high number compared with Sao Paulo, but considered disappointing by the

FERNANDA CARVALHO/FOTOS PÚBLICAS

LONDON

English authorities (in Cambridge, for example, the figure was about 30%).

After the 2012 Olympics, the bike came to be seen as capable of revolutionizing transport in London. Inspired by the good performance of the British cyclists, the authorities decided to transform cycling and, in 2013, Boris Johnson presented a proposal to build two segregated bike routes that would make a cross in the city from north to south, east to west, reaching almost 35 km.

As in Sao Paulo, there was a lot of opposition, especially by taxi drivers, concerned about the fact that the routes would make the journeys longer because of the shifts needed to adapt the streets.

Even so, the project was approved and construction began last month in the Southwark area. The north-south route will have almost 5 km and runs from King’s Cross to Elephant and Castle, while the east-west route will take about 30 km, from Barking to Acton.

To Rosie Downes of the London Cycling Campaign, the project was welcomed, “however progress hasn’t been as fast as we would have liked”. According to her, the segregated routes are a major step forward in creating safer roads for cyclists. “We have some concerns around some of the details which we are addressing with Transport for London, but overall we’re pleased to see that the scheme provides much more space for cycling, and also for pedestrians,” she added.

London plans to provide 913 million pounds in the ten years from 2013 to 2023 to make the city more inviting to the use of bicycles. This involves the construction of segregated routes to the adaptation of roads and junctions and the expansion of short-rent schemes.

One proposal is called Quiteways, routes in smaller and less busy streets, so that the cyclist can get away from the high streets that are always more dangerous. Rosie Downes, however, warns: “We welcome the Quietways in principle.

London desperately needs routes that are suitable for everyone to cycle, and take people where they want to go. But it’s absolutely essential that these routes are actually ‘quiet’. Where the routes use residential roads which often suffer from ‘rat running’ – where vehicles cut through residential areas to reach their destination, rather than using main roads - measures must be taken to reduce high motor traffic volumes or speeds”.

To be more flat and have a more organized traffic system, and well-signalised bike routes, London is certainly a more inviting city for cyclists than Sao Paulo.

The numbers prove it: in 2012, the average daily trips made by bicycle in the British capital was almost 600,000, and in the full year 14 deaths from bike accidents were recorded – the same number registered in 2013, considered high by Londoners.

The two cities, however, share the same desire, from a considerable part of their citizens. That is to transform urban mobility through the use of bicycles, rethinking the use of public spaces and promoting a more friendly way to get around. This is underway and has no way back.

REPRODUÇÃO/POP UP CITY

model that drives the people out of the streets, segregates and is directly responsible for low quality of life in the city,” opined Renata Falzoni.

For Willian Cruz, the big problem has been the “partisan polarisation” on the city project. “Cycle routes have been called ‘Haddad’s Cycle Routes’ by the press, as if they were made to achieve electoral objectives, not to improve mobility and protect the lives of people who use or plan to use bicycles for transportation,” he commented.

The safety of cyclists, in fact, is the best thermometer to measure how efficient the city’s plan is, whether related to the infrastructure and signalling as in the question of awareness. The latest data on accidents and deaths in the Sao Paulo traffic is from 2013. That year, 712 accidents involving cyclists were recorded, with 35 deaths – high number by European standards. In 2005, 93 deaths were recorded.

“Sao Paulo looks like London. There are many buses, taxis and delivery trucks on the streets. You must have cold blood to face it. London has the advantage of having much less motorcycles and more cyclists on the streets. And if the driver runs over, he goes to jail. The London driver may not like the cyclists, but respects them or faces the consequences of the law. In Sao Paulo some drivers do not respect and that’s it,” said Renata Falzoni.

She recalled that an important step in this adaptation of public space is the Congestion Charge. “London faced the proposal to take cars out of the streets. In Sao Paulo, we have a caster scheme that was founded two decades ago and has not changed anything substantially.”

Even though at different stages, Sao Paulo and London have been adjusted to encourage the use of bicycles

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PROFITABLE CYCLING: SUPERBIKES’ MARKET ADVANCES IN BRAZIL Increasing number of cycle routes in large Brazilian cities and the spread of a healthier lifestyle are warming the bicycle market in the country, especially in the premium segment, with models that cost from 3,000 to 70,000 reais. “Over the past five years, sales of bikes in this segment increased at least 100%,” told to BBC Brazil Marcelo Maciel, president of the Brazilian Association of the Bicycle Sector. Luis Felipe Praça, president of Trek in Brazil, has a similar estimative. “Our sales in this segment must have grown on average 20% annually over the past five years,” he said to the same report.

The car manufacturers are also eyeing this market. Among the brands that manufacture luxury bikes are Land Rover, which is planning to take some of its models to Brazil, and BMW, which already sells three types of superbikes in Brazil, with prices from 7,000 to 19,000 reais. In addition to these, Chevrolet and Volkswagen have also launched their superbikes in the country.

The impacts in the production of bicycles as a whole, however, should not be felt immediately, as assessed by Abraciclo, an association that bringing together bicycle, motorcycles, motor scooters and other two -wheeled vehicle manufacturers.

The number of units manufactured and sold in the country has remained stable in recent years, around 4.5 million bicycles. But this is not little: Brazil is the world’s third largest bicycle manufacturer, with a slice of 4% of the global market. First is China, with 67% of total production (80 million bicycles per year), followed by India, which has 8% (10 million bicycles per year).

Data from the same association indicate that Brazil is the fifth largest bicycle consumer market in the world, with 5.3 million units. Between domestic and imported models, 50% are used for transportation, 32% by children, 17% are for leisure and 1% for competitions.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

BR-UK CONNECTION DIVULGATION

ENERGY: BRAZIL AND THE UK CELEBRATE PARTNERSHIP The British embassy in Brazil held the ‘UK & Brazil: Partners in Energy’ in early March in Rio de Janeiro, an event that celebrated the partnership between the two countries in the energy sector during the host city’s 450th anniversary.

The success of Britain’s relationship with Brazil in the energy sector is due to a full involvement that goes beyond a purely commercial partnership. The UK has a tradition of research and technology development on the matter, which is increasingly shared with Brazil.

As Alex Ellis, the ambassador for the UK in Brazil, explained at the me-

The World Travel Market’s portfolio consists of leading leisure travel events in the world: World Travel Market in London (which takes place November); WTM Latin America in Sao Paulo; WTM Africa, in Cape Town; and the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai

BRITISH COMPANIES EXHIBIT AT TRAVEL FAIR IN BRAZIL The Brazilian edition of the World Travel Market aims to be bigger and better by generating business deals with over £200 million

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Destinations, tourism products and travel tech services from around the world have confirmed their presence at World Travel Market Latin America 2015, which will take place between 22 and 24 April in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event is taking place in conjunction with the 43rd Braztoa Business Meeting According to the organisation, will include four important exhibitors from the UK: Wedgewood, offers a range of services to corporative travel, Travco, focuses on accommodation, JacTravel is a leading global provider of online hotel reservations and TravelTek, provides technology solutions to companies in the tourism sector.

Speaking to Brasil Observer, the director of WTM Latin America, Lawrence Reinisch, explained that the goal is “to promote longstanding business”. “Last year, £206 million were traded during [the fair] and in the months that followed”. The organisers wish to exceed upon last year’s figures and make the 2015 edition, the best event so far.

“This year, we will have several new features to increase that sales figure, including the area of Corporate Tourism, headed by ALAGEV (Latin American

Association of Event Managers and Corporate Travel), and workshops hosted

by FOHB (Brazil’s Hoteliers Operators Forum), which is the most important chains in the country, with 26 members, 630 hotels and 104,000 housing units, explained Lawrence Reinisch”.

