Brazzil - Year 15 - Number 209 - October-November 2003

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October/November 2003

IRA'S FANS DWINDLING

WHO'S AFRAID OF FREE TRADE

VIOLENCE: POLICE ARE THE BANDITS

MANAUS: WHEN PARIS WAS CLOSER THAN RIO

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Cover Brazil's space race: back to the drawing board Cover by ROberto Lioresti

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Politics Can't Lula be more positive?

Media Voz do Brazil gets spruced up Hunger Coke opens popular eateries Community Brazilian celebrates in Newark New York Brazilian Day gets Globo's boost International Brazil led G-22 dwindling World For Brazil, protesting is useless Politics Fernando Henrique Lula da Silva Presidenc Lula's international popularity on the downswing Gover ment The PT has grabbed all the good positions FTAA An international farce called free trade Economy No jobs, no money Politics Trying to sell the government Violence Death squads still on the loose Children The torture chambers of FEBEM Media Journalism without journalists Behavior How Brazilians do business Japan There's no place for Brazilians History Manaus, the once future capital of Brazil Music Gabriel lmprota, promising young classic Special The sad state of opera in Brazil - Part I

06 Rapidinhas 18 Letters 47 Cultural Pulse 49 Classifieds 50 That's Brazilian

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BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

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Tine for Iola to Stop Moan* Instead of constantly sniping at the US, Brazil:en President Lula should adopt a more positive approach and offer construct 'e help and agree to send Brazilian troops to frac. Lula will sto off in Cuba where he and Fidel Castro, will be able to have a good moan about "'gringo" imperialism and aggression while puffing cigars.

JOHN FITZPATRICK

President Luiz lnacio Lula da Silva is currently stricing the wcrld stage, addressing the opening session ofthe United Nations assembly in New York Even befcre making his formal address, he was quoted as criticizing United State policy on terrorism and Iraq at a conference on terrorism This comes as no surprise. However, instead of cons-Andy sniping at the US, a more positive approach would be to offer constructive help and agree to send Brazilian troops to Iraq to help restore order. On his way back home Lula will stop off in Cuba where he and his old comrade, Communist tyrant and murderer, Fidel Castro will be able to have a good moan about "gringo" imperialism and aggression while puffing cigars and toasting the revolutior.

During his stay in New York Lula is also due to have several meetings with the UN secretary/ general, Kofi Anan, to discuss ways of reforming the body. Lula is expected to press Brazil's longstanding call for tne country to have a permanent seat on the Security Council. During these meetings let us hope that, as a good servant o'the UN, Man reit- inds Lula that Brazil has an outstanding debt of US$ 40 million to the UN educational, sciertific and cultural organization, UNESCO. If an installment amounting to US$ 6.8 million is notpaid by next Saturday tember 27), Erazil 'else itsf t ta vote at genera meetin of UNESCO. Prime Time = Crime Time Can you imagine any responsible television station interviewing masked individuals who threaten to kill public figures? We are not talking about Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein threatening jihads etc against the US in a news item but a mass audience entertainment program broadcast on a Sunday afternoon. This program—"Domingo Leal"—paid two men, who were presented as members of a criminal organization kraawn as the PCC, to make their threats in an interview with SBT presenter Guge Liberato. Those threa.tenec included a well-known priest, Marcelo Rossi, the deputy mayor of SAo %id° and several rival television presenters As things turned out, the masked men were not members of the PCC. It is still not clear whether they were, in fact, criminals or actors. In fact, it looks as thcugh the whole item was a stunt to gain a bigger audience since, at the time the program wasbroadcast, the rival Globo channel was showing the Brazil-Colombia World Cu? qualifying match.

Faced with a public outcry, Liberato claimed he had been hoaxed and later apologized.

Few people believe him but even if this were true, it is unbelievable that 2 proFessional broadcaster could allow material like this to be aired. Broadcasting murder threats against named individuals, in a country as violent as Brazil, is nothing short of criminal irespcnsibility Thankfully, the authorities took action and took the program—renamed "Domingo Ilegal" by some wags--off the air for a week while an investigation got underway.

As for Liberato, he was publicly disowned by Petrobras and Nestle which had used him at their publ;aity material. Despite this setback there is no sign ofhim being sacked by Santos and, presumably, it wil be busines3as usual saon. We can, therefore, look forward to brainless items such as practically naked girls wrest ing in paddling pools with virtualy naked hunks.

As for Santos he seems remarkably blase about the whole affair considering that two years he himself was held captive by a criminal who had earlier kidnapped his daughter and late went on to kill tw policemen.

Is Ronaldo Being a Bed Snort?

A tussle has arisen between Brazil's two most famous footaillers—Ronaldo and Pete. Ronaldo has made it clear that one of his amtitions is to score more goals in international games than Pele. This will be a tough feat since Peie's official record is 95 to Ronaldo 's current 49. However, Ronak o has just turned 27 and presumably will still be young enough to play in the 2006 fmals shculd Brazil qualify.

To boost his chances, Ronaldo is trying to change the way in Pale's goals have been counted. He wants about 20 of Pete s goat removed from the records because he says they were not scored in serious competitive games but n others such as friendlies. This would obviously reduce the difference and give him room to catch up.

It is not known whether the Brazilian football federation will wee to Ronaldo's request but a poll of readers in the EstadAo portal of the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper

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BRAZTL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

showed that 67 percent were against Ronaldo and 33 percent in favor. About 80 percent thought the move would backfire and have a negative efect on Rona!do's image. Over 5,000 people took part in this poll, which shows the issue has raised considerable public interest. Personally, I think Ronaldo is right to make such an ambitious statement publicly since he wilt, be committed to ex 2elling himself At the same time, he will be adding a bit of excitement to his career over the coming years.

Pele has been as diplomatic as ever and said that, while Ronaldo could beat his tally, the younger player faced quite a task.

Naturally, he show :t1 no sign of agreeing to having his own record reduced. While Pele is still highly regarded in Brazil, not everyone admires him. Some members of the team which beat Germany in last year's World Cup final complained publicly. after Pele appeared on the pitch and joined in the celebrations. These players were irked at what they saw as Pele trying to muscle in and capture their moment of glory.

For anyone who reads Portuguese and is interested in how Ronaldo reached his positions as a global idol I recommend Jorge Caldeira's book Ronaldo: Gloria e Drama no Futebol Glabalizado published by Editora 34 and Lance Editorial.

What's in a Name? Nothing in Sao Paulo One morning, a couple of months ago, I looked out my office window in time to see a bulldozer start demolishing a house across the street. This set off alarm bells because the building was a low-lying, sprawling affair which allowed me a reasonably pleasant view. However, to my surprise and pleasure, atastefu I-looking one storey bu ilding was quicklyerected,thetret were maintained and the place was tidied up nicely.

A couple of days ago, I stopped off to see what was going on and was approached by a real estate agent who obviously thought I was looking for a place to buy. He then unwittingly recounted a horror story by saying that two 23-storey buildings would be shortly erected on the spot over the next two years.

Unaware of my shock, he urged me to get my name down as soon as possible since the development would be much in demand. A price list showed that the duplex apartment would sell for R$ 2,290,000 (US$ 764,000) and the cheapest apartment would cost R$ 958,000 (US$ 320,000).

Even though he proposed flats will have four bedrooms, these prices are simply absurd given the market and the area. owever, when I read the sales brochure I saw that the developers' tactics were based on reinventing the geography of the ity and try ing to fool gullible people. The developers have simply claimed that the street in which the development will be is part of the in-market Jardins district whereas, in fact, it is in the more modest Pinheiros district.

If you are wing to tell a lie then tell a big lie appears to be the motto. Not only have the developers renamed my district but have created a fantasy Jardins, which bears no relation to reality. According to the sales brochure I live in "the most glamorous region of the city" near "one of the most tree-lined and exclusive streets". Not only that but humble Pinheirosâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; or, should i say Jardins, is -...our Zurich, our little piece ofNew York. lie de la Cite avec Camden Town." The next time I walk along the dog-merded, cracked pavements, step over burst plastic bags spewing out rubbish, look at the graffiti scrawled on buildings and ho d my nose as a reeking beggar passes I will remember that I am in "the most glamorous region of the city".

My train priority now, though, is to try and find out if the city law allows a developer to announce out of the blue that it intends building two 24-storey blocks without advising local people beforehand. According to the chairman of the consortium in my building we were given no official notification at all. I suspect I have already lost this battle but let's see if I can try and change the developer's plans and stop em spoiling my view as well as rewriting geography.

Death and Love in High Society Finally, there have been two big social events which have enlivened the dull lives of So aulo's socialites and those who follow their goings-onâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the opening of a flashy new hotel in the rdins, partly owned by the Fasano family, and the wedding of mayor Marta Suplicy.

The F'asanos run the most highly-regarded restaurants in the city and the opening of the hotel was given enormous coverage (and free publicity) in the media. Even the street where the hotel , was built had its lame changed from the indigenous-sounding Rua Tairana to Rua Vitorio Fasano.

Unfortunately, cnly a week after the hotel opened, the editor of the Brazilian edition of Vogue fell to his death from the nearby apartment of Rogerio Fasano, in circumstances as yet unexplained.

Before he died, the journalist is reported to have been drinking heavily in the hotel and had become somewhat abrasive. This incident brought the hotel more free publicity but notthe kind ofgushy nonsense the Fasanos are used to receiving from sycophantic hacks and hackettes.

As to love, our 58-year-old socialist mayor got married on Saturday to a dishy heartthrob a few years younger than her.

It was the social event ofthe year an d took place on a country estate far from the media crowd. For Marta Suplicy, a fine-looking woman, it was her second marriage but for her swain, smoothie Monsieur Luis Favre, it was the fifth time he had slipped a wedding ring on the finger of a beloved bride.

Let's hope it works out for him this time so that our mayor's marital bliss encourages her to make a better job of administering the city than she has until now. What a pity that no Brazilian journalist has delved more into the background of this much-married man with double nationality (French and Argentinean) born with a different name (Felipe Wermus) and who is now the husband of one of Brazil's top politicians.

John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish journalist who first visited Brazil in 1987 and has lived in Sao Paulo since 1995. He writes on politics and finance and runs his own company, Celtic Comunicacoes-- www.celt.com.br, which specializes in editorial and translation services for Brazilian and foreign clients.

You can reach him at if*ceitcom.br

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

After nearly seven decades on the air, the Voice of Brazil (Voz do Brasil), the radio program with the largest audience in the country, received a new face, anew format, and new voices on September Nine million people listen to the Voice ofBrazil every day. The program's reach extends from riverbank communities in the Amazon to offices along the most modern avenues of metropolitan centers like sao Paulo.

The chief transformation is in the editorial content. The reports, which used to center around the activities and speeches of Federal Government Executive officials, now focus on the citizen. "The Voice of Brazil leaves the office and hits the street, with reports based on the needs of listeners," explains Helenise Brant. the program's new editor-in-chief.

"The Guarani," the Voice of Brazil's musical opening theme, received new versions prepared by maestro Sergio SA. Together with the musical tags that accompany the news stories, the opening theme, which is part of an opera of the same name written by Brazilian composer Carlos Gomes, will have variations in various Brazilian popular rhythms (forr5, samba, choro, bossa-nova. capoeira, and moda de viola), as well as techno and drum and bass.

"The transformation of the Voice implied a change in sound," says SA. "I had problems with the formal aspect of the program, and contributing to make it attractive was very interesting," he recounts.

The Voice of Brazil is now presented by four people. Besides the announcers Luciano Seixas and Luiz Fara Monteiro, journalists Katia Sartori° and Leandro Fortes, both from Radiobras, are also participating. The two of them will have the function of putting the news in context and making it more objective for the ordinary citizen.

It took nearly three months of studies, research, and try-outs to assemble the new format of the news show. This is the second editorial reform that has occurred in the program. In 1999, new musical tags were introduced, the announcing style became a bit less formal, and there were changes in the sections.

Now the program is starting a new chapter in its trajectory, which began in 1932, under the Administration of Genii io Vargas, under the name A Hora do Brasil. The Voice has accompanied 24 Presidents, has already had three different names and has reported the promulgation of four different Constitutions and eight changes in the currency.

Radiobras and BBC At the end &July, Radiobras and the BBC of London initiated a partnership that includes two daily five-minute bulletins, with news from BBC correspondents around the world for transmission by the National radio stations of Brasilia, Rio d Janeiro, and the Amazon.

In the inaugural program, BBC correspondents in France, the United States, England, and Argentina reported on each government's reasons for reforming the social security system and the reactions of public servants. The partnership was introduced by the News Directors of Radiobras, Gustavo Krieger, and the BBC, Americo Martins.

According to the president of Radiobras, Eugenio Bucci, the agreement is a landmark and a model. This is just the first step in an institutional partnership which we hope will be long and fruitful. It is a landmark in the public information sector.

It is part of our effort at Radlobras to accomplish our mission, which is to provide Brazilians with quality information," declared Bucci.

Minister ofCulture, Gilberto Gil, discussed recently the creation of an international TV channel for Brazilian government communication with president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Following the conversation Gil said that both he and the President were working on the project, to open a channel of communication connecting Brazil with the world," and had decided to study the possibility in depth with the Government Communications Secretariat (Secom) and the Government Communications Corporation (Radiobras),

New and Im roved Voice of Brazil

President Luiz InAcio Lula da Silva got some heavy-weight support for the Zero Hunger program with announcement that CocaCola will expand its community restaurant program, which serves 300 meals a day at R$ I (US$ 0.33) each in a pilot program that is operational in Porto Alegre. The expansion will begin in Belo Horizonte, to be followed by at least 15 more restaurants in other cities where the company has factories. The real cost of meal in a Coca-Cola community restaurant is R$ 2.28 (US$ 0.76), but the company subsidizes the cost.

The president of Coca-Cola o f Brazil, Brian Smith, met with Lula and also announced that the firm will invest R$ 550 million (US$ 183 million) in the country next year, an increase of 10 percent over this year's investments. Smith said he was optimistic about growth in Brazil and is enthusiastic with the new measures by the government which should bring in new investments. Smith said he hoped to see an upturn in the second half of this year, after Coca-Cola had a drop of 6 percent in sales during the first half of 2003.

At the moment, Coca-Cola spends R$ 48 million (US$ 16 million) on some 100 different community action programs in Brazil. The payoff is that Brazil i s now Coca-Cola' s third biggest market in the world, behind only the United States and Mexico. The company has 50 percent of the Brazilian soft-drink market.

Coke will be responsible for building the restaurants, hiring and paying the workers and cooking the food. -Coke does not see this in it iat i ve as a restaurant chain, but as an action ofsocial responsibility, " says Mauricio Bacellar, a spokesperson for the Atlanta-based company.

Popular Coke Restaurants

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BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

BY ERNEST BARTELDES

Community

A week after Manhattan celebrated Brazil's Independence Day with a lavish, star-studded show, it was Newark's Brazilian community's turn to do the same. On September 06th and 7', the 181st anniversary of the day that their country broke free from Portugal was commemorated among a hard-p ffying crowd that was entertained by several bands some of them flown in especially for the event.

In Newark, however, the celebration, though smaller in publicity and stars, was grander and livelier, since New Jersey has fewer regulations than The Big Apple. For one, beer and caipirinha (Brazil's national cocktail) were freely consumed within the fair's limits. Also, when I walked into a nearby bar, I was surprised by how smoke-filled the air was, as The Garden State has not (unlike New York) imposed smoking restrictions to its bar patrons.

According to 2002 Miss Brazil NY, Nayara Pellegrini, Newark's party lad more of a Brazilian "feel" to it (her exact words: "jeitinho brasileiro," a reference to Brazil's unique "way" of doing things). "Over here we feel a bigger presence of the Brazilian community, the Bahia-bom Pellegrini said, "while in Manhattan there were many people from other countries.

She also stated that, in comparison to New York, there was a lot more freedom around. "All that crowd control was a bit disturbing", she said, referring to the NYPD' s "pens" that limit the amount of people from block to block.

In Newark there was none of that. The public could be close to the stages and very little security was necessary, for the owd partied hard but in a mostly orderly manner. According to a Newark Police officer I spoke to on Sunday evening, there re no reports of serious incidents during the party.

As with any street festival, there were some minor things. For one, food and beverage was a bit overpriced (a bottle of beer went for an average of$ 5.00 in the stands, while for $ 3.001 could rather c3mfortably sip Sagres beer at a localPortuguese bar). Acarajes (a typical dish from Bahia made from fried mashed beans, shrimp and several spices) were being sold for 5.00, and one had to fork over as much as $ 8.00 for a small plate with roast cincken, rice and beans.

But bargains could be found if one tried hard enough. On one stand, three small "tapas" and a soft drink went for $ 2.50, while at another I was able to purchase light beer on tap for as little as $ 2.00 Although most stands sold chicken or sausage kebobs for as much as $ 5.00 each, many others offered the same thing for a mu-h more reasonable $ 3.00 Also, the supply of portable toilets was insufficient, and by Sunday afternoon several of them were overflowing, causing a less than pleasant odor wherever they had been placed.

Finally. I thought a bit odd that some vendors were offering products that had little to do with Brazil. For instance, a Hispanic couple hawked bootleg CDs, but all of them were of Spanish-language performers. When I inquired them about Brazilian artisis, all they could offer me was the Latin edition of Alexandre Pires' Grammy-nominated album_ Day one of the festival was marked by a bit of frustration for me as I had a hard time obtaining the proper press credentials to properly cover the event. Caca Santos, one of the event's promoters, had the press list but was nowhere to be found, forcing yours truly to walk around the fair for hours on end. Finally, at around 5 PM (about three hours after my arrival), I finally located him and got hold of what I needed, but then I was so exhausted that I wound making an early return to New York via the PATH main.

Rested and refreshed, I returned to Newark the next day to find an even arger crowd than on Saturday. On the Adam Street stage, Fortaleza-bom Paulo Taiba and his band performed Bahia-inspired renditions of several classics of Brazilian popular music.

Taiba. who I met years ago in Brazil, is now a resident of New Jersey and a regular performer there. He recognized me as I approached the stage for a photo, and he sent me a greeting on the microphone.

At around 3:00 PM, the civic parade began, opened by Brazilian representatives of the local Salvati longtime immigrant and Protestant Minister Captain Renato Righi, Later m the evening, the crowd went wild as Bahia's Patrulha do Samba, elle of the festival's main musical attractions (the other one was Rio de Janeiro's Tchakabum, which had made an earlier performance), took the stage with Ericson, their charismatic vocalist, and Gal, the band's scantily-clad dancer. Both sent the crow1 their charms, and the public responded by singing along to every song they performed.

"This year's festival was one of the best ever", said Caca. Santos. "We had tie support of everyone in the Brazilian, Portuguese and Hispanic communities, proving that our force resides within our unity."

"We hope to count on everyone's presence next year for an even better party", Santos excitedly told me at the end of our nterview. * danced to the music of As I took the train back home later that evening, the party was still jumping as theOwd

Newark Celebrates Brazil

ERE R NIL

Ernest Barteldes is an ESL and Portuguese teacher. In addition to *at, he is a freelance writer who has regularly been Brazzil, The Staten contributing The Greenwich Village Gazette since September 1999. His work has also been published by Island Advance, The Staten Island Register, The SI Muse, The Viltager,GISSite and other publications. He lives in Staten Island, NY. He can be reached at ebarteldes(&,vahoo.coni

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

BY ERNEST BARTELDES Sixth Avenue in Manhattan 5, became a reflection of Brazil during the celebration of the annual Brazilian Day in New York City on August 3Ist. Thousands converged to the 46th Street area, which is known to Manhattamtes as Little Brazil.

