Adventures of a Gringa

Brazil's Soft Power

With President Dilma Rousseff's Washington visit coming on Monday, everyone's talking about Brazil as a rising power with growing political and economic clout. Brazil has traditionally been a soft power country, given its history of diplomacy, a focus on non-intervention, and its role as a mediator. Now that it's a rising global power, some think it is neglecting cultural promotion, one of its greatest assets. But since Brazil is a champion of soft power, there's an important question: should Brazil work to expand its soft power, or focus on hard power?

BBC published a series of articles on the subject today, arguing that while Brazil already has a great deal of soft power, it could adopt a more coherent, streamlined approach to promoting culture abroad. It also posits that promoting Brazilian culture can help Brazil's economy. Tovar Nunes da Silva, the spokesperson for Itamaraty, said, "We consciously opted against militarization. We're one of few countries in the world where our national hero is a diplomat and not a general. We don't have a choice--our history is soft power." But singer Gilberto Gil, the former minister of culture, believes Brazil is neglecting culture as its international profile has grown. "Since Brazil is becoming more powerful and vocal, its soft power has to grow at the same proportion as hard power," he said.

With an eye on expanding the economy, trying to get a seat on the UN Security Council, and pushing for a greater say at international institutions, is it worth investing in music, literature, movies, fashion, and tourism? From my perspective, it is. First of all, Brazil's boom may not last; it wouldn't be the first time. Brazil's political power may hinge on its economic power, and though there's a lot of confidence that the country has finally reached a level of stability, it's also risky to depend on the commodity portion of its economic success. One of Brazil's greatest assets is its culture and people, and they'll be there no matter what happens to the economy or in international politics.

Controlling the promotion of culture is easier than the complex and gradual consolidation of hard power, and can be less dependent on government. Hard power is also dependent on external factors, whereas Brazil has much more control over promoting its culture abroad. Soft power can have an immediate impact, whereas hard power is built over time. The appetite for Brazilian culture, particularly music, is large and growing in the United States and Europe, but there's plenty of room for more promotion, tours, and exposure. Another plus to promoting Brazilian culture abroad is that it can have reverberations back in Brazil, since when something or someone from Brazil becomes popular outside of the country, they'll then get more love at home. (see: cachaça, Havaianas, etc.) Brazil still imports a lot of popular culture, particularly movies and music, and putting more value on homegrown artists would be a good thing.

Tourism is another factor in soft power, something that the government has put a lot of investment into in terms of PR, especially leading up to the World Cup and the Olympics. While it's important to bring foreigners to Brazil, it's just as important to bring Brazil to the world. One of the best ways to get people interested in traveling to Brazil is by having them fall in love with it before they even get there.

Finally, it's not just culture that can figure into soft power. Science without Borders, the Brazilian government's scholarship program to send 75,000 students abroad to study science, math, and engineering, is a fascinating mix of hard and soft power. On the one hand, it's an investment in Brazil's economic future, but on the other, a diplomatic program that sees people-to-people interactions as vital to Brazil's international role.

Michel Teló and Brazilian Identity

Michel Teló has become something of a Justin Bieber figure in Brazil: a wildly popular singer who is also reviled by those who see him as cheesy or untalented. But his fame has spread well beyond Brazil, from Europe to the Middle East. The sertanejo (country music) singer's hit "Ai Se Eu Te Pego," (If I Get You) a short, incredibly catchy hit combined with simple choreography, has become a worldwide hit, appearing in Youtube videos in various languages and starring in not one but two Israeli videos (one of soldiers in uniform dancing, and another in a political satire music video). Videos of how to do the choreography are also all over the web. The song became the top selling song on iTunes in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Chile, and Argentina, and according to Época, it is now the most-listened to Brazilian song in Youtube history. It also was in the top 10 in Belgium, Germany, France, Holland, Poland, and Switzerland.

 

Part of the reason for the song's worldwide popularity is because several famous athletes danced to the choregraphy to celebrate wins or in the locker room, namely Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, as well as Rafael Nadal. After that, soccer players from Brazil, Europe and Turkey starting using the dance to celebrate goals. Denver Nuggets players from Brazil, Spain, Italy, Greece, Russia, and the U.S. also danced to the song in a video shot at the team gym.