Reinisch added that the event also has “established actions such as the Hosted Buyers program, which gives the opportunity for up to 150 highly qualified professionals interested in Latin America to attend as VIPs to the fair, and Speed Networking sessions with hundred buyers and 600 exhibitors.”

Among the Hosted Buyers participants are representatives of six companies from the UK: Saltours International, Miki Travel, Barrhead Travel, Lowcostbeds.com, Ruby Mear Group and Kuoni Travel.

For Reinisch, even with the participation of British companies in WTM Latin America this year, there is room to grow. “Considering the size of the UK and Brazilian economies, the economic relationship between the two countries is still low. This is an important challenge to be overcome: how to increase the perception of Brazil in the UK and the UK in Brazil?”

eting, “The experience of exploration and production for more than 50 years in the North Sea led British industry to develop a strong supply chain that can greatly contribute to the investments in Brazil in deep water, especially in pre-salt”.

The partnership between the two countries in the sector, has generated approximately 7 billion reais (around £1.4 billion) in the last two years, with more than 120 companies operating in the country. In the last three years, 25 trade missions were organised between both countries.

SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS: AMBASSADOR IS CHOSEN Lucas Leung, a Brazilian Manufacturing Engineering student, has won the ‘SwB UK Ambassador 2015’ contest.

Sponsored by the British Embassy in Brazil to select a representative of the Science without Borders program in the UK, the achievement gives him the opportunity to travel to the UK and participate specially planned academic and cultural activities.

Leung will visit some of the most important British universities and get in touch with teachers and professionals who can guide him regarding the chances of continuing his studies abroad.

“I feel privileged but also responsible.

I am determined to take any chance to promote my country throughout the UK, as well as bringing the experiences of a country with exemplary development, high technology, innovation and rich culture to Brazil”, he said.

Leung also noted that the UK is the second country to take more students from the Science without Borders program, developed by the Brazilian federal government. “I guarantee it’s the right choice to be made by future students who will participate in the program”.

Lucas Leung: “I feel the responsibility”

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

BRASILIANCE

IT’S INVEST OR SUCCUMB Fiscal adjustment policies, in a stagnant economy as seen in Brazil today, may lead to recession. Is it a path with no return? No. If the country recovers investment levels, the picture may be reversed. Dilma Rousseff ’s government has considerable hurdles to first overcome

DIVULGATION

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Brazil’s economy stagnated, as shown by the 2014 National Accounts document, compiled by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), released in late March. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by only 0.1% last year compared with 2013.

The most worrying, however, was the performance of the Gross Fixed Capital Formation component – in other words, investments that were made in the country. The Gross Fixed Capital Formation fell 4.4% in 2014, the worst result since 1999, when there was a decrease of 8.3% from a year earlier. Recovery of investment is imperative if Brazilian GDP is to grow again in the long term; and to prevent or minimize a recession in the immediate term.

The federal government knows it. The Planning Minister Nelson Barbosa and President Dilma Rousseff have announced that they will be launched the second phase of the Logistics Investment Program (PIL, in Portuguese). Dilma Rousseff is also promising to launch the third phase of the housing program Minha Casa, Minha Vida, and step three of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC, in Portuguese). These are actions that involve a number of public works to be made with strong investment from the private sector.

As the president has argued, the fiscal adjustment was being put in place since the beginning of the year to rebuild investor confidence in the country.

Even if some adjustment measures still depend on the approval of Congress – where Dilma Rousseff has not had an easy life – Brazil had its investment grade status affirmed by Standard & Poor’s. The agency said the stable outlook reflects the expectation that the correction under way will continue to attract the support of President Dilma Rousseff and finally the Congress, which will gradually restore credibility, paving the way for stronger growth prospects in 2016 and in following years. A downgrade at this point would be bad for the country’s ambitions in attracting capital, as the government said.

‘Confidence’ in the market, however, is not enough. The effects of these investments in the recovery of economic activity will be subject to overcoming at least two immediate obstacles. One is the period between launching the programs and the effective implementation of the work. This gap needs to be shortened because public work effects take time to appear. The other obstacle is that the largest contractors in Brazil – theoretically better able to do large -scale projects – are being investigated by Operation Lava Jato, suspected of having paid bribes in exchange for contracts with Petrobras.

Regarding the investment maturity time, the first phase of PIL signals the challenges. The program is basically the concession of highways, railways, ports and airports to private consortia, for a period of time.

In return, the private sector bears the investment (funded by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development). These are works of revitalization, duplication, extension and even construction of logistics infrastructure, in many different modes.

The first PIL was released in August 2012, but the bids for the first concessions to the private sector were only placed a year later. Only in 2014 the work started

By Wagner de Alcântara Aragão

Ports and railways should be the highlights of the second phase of Brazil’s Logistics Investment Program, a government asset to attract private investment and boost the economy

to be implemented. That is, even if the second phase of the PIL arise in the first half of 2015, it is virtually impossible, by the end of the year, to make bids, sign contracts with investors and start taking the works of clipboards. The reflections of investment in GDP will be noticed from 2016, being optimistic.

in Brazil, the Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo. The construction company OAS had its 25% stake in the terminal controller consortium expropriated, according to a report by Carta Capital magazine.

The Federal Prosecutor asks for a ban of the company of new public bids.

CONTRACTORS

PETROBRAS

On the involvement of contractors in scandals caught by Lava Jato, and how much it can hamper investments, there is reason to fear the worst. Companies with scratched credibility, delaying commitments and paralyzing work are already part of the country’s reality.

One case concerns the halt in construction of the BR-153, between the states of Tocantins and Goias, which was granted to the construction Galvão Engenharia last year. The revitalization (including duplication) of the highway requires 4.3 billion reais of investment in 30 years, of which 2.7 billion reais is due in the first five years. The modernization of the BR-153 is essential to create an efficient route linking the Manaus Free Trade Zone (North) and the Southeast.

Another case involves the largest airport terminal

Petrobras’ behaviour also marks the aftermath of Operation Lava Jato in the Brazilian economy. Although, contrary to what occurs in countries highly dependent on oil, Petrobras investments are not hegemonic in the national economic activity. The company carries considerable weight. Despite this, Petrobras does not stop: it follows, for example, hitting records in the production of oil and natural gas in the pre-salt layer of the Santos and Campos areas.

Investments in the refinery and shipping industry slowed as the scandals of overpriced contracts were released. In March, the company announced a divestment plan (sales of asset, projects, business and property) of US$ 13.7 billion. Petrobras plans to sell assets in exploration areas in Brazil and abroad, and also in the areas of supply, gas and energy. The goal is to focus on oil and gas in Brazil.

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

RISK This concerns the president for the Public Work, Privatization and Concessions Commission of the Brazilian Chamber of Construction Industry (CBIC, in Portuguese), Carlos Eduardo Lima Jorge. The CBIC is an entity that brings together trade unions and other business associations in the construction sector. In an interview with Brasil Observer (read more on the side), Lima Jorge said he considered the continuity of Logistics Investment Program essential to the recovery of the Brazilian economy. However, he cautioned, with the involvement of the main contractors of the country in corruption scandals, the risk of investments not revenge is great.

The CBIC, according to the director of the entity, suggests three ideas for the second phase of PIL. First is to divide the works to be auctioned in smaller blocks, making projects feasible for medium-sized enterprises and thus enable them to participate in public bids. Creating new long-term financing mechanisms to encourage the infrastructure investment funds is another suggestion. Finally, the CBIC advocates smaller “state interference” in the definition of rates of return (profit) of the projects so that they become more attractive.