During the whole day visitors and homesick Brazilians sampled typical foods from that country as local restaurants set sho on the sidewalks, offering rather overpriced dishes and appetizers, such as pastel (a fried, stuffed pastry) and coxinha (bread chicken "thighs", actually a kind of a poultry croquette).

Inside delis and cafes revelers bought and consumed drinks, since public drinking in festivals has been prohibited in New York since the summer of 2001, a measure enforced by former mayor Rudolph Guiliani that was likely prompted by an incident with an unruly crowd during the Puerto Rican Day Parade a year earlier.

A large Brazilian flag was unfurled behind a giant stage set up on W 43rd Street and 6th Avenue. where there was a concertâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the largest ever featuring three artists flown in from Brazil especially for the occasion.

On stage there was also the appearance of several stars from Globo TV, the huge media corporation that became involved with the event this year after signing a partnership agreement with The Brasilians, a local newspaper that has been promoting the yearly event since 1992.

The opener was Daniel, a popular sertanejo (the equivalent to the American country music) singer. He was backed by his band and a group of dancers, and he went through a mix of original songs from his solo albums, covers varying from Marisa' Monte to Luiz Gonzaga(the poignant "Asa Branca", a song about how the frequent periods of drought affect the people from the northeast of Brazil) and tunes from his former duet with the late Joh-o Paulo, who perished in a car accident a few years ago.

The concert was followed by a series of speeches from the promoters alongside quips from several stars, which included kiddie TV host Angelica and Formula Indy champ Raul Boesel. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg could not appear, but he recorded a video greeting to the crowd in which he appeared dressed in a Brazil soccer team jersey.

There was an awkward moment when singer Mona Lisa was invited on stage to perform "God Bless America ", which would be followed by the Brazilian National Anthem. The singer, however, went on and sang "The Star Spangled Banner" after the first song. In response to that, the crowd spontaneously broke into the Brazilian anthem as soon as she finished.

On stage, there seemed to be an uneasy climate until singer Daniel got hold of amicrophone and concluded the anthem with the crowd. After a few more speeches, guitarist Davi Moraes (the son of Moraes Moreira) played a very electric instrumental rendition of The Anthem.

The stage was then set for Moraes, who performed a very interesting set of original songs and covers of many classic pop songs, including Titus' "Comida" (Food) and Alceu Valenca's "Morena Tropicana. "Moraes, whose work I did not know, gave me quite a good impression by playing a youthful, updated version ofthe experimental sound performed by Os NOVOS Baiano in the 70s. There is a lot of percussion and traditional Brazilian sounds, but there is also something new that the young guitaris showed us there.

It was almost 6:30 PM when the main attraction, Ivete Sangalo, hit the stage. Although the crowd had been standing there for hours on end, few of them seemed to be tired, so Sangalo's high-energy set made everyone dance.

Ivete's set was comprised of songs from her solo work coupled with songs from the time she was a member of Banda Eva, the band from Bahia where she began her career in the late 90s.

The numbers included "Avisa La "(Tell [Them] Over There), a song by Olodum that has been remade by many artists from Bahia (Daniela Mercury also performed that song during her U.S. tour earlier in the summer) and Carro Velho ("Old Car), Sangalo's last single with her former band.

The crowd of thousands behaved well, and there were apparently no serious incidents during the event. As soon as the show ended, the people left the area in an orderly manner. Many ofthem headed to the bars and restaurants in the area. I noticed many familiar faces at a nearby Brazilian restaurant my wife and I went to after the show.

Brazilian Day was a huge event this year, with a much larger press presence than in other years. The fact that Globo International has taken over the "artistic direction" of the event has, however, disturbed me in a way.

The media giant, as we have seen in the past, has always had a tendency of doing taings in a way that turns certain events into huge marketing schemes. mean, for the first time we had a sertaneb artist the ows were mostly C inspired, with the exception of rocker Lulu Santos in 1992). I also had my misgivings of having all those TV stars on stage knowing they were there strictly for promotional reasons.

But on every cloud there is a silver lining. Instead of being a footnote on the international press, the local festival will be reaching people that couldn't be there. Globo International will have the highlights on a TV special that will air on September 6th on their cable channel (check local listings for times).

For better or worse, Brazilian Day Festival, might just become one of the biggest Summer events in New York City.

Brazilian la Goes 'Global

Ernest Barteldes is an ESL and Portuguese teacher. In addition to that, he is a freelance writer who has regularly been contributing The Greenwich Village Gazette since September 1999. His work has also been published by Brazzil, The Staten Island Advance, The Staten Island Register, The SI Muse, The Villager, GLSSite and other publications. He lives in Staten Island, NY. He can be reached at ebarteldeV&Vahooâ&#x20AC;˘conl 10

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

Four Latin American, countries have already

International G-22 Group Crumbling

abandoned the G-22, a group led by Brazil to oppose the economic policies of the United States and the European Union, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru and Colombia, all of them seem to have been seduced by Washington's promises and scared by the US threats.

EMERSON LUIZ The US carrot-and-stick policy seems to be working fine. Costa Rica became the latest country to pull out of the G22, a group of emerging countries includâ&#x20AC;˘ ing China, India and Brazil, whose main intent was to confront the United States and the European Union over farm subsidies.

After the dissenting group led by Brazil left owe mem OW the biggies talking to themselves in Cancun, MIN NM Mexico, at the end of September, US Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick, did not hide his dislike and called Brazil a -won'tdo" country with which the US did not intend to waste more time. He also invited the can do" countries to join Washington. ope.

Costa Rica heeded the appeal, followmg on the steps of El Salvador, Peru and Colombia. which had abandoned ship earlier. The Costa Rica government hinted that other Latin nations should do the same soon. They are all reconsidering their opposition position after Washington left it clear that belonging to the Brazilian-led group would hurt their chances of bilateral negotiations with the United States.

Trying to avoid more desertions, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made same phone calls. He made a personal appeal to his colleague from Peru, Alejandro Toledo to reconsider his decision. Toledo didn't reconsider anything, but promised to send a representative, probably an observer to the G-22 (G-18?) meeting in Buenos Aires, this Friday.

At home in Brasilia, the Brazil vs. US brawl, is also stirring up trouble. Roberto Rodrigues, the Agriculture Minister and Development Minister, Luiz Fernando Furlan criticized the way the Brazilian representatives behaved in Cancun.

Officially, however, there is no disagreement. Lula' s spokesman, Andre Singer, defended Brazil's actions calling them competent and realistic and stressing that the Brazilian position is to obtain -with pragmatism and determination" better conditions for Brazil in the area of international trade.

Rodrigues and Furlan had expressed their unhappiness with what they called "lack of information" from Itamaraty, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, about the Brazilian position on the Free Trade A-ea of the Americas. Lula called Furlan and the Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, on Thursday, so they would give a show of harmony before the media.

Super Minister and Chief of Staff, Jose Dirceu, also denied that there is any crisis in the Lula' s cabinet. For him the Brazilian diplomacy represents the country's interests: "What was presented in Cancun during the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting and in Trinidad and Tobago is the negotiating tactic of Brazil. Not only Brazil, the majority of Latin American countries cannot understand how is it possible not to discuss agriculture questions and at the same time discuss questions dealing with intellectual property, investment and government purchases. We'll be bringing all these themes to the WTO." According to the Minister, the Brazilian position on the FTAA and the United States is not an ideological one, but simply the government defending Brazil's national interests. "We shouldn't either ideologize or transform this question into a confrontation Brazil vs. United States," Dirceu said, "but at the same time we shouldn't retreat even a millimeter when the matter is the defense of Brazil's interests."

Leaving the door open for any strategic retreat. Dirceu also stressed that the Brazilian proposal in Trinidad and Tobago for the FTAA wasn't Brasilia's last word on the subject. This, says Dirceu, makes the Brazilian position something that cannot be criticized either in Brazil o overseas.

Even if the G-18 (and dwindling) keeps the three In honchos (Brazil. China and India), analysts believe that 'â&#x20AC;˘4 Brazil should not delude itself expecting that these two countries would do anything that might hurt their national interests just to keep the group of emerging countries alive.

1111

11 BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

Brazilian President Luiz !nick) Lula da Silva announced that despite the destruction of Brazil's satellite launcher, his government remained committed to developing its own launch system.

The Science and Technology Minister vowed that a new prototype of the vehicle would e ready for launch by 2006.

FRANK DIRCEU BRAUN

12

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

Twenty five years ago or so, Brazil first dreamed of becoming a global space power.

The dream was called the Brazilian Complete Space Mission, and it included, among other things, designing and building a rocket to loft its indigenously developed satellites from its very own launch center located on Brazilian national territory near the equator.

On August 22, 2003, part of that dream was shattered when the experimental Veiculo Lancador de Satelites, or VLS, exploded on its launchpad, just three days shy of its scheduled liftoff, killing 21 space technicians, incinerating the launchpad, and destroying two Brazilian designed research satellites. The premature ignition of one of the VLS's four solid rocket boosters set off a disastrous chain of events—the 40 tons of solid rocket fuel erupted into a massive fireball of such intense heat that it melted the base of the steel structure which enclosed the rocket, causing the massive structure to topple over.

"It is now our turn to taste the bitterness of death, the death of 21 noble workers in our space program who were fighting for the development of our country," said Brazil's Defense Minister, Jose Viegas, in announcing a 30-day investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

"We have to be strong and persevere" Viegas also reminded Brazilian senators during subsequent congressional hearings that, sadly, few major space programs had developed without being touched by tragedy.

Although by far the most catastrophic, this was not Brazil's first failed attempt to launch its rocket. Twice before, the South American country had tried to launch from the remote base on its Northeast coast, and twice before the rocket had to be destroyed prior to reaching orbit. The major difference, of course, is that there had been no previous loss of life.

On December 2, 1997, Brazil's first VLS had to be blown up shortly after liftoff. The VLS's maiden flight was terminated by ground controllers when one of the rocket's four solid fuel boosters failed to ignite, sending it into an erratic trajectory.

This author was in the launch control room on December 11, 1999 during the second launch attempt, when range safety officers reluctantly destroyed the VLS, just 3 minutes after liftoff. After a near flawless launch, the rocket roared smoothly into the cloud cover, followed

by a prolonged, tense silence in the control room while officials waited for the desired signal that confirmed staging separation. That signal never came.

Looks of quiet disbelief were quickly supplanted by outright sorrow among th collected crowd of technicians and offi cials. Some of those people had worke on the VLS most of their professiona lives and they took the second failur very personally. One could only imagin the effect of the latest fatal accident o these same individuals—this time th VLS took the lives of 21 of their fello colleagues with it.

After the explosion, officials Brazil's space program reminded their countrymen and women that tragedy h d also touched other nations during tie early days of their own emerging spa e programs. They pointed out that ev n countries with the most advanced spa e programs, such as Russia and the Unit d States, had experienced deadly failur s.

That reminder, however, did not m e the most recent experience any less tr umatic for the South American nation.

During an emotional memorial h noring the 21 space technicians kille at Alcantara, Brazil's President Luiz In io Lula da Silva announced that the Fed ral government would set up an educati nal fund covering the college expenses o all their children.

Perhaps most significantly, Presi ent Lula also proclaimed that despite the destruction of Brazil's VLS, his gov rnment remained committed to develo ing its own launch system. Robert Am al, Brazil's Science and Technology M nister, also vowed that a new prototy e of the VLS would be ready for launc by 2006.

"The government will work t its maximum to prepare the rocket in and a half years," Amaral said.

A Little History Despite being conceived durin the years when Brazil was ruled by a mi itary dictatorship, the Brazilian space pr • gram was never planned with military bjectives in mind, according to Brazil ia journalist Hello Contreras.

Contreras, writing in the Br zilian news magazine 1st° E, said the p imary objective was to guarantee that razil had access to satellite launch tech ology in order to monitor the natural res urces spread across its vast territory, esp cially the gold and mineral reserves in he remote Amazon region. Space r search and the associated technologic spinoffs, were also expected to play a ivotal role in the future strategic devel pment of the Brazilian economy.

According to the same magazine article, although not all the major technological spin-offs have yet been assimilated, Brazil's space program has already brought solid benefits into the nation's industrial base. In the article, Former Air Force General Hugo Piva, considered one of the fathers of the VLS, points to technologies of high resistance steel that may have been utilized by EMBRAER, Brazil's major high tech company, and one of the world's leading aircraft manufacturers.

But building its own rocket was not an easy undertaking, particularly since the country was at first blocked by international non-proliferation agreements from receiving assistance from any of the signatory nations, who also happened to possess the most knowledge and experience in designing and building launch systems. The United States led the way in discouraging Brazil from building its own rocket.

The concern at the time was that any vehicle, which could launch a satellite into orbit, possessed what was called "dual use" capability, which meant that it could also lob explosive warheads across vast expanses of land. Later, when Brazil agreed to reorganize its space activities under civilian control and sign a nonproliferation document known as the Missile Technology Control Regime, the international restrictions were relaxed a bit, but they never completely went away; "technology transfer" concerns made designing and manufacturing a national rocket, virtually from scratch, a daunting task.

Some in Brazil's space program have never quite forgiven the U.S. and other countries for making that task quite so difficult.

As one high ranking Brazilian official complained at the time, "Brazil wants to enter the commercial space arena, and it's tired of having to pay third parties high fees to launch our very own satellites. Plus we don't like having to be put on a waiting list for that privilege."

Ominous Suggestions of Sabotage According to the article in Isto E, many officials in Brazil's Air Force command believe the failure of the first VLS was due to sabotage. The "ghostly" suggestions of sabotage have always been at the edge of discussions concerning Brazil's previous launch failures, according to the magazine. But the most recent comments from some congressmen and senators investigating the August 22 accident have not been so veiled.

Brazil's Defense Minister, Jose Viegas, dispelled such suspicions of sabo13

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

tage in the latest tragic accident, but he did add an ominous admonition in testimony before a group of senators.

"Brazil's rocket program makes some powerful nations very unhappy. There has always been very strong international opposition and restrictions against any kind of technology transfer to our program and, we will not forget that Brazil had to develop its rocket all on its own because it encountered extreme difficulty even to purchase basics components outside the country."

At least at this point, Brazil will not be dissuaded from having its own rocket.

President Lula' s populist government may be quite different from the right wing military dictatorship that gave birth to the Complete Brazilian Space Program, but they both share in a strong commitment to build a national launch system.

The President of the Brazilian Space Agency, Luis Bevilacqua, has already presented the Minister of Science with a request for funds to rebuild the rocket, the launchpad, and to train a new launch crew to substitute the ones killed, according to Rio's 0 Globo newspaper. In the same article, Bevilacqua's boss, Science Minister Amaral also revealed that Brazil has spent about $1 billion dollars on its space program in the last 20 years.

Brazil's Troubled Road to Space Troubles with its rocket program are only the latest in a series of recent setbacks to Brazil's space dreams. Brazil was to have become a participant in the International Space Station program by now, contributing certain sophisticated hardware to the Station. But when the development costs for the highly specialized equipment grew out of control, according to Brazilian space officials, the country was not able to fulfill that commitment.

The flight status of Brazil's first astronaut, Air Force Major Marcos Pontes, who was supposed to have conducted national scientific experiments aboard the orbiting station, is also unclear as this story goes to press. Pontes has already completed his training at Johnson Space Center, but has not yet received a flight assignment.

Brazil's attempts to reach an agreement with the United States permitting U.S. rockets or U.S. made satellite components to be launched from the Alcantara launch complex were also discontinued recently when President Lula's government chose to shelve the already signed U.S./Brazil bilateral Technology Safeguards Agreement.

Brazil's hopes were to turn Alantara 14

ere for sabotage, Brazilian news magazine isto1997, when thesgtefeote ff: han dgrdot° tchketth eotepbrB booster oom kra:hi ' failed to ign was r-ef e formal investigati followed 7 .tle thdeopl emi ie dsnthotl:laelic' e tr tdithreoc e r a failure of the ign tem to provide sufficient electrical I 'a to produce tho explosionlil: system.

1 Suppliers gnition system c nens ' flawed. One o manufacturers to thatied a I the hla:21.vs.T0 'components of stem had pas ality I top when they th7.40 _ arj cati i eg nsaneu linity lp:0 , liv sdthtb eoin : fraat P° ip 'hco ct iduur,,a, I sabotage further state Th qe 1997 They have -c continued to m, in ▪ nents to the B n space gram' and e been I requested' I Coincidenta speculation surrounding the latest I Centers on possib premature ignition of one of the solid ftiel boó e vehicle ' undergoing testL'' e.ry d. Iffi et-.-. NASA uses two mon ite a solid ignite the U.S. sp 's solid fuel booste accdiflgtoan ted Press s k quotes James Obei I space or am ,Shuttle s at Mission Controi I' Houston.

Oberg s that the Brazijie investiatioa would f what prem v Here's the , on wiat me I ztne on of autodestru - eti-, le I launch con second launch a I told by Braz ials that range sal purposelt etOQ.secondsjnio its second stage Sim MN MU

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BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

into the world's first international commercial spaceport by allowing foreign clients to launch their rockets and payloads from the Brazilian base, which is in an ideal location (just 3 degrees south of the equator) to incur significant fuel savings. Since U.S. launchers or payload components comprise about 80 percent of the world's commercial space market, it was necessary to assuage America's technology transfer concerns in the form of a bi-lateral Technology Safeguards Agreement before such dreams could be fulfilled.

The TSA, signed in 2000, was to have prevented transfers of sensitive U.S. technology during launches of U.S. satellites or rockets from Brazilian territory. But Brazilian congressman found some of the document's provisions to be overly restrictive. In fact, congressional consideration ofthe agreement eventually turned itself into a controversial national debate.

Several Brazilian legislators charged that the Agreement violated Brazilian national sovereignty by essentially establishing a U.S. restricted zone within Alcantara, barring even Brazil's custom officials from inspecting containers coming into the base. Another highly controversial provision seemed once again aimed at thwarting Brazil's rocket building ambitions; the provision, called "draconian' by Brazilian legislators, specifically barred Brazil from using any of the revenues generated from leasing the base, in the pursuit of developing its own launcher.

The previous Brazilian administration (which had negotiated and signed the agreement) insisted that the agreement was no different than those signed by other nations. Brazil's then President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, continued to press for congressional ratification for some time, insisting that the TSA was essential for the Alcantara launch base to BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

become eco nomicall self-suffi cient. Never theless, th new adminis tration chos to withdra the docume t from congre sional consi eration earli r this year.

Russia s and Ukrai ans Come o Brazil Russia and the Ukraine are not amo g the major space powers, (and potent al commercial space competitors) that h e discouraged Brazil from building its o n rocket. Both Russia and the Ukraine ad previously signed cooperation agreements with Brazil, in which they pro ised to provide advanced rocket eng ne technology.

Initial plans called for Brazil to evelop its next generation rocket in co I peration with the Russians—produci g a "hybrid" rocket incorporating the so idrocket fuel technology used on the razilian VLS, with liquid-fuel upper s ge technology provided by the Russian This, however, was to have occu ed only after Brazil had first shown it c uld successfully launch its solid fuel ro ket, according to one high ranking Braz lian space official at the time. Instead, o the day of the VLS accident, the heas of Brazil's Air Force, General Luiz C rlos Bueno, had the grim task of inviti g a group of six Russian space speciali ts to Brazil to assist in the accident inve igation. The invitation, to what isto E agazine called "a Dream Team" of the Russian Space program, represents, " ore than a temporary request for assist: nce.

It also signifies a more strategic ap • roximation between the two nations', according to the magazine.