The popularity of both the song and the singer lie partially in the soccer connection, as well as the shared cultural lines between Latin America and Europe. Though Teló released the song today in English, it seems unlikely it will gain much traction in North America, but it does seem possible he'll continue to maintain his fame, at least for a little while, in Europe and South America.

 

Despite Brazilians' varying opinions on Teló and his music, it seems he's an example of the enormous potential of Brazilian soft power. As Forbes columnist Anderson Antunes points out in a profile on Teló, several Brazilian stars have tried to go global without success. While many Teló fans may not even understand the song lyrics, or even know what kind of music he sings (I've seen several references to Ai Se Eu Te Pego as "samba"), they know he's from Brazil.

Brazil isn't just seen as an economic heavyweight, or a growing political power in the developing world. Part of its power lies in soft power, of which cultural exports beyond soccer and Carnival could become increasingly more important. From 2005 to 2010, Brazil's soft power ranking doubled, making it the soft power leader in Latin America in 2010 and the 4th most powerful among developing countries. Brazilians were ranked as the second "coolest" nationality, based on an international 2011 survey by website Badoo. A 2011 country branding index measuring the degree to which people admire other countries based on a number of factors--including culture--put Brazil in 20th place, the highest among developing countries. Even international Google search queries about Brazil are on the rise. With the World Cup and Olympics approaching, there are even more opportunities for Brazilian stars to make it big abroad, especially in Europe.

Despite the international appeal, elements of Brazilian popular culture like Michel Teló are somewhat controversial in Brazil. A growing middle class has created something of a cultural divide between the traditional middle class and the new "C class." Music like Teló's represents the new middle class, one from suburban or rural areas with an affinity for entertainment traditionally popular among the working class. In other words, while Brazil's lower income families expand their wealth through increased wages and more employment opportunities, their cultural preferences tend to stay the same, which can make the old middle class elite uncomfortable. But as with other Brazilian cultural trends that began amongst the country's poor or working classes, it can also gradually permeate the country's culture. Sociologist Heloísa Buarque de Hollanda explained in an article about Teló that Teló's music came from a part of society that now has greater legitimacy, and that this part of society from city outskirts and from rural areas have begun to have a greater influence on culture and consumption. Says the article: "The periphery has become a center of innovation in music, behavior, and even fashion."

In an opinion piece entitled "Is Brazil embarrassed by Brazil?" for website Brainstorm9, tech entrepreneur Bob Wollheim explains how Teló's popularity, particularly through social media, has exposed this cultural tension:

"It's interesting that social media has become an enormous mirror for us, a huge window where we are all exposed, everything there for whoever wants to look. The subjects are naked! Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, it doesn't matter where we are, we're there ridiculing our own idiosyncracies, our ways, our flexible ethics, our 'do as I say, not as I do,' our Gerson's law, our Brazilian jeitinho, our musical and literary tastes, our humor, our education, our religion, our syncretism, our habits, our customs, our languages, our prejudices, our racism, our originality, our inventiveness, in other words - all of our Brazilianness!"

So while Spaniards and Turks sing "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" and German soccer players dance to Michel Teló, they're unaware that one of Brazil's latest cultural phenomena is actually revealing an long-debated question about what "real" Brazilian culture should be--and whether to celebrate it or reject it.

Q&A With Anderson Antunes

Anderson Antunes is a Brazilian journalist based in Europe who writes the South American Way blog for Forbes, focusing on current events in Brazil. He's a thoughtful and perceptive observer of Brazilian trends, culture, and news, and he's written about everything from jewelry heists to supermodel Gisele, from movies to lawsuits. He also writes about famous Brazilians, from Eike Batista to Rafinha Bastos. In addition to the blog, he uses Twitter to share information about Brazil. I asked him a few questions about his career and his thoughts on how Brazil is covered in the international press.

Tell me a little bit about your career. What got you interested in journalism, and how'd you end up at Forbes?