FIGURES Brazil has potential for investment. A study released in last year by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development – Investment Perspective – estimated at 4.1 trillion reais the investment needed in the Brazilian economy for the period from 2015 to 2018. This is an amount 17.1% higher than the investment realized in the country between the years 2010 and 2013. The estimated figures include industry, agriculture and services, infrastructure and housing.

In the infrastructure sector, covered by the federal government concessions program, is where the highest expected growth should come from. It is estimated that by 2018 the sector should receive investment of 598 billion reais, or 30% more than the 457 billion made between 2010 and 2013 – ports and railways should be the highlights of the second phase of the program to be presented.

HOUSING Another government program considered essential to boost civil construction and hence the Brazilian economy is Minha Casa Minha Vida, whose third phase is expected to be launched in May, according to public statements given by the president of the Caixa Econômica Federal Bank, Miriam Belchior. The new phase includes the construction of three million housing units in all regions of Brazil.

The program should have a new range of family income (intermediate to the current ranges) to be awarded grants and still have new rules to facilitate the construction of houses in small municipalities.

If the impact of this whole set of public works takes time, the launches of the new stage of these actions can at least dampen the effects of bad economic news. Facing a fiscal adjustment that sacrifices workers and contributes to Dilma Rousseff ’s unpopularity, the expansion of a program like Minha Casa, Minha Vida reiterates the commitment to expand social advances that have marked Brazil over the last decade.

Due to increased interest rates and due to the tax burden for the productive sector, reshaping the concession package is a signal for the private sector the willingness in maintaining the development policy in its course.

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THE CURRENT SCENARIO g

GDP Gross domestic produce grew 0.1% in 2014, totalling 5.521 trillion reais. For 2015, the prognosis is worse.

Market analysts and the productive sector predict a decrease of 1%.

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GDP PER CAPITA The performance of GDP per capita was even worse: down of 0.7% in 2014, compared with 2013.

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GDP PER COMPONENT The Gross Fixed Capital Formation (investment) recorded the largest decrease of 4.4% - second among the worst performing was industry (down 1.2%). There was slight growth in agriculture (0.4%) and in the service sector (0.7%). Government consumption was the highest (1.3%), followed by household consumption (0.9%).

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UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment rate accumulates slight increase in 2015. In February (latest data available), it was 5.9% higher than the same month in 2014 (5.1%) and above the rate of January (5.3%). The number of registered workers in the private sector fell (-4.3%) in the comparison between February 2015 and the same month in 2014.

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INFLATION Inflation accumulated over 12 months in February was 7.7%, above the target ceiling fixed by the Central Bank (6.5%).

The market estimated inflation for 2015 of 8.1%.

IF THE GOVERNMENT MAKE EFFORTS, WE ARE ABLE TO INVEST President of the Public Work, Privatizations and Concessions Commission of the Brazilian Chamber of Construction Industry, Carlos Eduardo Lima Jorge, answers Brasil Observer The government is expected to announce soon a new stage of the concession program. In your opinion, is it necessary to remodel the program from the original stage?

Brazil is going through a delicate but necessary fiscal adjustment phase. This phase requires tight control of government expenditures, including investments. Although defending what it takes to maintain a reasonable level of investment in infrastructure programs, we know that there will be decreases compared to previous years. A possible way out will be the resumption of concessions program and public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a way to meet the demands of infrastructure and ensuring economic growth.

The fact that the main Brazilian contractors are involved in Operation Lava Jato can derail the work in progress, as well as the new ones that the government intends to launch?

The effects depend on judgments and also on the decisions of the organisms involved.

Such companies have and will have great difficulty to continue occupying the same role as exercised in the various works in the country. But there are solutions to the government to guarantee the continuity of the concession program.

Is the trend a greater openness to foreign contractors? Would that be beneficial or harmful for the country?

The outputs I referred to pass through the government creating effective conditions for the participation of a wide range of medium-sized enterprises that, grouped in consortia, will have full technical and economic competence to deal with the responsibilities of the concessions on highways, railways, ports, airports, sanitation, among others. A clear signal in this direction has been given by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development, which at this stage want to change its financier role of private projects with heavily subsidized interest rates by the function of ‘business stimulator’, entering with a small share of the funding, but giving a ‘seal of quality’ to the investment and thereby facilitating fundraising. The appropriate modulation of the projects is also key factor in the new phase of concessions. In short, if the government is committed to creating appropriate conditions, our domestic market will have full conditions to ensure the advancement of infrastructure in Brazil.

And interested foreign companies can participate in this market, in partnership with the Brazilian construction companies.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

THE STREETS AND THE DIRECTIONS While discussing the meanings of the protests of the 13 and 15 March, social segments that supported the re-election of Dilma Rousseff fight for the government to take a different direction than suggested in the beginning of its second term

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On Friday 13 March, the screams were for political reform, against the loss of labour rights and in defense of Petrobras.

Two days later, hundreds of thousands in some major Brazilian cities shouted against corruption and for the impeachment of the current president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff (Workers Party), with many advocating a new military intervention – these were far from the majority, but were not insignificant. Finally, the two episodes showed that four and a half months after the elections, society seems to continue with the climate of agitation that characterized the presidential race in 2014.

One of the key points of the “third round” thesis is the state of São Paulo. In the wake of controversy over the “one million people in Paulista Avenue”, a number calculated by the Military Police, the Datafolha Institute reported that 82% of the 210,000 people that the organisation estimates were there said they had voted for Aécio Neves (Social Democrats) in the second round of last year. On day 13, 71% said they had voted for Dilma Rousseff. However, the main motivation of the demonstrations and the subsequent response of the federal government are the most suggestive facts.

The defense of labour rights (25%) and the protest against corruption (47%) were the main flags on 13 and 15 respectively. Dilma Rousseff, on Monday 16, confirmed the creation of a “package against corruption” and defended the government’s economic policy and austerity measures.

Is the government listening only the protests of 15 March and neglecting the demand the fundamental portion that re-elected her

By Vinicius Gomes g

last October? And if so, can the ideology of the middle class, the majority represented on the 15th, be embraced by the lower classes and by those who got a better life especially during the years of the Lula government?

‘15M’ MADE IN BRAZIL The first time a movement was called “15M” - reference to 15 March – was in Spain, in May 2011, when the streets of several Spanish cities were taken by citizens unhappy with the neoliberal policies of the PSOE (Socialist Party of Spain’s Workers). From the streets taken by the 15M, a left wing emerged - Podemos. Any similarity between the Spanish and the Brazilian “15M” is entirely coincidental.

According to Datafolha, in addition to corruption, the main motivations of São Paulo protesters were the impeachment of Rousseff (27%), against the Workers Party (20%) and politicians in general (14%). However, the most interesting data resides in the profile of them: 74% attending a protest for the first time in life and 41% had a family income of more than 10 minimum wages.

Faced with the question of whether it was only the middle class protesting or dissatisfaction in this segment already reached to other economic statements, the sociologist Ruda Ricci says that the ideology of the middle class, especially in São Paulo, spreads, but also focuses on Aécio voters. “The economic crisis - worsened by the recession - is still making victims. The broth can thicken, but the profile data of the protesters have not thickened yet”, he says.

For Francisco Fonseca, a political scientist and pro-

fessor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation and the Catholic University, both in São Paulo, protesters on Sunday had a distinctly conservative profile, some being far-right, members of a middle class composed largely by liberal professionals. But for him, the brand of the demonstration was the low degree of politicization of those who took to the streets. “People on the 15th had, in general, an individualist, depoliticized profile and a very primary policy vision, so that over 70% of those who were there were for the first time in his life to a demonstration and with a wide agenda without a specific goal”, he argues.