In a very sad coincidence, the razilian parliament approved the Bra ilian/ Ukrainian T.S.A., on the very sa e day that the VLS exploded in Alantar . The TSA allows Ukraine to launch a v rsion of their Cyclone rocket from Alc ntara.

Shortly after voting to ratify th TSA with the Ukraine, Brazilian Co gressman Fernando Gabeira stated t at the Ukrainians offered much better onditions than the U.S. did under i. TSA proposal.

• "The Ukrainian TSA is muc more advantageous for Brazil than t e one offered by the U.S. because it •oesn't

interfere with our national sovereignty and it contains clauses that ensure mutual cooperation. This, in turn, will allow us to expand the technological base of our country," Gabeira said.

On the deadliest day of Brazi s space program, Science Minister Amaral elaborated on the extent of Brazilian/Ukrainian cooperation envisioned for the future.

"The fourth stage of the Ukrainian Cyclone rocket, which today has three stages, will be developed jointly with the Ukrainians in Brazil. These agreements with the Ukraine and with Russia, are fundamental to the development of our nation's cutting edge technologies," Amaral said.

Earlier in the year when Brazil and the Ukraine agreed to form a joint venture company to develop and market the new version of the Cyclone-4, Amaral also pointed out that, "the Ukraine has advanced launch system technology which we need. And unlike other major space faring nations, they are willing to share their technology with us."

Frank Dirceu Braun is an awardwinning writer and producer, with over 25 years of experience in both print and broadcast journalism. Braun has worked as an Associate Producer for 60 Minutes, and as an Investigative Producer for the C.B.S. affiliated stations.

Born in Brazil, and raised in the U.S., Braun is a graduate of U.C.L.A. After graduation, he returned to Brazil to help launch "The Latin America Daily Post", an English language daily newspaper patterned after Europe's International Herald Tribune.

As a journalist, Braun has specialized in covering the space programs of the United States and other nations, for over a decade. Braun currently serves as co-director of the Permission to Dream telescope project, and vice-president for public affairs of the National Space Society.

In 1994, Braun was the Executive Producer for the 25th Anniversary of Apollo 11, mankind's first landing on the moon. Vice-President Al Gore was the keynote speaker; Braun also produced the 25th and 30th Anniversary Galas of the Apollo 13 mission.

In December 2002, Braun and James Cameron's Earthship. TV co-produced the 30th Anniversary of Apollo 17, America's last mission to the moon.

Your comments are welcome at frankbraunl lhotmail.com or fbraun2Aearthlink.net 15

e

:tea to paillcipate inttm;li;:k.gue r, ie to Letters to the Pk,t,Honer P3 eo 50530 Los Angeles. CA 90050-0536 or Lend E -mat to brazzil@brazzil.com

While I haven't given up on Brazil and love the people I meet there (who are the friendliest and warmest of people) I hope that this president can find a way to push some reforms through.

wealth assessment should we consider as a model?

Paul Via Internet DOLLAR NOT THE GUIDE

Dear Mr. Burton, I read your text and I found it very interesting and especially very accurate. (Brazil's Emperor Tourist - fittp:// ww. brazzil. com/2003/htm Unews/arti cies/ aug03/p121aug03.htm). It is so pleasant to read an article talking about such a honorable person as it was our last emperor Dom Pedro II. As you have said, even queen Victoria, who was a great ruler was impressed by our beloved emperor, D. Pedro II. There is a very interesting remark she made when she first met him saying that, she was astonished by the fact he remind her so much of "her Albert" whom by that time had already died.

But I ask you to excuse myself for making one little correction about the text when it says that D. Pedro I (who was our second emperor's father) was married to a French woman. That's incorrect. He was married to Dona Leopoldina of Habsburg who was the daughter of the emperor of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and who subsequently was D. Pedro II"s mother.

Dona Leopoldina was from Austria and she became our first empress. She brought with her the Austrian mission with many artists and scientists to portray and to study the Brazilian fauna and flora.

I think it is a mistake judging the economical wealth of Brazil by considering the daily exchange rate of the dollar. In 2002 Brazil had the so called purchasing power parity of about $1.34 trillion with a GDP per capita around $7,600 (www.cia.gov).

The mistake is when people calculate the economical output of Brazil using the daily trade value of the dollar. Since we are now fluctuating around the price of 2.9 Real per dollar, the GDP of Brazil really looks like US$ 467 billion, as mentioned by Alessandra Dalevi.

So, do the math, when the Brazilian Real was rated at $1.00 in 2001 or so. the GDP was calculated to be $1.34 trillion but now at the rate of 2.9 (ratio), $1.34 trillion/2.9 — $462 Billion. The raw economical output of Brazil did not alter only because of that. Therefore, it is an absurd to think that the authentic Brazil's GDP fluctuates every day, up or down. by just taking in account the value of the Brazilian currency in relation to the dollar.

And one more thing, Brazil's economical output is greater than Mexico's.

Furthermore, take this example: I have a friend, a Chinese, who sends $100 every month for his family in China. The money is enough to monthly support his relatives there, including school, clothing, food, rent, utilities, etc. What could you do with $100 in the US? Buy one week only of food, barely. But thanks to the exchange rate his family in China is doing fine.

If someone retires in the US with a salary of, say, $1000.00 per month, he or she would have to live in very poor conditions. It would be very difficult to survive in the US with such a low salary and most people are getting just that in their retirements here. Now, multiply that by 2.9. That would be 2900 reais per month.

Could a person survive with that amount in Brazil? I do think so and better. Americans should seriously consider retiring in Brazil as well. So, the currency exchange rate should not be used to judge the wealth of other countries and Brazil produces more than many of inc countries listed by Alessandra Dalevi and that is what really matters.

Go to www.nationmastercom for better statistics. Interestingly enough, Luxembourg, for example, is listed as the richest country in the world followed by the United States. Which

Sergio Tunes Sr. San Diego, California

Andre Marinho Dumont Brazil, Via Internet THE IMPORTANCE OF UNION

It is obvious that Mr. John Fitzpatrick, a A CULTURAL PROBLEM Scottish, although living in Sao Paulo and at After reading Alessandra Daley' s article least in theory having knowledge of the Brazilon the Brazilian economy I was not surprised ian society, does not recognize that Brazil may but further disappointed. In 1999 I made my have its own objectives and these may somefirst trip to Brazil and have been back six times times contrast with the developed nations. since. My primary interest was to learn as much ("Lula's Global Fan Club Is Thinning" - http:/ as possible since this was and is a country full /www. brazzi I . com/2003/html/news/arti cles/ of natural resources—both human and agriculoct03/p10loct03.htm) tural.

What he did not mention is that the G-X A country with an abundance of soybeans, group congregate large economies such as orange juice, cattle, coffee and the most imporChina, India, Mexico and Indonesia, and that tant, a large population that could stimulate these countries have all the same need: to be growth and propel Brazil's economy. After my heard in all major international trade negotiaseven trips rye learned that the most important tions. It is only by chance that ambassador "thing" holding Brazil back is probably, and I Celso Amorim is the Group's speaker. Also he hope I'm wrong, but it's that of its culture. did not mention that the defectors, exclusively Of course there's corruption in the governby US pressure, were the poorest countries. The ment and the pension system is a major problem major economies are still part of the group, and to raising revenue and erasing the mentality of their best chance to drop trade barriers is to keep "entitlement," but the culture is such that it's united in a bloc. difficult to tap into those natural resources that Antonio Campos Mon teiro Neto is abundant in Brazil.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Another problem and is somewhat related is the lack of management skills. On every visit FOR MORE LETTERS AND ENTIRE to Brazil I've argued with the hotel manageCan't you find Brazzil at your Brazilian LETTER SEE: ment of the hotel that I've stayed at. The lack of consulate? http:/hvww.brazzil.com management skills in even the most sophistiDon't ask us why. ask the consulate. cated and expensive hotels is evident in the most basic ofjobs performed.

Allow 5 to 7 weeks to receive your first issue. No back issues sold. No subscriptions by phone.

For example, if I asked for some extra Use your credit card or make check to Brazzil and mail it to: towels it would take hours to get it up to my BRAZZIL - P.O. Box 50536 - Los Angeles, CA 90050-0636 room or when I was in Salvador and stayed at a hotel in Ondina for 10 days, we wanted to stay 0 take 1 year (12 issues) an additional 3 days and the hotel said there wasn't space and we had to find another hotel.

NEW RENEWAL I don't think any hotel should "throw out" For info: (323) 255-8062 - Email:brazzil@brazzil.com guests—if you think about it they are in the WHY NOT SEND A GIFT TO 10 100 EVERYONE YOU KNOVV 7 USE YOUR CREDIT service industry where their reputation is based on how they treat their guests—they should CARD always make accommodations for their guests.

There's an old American saying "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" meaning: you have guests staying with you willing to pay for more accommodations why force them to leave and accommodate people who aren't physically in the hotel.

It's this type of management that is very harmful and serves as an impediment to Brazil being more productive—it's not that Brazilians aren't intelligent or hard working people, it's just a lack of training and management skills that are pervasive in the country and it leads to a lack of productivity.

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No Use to Complain, Brazil.

Retaliate!

The only way for Brazil to reduce the barriers imposed on our export products resides in our power to retaliate and harm the economy of rich nations. But because we cannot do this, all we do is to keep on protesting at the WTO, pretending to believe in the good future intentions of our interlocutors.

CARLOS CHAGAS 18

Yet another meeting of the World Trade Organization, this time in Cancan, Mexico, ended the only way it could have ended, with rich countries telling poor countries to go back to Planet Earth and poor countries holding on to the illusion that will one day be able to convince rich countries to let go of their interests in favor of a miraculous equity in trade.

Nothing major has changed or will ever change in trading between nations. Plenty of smokescreens, some deceit and a few promises may garnish the debates and the front pages of newspapers, but the truth is that the First World will keep granting subsidies to its own products, mainly agricultural, and the Third World, having incorporated the Second, will keep protesting the fiscal barriers that harm their exports.

It couldn't be any other way and it won't be, as long as the world exists. Which country would be willing to act against its own interests and sacrifice its citizens, at least while it enjoys economic and military strength? From the Egypt ofRamses II to Babylon, from Assyria to the Roman Empire, from the Mongols to the United States and the European Union oftoday, the order of the day is to establish the will of the stronger over the weaker.

Countries in 'development', which is an euphemism for poor countries, always end up paying the bill of the rich. Just look at the public account deficit in the United States today, which is over US$ 600 billion. Are the Americans working on any primary surplus because ofthat?

Are they using their wealth to pay interest?

The only way to achieve isonomy and reduce the barriers imposed on our export products resides in our power to retaliate and fundamentally harm the economy, the institutions or the stability of rich nations. If we were only able to somehow threaten the rich to the point of making them fearful of our threats, the problem would be solved. But because we can't, all we do is to keep on protesting at the WTO, pretending to believe in the good future intentions of our interlocutors...

A Solution in Fresh Water Reserves By simply denouncing the overtaxation of our orange juice, soybeans, steel, chicken, beef and all the other stuff, all we are doing is joining in the farce. And we are already under the burden of routine declines in the international prices of iron ore, cadmium, niobium and as many noble minerals as exist in our land actually, ofeverything that we either own in large amounts or can produce at lower costs.

To keep on crying only shows our weakness and makes our "partners" shrug their shoulders at our tears. The label they use to keep their advantage over us is less importantâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;today it's the market, yesterday it was 'freedom'. What they do is the right thing for them, because they have to defend their people. We should do the same, but how?

That is the big question for President Lula and the representatives of the other poor countries. Instead of long discussions about whether we are in fact less poor than the others, whether we "falamos" (speak) while they "hablan" or ,whether our situation is different because our land is larger and mightier, we would better be looking for away out by searching for tools that would allow us to use pressure, threats and retaliation.

It's difficult to imagine that they would let us take the nuclear routeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;after all, they managed to explode our mini-rockets before they could even reach the clouds. Still, where there is a political will, there is a solution. The devil is in how to find it.

There are those who think that fresh water is the formula to balance the dialogue between the destitute and the powerful in the world, at least in the case of Latin America.

In 30 or 40 years there will be a shortage of potable water in our planet. Actually, there is already a shortage. We in Latin America and in particular Brazil, have the largest reserves in the world. How to transform this wealth into power? First, of course, by establishing defenses so that they don't come and take it, like they did with so many other resources.

Next, by finding mechanisms able to transform this wealth into an exchange currency.

And then, by investing in the right technologies to take this water to those who lack it. We need to remember that we will always run the risk of them taking that which they lack by force, as in the case of oil. However, if the alternative is to keep on screaming at international bodies in search of what they don't want and can't give us, which would be equity and understanding, why don't we start working on this and getting ready?

Translated by Tereza Braga.

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

Fernando Melo Henrique Lula da Silva Overseas, President Lula says everything we would love him to say. He criticizes the rich and rebels against the customs barriers imposed on our exports. Back home he surrenders to the most humiliating demands from the international financial system.

When he grants wage raises, the raises are ridiculous.

CARLOS CHAGAS

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

It's a fact and I don't mean it grudgingly: the Lula administration remains just like the Fernando Henrique administration. For example, let's take the President's performance when he travels abroad. When he is out of the country, Lula says everything we would love him to say here. He criticizes the protectionism of rich countries towards their agricultural production, rebels against the customs barriers imposed on our exports, exhorts the powerful tol accept the rules they themselves create and claims fora global fight against destitution, hunger and disease.

What Lula did in New York as well as Antonio Palocci in Dubai, is precisely what Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Pedro Malan did last year in the same United Nations auditorium and at the meeting o the World Trade Organization in London to mention just two examples.

Applause and glad tidings would b eternally due to all four, if not for a subtl overlooked detail. When back in Brazil, a I of them practice the opposite of what they preach. All exhortations are forgotten and there is no continuity to proposals made abroad.

At home, they surrender to the most malapropos and humiliating demands from the international financial system. Via BNDES, they turn on the Treasury's spigots to either rescue broken banks or prevent privatized electric utilities from going bankrupt. They don't hesitate to allow abusive increases in the prices of pub lic services, to raise taxes and to suppress social rights.

When they grant wage raises, the raises are ridiculous.

It is now proved that this strategy never works. What better proof than the election of our current President? During his campaign, Lula promised to change everything his predecessor did. He was elected because of the alternatives he would introduce. None were introduced and the results are there for all to see. Everyone is confused about names: was Fernando Inacio da Silva Cardoso our last President? Is the current one called Luis Henrique Lula Cardoso da Silva? It doesn't really matter, actually...

Bicudo and Pinotti Demand Respect The group of public figures above 4ny suspicion those in which the highest trtues and almost no vices are r cognized, is getting smaller nd smaller these days. Hello Bicu o, who served several times a a deputado federal for the PT in he House of Representatives and urrently vice-mayor of Sao Paul ,is definitely in that select group. He doesn't, therefore, deserve what they are trying to do with Fim. With Martha Suplicy runnin for reelection, there is no reason to push Dr. Helio aside or to stitch this strange alliance with PM B. Another politician ofequ I respectability, physician Jose

Aristodemo Pinotti, is the other actor in this scenario. Pinotti is the PMDB candidate for mayor of Sao Paulo and has all the necessary qualifications to run for that office. To imagine him as vice-mayor for 'Madame Favre' is nothing short of disrespect.

PT has everything it needs to stay at the helm of the Sao Paulo state capital. We can say the same for PMDB and the mayor's office. All we need is to remember the administrations of Luiza Erundina and Mario Covas, in the not so recent past.

What is unacceptable, though, is a conspiracy that begins with the pushing aside of one of the most serious-minded politicians the state has ever had and ends with the humiliation of another one of equal caliber. Keeping the PT in power may be important, but it is not worth all this...

Playing with Fire The Planalto Palace has been playing with fire on the issue of tax reform. There is no more doubt that the government's bill will pass the second round in the House.

When it gets to the Senate, however, it will be a crisis waiting to happen. There is no way that the text, as it is written, will be accepted by the governors in the North and Northeast. It is another example of the violence perpetrated in favor of the more developed states in Brazil.

It is erroneous to suppose that the leaderships in the less developed states are feeling divided and perplexed. Last weekend alone added significantly to the profit of the nation's telephone companies because all the governors called back and forth to each other several times. They are mobilizing their State Senators who will, save very rare exceptions, show a united front in defense of regional interests.

For the congressional blocs representing the Northern and Northeastern states, the passing of the government's bill will amount to treason.on the part of those who voted for it. For these senators, voting for tax reform as it is now drafted will mean a farewell to public service.

There are no marches, rallies or war declarations planned for the halls of the National Congress, butthe North and Northeast blocs are much more united than most people would think. Either the federal government concedes and allows for compensation to states located in these regions or it will harvest an Olympian defeat.

Carlos Chagas writes for the Rio's daily Tribuna da Imprensa and is a representative of the Brazilian Press Association, in Brasilia. He welcomes your comments at carloschagas*hotmail.com Translated byTereza Braga. Braga is a freelance Portuguese translator and interpreter based in Dallas. She is an accredited member of the American Translators Association. Contact: terezab(&sbc2lobal.net

19

Lula's Global Fan Club Is Thinning By helping form a new organization of developing countries— the so-called G-22—Brazil has managed to put itself into the losers' camp. Lula's speech at the U.N. was deservedly met with indifference. It was dull, pious and irrelevant. The world was not interested in a sermon from a Third World spokesman.

JOHN FITZPATRICK

There are signs that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's international fan club, which includes France's Jacques Chirac and the UK's Tony Blair, is getting a bit bored with him as his novelty value wears off. At the same time, the United States is getting fed up, as was obvious from the recent article in the Financial Times by U.S. Trade Secretary, Robert Zoellick, accusing Brazil of being one of those countries responsible for the failure of the recent World Trade Organization talks in Cancun.

Interestingly, neither Chirac nor Blair, or any of the European heavyweights who have said in the past that they would support greater free trade, came to Brazil's defense. By helping form a new organization of developing countries— the so-called G-22—Brazil has managed to put itself into the losers' camp.

Overall, the past week, which Lula spent addressing the opening ofthe United Nations General Assembly in New York and then going on to Mexico and Cuba, has been a waste of time. He should have stayed at home, where acting President Jose Alencar was making a mess of looking after the shop while the boss was away.

Lula Speaks at the U.N. but says nothing...

Lula's speech at the U.N. was deservedly met with indifference, and received remarkably little coverage in the international media. It was dull, pious and irrelevant. The world was not interested in a sermon from someone who came over as a Third World spokesman rather than a dynamic leader.

The meeting was overshadowed by more pressing issues, such as George

20

Bush's comments on Iraq, which displayed the "How the West Was Won" straightforwardness and naivety we expect from a modern-day Texas Ranger.

Or the Gallic duplicity and hypocrisy we expect from Chirac, who wants to be everything to everyone.

Lula's comments on getting the U.N. to commit to ending hunger were as desirable and unattainable as John Lennon's "Imagine". However, John Lennon was a pop singer who was unable to make himself a cup of tea, never mind end world hunger.

In proposing the U.N. set up a committee to combat world hunger, Lula seems to have overlooked the fact that the U.N. has been around for over 50 years and, in that time, it has been trying to eradicate hunger as well as improve health and education around the world through bodies like the Food and Agricultural Organization and Unesco.

What will his proposed committee do that FAO has not done until now, except create another bureaucratic body? Lula should spend more time getting results from his own "Zero Hunger" program in Brazil before trying to export it.

In response to the Zoellick article, Lula also boobed by making an unwise defensive statement that Brazilians would not let Bush treat them like second-class citizens. This remark, televised widely in Brazil, was nothing but hot air blowing from a balloon filled with its own selfimportance, which was diminishing in size with every word said. To say something like this in the U.S., and mention the U.S. president by name, shows that Lula still has lots to learn about international politics and diplomacy.