I became a journalist in 2005. I’ve always been interested in news and everything related to it. During my high school years, I spend a lot of time studying the period in which Fernando Collor was the president of Brazil, for an essay that I was writing at the time, and, as a result, I had to do a lot of research. I used to spend entire afternoons at my school’s library going through their archives of magazines like Veja and IstoÉ, reading everything about that particular time of Brazil’s history. I guess it was love at first sight and that was when I knew I had to become a journalist. I’ve written, either as a freelance journalist or as a contributing writer, for several publications in the United States, the UK and Brazil. Right now I also work as a contributor for Glamurama, writing for both their website and some of their magazines, such as Poder. Forbes came to me asking if I was interested in writing about Brazil, from a ‘Brazilian living abroad’ point of view. I just had to say yes.

You write a lot about Brazil in English for an international audience. What do you think it's important for foreign readers to know about Brazil?

Well, there’s a lot of interest in Brazil and all things Brazilian right now. That’s why I was asked by Forbes to write on things related to my native country. I’m not exactly covering politics or economics, as a lot of other people are doing exactly that. My goal is to give a glimpse to worldwide readers of what attracts Brazilians' interest, what’s news around there and why that’s relevant in a global scenario.

You've written about women's issues and gay rights. Why are those important topics in terms of news in Brazil?

I guess Brazil is growing at a very fast pace, not only economically but also socially. Those issues are very present in Brazilians' lives today, but they are still seen as some sort of taboo. I have the chance to analyze all that from far, which gives me a different perspective and, sometimes, it even surprises me. I believe Brazil needs to address those issues if it wants to become a truly important player in a globalized world. Right now, I think we still have a long road ahead of us.

You've also written a bit about Globo, from novelas to Fátima Bernardes. Why does Globo interest you from a cultural perspective?

When you talk about Brazil’s entertainment industry, is there anything else to talk but Globo? It is the biggest and the most influential media group in South America, they have a social relevance that deserves attention.

Which Brazil-related topics do you feel are missing from the international press?

I think it’s time for the worldwide press to stop spoiling us and actually writing about what’s happening around there. Foreigners still have a ‘misguided’ idea of what Brazil really is. Some people think it’s the best country in the world, which is not true. Some thing it’s the worst, which is not true either. The press is concentrating too much on things such as our economics and missing important points about our people, our culture and who we really are and why we are so proud of our country.

You live in Paris. What do you miss most about Brazil?

Actually, I’m in London right now but, yes, I’m based in Paris (probably moving to London next year). At this time of the year, I must say I miss THE WEATHER! And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t really appreciate high temperatures that much. But I love being abroad and experiencing new things every day. Besides, I usually feel at home whenever I see a Brazilian, what happens a lot. Brazilians are everywhere these days!

Read Anderson's blog, South American Way

Indignation

Political corruption has plagued Brazil for much of its history, despite a successful transition to democracy. Politicians accused of corruption rarely face consequences, be it fines, jail time, or returning embezzled funds to government coffers. In fact, disgraced officials accused of corruption are often re-elected or return to working for the government, even some of the most notorious offenders. As a result, the Ficha Limpa bill received widespread support and was subsequently passed into law, which aims to prevent politicians accused of corruption from being allowed to run for public office. Unfortunately, like some other Brazilian laws, it hasn't quite "stuck" yet - the Supreme Court ruled in March that it would only go into effect in 2012, and that it would not be applicable to the 2010 elections, but only issued the ruling after the fact. Though this allowed a number of officials accused of corruption to take office, a number of elected senators are still awaiting decisions from the courts in order to take office, including Senator Cássio Cunha Lima and Senator Jader Barbalho. Last week, federal congresswoman Jaqueline Roriz, who was actually caught red-handed in a massive Brasília corruption scandal in 2009, was absolved by the House of Representatives, but will now have to face trial in the Supreme Court. But the Congress's decision to absolve her angered many Brazilians, setting off a new effort by citizens to combat corruption after many years of what some interpret as generalized indifference.