The political scientist gives as an example the agenda of fighting corruption in the current system, discussed in order not to fight its causes, particularly private funding of political campaigns. “The organizers themselves are outsiders of Brazilian political life, have no vision of what is politics,” he comments. However, Fonseca warns of the “useful innocence” of the “rising middle classes”, for whom the role of government policies such as university financing, appreciation of the minimum wage, the expansion and consolidation of the internal market and the extension of credit is crucial to its social ascension.

These groups, generally called “New Class C”, tend to reproduce the speech of individual merit, forgetting that they are a result of political will, consolidated with public policies. Because of this come the discourse of the traditional middle classes and elites being “popularized”, which reverts what Fonseca considers an incremental reformist trend represented by the Workers Party’s centre-left – although in a contradictory manner – in favour of a “new right”.

For Gilberto Maringoni, professor at the Federal University of ABC and former candidate for São Paulo’s state government by Psol (Socialism and Freedom Party), the right is achieving success in bringing together a diffused discontent with the federal government and the blame would be the government itself. “The middle class was dominant in Sunday’s protests. But this sector only gained muscle because the worsening of living conditions”, he says.

He suggests that the series of measures taken after the re-election, especially the rise in interest rates and fiscal adjustment, can undermine the left in general.

“The perception is that life will get worse and worse starts to turn disappointment into anger. For most, the left is responsible for the situation because, in theory, the ruler party is a leftist party”

SOCIAL AND MAINSTREAM MEDIA The role of traditional Brazilian media in covering the protests of Sunday, 15 March was opposed by many social actors. In an unusual step, the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, for example, gave the “service” of the demonstrations, guiding its readers. But the main criticism fell on Rede Globo and its closed TV channel, Globo News.

In Fonseca’s opinion, the disservice to democracy that the apparatus of radio and television stations – which are public concessions, it never hurts to remember – and the major newspapers and magazines do is crucial to the establishment of a depoliticized vision from part of the protesters. Thus, the “classist interest” that motivates the defense of privileges, mani-

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

This article was originally published at Revista Forum Semanal magazine (www.revistaforum.com.br), and edited by Brasil Observer g

One avenue, distinctive ideas.

According to Datafolha, demonstration of 13 March (first picture) had 40,000 people on the streets of Sao Paulo and on the 15th, more than 200,000 PAULO PINTO/FOTOS PÚBLICAS

fests along with the generalizing de-politicization, reflection disability and lack of social solidarity. The political scientist coined the protesters as “media sons”.

“Although the organizational process had been done by some outsiders (groups like Movimento Brasil Livre and Revoltados Online), Sunday demonstrations were inflated and coordinated by the largest private media companies, especially the Rede Globo”, points Fonseca.

However, as occurred during the presidential race in 2014, social networks have been the main tools of these outsiders, serving both to the right and to the left. One of the leading names in mapping social networks in Brazil is Professor Fabio Malini, from the Federal University of Espirito Santo. He created a fan page that, for three months, liked only pages associated with conservative political criticism. Then, using the Netvizz (a Facebook plugin), requested that the system identified each of these fan pages that it followed.

According to the researcher, the 15M movement in Brazil was composed by a set of 360 pages, and the editorial line was defined in propagating anticommunism (1), the fight against corruption and for military intervention (2) and the street mobilization for demonstrations (3). The network 1 is formed by fan pages that constitute their defense of family values, free market and morality; network 2 has more militaristic vocation, with a mix of patriotic principles and deep denial of communism and the Workers Party. The network 3 was less dense because it is a newcomer, composed by the main organizers of the demonstrations on 15 March, which are the Movimento Brasil Livre and the Revoltados Online.

In one of the mappings on the pages that called for police violence, lynching, death of “leftists” and new military coup, there has been a combination of these pages with others like “Dilma Rousseff No” and “Movement Against Corruption”, that is, pages that arise in the field of more reactionary right

of the country. Malini says that the apparent failure in the control of corruption feeds the de-politicization, which is the fuel for the haters’ pages. The researcher argues, however, that the de-politicization is not just a process produced by “repressive” but by successive governments steeped in scandal and that is woven by cynical political relations on behalf of governance.

Questions and answers about the financing of election campaigns There is a consensus that the current system, the focus of several corruption cases, is problematic, but not on how to reform it. The debate in Congress is underway and changes in the rules of campaign financing can be made if a political reform is approved. Read some questions and answers on the subject g

THE WAY OUT The sociologist Ruda Ricci says that the left has been weakened because it is in power. “The left cannot be confused with government or become populist as in many Latin American countries,” he says.

Guilherme Boulos, national coordinator of the Homeless Workers Movement, “the solution to the crisis is not austerity, but a popular reform program”.

“Speaking adjustment should be speaking in taxation of large fortunes, tax reform, audit of public debt,” said Boulos, who says that political reform, in particular the end of private funding campaign, has become an answer to popular dissatisfaction.

For Fonseca, some adjustments are necessary, but without interfering with certain agendas. “You can make some adjustments, such as lower subsidy, but do not need and cannot, in my view, reduce labour and social rights.

You can decrease the credit for the people purchase a car, but not decrease the unemployment security,” he explains.

While the question of whether the right will continue mobilized and taking to the streets remains unanswered (the next anti-government demonstration was scheduled for 12 April), the greater certainty for now is that the Dilma Rousseff ’s government must be strengthened urgently, being necessary to look less for the 15 and over to those of the 13 March – they are the same who made the difference in the second round of 2014 and that may be her only support base facing the inevitable attacks that will continue until the end of her term.

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Supreme Court was judging the constitutionality of campaign donations in Brazil. How did the trial end?

The trial has not finished. In 2014, the Supreme Court resumed the examination of an action from the Brazil’s Lawyers Order in which the entity claims that business donations are unconstitutional.

Six ministers agreed with the argument and one dismissed the action. Gilmar Mendes asked for views, paralyzing the trial. He has not returned it saying it is a matter of responsibility of the Congress.

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same election campaign for one or more parties and also for individual candidates. This allows companies to donate any party, in the opposition or not, whether in the cities, the states or the federal government. g

In the 2014 elections, private donations gave 5 billion reais to parties and candidates. Almost all were made by companies. g

How does the campaign financing work in the country?

Is there public money in Brazilian elections?

Yes. The public resources for political parties are distributed in two ways. Through the Parties Fund and through the tax exemption for radio and TV channels that broadcast the electoral propaganda. Between 2002 and 2014, television and radio stations received 4.4 billion reais in tax breaks to broadcast political programs.

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How does the distribution of Parties Fund work?

By law, 5% of the fund’s resources are divided equally between all parties. The remaining 95% is distributed in proportion to the votes of the last election to the Chamber of Deputies.

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Are companies allowed to donate to a candidate?

Yes, companies can donate in the

Are there links between businesses donations and corruption?

Yes. Almost all major corruption cases involve campaign donations. Contributions of this kind were part of the case that ended with the impeachment of former President Fernando Collor and the current Operation Lava Jato that investigates bribes in Petrobras.

What is the Parties Fund?

It is public money that sustains the political parties. In 2014 289.6 million reais were distributed to them. The reporter of the Union Budget for 2015, Senator Romero Juca (Brazilian Democratic Movement), introduced an amendment tripling the transfers. As a result, 32 political parties receive up to 867 million reais this year.

For businesses, is it good to finance political campaigns?

Yes. The study ‘The Spoils of Victory’, which examined donations for Workers Party’s candidates, concluded that companies that financed the party’s candidates for the Chamber of Deputies in 2006 received between 14 and 39 times more than the amount originally donated with contracts with the government in the subsequent years.