Carnival in Cuba This lack of experience was also apparent in the decision to visit Cuba afterwards. One can only wonder who came up with the idea. Was it Lula himself or the Foreign Ministry, intent on showing the U.S. that Brazilians will go their own way? It was unwise, not only because it might have irritated Washington but, more importantly, because it brought bad publicity back home.

The Brazilian media, which had been happy to criticize the American stance on Iraq and trade issues, was not prepared to accept that a visit to Cuba was necessary.

The media highlighted Lula's statement, before he even stepped on Cuban soil, that he would not raise internal matters with Fidel Castro. Basically this meant that Lula would not spoil his party in Havana by raising issues such as human rights and press freedom.

Whereas in a democracy, like the BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

U.S., he felt free to criticize that country's president by name, he felt unable to do so in a dictatorship like Cuba. Maybe we should not even care, since for a tyrant like Castro, who has been in power for over 40 years, people like Lula come and go and their views are of no interest.

Castro rolled out the red carpet and the Brazilian delegation was greeted like old friends. Lula's Chief of Staff, Jose Dirceu, who lived for a number of years in Cuba while exiled from Brazil during the military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985, was reportedly so overcome with emotion that he cried. In fact, Dirceu almost missed this moving event, as he had been delayed at home tackling a problem which would not have arisen had Vice-President Jose Alencar been up to the job.

Alencar: Bull in a China Shop...

Within days of Lula's departure, Alencar, who became acting president as called for by the Constitution, was making a fool of himself. One of Alencar's tasks was to sign a provisional decree lifting restrictions on planting genetically modified soybeans. Instead of signing the decree, Alencar dithered and delayed and spoke to the pro and anti camps because, as he admitted, he didn't really want to shoulder the responsibility of signing the dotted line on such a controversial matter.

He even spoke to Lula by phone for over an hour before finally signing the measure. In an extraordinary comment afterwards, he described himself as "a poor little acting president from Minas Gerais (who) had to sign this measure."

I recently defended Alencar for breaking governmentranks and criticizing high interest rates. I said he should be free to speak his mind so that the people could see the kind of person who is only a heartbeat away from the presidency. We are reaping the results of this freedom, and it is not a reassuring sight.

Alencar is a millionaire businessman whose PL party is strongly evangelical.

He upset many of Brazil's Jews before last year's elections by saying that the solution to the Middle East problem was for Israel to leave its territory and buy land elsewhere. Lula's PT party was so appalled that it mounted a charm offensive and Alencar eventually recanted.

However, at the end ofthe day the blame must lie with Lula, who chose Alencar despite much opposition within the PT. As I have pointed out before in this space, there have been an unusually large number of occasions when the Brazilian vice-president has stepped into the shoes of the president. The most recent examplesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jose Sarney replacing Tancredo Neves who died in 1985, and Itamar Franco replacing Fernando Collor who resigned as he was about to be impeached in 1992â&#x20AC;&#x201D;were not happy experiences.

Let us wish Lula excellent health for as long as he is president. Having Brazil in the hands of Jose Alencar is the stuff that nightmares are made of.

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

In Brazil Nepotism Never Die There are an estimated 20, 00 "positions of trust" in the ula administration and accordin to press reports the greedy PT has grabbed about 80 percent oft em.

This wasn't supposed to ha pen since socialists give the im ression of being decent, honest and against vested interests and corruption.

JOHN FITZPA RICK

Politics is a pretty sleazy affair in most countries, whether they are democracies or dictatorships. The name of the game is power, and one of the most important instruments in exercising power is patronage. Presidential systems, such as we have in Brazil, are probably more open to abuses of patronage than parliamentary systems, although I would not bet on it.

President Luiz 'Mei° Lula da Silva's administration has come in for a lot of criticism recently, over allegations that it is reserving too much of the cake for members or supporters of the Workers Party (PT) and its allies. While much of this criticism is justified, singling out the PT is like saying Stalin was worse than Hitler.

The PT is just doing what every other political party has been doing for decades, and the fact that it has made some bloopers is just part of the learning curve of a party heading a government for the first time. However, the PT's attitude in' jumping on the gravy train is disappointing, and rules out any meaningful political reform for a long time.

Should we really blame the PT? In one way, yes, since socialists and social democrats everywhere give the impression of being decent, honest, compassionate, in favor ofthe people and against vested interests and corruption. Therefore, just as we expect democracies like Israel, the U.K. or Spain to behave m6re decently than Palestinian, Irish or Basque terrorists, regardless of the provocations, so we expect the PT to be different from the other parties.

However, right wing parties and dictatorships have no monopoly on abusing 21

power and privilege. We saw numerous examples of this during the eight years in which President Fernando Henrique Cardoso's social democratic PSDB was in the driver's seat.

Lula's Chief of Staff, Jose Dirceu, claims the PT has in fact reduced the number of public service appointees compared with the Cardoso administration. Whether this is true or not—and the details appear on the PT's site—Dirceu is right to point a finger at the previous administration, which relied on a range of alliances with unsavory characters.

Let me describe a small personal example of abuse. During the PSDB administration of Sao Paulo state Governor Mario Covas, a close friend of mine was offered a position in the press office of a state secretariat. The job required a scientific/technical background, journalistic experience and linguistic skills, since one of the secretariat's aims was to attract foreign investors. She had all these qualifications and worked directly with the state secretary, a non-political person with an academic background and the technical know-how the job required.

One day, Governor Covas decided to appoint a new state secretary and chose a political crony from the PSDB who had no experience in that area and could not even speak English. This individual showed little interest in day-today business of the secretariat, and devoted most of his time to politicking in the run-up to last year's presidential election. He often failed to turn up for meetings with important visitors, and was so boorish he would address my friend, a professional with 20 years' experience in Brazil and abroad, as menina (little girl).

One day my friend was told that she was being summarily sacked, since this secretary wanted to give her position to someone else as part of a political favor.

She was in no position to argue, and was forced to accept the decision. As for the politician, he did not stay much longer at the secretariat, eventually took a senior position in the election campaign and tried, unsuccessfully, to get elected to Congress.

This case is not at all untypical, and similar situations happen every time there is a change in political control, whether at national or town hall level. Parties from all sides grab the positions they can and spread them around among their political allies, friends and families.

22

These positions range from high-profile directorships in regulatory agencies like the National Petroleum Agency, banks such as the BN DES, the board of directors of Petrobras, to lesser management roles and, in some cases, run-of-the-mill positions. There are an estimated 20,000

"positions of trust", as they are called, and press reports say that the greedy PT has grabbed about 80 percent of them.

Three of Lula' stop advisers—Chief of Staff Jose Dirceu, Finance Minister Antonio Palocci, and Social Security Minister Ricardo Berzoini—were embarrassed when the media revealed that their wives had been named for positions in Brasilia. Denials of nepotism were made in all three cases and, although the wives appear to be qualified, few observers believe they were chosen purely on their professional qualifications.

The PT also made an enormous blunder when it appointed a political ally, Jamil Haddad of the PSB, to run the National Cancer Institute in Sao Paulo.

Haddad is a doctor and former health minister but, to the dismay of institute staff, one of his first moves was to appoint as administrative director a 70year-old woman who happened to be his cousin. This caused such an outrage that a number of senior staff resigned.

The sheer insensitivity of playing politics with cancer patients and their relatives is almost unbelievable. It displays the arrogance and, at the same time, the naivety of the PT. Fortunately, Lula saw sense and the director stood down although, at the time of writing, his cousin is still in place. Defending this appointment, PT party President and former Congressman, Jose Genoino, described it as "a gesture to an old militant in the health area."

Political Reform—Not Now, Probably Not Ever By rushing to stick its snout in the swill bucket, the PT is showing that

changing the system will not be a priority in the near future. When the first Cardoso administration took office, its priorities included reforms of the pension, tax and political systems. It has taken eight years to get any meaningful reform of the pension system through Congress and, to his credit, it was Lula who succeeded where Cardoso had failed. The tax reform is proving to be much tougher and, although the Lower House has just approved the bill, the reforms have been watered down and face a rocky ride in the Senate.

Against this background, political reform is barely on the drawing board. Big changes are needed to remove the opportunities for patronage and corruption that exist, and to ensure that a permanent class of professional senior civil servants advises and carries out the policies of sitting governments in a nonpolitical way.

There should also be an end to the shameful situation in which elected politicians move from one party to another whenever it is in their personal interest to do so. One of last year's presidential candidates, Anthony Garotinho, did so recently when he deserted the PSB for the PMDB. He also took his wife, Rosinha, who is the Governor of Rio de Janeiro state, and a dozen of his followers with him.

Since Garotinho is still in his early forties and likely to run again for the presidency, there is little chance of him or the PMDB showing any interest in political reform. Nor, unfortunately,will the PT, which is currently crushing a rebellion by traditional leftists within the party in a manner that would do credit to any reactionary coronel from the impoverished Brazilian Northeast.

The party has postponed a decision on expelling the rebels to later in the year, thereby preventing them—in the event that they are kicked out—from standing in next year's municipal elections rebounding back to the political arena. Current rules require one year's membership in a party before anyone can run for office.

John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish journalist who first visited Brazil in 1987 and has lived in Sao Paulo since 1995. He writes on politics and finance and runs his own company, Celtic Comunicacoes— www.celt.com.br, which specializes in editorial and translation services for Brazilian and foreign clients. You can reach him at

ifAcelt.com.br BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

The foremost legacy of Cancfm is how the Rich countries refused to ease up on export tariffs levied against the Poorer and Poor ones on what stands as their main source of foreign income, agriculture. In as much they did, the World Trade Organization Cancim Ministerial Summit (September 8-13) closed in failure. As a follow-up to the manifested goodwill of the 2001 Doha round, this dramatic outcome is the result of hypocrisy among the wealthy.

Lifting tariffs on industrial imports and loosening intellectual property rules, proposed as compromises by the US and EU, in no way alters the balance ofpower in international trade. That's because few countries outside the G7 and South-East Asia have any industrially manufactured goods to export. For those that do, like Brazil and India, they have been deprived of broader markets.

Despite the failure, the Cancun Summit will be most remembered for the spotlight it shone on the mathematics of the pending global trade imbalance. Much of the developing world's industry is based in agriculture. The formation of a large group of countries with similar exporting ambitions in that sector sought to drive that reality toward broader understanding. The G21 as the association was called, at one point growing to 23, was led by Brazil's astute staff of diplomats and negotiators. Without a move from the North, the G21 refused to bend on the so-called Singapore issues regarding investment, competition and transparency in government procurement.

The G2 1 's attempt was to break a stalemate that just happened to confirm what has been suspected for sometime. Free-trade has one primary direction: North to South. As with its other international commitments, the US had no intention on settling for anything less than the status quo.

The free-market ideology that has been the backbone to 'globalization' flowed liberally in Cancun. It was contradicted collectively. Well ahead of the summit, it was as clear as day for anyone caring to leaf through the pages of Business Week. From the American perspective, the main problem with the WTO suddenly became what the Seattle demonstrators had pinpointed in 1999 as they fled from teargas. The OrBRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

ganization profoundly lacked a democratic structure and catered only to the corrupt.

The upshot holds that the US cannot afford to negotiate for broader free trade in such a philosophically deprived environment. Underlying it all is the fact that numerous punitive decisions were taken against the US in recent months for its protectionist farming subsidies and import levies. The entire purpose of the WTO was to make such trade practices unlawful. It would set international standards by which to pass punitive action.

Opposition to US and EU farming 'subsidies' delves much further, though.

Rubens Ricupero, Secretary General of The creation of the G21 group UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), writing in led by Brazil in Cancun w the Folha de S. Paulo on June 6, porintended to break a stalemate th trayed these funds as destined "to fattening the pocket-books of the largest farmconfirmed what has be ing estates, the gigantic agribusiness conglomerates and their allies in the Consuspected for some time. Fre gresses and governments of the wealthitrade has one primary directio est countries." A statement from Oxfam reinforced his point: "distribution of agNorth to South. As with its oth ricultural support in the industrialized international commitments, t countries is far more unequal than the distribution of income in the world's US had no intention on settli most unequal countries." The claim to for anything less than the stat protect farmers turns out, yet again, to be but a house of cards. In the meantime, the quo. land and soul of American and French NORMAN MADARASZ farming culture spiral downward into poverty and suicide as a function of depopulation.

Purporting to protect such privileges, the northern countries have blocked the economic aspirations of the South. Next to the Brazilian delegation, perhaps nobody expressed deeper dejection than Supachai Pan itchpakdi himself, current head of the WTO. "We seemed to be making real progress. We were very, very close to a final agreement," he insisted.

US Threats The days following the summit's failure have been rowdy. The international press has reported how most of the 146 memberstates are posturing toward bilateral trade talks. The US has predictably returned to its moral high horse, threatening the developing world with retaliation for unlawful trading. Even during the summit, as reported by the Financial Times, Robert Zoellick, the US trade representative, energetically attempted

The free Trade Farce

23

to split the G21 "by telling its members that they were jeopardizing their chances of doing bilateral deals with the US." Brazil's Foreign Minister and head ofthe G21 group, Celso Amorim, regretted the "psychological war" waged against the coalition by the EU, US and Canada. In the end Zoellick failed in his rabblerousing in Cancan. On the other hand, there is surely little reason to believe the G21 will easily settle for a compromise now.

Opponents to northern rigidity could only rejoice, but rejoice they did after successfully countering the final summit declaration. The world is clearly divided, once again, by an opaque North-South border. In hindsight and contrary to what many of its critics contended, the principles of the WTO do favor the economies of devel op ing nations, at least partly.

Given the northern stance, however, it now appears to have been nothing more than a finely woven trap for the latter.

Despite what the poorer nations might lose out on in the short-termâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and , by listening to the northern press's morality tale, it will be significantâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the South has perhaps managed to communicate the collective nature of its terms.

Perhaps is the keyword. For northern audiences can hardly be expected to grasp the gist of this gathering. Those who opposed the WTO, and have done so especially since Seattle, have played into a devious logic. Ever since the Bush administration was elected, it has drawn back from its international commitments.

That stands foremost for the WTO. Even in its imperfect form, the WTO represented opportunity for the South, provided that its free-market principles were respected. Demonstrations against the very existence of the organization ultimately ended up sustaining the most conservative ofNorthern economic doctrines.

Then again this was not the first time that the free trade dream has faced its Janus head. For all the denial displayed by rich countries regarding the links tying political turbulence, including political terrorism, to trade, the WTO has consciously connected its goals with 9/ 11. The round held in Doha was done so in urgency after the Twin Tower and Pentagon attacks. Last week's scheduling was no different.

But just as the mood has changed since the months following 9/11, so has the negotiating spirit. As Brazil's President Lula da Silva proclaimed after the summit's end in praise for his country's stance: "We are not out to win. We just want fair play because we can compete. (...) This is hardball and we know that

cratic structure or transparency in the Organization's decision-making processes. The Doha round and agenda seemed to prove that in spite of 9/11, the developing countries could count on the G7's good spirits. It was as if a kind of universal democratic ethics were taking shape amongst multilateral organizations.

The WTO suddenly crystallized into a broker of beliefs.

Despite the so-called concessions the US was willing to make, and Europe's following the lead, nothing ever touched you do not win if you do not play hard." the tip of southern demands in Cancan. In A gap has thus emerged between the the end, China stood askance from the meaning of northern protest movements G20+ group out of self-interest, but also and the business needs of southern econo- 1 out of a sense of fulfillment. The compromies. The fact that the world, with few i mise to lift tariffs on some industrial exceptions, is 'affected by an economic ' goods clearly corresponds to the nature slowdown does not change the expecta- ; of Chinese exports, whereas agriculture tions of developing nations. Nor are they I merely corresponds to its import needs.

Moreover, the entangled web of Chiseemingly prepared to stand by as obedi- ', ent spectators, swayed by the prescrip- nese and American trade relations, maktions of economists. Instead of being ingthe former the latter's biggest credidictated to by theNorth about"fair trade", Itor and the latter the former's largest southern economies are above all after i buyer, places China in America's camp.

After all, Treasury Secretary John Snow "free trade".

The sack in Seattle confronted the lwas just in China making a humiliating WTO to the fact that both the organiza- visit to request that the Chinese Yuan be tion and the question of international lappreciated, amounting to a depreciation trade were found out to be the rulers and lathe American dollar. agents of the out-sourced empire of â&#x20AC;˘1 Complaints of Dumping American power. Prior to that date, tak- t Meanwhile, the US has been dealing ing a political stance against an eco- tith another agenda. Bilateral agreements ith countries on the American continent nomic system was a political act, and remained as such. From Seattle on, what tiave predominated in view of a Free would soon become the alter-globaliza- rrade Agreement of the Americas tion NGO movement proved that it had (FTAA). Robert Zoellick made a good done its economic homework. Even Presi- show of professing interest in multi latdent Clinton reacted well to the protests, eral agreements, when he was not amussomewhat as a teacher impressed by the ing himself by launching faceless threats savviest of his students. Political protest against Brazil and other dissenting G21 had managed to come around to the new cations. The fact is the US has been world economic system ansitackle ithead- Nyithdrawing from WTO rulings through complaints of foreign "dumping". In turn, on.

The grounds of the Organization had it has never come as close to dumping the changed considerably since the 1994 very organization to which it gave rise.

Most North Americans and many Uruguay round. Prior to that date, its predecessor, the GATT (General Agree- Europeans perceive Third World leaders ment on Tariffs and Trade) was basically most often as corrupt embezzlers who a G7 affair. In Seattle, the South yearned feast while their people starve. The vifor a seat at the negotiating table. Clinton's sion of the banana republic was always terms in office exhibited a certain diplo- more self-serving than accurate. Given matic goodwill on the part ofnegotiators, that the US only seemed to sponsor, a sentiment from which the WTO also support or fund the most corrupt, murdrew. A lot was on the table. Clever derous and tyrannical of southern recunningness could get States what they gimes, its factual basis proved to be little wanted. The WTO' s agenda appeared to more than fictions. Nowadays the entire be no different. To the astonishment of South American region is run by demobusiness sectors in the developing world, cratically-elected governments, whose however, they had to face off in the same security agendas range in varying prosquare against northernprotectionism and portions, though none exceeding America's own. The attempt to split the protest.

This negotiating spirit was pointed to political class from the people therefore as compensation for the lack of demo- amounts to being a diversion tactic, BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

It reminds one of the glee with which the Northern hip audiences received Brazil's hit film, City of God. One Montreal critic seemed to climax at the thought of how replete with fright the film left the Brazilian middle class. Far from such unsubstantiated artistic sublimation, this middle class has no need for a film to be scared out of their wits: violence abounds in the country, as it does in Colombia.

Northern city-dwellers can hardly suspect the degree to which it has become banal, which is hardly to deny the pain and suffering of its experience. What has triggered the hopes of the middle classes in most Latin American countries is the old trickle-down dream. Income from trade can offset the debt balance which in turn might allow governments to invest in local infrastructureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and loosen IMF-managed austerity measures on social spending.

On paper, the WTO aimed at concretizing some of those aspirations. When Brazil succeeded in establishing a national aeronautics industry, for example, the North came challenging. An unlikely Inquisitor, Canada showed a considerably different face to what we have seen since it sided with the UN against the US over Iraq. It sought a WTO sanction against Brazil for unlawfully subsidizing its industry, a devastating consequence

whose outcome the Canadians clearly caressed.

In the end Brazil was the camp t9 receive retribution. The WTO ruled against Canada's claim and competitive strategy, consisting basically of offering low-interest loans for foreign companies to buy its nationally produced aircraft.