Perhaps part of the new impetus to fight corruption was a trickle-down effect. President Dilma has taken on corruption as a cornerstone of her administration, sacking her chief of staff and several ministers accused of corruption in the first year of taking office. Also, 30 members of the Ministry of Tourism were arrested recently after a Federal Police investigation that showed the ministry was embezzling government funds. This blunt, no-tolerance approach is quite different from her predecessor, who walked on eggshells to accomodate everyone and to maintain coalitions. Dilma has alienated many officials in her sweep, and some political parties have left her coalition. As The Economist explained in "Dilma tries to drain the swamp":

"In all this Ms Rousseff is slowly putting her own stamp on a government that she inherited from her predecessor and political mentor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. But the multiple scandals are straining her ramshackle coalition. This consists of over a dozen parties, ranging from communist to right-wing populist, that between them give her the nominal support of around three-quarters of Congress. The main interest of some of the coalition’s smaller members is not ideology but the extraction of jobs and money—for personal gain or party financing—from government. They are annoyed that Ms Rousseff has tried to rewrite the rules of the game."

In addition, some political observers note that if Dilma is unsuccessful in maintaining amicable relations with Congress, she could potentially lose a shot at reelection in 2014. In fact, Reuters reported that she has not yet decided if she will even run again, or if she will allow Lula to return to run for a third term. [Update 9/6: Today, Lula announced that he will not run in 2014, though time will tell if he ultimately makes that decision]

Despite making some old-timers uncomfortable, others are eager to see Dilma take on corruption. She was lauded in a Financial Times op-ed last week, which also mentioned that an estimated 2 percent of Brazil's GDP is lost to corruption each year, between R$50 and R$84 billion. Also last week, a Brazilian senator proposed a bill that would create a National Corruption Day, in protest of Roriz's recent exoneration. In addition, Estadão recently reported that infamous São Paulo politician Paulo Maluf, who is wanted in the U.S. for funneling kickbacks through New York banks, could potentially return US$13 million to São Paulo state coffers if he makes a deal with the New York prosecutor. But $13 million is just a drop in the bucket - he and his family are estimated to have over US$100 million in offshore accounts.

So with all of these infuriating cases and impunity, why don't Brazilians protest? Spanish journalist Juan Arias asked that very question in a controversial op-ed piece in July, setting off a nationwide reaction. Political blogger Greg Michener offers a number of reasonable answers for why Brazilians have not traditionally protested corruption, including Brasília's geographic distance from major cities, Globo's all-reaching influence, and the culture of consensus. [Update 9/6: Greg has a great post about the new anti-corruption movement today - read it here] But Arias' piece really touched a nerve. Some were angry with him for criticizing Brazil, a natural reaction when an outsider makes a negative public statement about Brazil. But others were invigorated, and began organizing.

Here, a relatively new phenomenon came into play that could help explain why Brazilians haven't organized en masse specifically against corruption in the past. Using technology and social media, Brazilians discussed Jaqueline Roriz, Arias' "accusations," and the urge to do something more. Soon, thousands of Brazilians across the country had signed on to attend protests on September 7th, Brazilian Independence Day, in what they're calling "The Day of Indignation." Protests against corruption will take place in major cities and in many Brazilian states, though some organizers are using the Roriz case as the major focus of the marches. Facebook is the main social network being used to organize protesters, using public invitations to rally potential participants and to quickly disseminate information. (This is especially interesting given that Facebook has supposedly surpassed Orkut in number of users in Brazil, and because Facebook's invitation mechanism is much better than Orkut's) I originally found out about one of the marches from Facebook, after seeing that a friend in Rio, a young professional who recently gave birth to twins, is planning on attending the march with her husband.

Seeing this kind of indignant reaction is very exciting, even if some of it seems to be a reaction to Roriz's exoneration in Congress and not some of the other big corruption cases. While Ficha Limpa was an important accomplishment and a big step in the right direction, hopefully the next step will be to attack impunity, not just in terms of political corruption but across the board. One salient, recent example: the Rio de Janeiro public prosecutor closed 96 percent of the state's homicide cases this year, simply to meet a national goal to "conclude" all open murder cases since 2007 - even though the national goal was set in an attempt to combat impunity. The same trend is happening with state prosecutors throughout the country. If thousands of killers can literally get away with murder, what can you expect of some of the country's most powerful politicians?