In Brazil, we adopt the mixed system. The parties can raise money through donations from businesses and individuals. g

What was the participation of companies in the last elections?

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Other countries have prohibited businesses donations?

In all, 39 countries, such as Portugal, France and Canada, prohibit companies to donate to politicians and political parties. Spain is also considering adopting the restriction.

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Is prohibiting businesses to donate effective to fight corruption?

It depends. The United States, for example, prohibit direct donations from companies, but allow companies to make campaigns for their candidates. Therefore, in practice, the restriction has no effect. For most experts, only stronger laws, government transparency and independence to investigate can inhibit corruption by public agents.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

CONECTANDO

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: COLLECTIVE REFLECTION IS MORE THAN NECESSARY In theory the WSF is committed to facilitating the self-governance of exchanges between movements, ideas and experiences of all progressive ideologies. Meanwhile, some have observed the gradual development of a hierarchy

By Henda Chennaoui, de Tunis g

g

Henda Chennaoui is a journalist freelancer and Tunisian activist.

This article was originally published on Nawaat (www.nawaat.org)

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

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AMINE GHRABI

T

The 2015 World Social Forum opened its doors for the second consecutive year in Tunisia. Since 2001, this open space represents an alternative to the World Economic Forum at Davos and declares its antiglobalization approach in the fight against capitalism and neoliberalism. At each session, participants and visitors express ideas and personal experiences to make their voices heard and learn how to improve their capacity for self-governance.

This year, participants were quick to voice their criticisms. Disappointed Forum-goers were clearly much greater in number this year than the last. Many including the WSF Steering Committee are perhaps not interested in experimenting with alternative forms of organization. In theory the WSF is committed to facilitating the self-governance of exchanges between movements, ideas, and experiences of all progressive ideologies.

Meanwhile, some have observed the gradual development of a hierarchy amongst WSF organizers and that a serious, collective reflection for future editions is more than necessary.

Egyptian writer and political activist Houssein Abdel Rahim has followed the WSF from its inception. “Everything began with the groundwork of the social movements in Brussels. At that time there was a union crisis. So Christophe Aguiton began to connect people with one another and to organize exchanges between activists. The following year, the communist party in Brazil attended the international Communist Manifesto celebration and requested the help of European leftists in the coming elections in Brazil. It was then that organizations decided to go to Porto Alegre to create the Forum. The Brazilian Communist Party won the elections and turned its focus to political power, but the WSF continued to gather each year. All of this to say that nothing changes as easily as one might imagine. The WSF has suffered from political manipulation since its inception”.

Abdel Rahima added that in spite of everything, the Forum succeeded in changing the form of the traditional left but not the foundation. “This carnival of activists is not really participative and democratic as it claims to be. The truth is that it follows the pyramid scheme. Big decisions are monopolized by the governing minority in the image of a capitalist system”.

Having participated only two times at the Forum, artist and movie director Khaled Ferjani observed that a sort of general depression hung over this year’s gathering.

“The disappointment and depression of Tunisians and Arabs this year is very real.

If last year assemblies and workshops were filled with Tunisians who wanted to change the country, this year they are more withdrawn and limited to the forum’s festivities. You see them everywhere dancing, singing, or filling the space with music turned to the highest volume. They are less drawn to political debates. I think it’s a direct reaction to the present political situation in Tunisia”.

The World Social Forum began in Brazil in 2001 and for the second year in a row was held in Tunis, Tunisia

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

AMINE GHRABI

Dodging many pending trials in Sidi Bouzid, activist Safouen Bouaziz took advantage of the event to see his friends and meet new people. Having missed the previous Forum for security reasons, this year was Safouen’s first encounter with the WSF. “I had a totally different idea of what the Forum was. I had imagined it to be more radical and anti-establishment. In reality, there are more reformists than revolutionaries. The festive and almost commercial atmosphere obscures the spirit of protest and rage that we should have in the face of the current global crisis”.

In the same way, Dragan Nicevic, leftist from Slovenia, explains that “the Forum’s common objective is no longer to change the global system and fight against capitalism but only to denounce the dangers of neoliberalism that drives the world in a chaotic crescendo. I don’t think that this is linked only with Tunisia but the world where progressive anti-establishment movements are undergoing a marked decline, with the exception of a few cases such as that of Greece”.

This year the Forum drew less participants and visitors than the last. One explanation might have been the inclement weather, or perhaps that this event took place in the same location as the last. Belgian activist Samuel Legros shared his opinion. “I think that a number of participants did not return because they have the impression that we are not really advancing towards a common vision and solid project. Even if the Forum forbids the deliberation of decisive measures or results, some of us have the need to elaborate a common anti-globalization project. The absence of a concrete result in the fight against neoliberalism creates a real frustration and triggers much criticism and reluctance. I am disappointed to see the Forum transform into some sort of fair where people come to show off their work, remain within their circle of knowledge and interest and leave without the littlest of changes”.

In one afternoon, dozens of volunteers protested to bring attention to difficult work conditions. One volunteer reported, “Because it rains every night, we don’t have a place to spend the night sheltered from the water that fills the tents. We don’t get dinner (one sandwich is served in the middle of the day), and those who go home at night fend for themselves”.

Composed of a majority of students and unemployed college graduates, the volunteer corps requires the support that the Steering Committee once offered but has apparently ceased to provide. “And yet, we know that the organization receives an incredible amount of financial backing”, another volunteer added.

Even if criticisms are many, the Forum retains a particular charm for regulars. “If self-criticism is always tolerated in the Forum, all changes remain possible and achievable. Converging different points of view is everyone’s objective and not just that of the Forum”, said Carminda, a member of the Canada delegation which is a prospective organizer for the Forum in 2016.

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

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B R A S I L O B S E R V E R

BRAZILIAN RAPPER PERFORMS IN LONDON THIS MONTH. CHECK OUT AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BRASIL OBSERVER >> PGS. 22 AND 23

DIVULGATION

A D I C I M ECOMES TO RHYME

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

GUIDE

MAKING ART IN BRAZIL IS A WORK OF RESISTANCE With a concert scheduled for 24 April in London, Emicida gives an exclusive interview to Brasil Observer about his music, his way of seeing national rap and makes no exception when talking about the burning political situation in the country

By Gabriela Lobianco

London has nothing to complain about when it comes to Brazilian music. The city has become an obligatory stop on the tours of Brazil’s main artists, both contemporary and old school (see cultural tips on pages 26 and 27). This month, Leandro Roque de Oliveira, better known as Emicida, a national rap top talent, will play in London.

Grown in Sao Paulo’s freestyling underground battle scene, Emicida sold many mixtapes hand to hand until he reached fame. And he has done it thanks to the melodically diverse and progressive sound he produces. His latest album, ‘O Glorioso Retorno de Quem Nunca Esteve Aqui’ (The glorious return of who was never here), mixes rap with samba, soul and funk, among other rhythms, giving to the political and social letters an even more comprehensive approach.

In this interview, Emicida speaks on his expectation for the second visit to London, the difficulties of making art in Brazil, the face of the national rap and without dodging shows the political tone of his work.

The ticket price for the concert in London is from 15 pounds. Last year, you did a show in São Paulo for 50 reais. What do you think of cultural event prices in Brazil?

In April you present your show in London for the second time. How did this invitation come and what are your expectations?

It’s been two years since the release of your last album. Are you planning to launch a new project in 2015?

We already had a few dates in Europe and managed to put London on the agenda. It is a place we visit little compared to Berlin and Lisbon. London has an interesting scene. I love grime and dubstep. My expectation is to take some of these people to see the merger we do between Brazilian music and things that come from the north. And be able to have a look at this London scene that interests me a lot.