Brazil requested $5.2 billion in countermeasures; the countries settled for $385 million. Such rulings confirm what Joseph Stieglitz, writing in The Guardia, confirmed as the current structure goi g "some way to restricting the brutal ex cising of economic muscle by the mo e powerful".

By merely focusing on the very po â&#x20AC;˘ r, the wealthy nations are confronted wit a workable option: give a little, the res It can mean a lot. Even so, the dee confrontation lies on this side of chari The less poor of the world persist in being tired of the North's arrogance egarding their education system, indus and governance. When the North d spatches their unemployed technici s down south, they are treated like prin es whereas local university grads with nyears of experience pocket only a ction of the Gringo's salary and bene s.

In such circumstances, the world's nnWestern middle classes are demand' more. And that does equate with a th ning northern pocketbook. It's a quest on

of balance, of moral and ethical due.

Were they to take it from the positive end, what would be in it for Americans, Canadians and Europeans? The possibility of tackling the long term question of an exhausted consumer society. The last period of economic growth in the US, Canada and Asia (Europe has been relatively stagnant in low growth for over a decade) proved to be a bubble. Personal savings were erased in its burst, but populations were coerced into blowing the consumer bubble back into shape. The message with which Cancun has closed is that consumerism will be forced onto the developing world as a last resort by the US to hold onto its economic predominance.

In the meantime, it is said that in conflict new formations arise. The G21 may not long survive as a lasting entity.

The South has still mustered up its skills, competence and courage to spell out what it understands by capitalism, globalization and free trade. Accurately measuring its importance may end up shaping the Cancun legacy.

Norman Madarasz, Ph.D., teaches and writes on philosophy and international relations in Rio de Janeiro. He welcomes comments at nmphdiol2Avahoo.ca

st;1\

70 BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

25

We learned that Brazil is officially in a recession, with the announcement by IBGE, the governstatistics ment agency, that the economy had contracted by 1.6 percent in the second quarter of this year.

The news came as no surprise, but was worse than the fall of less than 1 percent expected by most analysts.

It was just the latest bit of bad news, and this economic recession just adds to the general depression hanging over the country and affecting almost everyone. "Stagflation", an ugly word invented to describe an economy with zero growth and high inflation, linked "stagnation" with "inflation".

If we combine "recession" with "depression" we arrive at another ugly word, "repression", which pretty well sums up the state of Brazil at the moment.

Growth for this year is generally expected to come to around 1.5 percent, although some pessimists say it will be lower and may even be negative. The government's attempts to cheer us up have been unconvincing. The Finance Minister, Antonio Palocci, and the national president of the Workers Party, Jose Genoino, denied that we were in a recession, which is generally defined as two consecutive quarters of falling growth. Instead, Palocci says the worst is over and pointed to some signs of recovery. However, these signs are limited and few observers believe the government predictions of 3.8 percent growth next year.

The government published its budget proposal for 2004-2007 this week, which includes worthy aims like creating 7.8 million jobs, achieving an annual growth figure of 5 percent, and an annual trade surplus of US$ 210 billion. This program will cost R$ 296.7 billion and most of the resources—R$ 232.8 billion—will come from private companies and state-controlled banks, such as BNDES and the federal savings and loan system, Caixa Economica Federal.

A government spokesman described the budget proposal as "realistic", something that could be accomplished without increasing taxes. Well, let's just wait and see. The government's tax reform proposals are currently bogged down in Congress,

Brazil Recession Depression At the moment, Brazil is not a happy country. People are depressed. Those with jobs are worried about losing them and the unemployed are desperate for work. This goes for all sectors and all classes. Shops, restaurants, bars and car dealers are among those reporting lower sales.

JOHN FITZPATRICK

and President Luiz Iliad° Lula da Silva's Chief of Staff Jose Dirceu, has indicated this reform might not be implemented until next year.

At the moment, Brazil is not a happy country. People are depressed. Those with jobs are worried about losing them and the unemployed are desperate for work. This goes for all sectors and all classes. Almost all my professional contacts have either lost their jobs over the last two years, or are worried about losing what they've got. People are reluctant to spend what money they have on nonessential items. Shops, restaurants, bars and car dealers are among those reporting lower sales.

Unemployment rates, interest rates and taxes are high, salaries are low and, although the government keeps saying that inflation is under control, people's incomes are still being eroded. The "good" news— falling interest rates and a forecast that the benchmark rate will be at 21 percent by the end of the year, plus booming exports and greater-than-expected foreign direct investment—is simply not "good" enough.

President Lula keeps pleading for time, but few people really believe that good times are just round the corner. Brazilians are a patient lot, so Lula, whose personal popularity is still extremely high, still has room to maneuver. However, he is committed to improving the social lot of the masses who gave him their votes, and has to keep offering something. Right now however, he is talking up rather than building up the economy.

To add to Brazil's domestic woes, the country is also being battered by bad news that is adversely affecting its image abroad.

Consider this list of recent events, all of which have been given great international coverage: -The death of Brazilian U.N. diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello, in the terrorist attack in Baghdad. Although Vieira de Mello spent most of his life abroad and never represented his country, his death was seen as an attack on the Brazilian characteristics of tolerance, give and take and somehow or other finding a way—urn jeito—to overcome problems. A glowing, but rather naïve obituary was published by BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

The Economist. Unfortunately this approach does not always work in hot spots like the Middle East, and the fact that Vieira de Mello was Brazilian was irrelevant in the eyes ofhis killers who were aiming for him. It also gave Brazil a first-hand taste of what it is like to be (almost) a terrorist target.

-The deaths of 21 technicians and engineers at the Alcantara air base, when a satellite launching device exploded. The tears Lula shed at a memorial service this week could also have been tears of frustration, since the disaster has raised questions about Brazil's ability to continue with its space program.

Questions have been raised about the costs and risks involved. The deaths were not only personal tragedies for the families, but robbed Brazil of technical expertise. Does the country have the financial resources and modern technology to go ahead? By coincidence, the explosion happened only a few days before U.S. authorities published their report into the Columbia disaster, which pinned much of the blame on NASA. The initial response of the Brazilian authorities to the Alcantara explosion has been to appoint an internal commission of inquiry. This caused such an outrage that they had to backtrack somewhat. By comparing the openness ofthe American investigation with what could become a cover up, the news media, for once, actually praised the United States.

-Amnesty International has just published a report claiming that most of the police involved in two mass killing in Rio de Janeiro ten years ago are still free and unpunished. In its report, Amnesty said: "In 1993 Brazil and the international community were appalled by two massacres of unarmed and defenseless civilians, that took place within weeks of each other in Rio de Janeiro city. Eight "street children" and young adults were attacked and killed as they lay sleeping outside a church in central Rio, in what became known as the Candelaria massacre on July 23, 1993. Little over a month later, on August 29 of the same year, twenty-one residents of Vigario Geral, a poor community on the city's outskirts, were slaughtered by a group of heavily armed and hooded men. The shock of these brutal and senseless killings was made all the worse when evidence emerged that both massacres had been carried out by members of Rio's military police force, the very individuals paid, trained and equipped by the state to protect society from crime and violence." Although the report was publicized here, there was little public response since none of this comes as a surprise, and none of us think that things will change. Writing a report like this in the safety and security of London can easily fill one with outrage, but this outrage will do little to bring justice to Rio de Janeiro.

Other negative stories which have been highlighted in the international media this week were the discovery of "slave" workers in Bahia state, and a revolting story of the ritual murder, torture and castration of five children in Para state between 1989 and 1993 by a satanic sect.

To cheer Brazilians up a little, their team did well in the recent Pan American games held in Santo Domingo. These are the Americas' equivalent of the Olympic Games, and the mainly amateur Brazilians performed well against powerful rivals like the U.S. and Cuba.

On the professional sports scene, the national football team is preparing to face Colombia in the qualifying rounds for the next World Cup. It may seem unfair that Brazil, the reigning world champions, should have to qualify while the runners-up, Germany, do not. However, due to rule changes by FIFA, from now on only the host country will have a place assured in the World Cupâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and Germany is hosting the next cup in 2006. This scandalous change was agreed to by Brazilian football authorities, for purely mercenary reasons. It means more games during the qualifying tournament, more television coverage, and more money for their coffers.

We should not be surprised by this greed, since finance took over from sport a long time ago, and virtually all of Brazil 'stop players are now abroad, signed by clubs in various other countries. Of the 22 named for the squad to face Colombia, only five are based in Brazil. In the last five months alone, around 50 players have left Brazilian clubs to play abroad.

John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish journalist who first visited Brazil in 1987 and has lived in Sao Paulo since 1995. He writes on politics and finance and runs his own company, Celtic Comunicaciffiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.celt.com.br, which specializes in editorial and translation services for Brazilian and foreign clients. You can reach him at iacelt.com.br BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

Revving Up the Propaganda Machine A government sponsored public relations campaign for the Lula administration is scheduled for September as the government attempts to transpose some of Lula's personal appeal to itself. Millions of taxpayers' money will be spent to bolster the lAiorkers' Party image with next year's municipal elections in view.

RICHARD HAYES At the end of August, the BOVESPA index (äo Paulo Stock Market) reached its highest level since 2001. The BOVESPA has been among the top three highest rising stock exchanges in the wOrld so far in 2003, measured in dollars. The strengthening of the real since Lula took office h s been a major factor in this performance.

Average trading volume has increased by more t an 30 percent and foreign participation has r turned.

The trade surplus, fueled by exports of the ag.ricultural sector, may reach US$ 20 billion in 2003. Decreased imports as a result of the recession also contribute to this positive result. Most Maturing private sector overseas debt is being Current account statistics are therefore sOsfactory according to most analysts.

The real has remained steady in the R$ 2.90R$ 3.05 to the dollar range. "C" bonds are holdMg their value at around US$ 0.90 to the dollar and the Brazil Risk as measured by JP MorganChase's EMBI is stable. The primary budget surplus for the last seven months was reported by the Central Bank as 5.05 percent of GNP, comfortably above the 4.25 percent target estabfished by Brazil and the IMF. One negative statistic divulged this week shows the public sector debt on July 31" at R$ 877 billion or 57 percent of GNP. This is up over R$ 20 billion from June 30. To put this in context, 27

R$ 20 billion is what may be saved over the next several years if the pension reform bill is finally approved. This increase in what the government owes to its bondholders illustrates that interest on the public debt is an enormous drain on government resources. Interest plus government payroll and retirement benefits leave little left over for discretionary spending for health, education, security, resettlement of landless people and infrastructure projects.

These categories are where funds are needed if Brazil is to achieve sustainable growth that will lead to a better life for its many poor people. So far what we have seen from Lula' s PT (Workers' Party) government in this respect is mainly talk and good intentions.

The PT continues to blame the previous government for current economic woes failing to acknowledge that last year's crisis was in no small part due to fears over what the PT would do if it won the election. Inflation was stoked by the devaluation ofthe real that sunk as low as R$ 3.80 to the dollar leading up to the elections.

The economy has shown negative growth for two successive quarters signaling a recession by international standards. Lula's spokespersons insist that there is no recession but that we are merely in an adjustment period required to tame inflation and regain the confidence of foreign investors. Thanks to the support Lula has given to Finance Minister Palocci, his rigid fiscal and monetary policies seem to have accomplished these goals, at least for the time being. Lula, during a recent flurry of press interviews and TV appearances, does not fail to congratulate himself for these accom-

plishments plus progress on pension reform.

In spite of record unemployment and very few signs of an economic recovery, Lula' s personal popularity and approval remains remarkably high. A recent survey demonstrated that 77 percent of those polled thought Lula is doing a good job.

This contrasts with opinions about the PT led government, who is performing satisfactorily according to merely 48 percent of those canvassed by Sensus, a pollster.

A government sponsored PR campaign is scheduled for September as the government attempts to transpose some of Lula' s personal appeal to itself. Duda Mendonca, whose agency handled Lula' s presidential campaign, will lead this effort. Millions of taxpayers' money will be spent to bolster the PT's image with next year's municipal elections in view.

In Need of a Miracle The watered down pension reform bill has passed the second vote in the Chamber of Deputies and will now move to the Senate for two rounds. Once the Senate makes its alterations and approves them, the measure will return to the Lower House. If all of this is accomplished in the next two or three months, it will be a miracle as Congress is also involved in tax reform, that is going nowhere. The much-awaited new bankruptcy law also seems stalled.

The government's tax reform proposal pleases no one. States and municipalities want a larger share of revenues.

The private sector fears that the tax burden that already is close to 40 percent of GNP will increase. Taxes in Brazil are among the world's third highest surpassing even Switzerland.

One originally heralded objective that seems to have been overlooked is simplification and modernization of the tax system that might actually increase government revenues by reducing tax dodging. Were it not for the informal economy, this country would be flat on its face.

The PFL (Partido da Frente Liberalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Liberal Front Party), the only opposition party that makes its voice heard, is against the tax bill in its present form and has promised demonstrations. The PFL president, Senator Jorge Bornhausen from Santa Catarina state, has labeled the PT the "Partido dos Tributos " or party of taxes. Since the PT needs votes from the opposition to obtain the 2/3r6-majority required for constitutional changes, it is doubtful that this bill will be passed by September 30, in order to extend the tax on checks that will expire at the end ofthe year.

The government will probably introduce a separate bill to attempt to accomplish this measure rather than including it in the overall tax reform. The PT government is counting on this revenue for various expenditures in the 2004 budget presented to congress this past week. The budget looks realistic except that certain premises, such as inflation, exchange rate and GNP growth besides the renewal of this 0.38 percent tax on all bank account movement, may not happen as the government hopes.

The reduction of the SELIC or basic interest rate to 22 percent has caused some animation to the business sector.

Normally the last quarter of the year is good for retail sales and consequently manufacturing. Makers of cardboard used in packaging have reported a slight upturn in orders. So, perhaps better days are ahead for Brazil. But were I a trader, I would short "C" bonds at $0.91. Should the economy remain sluggish and social unrest, crippling strikes and rural conflicts intensify, it would not take long for analysts, lenders and the credit rating agencies to reverse field. With a bunching of overseas obligations coming up in 2004, rollovers may not be as easy as at present with a new IMF agreement still very much up in the air.

Richard Edward Hayes first came to Brazil in 1964 as an employee of Chase Manhattan Bank.

Since then, Hayes has worked directly and as an advisor for a number of Brazilian â&#x20AC;˘ and international banks and companies. Currently he is a free lance consultant and can be contacted at 1921ouvre(&,uol.com.br BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

28

fam•••••••••

The Police Are The Crook Death squads and hired killers belong not just to 1980s Sao Paulo, but to the here and now of contemporary Brazil. According to a new report handed to the UN, the victims of death squads are almost without exception poor, black men, between 15 and 24 years old, accused of petty crime.

TOM PHILLIPS

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

It was dawn on June 28,2003 when e group arrived at the Irmaos Maciel est te, in the northern state of Para, but frail es Mac jet's son had already left for the fiel • s.

When he returned, he found the body o is Mother. She had been executed, whilst he was tending the cattle.

Antonio Alves da Silva was als at work in the fields when the 11 gun en arrived, atthe Sao Jose settlement in Par ba last September. Minutes later the 43-y arold farm hand was dead, and ten othe including a 14-year-old child—lay inju ed.

The two victims didn't know each o er arid lived in different states, hundred of miles apart. Iraildes de Sousa Maciel w a rural landowner from Bannach, a s all municipality in the south of Para. She ad lived for nearly two decades on the I. d, with permission from the National Insti te ofColonization and Land Reform (Insti to Nacional de Colonizacao e Reforma A a — INCRA).

Da Silva, on the other hand, was pa of a group ofland less squatters. With 50other families he eked out a living from a small patch of unused land in the northeastern state.

The connection between the pa is what they represent. They are just o examples of the 335 summary execut ons detailed in a new report by the Braz lian non-governmental organization, iii ' tica Global. Two signs that death squads and hired killers belong not just to 1980s Sao Paulo, but to the here and now of con emporary Brazil.

Even the government is now admi ing the extent of the problem. According o an official document passed to the UN, eath squads are operating in at least 15 s tes.

The Justica Global report goes fu her,

detailing executions in 24 of Brazil's 27 states.

It was with this in mind that a UN team, led by the Commission on Human Rights' Special Rapporteur on extra judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Asma Jahangir, arrived in Brazil in September. It will hardly be a holiday for the Pakistani: her job is to investigate summary executions in six states, including Rio de Janeiro and Bahia.

"The UN will demand that the Brazilian state acts, and for the first time Brazil will have to admit that this is a national problem which, is rotting the police force and letting barbarity take root," the national secretary for human rights, Nilmario Miranda, told the 0 Globo newspaper.

And take root it has. In the past, Brazil has been denounced 13 times to the International Court of Human Rights, for its failure to halt such killings. In two states, Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo, the murder rates of 42.3 and 55.1 deaths for every 100,000 citizens, are closer to those of Colombia (78) than the USA (7).

According to the state government, the number of violent deaths in Espirito Santo rose from 70.99 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1997 to 90.97 in 2001.

"Internationally known episodes like Eldorado do Cara*, Candelaria, Carandiru, Corumbiara, Favela Naval and, most recently, the murder of Chinese businessman Chan Kim Chang in Rio de Janeiro, are extreme examples of the extermination and oppression carried out on a daily basis, directly or indirectly, by state police across virtual ly the entire national territory," states the report "Summary Executions in Brazil (1997-2003)."

The response to this phenomenon has, until now, been disassociation and denial: the authorities have consistently swept the problem under the carpet. And, with a landmass of 3.2 million square miles, Brazil has a big carpet under which to sweep the undesirable.

According to Sandra Carvalho, director of research and communication for Justica Global, police involvement in such crime means few cases are ever looked into. • "The biggest problem is impunity," says the Brazilian activist. "In some cases there is a delay of up to 6 years in investigating these cases, when the legal expiry period is 90 days. In this time people can be eliminated, as can evidence," she explains from her office in sao Paulo. Of the 335 executions highlighted in the Justica Global paper, no action has been taken in 202 cases.

As if to highlight Carvalho's point, one 29

such witness was assassinated last week in the northern state of Paraiba. Less than a week after making a statement to the UN about death squads in the region, Flavio Manoel da Silva was shot dead. Six months earlier the farm-worker had asked, unsuccessfully, to be included in a witness protection scheme.

"This murder is a sign ofthe difficulties that the Brazilian government has in carrying out the recommendations of the OAS (Organization of American States)," responds Carvalho, unsurprised.

Even government figures support Carvalho's assertions. It admits, for example, that in the state of Rio de Janeiro 95 per cent of such executions are never investigated.

One ofthe main reasons for this judicial lethargy is the involvement of the police themselves. The Scuderie Detetive Le Cocq (SDLC), in Espirito Santo, is a prime example. The "vigilante group", founded in the 1960s, counts among its number police, civil servants, judges, businessmen and even politicians. "[It is] not dissimilar to a paramilitary organization," say Amnesty International sources.

"Killings are often committed by groups of hooded gunmen armed with sophisticated weaponry, which execute people in broad daylight on the basis of information obtained through intelligence networks.

Failure by the authorities to disarm and dismantle the SDLC or successfully prosecute security force agents linked to it for human rights violations, suggests that the organization operates with official sponsorship at the highest levels."

Such violence is not unique to Espirito Santo. In fact it seems to have few geographical boundaries: the Justica Global report details a variety of human rights abuses right across the country. However, it does limit itself to the very poorest sections of Brazilian society.

"This is the criminalization of poverty," explains the 272-page document.

"For the inhabitants ofthe poor areas of our country, happiness means just being able to open the window."