Brazilian Summer in New York

Every summer in New York, there are plenty of places to discover Brazilian culture. If you're planning to visit, or live here and want to mark your calendars, here are just a few events going on.

Brazil Foundation's Festa Junina
June 5th, 4PM - Metropolitan Pavilion
Tickets for sale online but currently sold out; contact the Brazil Foundation

TeatroStageFest Conference
June 13th, 6:30PM - Americas Society
Free entry with reservation; Conference to launch cultural partnership and panel featuring Susana Tubert, Danilo Santos de Miranda, Margaret Ayers, and Larry Rohter

Feijoada & Capoeira
June 18th, 6PM - Lower East Side
Feijoada, capirinhas, and capoeira sponsored by Grupo Ginga Capoeira

Petrobras Cine Fest Brasil
June 12th - 19th  - Tribeca Cinemas
Annual film festival, featuring 14 feature films and 14 short films

Mart'nalia Performance and Petrobras Cine Fest Closing Night
June 19th, 7PM - Central Park's SummerStage
Free entry to watch "Elza," a documentary about Elza Soares and a performance by Mart'nália

Performance: Milton Nascimento
June 24th, 7PM - Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tickets $30 - $120

Performance: Diogo Nogueira
July 1st, 6PM - Midsummer Night Swing
Tickets: $17; samba lessons at 6:30 and live music at 7PM

MoMA's Premiere Brazil Festival
July 14 - 27 - Museum of Modern Art
Annual film festival featuring feature films and short films. This years highlights: Craft, VIPs, and Santo Dumont's Mutoscope

Performance: Tom Zé
July 19th, 8PM - Lincoln Center Festival
Tickets $45 - $60

Brazilian Music at SummerStage
July 24th, 3PM - Central Park's SummerStage
Free entry; performances by Marcelo D2, Pitty, and DJ Nuts

Cisne Negro Dance Company
August 15 - 20th - Joyce Theater
Tickets available online (coming soon)

You can find even more events at BrazilNYC and the Brazilian Consulate website.

DanceBrazil

This weekend, I saw DanceBrazil for the first time in the company's last performance of the spring season at the Joyce. It's about time, since the New York-based company has been around since 1977 and are one of those Brazilian cultural institutions in the US that has gained critical acclaim the world over. I'm a little skeptical when it comes to modern dance, but I was thrilled to discover that thanks to the company's director, Jelon Vieira, there's a wonderful blend of both contemporary dance, capoeira, and other Brazilian dance forms, all set to amazing, mostly live music.

A little background: originally from Salvador, Mestre Jelon Vieira moved to Europe in the 1970s, and during a trip to the US, fell for New York and had the incredible opportunity to be offered a scholarship by Alvin Ailey. He studied with Ailey, who urged him to choreograph his own work, and Vieira formed his own company in 1977. Originally called Os Capoeira da Bahia, Ailey (who went on to be a board member of the new company) suggested Vieira change the name to something easier for Americans to pronounce and understand, and so he called it DanceBrazil. Vieira was one of the first people to bring capoeira to the US, and has taught at universities all over the US and in Brazil. He has also founded other capoeira groups in the US and Brazil, including a school in Salvador where he began grooming dancers for DanceBrazil, and now several of his students dance with the company. He was also featured in a 2005 documentary about his work, though I haven't been able to find anywhere

The company currently has twelve Brazilian dancers and several musicians, including dancers originally trained in classical ballet, and others originally trained in capoeira, as well as several fantastic percussionists.

The team over at Roda Magazine produced a great short documentary about the company, so take a look:

Interview with Dance Brazil from Roda Magazine on Vimeo.

(Also, during the New York season, DanceBrazil performed on TV, and provided some amusement in explaining to the FOX 5 anchors exactly what capoeira was.)

According to Vieira in the documentary, the company has had success with audiences, but has struggled with American critics. Judging by the latest review from the New York Times, I see what he means. I think, though, the more capoeira and Brazilian elements, and the less Ailey-type movement they can fit in a single performance, the better the reception will be.