Do you feel that your work is well known in Europe? And what about England, what kind of audience are you expecting?

I think I still have much work to do, if the intention is to become better known in Europe. We have to work a lot with the atmosphere of the music and the impact of the performance; like in Denmark, Switzerland and Germany, where the language is completely different. We get a very varied audience, people who like rap, some people who like Brazil. Brazil is blessed because people like a lot of Brazilian music and they are interested in escaping the stereotype.

First I cannot give an opinion whether 15 pounds is high or low, as I don’t live in London. But what happens in Brazil is that culture becomes elitist. When people have the opportunity to raise the price, they do it, unfortunately. Making art in Brazil is a work of resistance. And I’m not talking only for the group to which I belong. I’m talking about culture in general, even the mainstream artists. Sometimes you have a mega show, and to make it work you need to charge a little more expensive for tickets. We strive to do it in a way that everyone leaves satisfied. This fight for a cool show at an affordable price we embody. But it’s hard. Some things are already long-established and people somehow have the habit of thinking that something expensive is automatically good.

And this is not true.

I have been recording in a quite exhaustive way. I’m practically living in the studio. We want to put a new project on the street now in 2015, passing through Africa and ending with recordings in Brazil. All this will create the new project that has no name yet. It is a marriage and a return to origins for me and all the people who work with me.

‘O Glorioso Retorno...’ was your first studio work. What has changed since ‘Triunfo’, your first hit?

A lot has changed. We’re talking about a gap of almost ten years. My head has changed with the experiences I had that when I was living in a slum. It was like a prison. My vision was based on the realities in which I lived. ‘Triunfo’ is from someone who has twenty-something. The ‘Glorioso’ is the perspective of someone who is close to thirties. I think some keys are important to continue beating, others I think are cool to change. I do not even call ‘Triunfo’ a hit. A hit is a song played a lot on the radio. ‘Triunfo’, if it was a hit, was underground, a kind of injection of

self-esteem for those who love Brazilian rap, who felt with the music that the rap was not down.

The album has contributions from artists like Rael, Pitty, MC Guime, Juçara Marcal, Fabiana Cozza, Wilson das Neves... People with very different styles. Are you influences eclectic?

The Brazilian people are eclectic. Segregation in our country is so aggressive that people talk about each other as if they are in different universes and do not cross paths every day. I grew up with people who liked samba, rockers, skaters, gays...

Everybody was on the street, everyone connecting, exchanging ideas, and talking about various universes. What brought me here was this compendium of various influences of various types, various conflicts.

Regardless of Fabiana Cozza and MC Guime have opposite perspectives, I see the heart of the two in their music. And I like when we can synchronize things in a way that their heart is beating together in my music. Both have their truths and I add my own, so we tell a real story, showing a plurality that our television, our radio and our entertainment do not show.

Who else would you like to partner?

I admire many artists. Djavan... There’s a girl here in Latin America, the Puerto Rican Calma Carmona. Nneka, who is from Nigeria and lives in the United States.

There is a girl in Portugal called Capicua, she is very nice too. Without counting the more traditional ones. I really like the traditional music of the places. For the next album I could catch things of the places we passed, Cape Verde and Angola. I am very interested in music that was made before I got here. If I speak of Brazilian artists, the list is too big. We better jump it.

What is the face of Brazilian rap today?

I do not think we have to hit that key which is the face of music we do. I think if there’s one thing we learned is that hip-hop is a plural culture. You will find various types of music, artist and style. Maybe the market holds a particular type of rap is not rap that is made mostly in the country. In Brazil, we have a great range of styles. It is similar to the United States. Hip-hop is plural.

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

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EMICIDA – LA LINEA FESTIVAL When: 24 April – 8pm Where: Rich Mix (35-47 Bethnal Green Road) Tickets: £18, £15 advanced Info: www.comono.co.uk/la-linea

What do you think of the political landscape that Brazil is experiencing at the moment, with the manifestations against Dilma Rousseff?

It is a delicate moment. This fight for a third round in Brazil after last year’s election shows that some keys of the Brazilian social structure are really turning and it displeases a portion of the population that is small, but that has control of the media. We know that in Brazil the communication is in the hands of four, five, six families. It does not change. I think the people have to go to the street, have to protest, have to hit... My question is that Sao Paulo is without water, and the governor Geraldo Alckmin does not come out on the cover of newspapers. The corruption cases involving the Workers Party come out on cover, but the metro cartel in São Paulo, the HSBC list, everyone speaks softly. That worries me.

London has an interesting scene.

I love grime and dubstep. My expectation is to take some of these people to see the marriage we do between Brazilian music and things that come from the north

We want to put a new project on the street in 2015, passing through Africa and ending in Brazil

Hip-hop in Brazil is a very plural culture. You will find various types of music, artist and style

DIVULGATION

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

GUIDE

THE WOOD’S CRY Do you want to know how it feels to be in Brazil without even leaving London? So take note: Clube do Choro UK

By Gabriel Noleto e Andressa Moreno

Clube do Choro UK meets every month to celebrate the Brazilian culture.

Visit www.clubedochoro.co.uk

The guitar (or violão, in Portuguese) joined the trombone, which was blinking to the pandeiro (percussion instrument symbol of samba), which was dancing to the flute. Is that choro? Yes, it is! This unique rhythm predecessor of samba, choro, in Portuguese, means cry, because of the sounds that come from the instruments on the circle, or roda, as we say in Brazil: roda de choro.

After I had stepped off the bus and crossed the Delancey Street portal, I breathed as if I was in Brazil. I felt the warm breeze of my land.

So here I have to say that if you miss Brazil (just in case you have already been there) or want to know how it feels to be there, take note: 3-7 Delancey Street, The Forge. And also: Clube do Choro UK. These guys are bambas, as we say, which means master of samba, who gets together every last Saturday of the month to celebrate Brazilian culture. Its current project is called Lapa in London, which aims to bring Rio de Janeiro’s bohemian neighbourhood to the heart of Camden Town.

This was just the first one. The next is on 25 April. The bus 31 waits me.

GABRIEL NOLETO

On 28 March, the number 31 bus picked me up at Notting Hill and left me at Camden Town. I stepped out on the surroundings of Delancey Street. A quickly walk and there was I in front of what seemed to be a portal that would take me far away. But to where? I found out 12 hours later. This was the period I had been dreaming in the middle of London and its cold winds.

It was 11 in the morning when I left the bus. A door made of glass gave me the feeling of a boarding gate. There wasn’t any modern Airbus though. After cross threshold between the real and the dream, I saw myself inside a spaceship made of wood, the wood of the guitar.

Instead of flight routes, musical notes and chords. A musical map capable of bring me back to home.

The cold breeze from outside had no place inside. I took off my coat immediately. The heat was coming from the wood that, as said the great Brazilian singer João Nogueira, “quando morre, canta”, or, in English, “when dies, sing”. And to be honest, my dear João, here in London, even with an ocean in the middle of our hearts, the wood sang and sang well!

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

CULTURAL TIPS

MUSIC TROPKILLAZ When: 10 April Where: KOKO (1a Camden High Street) Tickets: £5.95 (inc. 0.95 fees) Info: www.koko.uk.com

Tropkillaz are the duo of Brazil’s top producers from the old and new school: DJ Zegon and Laudz. The result of their collaboration is an intense collection of club bangers that blend many styles from trap and bass music with electro, hip hop, and latin, creating a unique tropical bass sound & style. Support comes from Afrikan Boy. His MC -style is somewhere between Grime, HipHop and Afrobeat, and his music has been influenced by the likes of Fela, Style Plus, Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A and Yvone Chaka Chaka. MC on the night will be The Kemist – a hot new Jamaican artist that fuses witty lyrics with infectious melodies and bass heavy beats to create party anthems.