"To be poor in Rio de Janeiro continues to mean being trapped in a cycle of violence, with few, if any places to turn for protection," agrees an Amnesty International spokesperson.

"The policing of poor communities is violent, repressive and often corrupt. Not only are such communities excluded from access to fundamental economic and social rights, but their right to live in peace and security is consistently neglected, or even abused, by the state."

The government agrees here too: ac,cording to the paper handed to the UN, the victims of death squads are almost without exception poor, black men, between 15 and 24 years old, accused of petty crime.

Such bleak statistics beg one simple question: \ hat now for Brazil? How does a country that struggles to feed many of its people, find the resources to begin effectively policing its people? How, for that matter, can it begin to root out institutionalized corruption from the police force itself?

The Justica Global report offers twenty recommendations, largely revolving around policing methods and witness protection.

Equally important. argue some, is changing the country's m indset: forcing the world to accept that death squads are not the exclusive property of remote Amazonian communities, but the reality of postcard seaside resorts such as Rio de Janeiro, Vitoria and Salvador. Despite constant deniincias of such crime in the Brazilian press, many continue to ignore the reality.

"The actions of these groups provoke the occasional scandal, but the Brazilian • people still don't recognize the extent of the problem," says Carvalho.

Amongst President Lula' s election messages in the historic 2002 campaign, was a commitment to fight such abuses.

"You don't negotiate human rights, you

respect them," declared the PT (Workers' Party) leader. But right now there seems little sign that human rights are receiving any more attention here. In the eight months since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came to power the killings have continued. Beneath the names of fraildes Maciel and Antonio Alves da Silva, we can now pencil in hundreds if not thousands more—one of the most recent being Chan Kim Chang.

On 25 August 2003, the 46-year-old Chinese businessman was arrested at Rio de Janeiro's international airport, in possession of $30,000, which he had not declared. 48 hours later he was taken to hospital in a coma. Eight days later he died.

A post-mortem found he had died of head injuries; bruises and lesions covered his body. "Who can deny that the Brazilian police practice torture?" said Anthony Garotinho, Secretary of State for Public Security—the inference being that Chang had been beaten or tortured to death in police custody. "I would be a hypocrite. It does."

Smothered by press coverage, the authorities promised a "correct, transparent and definitive investigation" into Chang's death. And the publication, on October ls', of a 1300-page dossier, detailing the involvement of 12 people-7 prison officers and 4 prisoners amongst them— suggests that this may be happening.

Yet if so, it is the exception and not the rule.

After Iraildes Maciel and Antonio Alves da Silva, now follows Chang Kim Chang: another name, on a seemingly bottomless list.

Tom Phillips is a British journalist living in Rio de Janeiro. He writes for a variety of publications on politics and current affairs, as well as various aspects of the cuftura brasileira. Tom can be reached on: tominrio(&Nahoo.co.uk and his articles can also be found at: www.leedsstudent.org.uk

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Torture Centers for Kids The always alleged lack of funds is not the cause of the breakdown at Sao Paulo's State Foundation for the Well-being of Minors. The State of Sao Paulo destines a million dollars to FEBEM. Poorer Brazilian states, like Para and Roraima, already have developed models that result in low rates of recidivism.

SUZANA LAKATOS

Scenes of to ure, extreme overcrowding and lack of educational projects some FEBEM units in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, function s prisons where the principles ofthe Brazilian Child and Adol cent Code are buried.

The challen for lawyer members of the Working Group for the Implem ntation of ECA (the Child and Adolescent Code), linked t the bar's Human Rights Commission, is to expose the irreg larities that have been historically practiced in diverse instituti ns of the State Foundation for the Well-being of Minors, FEB M-Sao Paulo. In two years of work, they can attest that many nits of FEBEM function as prisons and fail to fulfill their soci -educational mission that the law demands.

It is true tha the Sao Paulo Bar has persistently denounced the extreme ov rcrowding, the continuing practice of torture and the absence of educational and social projects. "Discovering what happe s behind those walls is a challenge. Despite the promises of tr sparency by its current director, FEBEM continues to de and prior notice of the lawyers' visits to the institutions," s s Joao Jose Sady, coordinator of the Human Rights Commis ion. "The only trustworthy information that we have is the res It of investigation and work with other social agencies that e ist independently of FEBEM. According o Sady, intense pressure was necessary to be able to enter th units and reveal the extent of the violence to public opinion. "Even with prior notice given for the visits, we witnessed horr ndous cases Of heads swathed in bandages from beatings, nails pulled out and rapes," according to Ariel de Castro Alves, activist for six years as coordinator of the Working Grou for the Implementation of ECA. "Furthermore, the prohibition f free access only strengthens the thesis that the torture is done with the collusion of the administration. Even the Protective ounselors suffer criminally illegal restrictions by the adminis ation," he states.

Despite its bankruptcy, the prison model predominates in FEBEM. The omplex of units in the town of Franco da Rocha, for example, nctions as a penitentiary and concentrates youths who h e broken the law, sometimes more than once.

The concentra ion there of youths with this profile allows other units in other cations to have a better appearance, but nonetheless they eq ally have no unified pedagogical project. "Each unit reflects e quality of the shift boss, who is politically selected," Sa observes.

The alwa s alleged lack of funds is not the cause of the breakdown. e State of Sao Paulo destines a million dollars to FEBEM. Poo er states, like Path and Roraima, already have developed m dels that result in low rates of recidivism, and they have re ivecl prizes from ILANUD (the U.N.'s Latin American inst tution for crime prevention and delinquent treatment). "Here, hat is lacking is the application ofthelaw," says Ariel de Castr . In practice, ECA requires small units, for up to 40 people, d vision by type of infraction and age, and the implementati n of a socio-educational project that gives the adolescent o er future possibilities.

Another' pecialist in the subject, the lawyer Francisco LUcio Franc , member of the Working Group and of the organization orturaNunca Mais (Torture Never Again) hopes for the transf r of the units from state to municipal administration to make e institutions work. "Today the Franco da Rocha complex ma tains youth who are Tong distances from their homes, and hose families have no economic resources to be able to visit em," he observes.

Defined y Franca as "a child concentration camp" the complex at ranco da Rocha received two visits by the bar association. he first, in November, 2002, resulted in a report with the sug estive title of "Torture Center for Young People 31

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

and Adolescents." The second, in June, 2003, saw repeated Franca, who says that it is responsible for the dismissal of the evidence of gross irregularities. Before this, there were denun- employees that do not become accessories to torture. Worse ciations of bad treatment and torture in the document "Lives yet, the group guarantees protection for those that use violent Wasted," by Amnesty International. methods.

In the nine units of the complex are 900 adolescents. Units "There is a culture of impunity," he says. Ariel de Castro 30 and 31, that house more than half of the detained population mentions that "In the shadows of impunity the cases multiply of of the complex, have had their closure judicially mandated on employees who form gangs. These groups are being investivarious occasions, but they have continued to be used "provi- gated for facilitating escapes. Another benefit gained from the sionally" for over three years. Only now, with the inauguration rebellions is that in these crises, the salaries of the employee of Vila Maria, unit 30 is being shut down. "However; Vila gangs can quadruple."

Maria is a long way from being a solution," says Ariel de According to Joao Sady, there are indications that in the last Castro.

10 years FEBEM has been directed by a group of powerful With its capacity for 120 residents, the new unit replicates people. Furthermore, he thinks, "There should not be an instithe prison model of extreme restriction and simply changes the tution like FEBEM without career plans and continuous educaaddress ofthe problem. "The way that they are treated, they will tion for the employees." In fact, a monitor, who deals directly return in worse form to society," the lawyer warns, as he with the interned youth, receives three days of training. "The reminds us that each month approximately 20 former residents trainee will learn how to handle a billy club. Then imagine a of FEBEM are killed upon returning to crime. It is suspected group of eight monitors to manage a group of 500 delinquents. that they are victims of extermination groups.

The resulting beating becomes banalized, and worse, a form of Torture Methods power." The solution would be in the implantation of small, In Franco da Rocha and in other large complexes, such as more controllable units and in the development of adequate in Tatuape and Raposo Tavares, there is the system called methods of containment. The question is when is this going to "leather and harness." It consists in leaving the youth locked up happen. for 24 hours, with only their underwear, without mattress or In 68 institutions of internment, FEBEM of the state of Sao other covers. If there is any movement, groups of 30 to 40 Paulo houses about six thousand adolescents between 12 and employees enter the cells and beat the victims randomly with 21 years old, who have committed infractions. A majority have pieces of iron or wood which are covered with rags to diminish their origins in the peripheries of the capital city of Sao Paulo. bruising.

Almost alrcome from poor or lower middle class families, but Suffocation is also used in order not to leave marks, are not street children. Extremely rarely are youths from the explains Ariel de Castro. "They choose the Most rebellious middle or upper classes found in the institutions. Only 5 percent adolescent and put his head under water until it turns purple. of those interned are female. Involvement with drugs and The others are obliged to watch while on their knees while at the crimes against property, principally robbery, are the most same time they also are beaten. This was verified this June, and frequent crimes. Homicides, kidnapping and rape make up less Amnesty International, which accompanied the visit, was than 10 percent of the cases. shocked with the situation."

The maximum period of internment should be three years, And these are not isolated incidents. Of the 231 adolescents but there are cases in which the Department of Justice requests visited, nearly 80 exhibited marks of maltreatment. "We noted a longer period. Officially there is a recidivism rate of 7 furthermore that the targets are principally knees and elbows, percent. But for Ariel de Castro, the statistic is not reliable. so as not to leave evidence. It is a recycling of torture," the Experiences like those of the Sao Bernardo do Campo Child lawyer affirms. The cruelty of the situation has also mobilized Foundation Support the skepticism. Created in 1997 as a the Department of Justice. Last year, investigations at the substitute for jailing young delinquents, the institution encounTatuape unit revealed the presence of instruments of torture in tered a recidivism rate of33 percent. Today, after the provision the administration office, which generated criminal proceed- of various kinds of support that includes assistance to families, ings and a determination of pre-trial detention for fourteen the rate fell to 6 percent. employees, eleven of whom fled prior to their imprisonment.

For the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Since then, the prosecutors involved have received threats Sao Paulo Bar, Jodo Jose Sady, there is also within FEBEM one as they called the youths to make pre-trial depositions. The of the great national shames the so-called UAI (Initial Treatactions of the Working Group of the bar association, in their ment Unit) in the Bras neighborhood of Sao Paulo. This is a turn, have resulted in at least seven lawsuits, in which 98 triage center, and it is always grossly overcrowded. Its capacity employees of FEBEM will respond to accusations of having is for 60 internees, but it has an average occupancy of 400, who practiced torture. spend 45 days shut up there, awaiting a determination of their Since he embraced this cause, Joao Sady witnessed the permanent destination. "There is simply no space for anything. departure of three of FEBEM's directors. The employees most They stay seated, watching television, without sunshine or any identified with reactionary policies reacted against the transfer activity. At bedtime, there are three on every mattress. There is of FEBEM to the Department of Education and to the selection no solution for the UAL It needs to be deactivated," Sady ofthe current president, the prosecutor Paulo Sergio de Oliveira, emphasizes. who arrived promising changes and transparency. "There is a In the interior of the state, the situation is no better, sensation today that he is trying to fix the airplane while in flight according to Ariel de Castro Alves. "In various cities, the and he is unable to fulfill his obligation to humanize the young offenders stay in district jails, separated from adults, but institution," affirms Sady. in overcrowded conditions." He cites as an example Santo In reaction, the employees actually incited rebellions among Andre, where there were 30 adolescents in cell of six square the interned youth. Their reaction has its root in that which Sady meters and that at one point came to "house" 60 youth. calls the "mafia of the big guys." The existence of this important group is pointed out also by the lawyer Francisco Lucio Translated from the Portuguese by Linnis Cook.

32 BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

JORNIikL DO BRASIL Bermird cede e aposentado ganha tempo

Dances seguem queda de juros

Bring Back the Journalists!

The media, taken as industry or institution, finds itself paralyzed.

Its reactions are counterproductive or, at best, conventional and remedial. This journalism-withoutjournalists' concept (hiding behind the waves of lay-offs) is as preposterous as the neglect practiced by every large publisher in the last 10 years regarding their own human resources.

ALBERTO DINES

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

The relationship between government and the press is getting sour in razil and this time it's really serious because the issue is p o litical, not economic. The communications industry is in t e middle of its worst financial crisis ever and there is a pervas ye pessimism overflowing to the news. It is not blackmail and i is not exactly a climate of persistent demands, either; it is mo e like a tone of ostensive sourness that does affect the conte t of information, creates a climate of artificiality and mak s public opinion vulnerable to all kinds of orchestrations.

The govern ent cannot do a thing to relieve the affliction of the media: y sign of generosity can compromise the image of responsibili i that the administration needs to maintain, as well as a sense of justice. And even if there was some kind of homeopathic, atient-ward relief to be provided, the truth is that Brazilian sOciety has reached a standard of transparency in which any pri ilegeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including privileges to the mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is very hard to dis imulate. Ifthe picture already seems somber on a macro level, he day-to-day reality looks dreadful. ** Newsro ms are being emptied out under hundreds of layoffs. ** The cha ces of getting re-hired are minimal because the economic sect â&#x20AC;˘ rs which are in any way associated with the media (advert sing, consulting and marketing services, for example) are cing an even worse depression. ** Media ompanies are all in danger, with no exceptions.

Some are de acto bankrupt, others are under the 'white' intervention o banks and the most fortunate ones are paralyzed. ** The re ession in the world at large does not allow for much in terms fan afflux of foreign capital and the same goes for partnershi s and investments sourced from domestic conglomerates. ** Recove will take a while, even if the Monetary Policy Committee ( opom) approves a substantial reduction in the prime rate. ** Journa ism in general is already losing quality, especially printed aterials which are used for reference. Weeklies are no longer 'ndispensable and will soon be disposable. ** Adve sing and promotional gimmicks have become too obvious. 11 M is investing heavily on the campaign to sell its "on dema d" concept (started on June 16). The idea has disfigured ne spapers and business sections and blurred the boundaries b tween information and advertising definitively.

The corporati an and its agency are protecting their own interests; newspa rs and other journalism companies, by focusing only on the b a ttom line, have forgotten theirs. ** The p blic, increasingly skeptical about the media's reliability an frustrated with its lack of bal nce, is withhold0 ESTADO OE S. PAULO ing trust. ** And i the middle of all this, the me ia gets ready to blame the g vernment, which takes us back o the starting point of this analy is: in spite of the 9x3 score af last Sunday's pelada (soc er match) at the Alvorada P ace, our journalism runs the isk of joining the second divis on.

What to a o? How to do it?

Manage ent gurus are joining hands with experts in signology, o the study of Chi33

WW1'

nese ideograms (foreign to most regular folks) to declare that crisis and opportunity are two concepts with one common origin. True or not, the axiom at least works as an antidote to nihilism and an elixir against affliction. In immediate and concrete terms, however, this 'discovery' solves nothing.

The government has its hands tied. In any case, it's not the government's role to intervene directly or indirectly in a process which must by definition be free from any official action. Jose Dirceu, then a candidate for the House of Representatives and currently head of a federal department, brought up the idea of a "Proer for the media" in the TV show "Roda Viva" last year (10/28/2002). The minister's idea is a daring one: the media is an issue of national interest. Here is the quote from Dirceu: "It's not only Rede Globo who is in financial difficulty. We could actually say that the whole sector, including the written press, is also going through serious financial trouble. We have to treat this as a matter of national interest and deal with it as an issue for the State to handle. It's obvious that the country is facing a scarcity of financial resources and it needs to establish priorities and guarantees about how to allocate funds made available by either BNDES or by the process ofrenzinciafiscal [fiscal waiver]. But there's no denying that we must pay attention to the situation faced by the communications sector.

There is one alternative, which is the association of foreign capital, that we must end the regulation of legislation. Another is capital stock restructuring, mergers, associations, and a third one is a kind of financial engineering in which not only private initiative can participate but also entities such as public banks, in order to try to recover this or that company".

The materialization of this idea, though, is extremely complicated. The banking system is controlled by Banco Central and the remedial measures (undertaken in 1995) in some banks to avoid an overall bankruptcy were successful because they were strictly controlled by the government. There was no deviation. Any similar inspection in the area of media is unthinkable, though. Without the proper inspection, any attempt to bring more financial health is doomed. Not to mention the reaction ofthe so-called setoresdevanguarda (avant-garde sectors), which have always disliked Proer, in spite of its undeniably positive results.

On the other hand, the media, taken as industry or institution, finds itself paralyzed. Its reactions—when they do react at all—are counterproductive or, at best, conventional and remedial. Corporate creativity is at its lowest level. As far as any sustainable increase in circulation is concerned, the joint promotion by Globo and Folha de S. Paulo to offer a collection of romance novels with large discounts will have a mere placebo effect, at the most. It is a waste of resources and energy and it will only add to the boredom already felt by readers.

This 'journalism-without-journalists' concept (hiding behind the waves of lay-offs) is as preposterous as the neglect practiced by every large publisher in the last 10 years regarding 34

their own human resources. Brazil has produced and trained large amounts of talented individuals and made them available to printed media publishers. This talent is now summarily sacrificed and/or replaced by youngsters without the necessary level of experience, who can't be blamed for being called upon.

The way back Consulting services were hired but the results were disastrous, even criminal in some cases, almost amounting to the accomplishments of Jayson Blair of the New York Times: slowly and innocently, they fooled everyone and created a tumor that finally had to be lanced. A gang of international pilferers with excellent connections in the academic marginalia traveled the country from north to south selling the idea that all problems would be solved with large overhauls in printing systems. Systems were redone everywhere, but not a single one of these geniuses dared to say to his respective contracting parties that before taking care of the packaging, we have to produce content. If they did, they would miss their break.

The geniuses in finance and administration hired to do all this reengineering never changed any of the framework, let alone concepts, nor did they prevent media entrepreneurs from committing the prodigious collection of crass and irreparable mistakes perpetrated in the last few years. The exceedingly high salaries were or are being pocketed as we speak, but the actual bill was paid by all who were decapitated in the recent downsizings.

The only reasonably successful strategic initiative was the search for a new segment of readers among those layers of readership that had benefited from the Plano Real. Popular newspapers did, in fact, mushroom everywhere. The benefits of the plan, however, did not endure. The whole segment stalled and in some instances even retracted due to the adverse economic situation. The surprise factor works well in the beginning, of course, but you have to put out a new paper every day.

Where to Go for help?

Help can only come from journalists. Although they cooked some of the fiascos themselves, the damage was endorsed and thickened by business people who understand very little or nothing about the business and/or lack the psychological discipline to resist the temptations of power. The occasion calls for professionals of the press who are able to think with an entrepreneurial mind—because it has proved very hard to convert entrepreneurs into journalists.

We need to remember history: all journalism companies were created, operated and expanded by journalists, with extremely rare exceptions. It's time to bring them back. This is a great opportunity created by the current crisis. The government can create incentives; agencies can regulate the market and its practices; the legislative power can be called upon to curb abuses related to concentration of ownership or conflicts of interest. But journalism can only escape this crisis ifjournalists are the ones making the decisions. Including decisions about the photos of presidential peladas.

41*Art4 Alberto Dines, the author, is a journalist, founder and researcher at LAI3JOR—Laboratorio de Estudos Avancados em Jornalismo (Laboratory for Advanced Studies in Journalism) at UNICAMP (University of Campinas) and editor of the Observatorio da Imp rensa. He also writes a column on cultural issues for the Rio daily Jornal do Brasil. You can reach him by email at obsimpi2.com.br

Translated by Tereza Braga. Braga is a freelance Portuguese translator and interpreter based in Dallas. She is an accredited member of the American Translators Association. Contact:

terezab(i)csbcglobal.net BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

our little circle had shifted 180°. Had I I just recently decided to sell my car— not accompanied the shifting, I would a 1994 Fiat Uno Mille. Don't recognize it? eventually have been with my back Well, it's only the second most popular car towards the Circle of Negotiation! in Brazil, next to the Volkswagen Beetle, "Just pay 6,100—it's only R$ 100 of course. more," the expert chipped in.