The Ailey influence is in fact very strong, but when balanced well with other types of movement, it's a welcome addition to the fusion of Brazilian dance forms and other American modern dance influences (I think there may be some Graham in there as well). But the most breath-taking parts of the performances are the capoeira sequences and the acrobatic feats, as well as the incredible jumps. My favorite piece was A Jornada, which is akin to Ailey's "Revelations" in that it seems to be one of the company's successes and a cornerstone of the type of dance the company offers. It starts out slow and somber, and gradually picks up speed and includes some incredibly exciting sequences that were the audience's favorite out of the three pieces at the performance I saw at the Joyce. The audience was very diverse, especially for a contemporary dance performance, and the more traditional capoeira sequences were the ones that really had people on the edge of their seats.

 

To learn about DanceBrazil's upcoming performances, click here. See here for photos of the company, and click here to follow DanceBrazil on Facebook.

DanceBrazil - video 1 from DanceBrazil on Vimeo.

Q&A With Kibe Loco's Antonio Tabet

With 450,000 unique visitors a day, Kibe Loco is one of the most successful and lucrative comedy sites in Brazil. Created in 2002, the blog has become a sensation, one that has allowed its creator, Antonio Tabet, to expand to other arenas: he wrote a Kibe Loco book, and now works for Rede Globo on the Caldeirão do Huck show. He's won several major awards, including the INFO Awards Best Blog of the Year and Best Blogs Brazil.

The idea for the blog began as a column in Tabet's university newspaper in the late 90s, and the name came from the column, since it was written in Portunhol, and from Tabet's Lebanese ancestry (quibe is a Brazilian meat snack that originally comes from the Middle East, and crazy, louco, is spelled with a u in Portuguese, and without an u in Spanish). Now, the blog is a national success with revenue from advertising and a partnership with Globo, where the site is hosted.

The humor on Kibe Loco covers a variety of areas: sports, politics, celebrities, and news, and also features viral videos and original video and photo compilations. Tabet often pokes fun at the media, with ridiculous headlines or unforgivable typos and misspellings, and also jokes about the nation's leaders. The blog is one of the best places to learn about Brazilian pop culture, and to find out who and what the popular singers, actors, athletes, movies, and TV shows are at the moment. It's also a good place for foreigners to learn about a modern form of Brazilian humor, particularly male humor.

1. You can't leave comments on the blog. Why is that?

For three reasons: one, because on most humor sites, comments aren't very relevant. There's lots of fanaticism and trolling. If someone wants to leave a proper comment, to criticize or to contribute, he can send an email. Second, because our legislation says that the site is responsible for comments on it. In other words, if someone leaves a ridiculous comment, I would be the one to pay for it. Since I don't have the time or the set up for [monitoring comments], I decided to forgo them. And third, because I don't want to. I like to play dictator. : )

2. Do you still work for Globo? How do you manage to get away with making fun of them so much?

I do still work for them. And I don't make fun of them. I joke, and I do it with Globo, Record, and the other networks. Maybe I only get away with it because I work for a company so committed to the freedom of speech.

3. On the blog, you make jokes about celebrities and politicians. Have you ever had a problem, or has anyone ever tried to sue you?

I've had a few problems, but it was nothing worse than a notification. The site has never been sued.

4. Your blog has been so successful that you've managed to write a book and work in TV, and you've won several awards. Did you ever imagine the blog could become so successful?

No, I didn't. I have written the blog and continue to do it as an amateur. I think that's why it's successful.

5. I've seen videos on Tosh.0 that I originally saw on your blog. How do you find viral videos so quickly? Do you look for them, or do people send them to you?

A little bit of both. These days, collaborative content is crucial. Kibe Loco is its readers, and the readers are Kibe Loco.

6. My favorite series is Pracas do Braziu. How did that series start?

With "pracas!" (badly misspelled and funny signs)

7. What's the difference between Brazilian humor and American or European humor? Or are they the same?

Humor is humor in every country. But I do think that here, in Brazil, people especially like catch phrases.

Original Q&A in Portuguese after the jump.