LUCAS SANTTANA When: 5 May Where: Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall Tickets: £12.50 Info: www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Lucas Santtana is at the heart of Brazilian pop’s new sound. The genre is currently undergoing a revolution, with the influence of Western pop and rock replaced by the pulse of Africa and rhythms snatched from Latin America’s postdictatorial identity. At this concert Santtana will be performing songs from his new album, Sobre Noites e Dias. It is Santtana’s sixth album and he worked with a variety of collaborators, and picks up from where his last record, The God Who Devastates Also Cures. Once again he combines acoustic with electronic, switching between reflection and something more visceral: the hustle of the city followed by the countryside’s gentle whisper.

FLÁVIA COELHO When: 18 May Where: Rich Mix (35-47 Bethnal Green Road) Tickets: £15 Info: www.richmix.org.uk

Working in the traditions of samba and bossa nova, Flavia Coelho is a versatile Brazilian singer who effortlessly blends rhythm and genres. Having lived outside of Brazil since 2006, when she moved to Paris, Flavia charmed the critics with her first album, Bossa Muffin, which had a very positive impact in the UK, she has since performed at the London Jazz Festival and Womad in 2013. In 2015, Flavia Coelho is back in London to open the Serious Space Shoreditch festival, a week after the release of her new album, Mundo Meu. The new work reveals a vision of a comprehensive world, with the mixture of diverse rhythms such as funk, afrobeat, forró and samba.

CAETANO VELOSO & GILBERTO GIL When: 1 July Where: Eventim Apollo (45 Queen Caroline Street) Tickets: £45.75–£67.75 Info: www.eventim.co.uk

Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil need no introduction: they are very well established names of Brazilian Popular Music. In July, the two take to the stage in very rare appearance in London. The city, in fact, is part of their personal and artistic trajectories. In the late 1960s to early 1970s, after the peak of the Brazilian Tropicália musical movement and during Brazil’s darkest years of the civil-military dictatorship, Caetano and Gil spent a period of exile in the British capital. From that time, both hold memories that will surely be remembered in the form of stories and songs. The public should ask Caetano to sing “London, London” – an icon from that time.

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

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ART O RAPPA When: 11 July Where: Electric Brixton (Town Hall Parade) Tickets: £25 Info: www.electricbrixton.uk.com

O Rappa returns to London on 11 July, after a 6-year absence from the UK. An apt name for a tour by one of Brazil’s hardest working, and most acclaimed bands, Nunca Tem Fim… (‘it never ends’) is also the name of their current album. The band will perform songs from the album as well as classics to commemorate 20 years of life on the road. With Nunca Tem Fim, O Rappa has given a voice to the Brazilian working class; the day-to-day struggles and the necessary strength required to overcome them. To accompany this, melodies are swathed in dub, reggae, rock and hip -hop. At the heart is the band’s desire to fuse new technologies with their existing sound.

DONA ONETE When: 24-26 July Where: Womad Festival (Charlton Park, Malmesbury) Tickets: £165 for the weekend Info: www.womad.co.uk

Some people leave things till late in life. The late-blooming Brazilian singer Dona Onete only recorded her debut album (Feitiço Caboclo, with Mais Um Discos) once she’d passed her 73rd birthday. To be fair, she’d been busy, devoting her life to being a history professor in her Amazonian hometown.

But now, with no more lectures to give or essays to mark, her second career is well underway, that voice allowed to fly free, to soar and seduce. And that long-awaited debut was well worth the wait, a record that showcased a lively performer on the brass-heavy numbers and a singer of depth and restraint on the more contemplative material. Hers is an irresistible story.

PUT YOUR EYE IN YOUR MOUTH When: Until 23 May Where: White Cube (Manson’s Yard) Info: www.whitecube.com

Christian Rosa’s sparse and eloquent abstract paintings function like automatic writing, built up from individual elements on large expanses of raw, untreated canvas.

The paintings in this exhibition (Put Your Eye in Your Mouth) continue his process of discovery, visible in direct and deft compositions that contain both the building blocks for pictorial narrative as well as the methods for their own deconstruction. In these new works, minimal mark-making in oil, charcoal, pencil, resin and oil stick and a reduction of visible brushwork create works that are improvisational in appearance, holding their balanced elements in an arresting visual tension.

PANGAEA II: NEW ART FROM AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA When: Until 6 September Where: Saatchi Gallery (Duke Of York’s HQ, King’s Road) Info: www.saatchigallery.com

Saatchi Gallery brings together the work of 19 international artists, in the second instalment of the museum-scale survey of two major continents. One of them is Brazilian Eduardo Berliner’s series that utilises the tension between painting and the image to question the authenticity of memory from direct experience, creating renderings of living things, scenes from the natural world, plant forms, pets, people, and domestic scenes and the unintentional invention of the image as truth. The paintings are a residue of the artist’s attempt to de-fragment an event, the work is merely residual, an invention of subjective human consciousness with a slight feel of David Hockney.

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

COLUMNISTS

FRANKO FIGUEIREDO

WITH FREEDOM COMES RESPONSIBILITY Recently, I took a couple of Brazilian friends on a tour of London and then watch Memphis, the musical. Just as we were about to head to the theatre, they asked me if we could go back to the hotel so that they could get ready. They argued they needed to change clothing. Trust me, they were fine. I was surprised to hear one of them tell me that he could never do that in Brazil because firstly, he would be denied entrance if he wore shorts and secondly, people would stare at him if he was dressed down for the evening.

I didn’t think much of it until later when my friends wouldn’t stop making comparisons between what they had observed in London and what they regularly experience in Brazil. Their list included: London had no gated communities, people parked their cars on the streets, most homes had no private residential garages, houses had no protective bars in their windows; drivers respected pedestrian crossings; the police didn’t carry guns; cycling seems to be a cool thing that didn’t define your social status; people seemed to be free to wear whatever they wanted; etc.

“I feel so much freer here than in Brazil.” one of them said.

Perhaps they were feeling like that because we had just seen Memphis, the musical, or perhaps not.

Memphis is based on a true story of the forbidden love of Huey, a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and Felicia, a black singer who wants a big break. It is set in 1950s Memphis, when intolerance and inequality reigned. With the tensions of the racial segregation as a background, the songs convey the moral urgency of the freedom struggle, while expressing and helping to sustain the courage of the ordinary people who were at the heart of it.

Freedom was not easy or quick to attain.

Contemporary philosopher Zygmunt Bauman explains that ‘to feel free means to experience no hindrance, obstacle, resistance or any other impediment to the moves intended or desired’. He then argues, following Schopenhauer, that feeling free from constraint means reaching a balancing act between one’s wishes and the stubborn indifference of the world to one’s intentions. This balance might be achieved in two ways: either through expanding one’s capacity to act or through limiting one’s desires.

In Memphis, neither Huey nor Felicia are free as the community does not accept their relationship. The intolerance of that community creates the cage where many are locked in. Their options are to either flee to New York where people are more understanding (expanding their capacity to act), or limiting themselves to a hidden rela-

Memphis is based on a true story of the forbidden love of a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black singer who wants a big break.

Freedom was not easy to attain

tionship (limiting their desire). If individuals of their community were a little more tolerant and respectful, the whole crisis could have been averted.

Nelson Mandela believed that ‘to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others’. And Marxism defends that freedom is the right and capacity of people to determine their own actions, in a community, which is able to provide for the full development of human potential.