It's quite a decision considering that a More humming and hawing. More seemingly simple process can be turned discussion about Joao. into a bureaucratic nightmare, chasing afFinally, Sr. Oswaldo agreed R$ ter bits of official papers in federal and 6,100 would be deposited into my acmunicipal offices to keep the government, count tomorrow and he would return in all its forms, happy. But, hey, those are on Monday to pick up the car, with the the risks and irritations of doing business proof of deposit. It was a done deal— in developing countries. What was really the bulk of the business having taken interesting was not the results but rather, place in the last 5 minutes of an hourthe means: the negotiation process. long conversation about nothing!

I put an ad in the local newspapers and I was relieved to have sold the car immediately got a few interested phone and perplexed as to the mysterious calls. The FiatiJno Mille is well known for labyrinth of the Brazilian negotiating it reliability, fair mileage and practicalA common faux pas that a North process. ity—a sound investment, as far as cars go.

Brazil is an incredibly rich culture, A few people came by to take a look, American might make when often described as being founded on a including genhor Oswaldo who, upon a racial triangle. The three corner points superficial examination of the car, condealing with a Brazilian would be being Portuguese, African and Native fessed that he didn't know a thing about cultures. From the mixture of these the finer points of vehicle purchasing, but to wave away the initial three cultural influences, emerged the would return tomorrow with a friend who Brazil that we know and love today. was an expert. In Brazil, everybody either relationship-establishing process According to Gilberto Freyre, one of is an expert, or has a friend or relative who the most famous Brazilian socioloas a time waster. That is because, is one. gists, one of the key characteristics of The next day, Sr. Oswaldo showed up for the most part, we North the Brazilian people is "personalism". with his expert who ground the gears, This refers to a society based on perbounced the tires and pronounced my little Americans, with our traditionally sonal relations and a strong emphasis car worthy of $R 5,800 (US$ 1,930). I, on a feeling of closeness and affection honest and straightforward foreigner that I Calvinistic values, come from a inpersonal relationships. This explains am, had written in the newspaper announcewhy the car negotiation process started ment $R 6,500 (US$ 2,160). Because I low context culture. out by associating a common middle wanted R$ 6,500. person.

Obviously lam not a brilliant negotiaLORETTA MURPHY It is very common when Brazilians tor and had almost sent them away as my meet each other for the first time for husband pulled his car into the garage. My them to attempt to establish some kind husband is a true Brazilian in every sense of common ground—relatives or of the word—dynamic, outgoing, skilful friends of friends. In other words, as conversationalist—he knows how to play long as someone-I- know knows somethe game. one-you-know, you must be trustworHe came bounding over, heartily shook thy, and if you aren't, then at least I the men's hands as he introduced himself, know who to complain to, and they will and launched into telling them about how be embarrassed by your stressful his day had been. I felt a little untrustworthiness. irritation, as I didn't really want to sit A common faux pas that a North around and chat with them. Ifthey weren't American might make when dealing interested in paying my price then what with a Brazilian would be to wave was the point? away the initial relationship-establishFrom my husband's account of his ing process as a time waster. That is work- day, the two men discovered that he because, for the most part, we North was a dentist. "Ah—my cousin is a dentist.

Americans, with our traditionally CalDo you know him—Joao Fulano?" vinistic values, come from a low con"Oh sure!" exclaimed my husband.

"He was one year behind me m university! Nice guy, that Joao. text culture. e value the direct exchange of facts and information that is trans itted explicitly into words and documents. As a Where is he now?"

Half an hour later, after learning about Joao's location, family Canadian, I as taught that everyone should be treated equally, situation and even what kind of car he was driving, I was tapping regardless o whom you know.

How can this be related to business? By gaining knowledge of my foot and wondering why my husband was wasting his time.

Suddenly he throws it out there: "So, Oswaldo, why don't you pay our counte arts' behaviour and attitudes, we can expect certain reactions an preventpotentially embarrassing situations. Brazil is R$ 6, 400.00 and take the car home with you?"

"That car has a lot of work to be done. I'll give you R$ considered to be a high context culture. This means that shared experience can make certain rules for behaviour and verbal 6000,00." communication implicitly understood. So, be sure to "read be"How about R$ 6,200?"

I looked at my husband incredulously. He was going too low. ,tween the lines", play the game properly and avoid missing They must have seen my look of surprise because they all opportunities, like I almost did! laughed and said, "Dona Loretta doesn't want to close the deal.

Loretta Murphy is a Canadian who first came to Brazil (Nova That's okay. You think about my offer and call me."

Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro) as a Rotary Exchange student in 1987.

"Oh, stop being such a penny pincher!" my husband joked.

She has traveled extensively throughout the country and has lived "How about R$ 6,200." in Salva or, Bahia since 1997. Her interest in Brazilian culture "No sorry—my offer stands at R$6,000" has recen ly led her to complete a monograph entitled "Cultural All the while this inoffensive banter was ping on, I was Differenc s in Brazilian and Canadian Organizations" on which observing the postures and physical positions of the men. We had this atlticle was based. For further information, e-mail her at started out with the four of us in a little circle, my husband shifting lormurAterra.com.br nervously and pacing. The other two men kept taking little steps to the left and shifting their weight. By the end of the conversation, BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

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When I arrived in Japan, in 1999,1 brought in my luggage several films about Brazil, and the certainty that they would be a great hit. I came to Japan hired to teach Spanish in a women's university that has more than ten thousand students.

I arrived planning to expand the Spanish courses and to include courses on Latin American Culture and Civilization. In these courses, I thought, I would use the Brazil material I had brought, as a kind of introduction. Afterwards, I imagined, I would design and teach a course on Brazilian culture and literature.

And why not? After all, Brazil is the country that has more Japanese and descendants of Japanese living outside Japan. So, I was positively sure that my students' interest in the Portuguese language and in Brazil was merely a matter A Japanese Brazilian living in of time, a bit of pedagogical ability. With the help ofour music, and the lush images Japan must have a strong heart, I had in my videos, who could resist?

I also brought in my luggage a few and stomach, and a strong sense ideas about Japan. Who, among those of oneself, in order not to get lost growing up in the city ofmaringa, Parana, in the 70's, didn't accumulate such ideas? and crazy in the sea of Japanese I was raised with "Japanese" friends, coldness and rejection. When the eating the sweat bean paste and other Japanese delicacies their mothers served Japanese cannot avoid seeing that when we got togetherto study after school, going to the Bon-o-dori parties at the these Brazilian Japanese do have AcemaJapanese Brazilian Club, writ- a culture, their reaction is disgust. ing my name in Japanese (a friend's grandfather taught me), and even learning quite EVA PAULINO BUENO a few curse words in Japanese.

Who among us didn't hear in the radio the theme of the Japanese program that started early in the morning, filling the soundwaves with the sweet and melancholy chords of "Sakura, Sakura..."

Among the many ideas! brought with me to Japan, right on top of the emotional baggage about the country was the concept that, although my family doesn't have any exact connection with Japan,

apane Brazilian, Stay Off Japan

my going to live and work there had, in a certain way, the feeling of going back to one of my homes.

The highest the jump, the biggest the fall. After two years living here, I gave up teaching Spanish, and put away the plans to teach Latin American Culture and Civilization. Portuguese? This language I never had the opportunity to speak, much less to teach. But at the very least I could give two courses about Brazilian Carnaval when I was invited to a special occasion in a language school in Osaka; I could also show the seniors in the university the Brazilian film Gaijin (which they found very strange, and only found worthy of comment the fact that the name of the director of the film, Tizuka, is wrong, and should be Chizuka). These two occasions, I must emphasize, were forced, stolen moments, because there is no interest, in Japan, for countries which are not the United States (which the Japanese simply call "America"), or for any language which is not English.

Gaijin, Gaijin Of course, this is a generalization.

Here in Japan there are many people who speak, read, and listen to other languages and other cultures beyond English and the United States. But they are the minority. Absolute. For us who are not just already "gaijin"—foreigners---because we are not Japanese, but doubly `gaijin" because we don't come from the United States, several things can happen.

One of them is a terrible confusion, which can be funny, or sad. Or even tragic. When it is funny, it is because the Japanese assume that everyone who is not Japanese is a native speaker of English. From this little misunderstanding it is not uncommon in Japan for some English schools to hire people from, say, Greece, to teach English, andto announce that the person is a "native speaker."

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

Obviously, all of us are "native speakers", but not necessarily of English.

The sad part concerns the Japanese Americans who come to work here, but cannot obtain work teaching English as native speakers because, to put it bluntly, their face doesn't help. In my brief time in this country, I have found several examples of this situation. In terms of these persons' identity, a stay in Japan can be a very trying time.

But these people who can teach are, one way or another, privileged. For other people, who are not in the teaching business, the situation is much more complicated. Especially complicated, I think, is the situation of thousands of Brazilians of the "dekasegrgeneration," the "nisei" (second generation born in Brazil) or "sansei" (third generation). The highest degree these Japanese Brazilians obtained in Brazil doesn't matter to Japan: when they arrive here they suffer double discrimination. And here tragedy starts. And it affects all of us Brazilians.

Japan, we must not forget, is the country that isolated itselffrom the world, and didn't allow any foreigner to enter its territory (except for the little island of Dejima, near Nagasaki), from 1603 to 1867, during the Tokugawaperiod. Whoever tried to enter, was executed. The •same way, if any Japanese dared to leave the country, he would be executed upon his return. Nobody left. Nobody came in.

The word "gaijin" is a dirty word in Japan, and literally means "the one from the outside." Whoever is outside is impure, suspicious.

After the country was "opened" in 1868 (another story, for another occasion), Japan discovered that, as a matter of fact, it wasn't such a bad idea to have a place where to send the excess of population, or when there was the threat of difficulties or food shortages. The rest of the story we know quite well: thousands BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

upon thousands of Japanese went to razi I and to Peru from the end of the ni eteenth century to the first decades of he twentieth century. These pioneers arri ed in America in penury. They bra ely struggled, raised their families, prospe ed, and are part of our history, our soci ty, and our culture.

But Brazil, as we know, has a his ory of an unstable economy. In one of the latest lows in our economy in the ei hties, there was an opportunity for the descendants of Japanese to return ti Japan because Japan, now rich, wante to an hire a cheap work force. There interesting detail: the country, till shielded by its ideology ofthe "puni "of the Japanese "race," only accepted the descendants who could prove their J panese ancestry.

From this point on, as we also ow very well, these Brazilians came to J pan and discovered that, among other th ngs, they didn't have a language, they d dn't have a culture, and they were not J panese. They were gaijins like all ither foreigners. Worse still, they were di bly gaijin, because they have Japanese features, but are culturally Brazilian. The suspicion against them is doubled. ere in Japan, these Japanese BrazilianS are, quite simply, "the other within."

Culture Rejection

From a situation in Brazil wher they had respect, and in most cases a hite collar job, in Japan the great ma • rity was transformed into factory wo ers, and even in the factories they h d to perform the lowest, most dangero s positions, and accept the most inconv lent work hours. And--what is the most ainful—all that makes each one of u special, that which determines how we react to the world, our culture, this is completely ignored.

Or, when the Japanese cannot void seeing that these Brazilian Japan -e do

have a culture, their reaction is disgust, such as the one I witnessed one. time in Kobe, where the resident Brazilian Japanese had afestajunina—June party. The Japanese stood by, looking as if transfixed, at those "Japanese" bodies moving and dancing in such way. The fact is, the body language of the Brazilian person, no matter his or her ethnic origin, is completely different from the body language of the Japanese. That explains the horror and the disgust so many could not conceal.

A Brazilian living in Japan must have a strong heart, and stomach, and a strong sense of oneself, in order not to get lost and crazy in the sea ofJapanese coldness and incomprehension and rejection. Of course there are those who come from Brazil and manage to adapt—brave Brazilian people!—and some even prosper, forming small communities where they try to keep the sense of Brazil. Back home, specially in the beginning of the eighties, stories of Japanese Brazilians returning to Brazil with enough money to buy houses, stores, cars, fueled in others the desire to join in with the many who were accepting the invitation from the hiring companies. There were quite a few who made the trip to and from Japan two or three times, always using their Japanese jobs as a way to obtain the muchneeded cash for special 'projects back in Brazil.

Among those who stayed definitely in Japan there are those who go madly in search of their Japaneseness, trying to be more Japanese-than-thou, imitating everything, rejecting Brazil and their culture. Somebody I know near Tokyo has said she will never go back to Brazil because she cannot stand the violence.

Of course, in Brazil she lived in a small town where the violence one knows is mostly domestic violence and that which comes from the national news.

37

situation? Not just of the repressed. The Japanese society is one person, or not paying—and will have to pay even just one institu- more—for the insensitive and cruel way tion, of course. But in which it has received these returning we can say that, immigrants.

I truly believe that the Japanese govabove everything, the responsibility ernment looked the other way while the for the alienation hiring companies exploited not only the and the suffering workers, but also their children, who still inflicted on so suffer a level of discrimination (even many Brazilians racism) that their ancestors, when they who returned to arrived in Brazil, never could have imagJapan has to be ined. Now, everyone has to pay, even shouldered mostly though some first steps are beginning to by the Japanese be made to address the needs of families.

However, the suffering continues. ideology, which still continues be- These last days, while going through the These Japanese Brazilians are sim- ing isolationist, and suspicious of every- subway station in Umeda, Osaka, I have ply following the very Japanese notion thing which is not exactly like everything noticed that the number of homeless men who sleep on the cement floor of the that the whole world outside its borders else.

Next, the situation is the direct result station has increased. Many times, walkis one sea of violence. For the transplanted person, that kind of phobia of of the attitude of the companies that hire ing near these sleeping men, I cannot the foreign fixates in Brazil, which be- from Peru and from Brazil these people help wondering if they are Brazilians, comes, in their needy psychological state, who enter Japan almost like cattle, with- living off the public charity, afraid of the root of all evils, and that place which out knowing where they are going to live, returning to Brazil, where they would be they must reject. No one has the right to or what they are going to do, much less seen as utter failures. They stay here, bumming from place to place, hoping for criticize these people: they need to make how much they will have to work.

The trick these hiring companies play a break, or for a stroke of luck, of for a do with what they have, and if what they have is the need to "belong" in Japan, starts at the point of advertising in Brazil, haven where they can regroup and reand to belong they must turn their backs where they make a big deal of how many build their lives.

Unfortunately, I cannot finish this to everything positive they may have dollars or yens each worker is going to make in Japan. Many people in Brazil calculate text in a positive note. The news of how lived in Brazil, so be it.

But there are some who cannot make their potential earnings and believe that to the body of Paulo Mitsuo Takahashi was these complicated psychological trans- earn the equivalent to $10 or $15 an hour is found, in fetal position, in an abandoned lations, and succumb under the pressure a good deal. An interesting detail: for women, apartment in Toyohashi, is too shocking. of even trying. Such was the story of the no matter if they are doing the same work a Before his death, he started writing a Brazilian man Paulo Mitsuo Takahashi, man does, in the same conditions, the pay is letter—it is not clear to whom—in which he says, in Portuguese, "Nada de born who literally starved to death after sev- usually $8 an hour.

When these people arrive in Japan, aconteceu pra mim no Japdo"—"Notheral attempts to adapt in Japan.

But those who suffer the most are the they discover that they owe thousands of ing good ever happened to me in Japan." very young, who arrive in Japan and dollars to the company that brought them He died of starvation in a country notoricannot attend the public school, because (some of which overcharge up to 100% of ous for how much food it throws in the their colleagues (and the teachers, in the ticket price), that the living conditions garbage.

Paulo's story, published in the Japasome cases) get together to beat them up are worse than those of a Brazilian slum, because they are different. Here in Ja- that there is no school much less daycare nese newspapers in English, in four inpan, as I wrote in another article, the nail for the children. And, very quickly, they stallments, is like a parable, and it can be that sticks up is hammered down. What discover that the salary that in Brazil useful to warn other Brazilians not to chances does a Brazilian Japanese who seemed to be a fortune, in Japan is close to come to Japan. The past is still alive here. cannot even speak the language stand? nothing: the prices of EVERYTHING— Foreigners should stay in Dejima, offThe parents of these young Brazil- food, clothes, rent, transportation—is shore. Those of you who left Japan, stay out. ians, sometimes working up to 14 hours unbelievably high in Japan.

At the present time, it is impossible for a day in unhealthy factory conditions, Eva Paulino Bueno taught in Japan being called down at every moment— a Brazilian factory worker in Japan to for four years. She has published books and nobody has ever seen what it is to be save money. This is quite different for the Brazilian literature and cinema, Latin called down if he/she has never seen a Japanese worker in the same factory, be- onAmerican Popular Culture, fatherhood Japanese calling down a foreigner— cause he/she is paid at least twice as much in world literature, and, most recently, sometimesreturn ing home to apartments per hour, and has benefits the Brazilian she has co-edited with Terry Caesar which are real matchboxes with closets, will never be able to obtain.

Wouldn't Want Anybody to Know: Native When large numbers of Brazilians and not always have patience to deal with English Teaching in Japan. She now teaches at St. Mary's University in San their children's problems. The result is Peruvians began to return to Japan, there not surprising: the number of Brazilian was no infrastructure for their families. Antonio, Texas. This text appeared in an earlier version in Revista Espaco juvenile delinquents is increasing in Ja- The children had to stay home, alone, Academic°, in Portuguese, in 2002. You without school, without care. The increase pan. in criminality among the children of can get in touch with the author emailing Who to Blame? her at evapbueno(&vahoo.com And who is to be blamed for this Dekasegi Brazilians in Japan is the return 38

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

'Rubber dazzled them, as gold and diamonds have dazzled other men..."

Theodore Roosevelt

When El Dorado Was Here The food arrived on the steamships from Europe and North America. Trade between Manaus and the rest of Brazil was not much. Who wanted anything from Rio when you could get it from Paris? And as Manaus had hopes of becoming the next capital of Brazil, it should have the best of everything.

RITA SHANNON KOESER

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

The rubber barons brought their wives sweltering in their fur coats to the fabulous new opera hoLse with its Baroque style interior. In their huge and sumptuously decorated houses off Pimp. SAD SebastiAo (San Sebastian Square) they talked about Manaus soon supplanting Rio de Janeiro as Brazil's new capital. They liked to show off by lighting tht cigars with bills of large denomination and se ding their laundry to Paris. By the end of the 1 91h century, Manaus was one of the main sources of tubber in the world.

The rubber boom brought in so much money that one diamond merchant estimated that more di onds were sold in Manaus than anywhere else in the world. The governor of Amazonas state Ed ardo Goncalves Ribeiro, boasted, "I found a vil!age. I made of it a modern city". It was no idle boast. The inhabitants enjoyed some of the first electric street lights in the world and the first elelctrically operated trolley system in Latin America. There was piped gas and water. A glorious modern city had arisen in the middle of the Amazon forest, and even steel tycoon, Andrew Carnegie, supposedly said with sadness, "I ought to have chosen rubber".

Everybody thoug t it would last forever. No one thought about the Englishman who had !ready "stolen" the source of the rubber barons wealth in 1876. This "theft" would bring an end to Brazil's world monopoly in rubber ithin several decades. The rubber boom would be nothing but a me ory in Manaus.