And if we are free to act and express ourselves, but are afraid that our actions or opinions will be a cause for criticism, disapproval or even physical or verbal violence, one might feel that they are NOT truly free. Thus, we might conclude that it is not the government nor the police, but WE as individuals, members of a community, who create the limitations or expansions to our freedom.

Perhaps what my friends were seeing here in London was not a society that was freer, but a society where choices and ethical values are different: one tends to obey societal rules because they make our lives easier (i.e. as simple as respecting pedestrian crossings); it is not the police who create order, we do it, it is our responsibility, the police’s job is to invigilate it.

With every choice we make a cause, with each cause comes a consequence with freedom comes responsibility.

g

Franko Figueiredo is artistic director and associate producer of StoneCrabs Theatre Company

DIVULGATION

It is not the government nor the police, but we as individuals who create the limitations or expansions to our freedom

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

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COLUMNISTS

RICARDO SOMERA

WHAT I SAW AT LOLLAPALOOZA BRAZIL Best and strangest of new British bands, Alt-J is better live than in the studio. Jack White concert was memorable I am among those who, even though determined to attend a concert, waits until the last moment to buy tickets.

It was no different with Lollapalooza Brazil, in São Paulo, in late March. I woke up ‘early’ and took the train to Interlagos, a peripheral neighbourhood.

After walking a lot to find the ticket office, I finally heard something; it was the Banda do Mar group playing. The main intention of mine, however, was to see my favourite British band of the moment: Alt-J. At 15:55, Joe Newman, Thom Green and Gus Unger-Hamilton entered the stage to the sound of Hunger of Pine. Sold out on the previous day, the band was my main reason to go to Lollapalooza 2015 – and worth the 340 reais. The best and strangest of new British bands is even better live than on their albums. The songs Tessellate, Matilda and Something Good were

sung by most of the Brazilian audience and many of them, indeed, were there exclusively (or almost) because of them. The Breezeblocks song, under a pleasant sunny day, closed my first show of the day on a high note.

On another day, I might have run to see Kasabian on the other stage, but on this occasion I preferred to eat a roast salmon sandwich. The food options have improved since the festival lost the sponsorship of a readyto-eat burger of dubious quality. Like last year, the festival has increased its structure and brands have invested in more creative marketing.

I confess, I know little about Led Zeppelin, but I knew Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters would not let me down. I spent the show lying on the grass, but it was clear that Robert Plant was there to give a rock class. Many people, like me, did not

believe that he could make a crowd jump and shake. But he did.

At 21:15, it was the turn of Jack White to take to the stage accompanied by Dominic Davis (bass), Dean Fertita (keyboards), Fats Kaplin (guitar), Daru Jones (drums) and Lillie Mae Rische (violin), beginning his presentation with Icky Thump, the last album of White Stripes.

I’m a fan of White Stripes and Raconteurs, but do not follow the solo career of Jack White. By the way, I don’t know if soil would be a good word.

What I saw at the show was a conductor of an amazing band, a bridge between classic and cutting edge. The lights, the scenery and the talent of the musicians were impeccable. Even without knowing all the songs, it was a memorable moment for me.

The violinist Lillie Mae Rische is charming not only for her talent and

beauty, but also by the charisma in each note played on the violin and the great harmony with Jack on stage.

The most memorable moment for me was when the band played Temporary Ground, from the Lazaretto album.

The audience who follows the artist since Seven Nations Army burst was waiting anxiously for the song. When they started the first chords was like I had been transported to an indie party from a decade ago. People crying, jumping, screaming... People who had not the slightest doubt that Jack White is the greatest ever.

Regarding the presentation of Bastille – which closed the Lollapalooza Brazil on another stage – I’m sorry. I’ll see them next time. g

Ricardo Somera é publicitário e você pode encontrá-lo no Twitter @ souricardo e Instagram @outrosouricardo

515 years: Happy birthday Brazil!

April is a month to celebrate Brazil! 515 years ago, the 22nd April was officially marked by the arrival of the Portuguese ships in the new born country. They anchored in Bahia, northeast region, where later on they founded Porto Seguro.

More than 500 years ago, Europeans were crossing the Atlantic Ocean in search of a brave new world. Today, for various reasons, it is the Brazilians who land in European soil to discover new opportunities.

Casa Brasil, serving the Brazilian community for the past 26 years, takes this opportunity to congratulate our vast country, blessed by nature, and all Brazilians who live in the UK and make Brazil an even richer nation, although being thousands of miles away.

To feel closer to Brazil in this April 22, rend a visit to Casa Brasil, at Queensway Market. In addition to the full range of Brazilian and Latin American products, Casa Brasil open up a new space to promote Brazilian Artists. In April it is Eunice Pascali whom features unique ceramic work. The exhibition runs until April 30.

Stay tuned for news at www.facebook.com/casabrasillondres, or check the website www.casabrasillondres.co.uk

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brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

TRAVEL

KERALA: GOD’S OWN COUNTRY

By Ana Beatriz Freccia Rosa g

If God had a home, it would be Kerala,, considered one of the most beautiful regions of India, surrounded by waters and coconut trees and with a rich cultural mix.

Located in south-western India, Kerala has one of the country’s highest human development indexes and is one of the safest and cleanest regions to visit. Its 14 districts are intersected by the Great Backwaters channels so wherever you go, you are always be surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Without the fame of the great Mumbai, the temples of Rajasthan or the the Taj Mahal is, Kerala is a region where tourists are welcomed with a great sen-

se of authentic Indian culture. With coconut trees, lakes and rivers, prepare to see magnificent evenings and nature everywhere, and the beautiful smiles of happy people along the way.

Visiting Kerala brings a fantastic opportunity to be close to nature, taste unique flavours and be reborn in a new India. For those who already know the country and its chaotic and noisy cities, Kerala is the end of the road. It is here that you will enjoy the calm after the chaos, walking on the banks of rivers and lakes or relaxing on the beaches - Kovallam and Cherai are the most famous, but best not dream of cocktails as alcoholic drinks are prohibited here.

For those looking for a unique expe-

rience on the water, you can admire the views from a houseboat, hopping on and off to experience local markets, festivals and see the rice fields. When you return the boaters prepare a meal with the fresh market produce. Dinner includes fish, fried bananas, salad with coconut and vegetables cooked with spices and sauces recommended by Ayurvedic medicine.

If you are interested in well being and health, don’t miss the wonderful pharmacies, stacked with natural products. There are also many opportunities to have Ayurvedic massages, created in India that align your doshas and alleviate any problems. Recognised by the WHO (World Health Organization), Ayurveda treats the balance of

the individual and not the disease.

There is a lot to see here, from the great natural beauty including the Periyar National Park, to the expansive Munnar tea plantations. The area is also scattered with Hindu temples, Catholic churches or synagogues, relics from Inda’s colonial past. The culture here is a perfect blend of the old continent and Asia, with its colours and various influences. This is especially present in the areas rich food culture, with good coffee and plenty of tea, food made with locally grown spices - and you can do as the locals and try to eat with your hands.

More than all of this, Kerala is full of smiling and happy people awaiting your arrival in any village. Namaskaran.

brasilobserver.co.uk | April 2015

g

Ana Beatriz Freccia Rosa is a journalist and writes her travel stories on the blog www.omundoqueeuvi.com.

The trip to India is at the invitation of Kerala Tourism, the official organ of the region, which awarded 30 travel bloggers from 21 countries in a competition. All expenses were covered by #KeralaBlogExpress project.

ANA BEATRIZ FRECCIA ROSA

Those who take a journey through the wonderful region will be welcomed to paradise

DIVULGATION

The colours, flavours and smiles of an India to be discovered by those who want to relax and discover new cultures

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