Hevea brasiliens Europeans knew bout it as far back as Christopher Columbus.

Other travelers obse ved the Indians bouncing it and using it as waterproofing on the r feet. But it was the French scientist, Charles Marie de la Condam ne, who was the first to send it to Europe. He coined the word "late "(after the Spanish word for milk) for the milky substance that exude from the tree when it was cut.

He spent four months on the Amazon river in 1743 exploring and observing the strange plants, animals, and customs of the native Indians. He kept a j urnal which would later fascinate Europe. He observed a tall tree (later given the scientific name of "Hevea brasi I iensi s") with hi h limbs from which the Indians were extracting a milky liquid. Whe the liquid coagulated it produced a malleable elastic material.

The Indians had any uses for this material. They made syringes, boots, bottles, toys d many other items. La Condamine sent some of the material back to rance and later published a book which was the first scientific acco nt of the Amazon. Dr. Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxyge , would later give it its English name, "rubber" after realizing it was deal for erasing (i.e. rubbing out) pencil marks.

Despite its pote tial, rubber's use was somewhat limited until 1823 when Scottish hemist Charles Macintosh discovered a way to coat fabric with rub er to make it waterproof. But his "Macintosh" coats had the proble of hardening in the winter and melting in the summer. The boom â&#x20AC;˘ the Amazon began after 1839 when American, Charles Goodyear, nvented the process of vulcanization which prevented rubber fr m becoming sticky in heat and brittle in cold.

Soon rubber became a major ingredient in many products including rainwear, steam eng es, bicycle tires, electrical insulation and finally automobile tires.

Although latex as found in trees in other parts of the world, the 39

best quality rubber could be produced from the wild Brazilian trees, the "Hevea brasiliensis".

The Boom Many foreigners arrived in Manaus to cash in on the rubber boom. Speculators from France, England, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Syria and other parts of the world searched for rubber trees on the Amazon and its tributaries.

Tapping rubber was not an easy process, and many indigenous people were recruited for this work. Some were shamelessly exploited and suffered and died under horrible conditions.

One in twenty Manaus citizens were from elsewhere. There were, among others, bankers from Stuttgart, merchants from Lisbon, engineers from London. As the worldwide demand for Brazilian rubber rose, the prices ofrubber rose steadily.

Rubber exports grew rapidly, and the government of Amazonas state put a 20 to 25 percent export tax on rubber. With these profits, the governor, Eduardo Goncalves Ribeiro, a former military engineer, made incredible changes in Manaus.

Founded as a fort by the Portuguese in the 17th century and located almost 1000 miles up the Amazon river from the Atlantic Ocean, Manaus, a small tranquil town, was transformed after becoming the capital of the rubber industry. By late in the 1890's, during the apex of the rubber boom, the capital had streets one hundred feet wide, an electrically operated trolley system, piped gas and water, and electric street lighting. But aside from utility, governor Ribeiro desired beauty. He built beautiful public buildings parks, and gardens.

40

On humid even irw,s under the equatorial heat, the city's elite went to th .-T. parks for concerts by the Governor's band, they strolled or sat in the cafes on the broad Eduardo Ribeiro Avenue, er tney went to their magnificent opera house to see a performance by the latest Eurnpean opera company visit to Manaus. Aanaus now also had a racecourse, btAring, twenty four bars, thirty six fashionkle doctors, eleven fancy restauran, and seven bookshops.

The locals who were very proud of their city used to quote the German explorer, Baron Friedrich Alexander von Humboldt who had said a hundred years earlier, "There (in the Amazon Valley), sooner or later, the civilization of the world will be found- A rubber baron was heard to say at a banquet, "No adultheart can feel that Manaus is anything less than fabulous" The lifestyles of the rubber b.trens were extraordinary by any measure.

Waldemar Scholz had a lion, a acht, motorboat, and servants dressed in livery. Commandant Frotta commissioned a palace to house his race horses, then made some changes to it and liked it so much, he decided to move into one wing ofthe house himself! Others burned money to light their cigars, sent their laundry to Europe, and ordered their food from Europe. Victor von Hagen, who wrote a book about the quest for El Dorado put it this way, "Manaus had actually become El Dorado. Gold flowed like water through its streets.

The whole city throbbed to

the...dream of wealth. One had "pâtÊ de foie gras', Crosse and Backwell's jams, Huntley and Palmer's biscuits, imported wines. One could sit down to dinner at which the butter came from Cork, the biscuits from Boston, the ham from Oporto, and the potatoes from Liverpool" The food arrived on the steamships that had come from Europe and North America to collect rubber. Trade between Manaus and the rest of Brazil was not much. Who wanted anything from Rio when you could get it from Paris?

And as Manaus had hopes of becoming the next capital of Brazil, it should have the best of everything.

The crowning glory of all this luxury and extravagance was the Teatro Amazonas the famous, if not notorious opera house. Governor Ribeiro commissioned a Portuguese architect to build an hal ianate opera house that would have cobbled streets with elegant houses, plazas and gardens surrounding it. What started as a modest project wound up costing two million dollars, which was an enormous sum at that time.

Architects, painters, sculptors, and builders arrived from Europe to work on the new opera house. Built almost exclusively from materials imported from Europe, the iron framework was from Glasgow, Scotland; the 60,000 tiles in its cupola were from Alsace Lorraine; and the crystal chandeliers from Italy. The main material used in the construction was stone but the entrances and supporting pillars were finished in Italian Marble.

In keeping with the" spare no expense" attitude, some locals thought the cupola should be of gold rather than tiles. The governor wasn't worried. He said before the theater was even open "When the growth of our city demands it, we'll pull down this opera house and build another".

The interior of the theater was brilliant with gold leaf and lush red velvet.

The decorations, painting and sculpture had as their theme the classical Greek and Roman mythological figures together

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

with the Indian legends of the Amazon.

Indian heads were on the balustrade of the staircases, and there were murals of the gods and goddesses playing in the Amazon.

On opening night, January 6, 1897, the Grand Italian Opera company played Ponchielli's La Gioconda. The elaborate opera house in the middle of the Amazon forest became a symbol of the incredible extravagance of the elite during the rubber boom and became a legend in itself.

Through the years stories were told of the famous performers who came to Manaus.

It was alleged that the tenor Enrico Caruso, the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, and the actress Sarah Bernhardt had performed at the Teatro Amazonas.

But these luminaries never came to Manaus.

The "Seed Snatch" and the Decline

In 1876, Dr. Joseph Hooker, Director ofthe Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in England commissioned Henry Wickham, an English adventurer to collect seeds from the "Hevea brasiliensis" trees in the Amazon. Wickham who was living in the Santarem region of the upper Amazon, was interested in and had already published some information about the rubber trees. He was able to collect 70,000 seeds from the forest to send to England.

Luck was on Wickham's side, as unbeknownst to him, the Amazon forests had seventeen different varieties of wild Hevea, but just by chance, he found the one tree that was the gold mine for the rubber barons, the botanists "Hevea brasiliensis".

The story ofhow he brought the seeds out of Brazil to England became a classic tale of derring-do and became known as the "seed snatch". There are still many mysteries about this story. The first is how he and a few helpers were able to collect 70,000 seeds in a short period of time. The "Hevea" trees were wildly scattered in the forest and not in neat plantation rows. The seeds don't drop from the trees but are catapulted up to 40 yards away.

Wickham liked to encourage the idea that the seeds he took were illegal and loaded aboard his ship under the nose of a gunboat which "would have blown us out of the water had her commander suspected what we were doing". Though the customs authorities did not know what he was taking, Brazil had no law against the export of rubber seeds. However 70,000 seeds would probably not have been looked on favorably by the authorities.

The seeds were delivered to the Botanical Gardens at Kew in June 1876.

BRAZZIL -OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

They were planted in seedbeds the day after their arrival, and in a few weeks more than 2000 or them had germinated.

These were sent to the British colonie of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Malaya w ere they survived and were planted in r ws on plantations. Labor costs were much less than in the Amazon, and there was a lack of natural enemies for the plants.

The first rubber trees flowered in Asa in 1881, and after twenty years of effort by the British botanists, the Asian plantations began to produce rubber in large amounts.

As a result, by 1910 the price of Brazilian rubber began to decline pufting the rubber barons into a panic. No one had foreseen the drastic impact the plantations in Asia would have on the wild rubber trade in Brazil. The collection of wild rubber in the Amazon required exploration of more and more remote areas because the older areas were declining in productivity. Recruitment oflaborers was difficult and there was a limited supply of them.

By contrast conditions on the pIrtations in the British colonies were very favorable. There was a lot of land the export taxes were low, transport w s inexpensive, and labor was cheap and lentiful. In 1914, the commercial pl ntations of Ceylon and Malaya were y'elding as much rubber as Brazilian wild rubber but at lower prices. Asian rubber had broken the Amazon world monOpoly and the rubber boom was over.

Instead of blaming their own itiefficient methods of production, the rubber barons accused the federal government of concentrating on coffee to the etriment of rubber. They called for a "Convention of the Amazon" with the gal of stabilizing the prices of rubber. Consequently, the Rubber Defense Law of 1912

was passed and encouraged the creation of plantations in the Amazon, improvement in transportation, and a 50 percent reduction export taxes. This was all to no avail, and the rubber boom was truly over. Manaus again became a sleepy backwater, the foreigners moved away, the opera house, the docks, and the warehouses all deteriorated.

There were belated attempts at creating rubber plantations in the Amazon, but this was never successful. Diseases often attacked the plants, and even Henry Ford's project, known as Fordlandia was an enormous failure in the 1920's. By 1922, 93 percent of world sales of rubber came from the plantations in Asia.

Manaus went into a long decline. But it would eventually rally to become a free trade zone, a center for eco-tourism and electronics, and the seat of many organizations studying the Amazon rain forest.

Even the opera would eventually come back to the Teatro Amazonas. But Manaus would never reach its former glory.

Henry Wickham was knighted for "Services in connection with the rubber plantation industry in the Far East" Rita Shannon Koeser is a freelance writer who specializes in the history and culture of Europe and Latin America.

She has been a Brazilophile since her first visit to Rio de Janeiro many years ago. At present she is amusing her Brazilian friends with her newly acquired but still imperfect Portuguese!

Since her visit to the Brazilian Amazon region in the spring of 2001, she has been interested in researching and writing about different aspects of the area. She is enchanted by the warmth and charm of the people who live there and is delighted that some have become good friends. Rita can be reached at RitashkoAearthlink.net 41

Serene Epicenter Gabriel Improta's music may owe something to Baden Powell's world, but he sets his own indisputably virtuosic guidelines.

His music is full of revolving colors, emotional curves, and surprises. Improta's easygoing approach, however, conceals his enormous command of the contemporary classical medium.

BRUCE GILMAN

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Gabriel lmprota personifies a marvelous kind of musical schizophrenia, expressing in both composition and performance, distinct, immediately recognizable talents that will be of crucial importance on the Brazilian music scene in the coming decades. His influential debut recording balances between passion and beauty, demanding total submission.

Whether playing single-line solos that combine inner strength with a delicacy in approach, or essaying chordal work with an enviable awareness of dynamics, Gabriel lrnprota is a sensitive, lyrical musician with a warm, sonorous tone who sounds like a full rhythm section in accompaniment. His writing distinguishes itself by bringing listeners into an intensely personal vision and expressive range that stretches the Brazilian jazz genre to new parameters without breaking its thread. Improta's focus is instrumental music, but he concedes that the music business in Brazil is very complicated and that instrumentalists often linger for years without ever finding a passage from amateur to professional.

Professionalism, however, came naturally to Gabriel, a savvy enough traveler in musical circles to know that the key to long-term survival is flexibility.

By his early twenties he had already performed with lthamara Koorax, Carol Saboya, Carlos Malta, and Dona I vone Lara. -When we recorded myCDPimenta," says woodwind wizard Carlos Malta, "in spite of his young age, Gabriel showed sophistication and maturity. He was outstanding in the studio, demanding the most of his performance. Gabriel's guitar playing may have its fundamental roots in Baden Powell and Hello Delmiro, but his compositions reveal a musician who creates challenges all his own."

At the Federal University in Rio de Janeiro (Uni-Rio) Gabriel composed pieces, all remarkable documents in their own unassuming way, that digress from convention and push traditional boundaries. "Cantos,- his musical poem for voice(s) and ProToots, reflects a musical world populated by the ideas of men as diverse as John Coltrane, John Cage, and poet Joao Cabral de Melo Neto, whose prerecorded voices each with its own priceless spoken/poetic timbral differenceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;alternate in brief sound paintings to create a precarious polyrhythmic balance. Within this rather ecceitric instrumentation, one is cognizant of a dense wave of texture-conscious details and of the rhythmic and coloristic harmonic complexities that influence and compel the music's urgency.

"Momento" for flute and Pro-Tools, Improta's culminating work forhis Bachelor's degree in composition, was composed for contrast and mood. It is an atmospheric design, absolutely original and engaging. Instrumental color, via the flautist's multilphonics, is manipulated to evoke fascinating soundscapes of light and dark, shadow and substance, and small, nugget-like motives are subjected to the most daring and scrutinizing treatment, building steadily to a climax before returning gracefully to the opening mood. With its visually appealing score whose vivid splashes of color indicate categorically specific sequencer channels, "Momento" is a compelling piece of musical architecture.

Improta's easygoing approach, however, conceals his enormous command of the contemporary classical medium. remember the day I was giving a workshop at the FedelaI University here in Rio de Janeiro," says guitar virtuoso Marco Pereira. "The primary focus was arranging and composing for guitar in Brazilian styles, and I had asked the participants to write a piece and be prepared to present it before the class.

Gabriel was the first to show what he had written. After his piece, no one else wanted to share anything! He has a special feeling for arranging, harmonizing, and composing, and that is a gift."

During his time at Uni-Rio, Gabriel jammed occasionally with some friends at a restaurant in Lapa called Salsa e Cebolinha. It was a live, burning experience that promised to burn even brighter. The group sweat it out over tunes in front of an involved audience while driving each other to new levels of creativity. One night an , BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

enthusiastic patron came up to the stage, and introducing himself as a producer, praised their musicianship and explained that he wanted them to come to his studio and record their compositions. Figuring the guy had had a little too much to drink and was giving them a "line," the band members had a good laugh and continued their set. The guy, Radio MEC' s producer Reinaldo L'eitao, was completely serious.

The old Symphonic Studio at Radio MEC is huge and was constructed with magnificent acoustics. Jacd do Bandolim and Villa-Lobos recorded often in the same studio that gave birth to the group Sincronia Carioca. With free studio access and a flexible recording schedule, the band spent two months fine-tuning arrangements, rehearsing, and recording.

Their sound, admirably integrated, comes across with fierce emotional commitment and the unmistakable imprint of a special guest performer, arranger, and cornposer—Hermeto Pascoal. The project was, in musicians' parlance, an act of love, that is, without monetary reward.

Compensation came'only when poet/lyricist Aldir Blanc wrote a column in the newspaper 0 Dia praising their self-titled CD as the best of the century.

Upon completion of his studies at Uni-Rio, Gabriel sent two scores—one for string orchestra and one for woodwind ensemble—to Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) along with his application for a scholarship in composition, which he hoped would allow him to continue extensive studies in the United States.* Subsequently, Improta was performing in Cuba at the Guitarra de La Habana International Festival when he received an e-mail requesting his immediate return for a week of testing before a jury of CAPES directors and composers.

Says Improta, "My uncle Ion, one of my strongest influences, always told me that I would study in the United States and had even offered to pay my tuition."

As the Improta family is replete with outstanding musicians, it would have been difficult for Gabriel to follow any other path. "I've known Gabriel for five years," says Carlos Malta, "and can affirm that his musical thread descends directly and genetically from a family that has tattooed in his soul both the sublimity of classical works and the creativity and innovation required in jazz and popular music." Before describing additional events connected with Gabriel Improta's career it would be well t0 digress a bit and share the Improta family background, since he is the descendant of one of BRAZZIL - OeTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

Brazilian music's most illustrious dyn sIvy Improta, Gabriel's grandmother, ties. was a child prodigy who Villa-Lobos Ion Muniz, his uncle, is a contro r- brought to Rio de Janeiro from the intesial, but exceptidnally talented wo d- rior Sao Paulo for studies with Tomas wind player who has performed w th, Teran.** She worked with Villa-Lobos among other luminaries, Herm to throughout her career and became recogPascoal, Joao Donato, Joyce, and he nized as the classical pianist who toured Claus Ogerman Orchestra. He has e- extensively, unveiling Brazilian classicorded with Edison Machado, Vi or cal music both solo and with orchestras.

Assis Brasil, and had •recorded ith Tomas Teran introduced her to Eurico Egberto Gismonti until their verbal cl sh Nogueira Franca, a pianist, teacher of during a recording session. Muniz Ii ed music history, and music journalist for in New York for ten years and wor ed Correio da Manhii,Jornal do Brasil, and with his own groups before movin to 0 Estado de S. Paulo. He was a close Finland where he became a Sibelius A d- friend of Villa-Lobos, and together they emy teacher. Urn Eterno Amor, a C of worked to establish the Academia his original compositions, has just b en Brasileira de Musica (Brazilian Music released in Brazil.

Academy). When Ivy was 20 years old, Singer/songwriter Joyce recalls on they were married; their best man was Muniz, "I met him in the late 60's, w en Villa-Lobbs. we were both teens. He was about The elegant, expressive, and masage, 18 or 19 years old, and already a ell sively skillful pianist Tomas Improta, of a player. Later in 1970 we wor ed Gabriel's father, has played with a wide together in Mexico for a few months ith range of popular music icons (Caetano the Luis Eca band Sagrada Familia ( a- Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Doces cred Family). Everybody was a bit cr zy Barbaros) and brought phenomenal tech. at that time, experimenting, discover nical control and musical imagination to Some of us grew more mature after t at, the basic jazz vein of his output. After a some did not . . . Ion returned to io, decade with Veloso's band, he left to playing around for a few more years, t en pursue a solo career and establish Centro moved to New York. That's when I et de Artes Rio (Cenario), the prestigious him again, and he recorded with m on music school in Botafogo. He has conthe album I was doing with CI us ducted voluminous research on the Ogerman in 1977. His flute solo on my pentatonic scale system and written extune "Pega Leve" was absolutely ril- tensively about music theory. liant and one of the few solos from hat Gabriel grew up listening to jazz, and session that Claus kept intact later w en his fondness for the genre was engenhe put the orchestra on top of the rhy hm dered by his father's example, which section. We worked together a few ore consequently prompted him to petition times here in Brazil, and I always ha the CAPES for a scholarship to schools disimpression he was a misguided ge us, tinguished for their jazz programs. Says someone who, had his troubled sou al- Improta, "Musicians Institute in Hollylowed, could have had a wonderful ca- wood, California (Mi.) became my reer." choice by default. It had nothing to do

with cost and everything with bureaucracy. CAPES was willing to pay for my tuition, a living space, health insurance, even the air fare, but wouldn't permit me to graduate with their scholarship from Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music, not even from New York City College. They would only accept MI., and I wasn't so sure about attending a 'pop' music school."

Rock 'n' roll and pop styles are deemed second class genres in Rio; however, students at Musicians Institute exam ine them dogmatically. "Oh, I couldn't believe it," says Improta. "It was a bad situation. There was one class that pre7 pared students to play in a pop show. You had to play rock 'n' roll music that was completely written out. I didn't want to play rock 'n' roll, so I asked the teacher if he had any jazz charts for us. Man, I hated that class. The scenes in Rio and L. A. are diametrically opposed. I don't think one is any better than the other, but people in Los Angeles put a lot more energy into pop and film music. Musicians there are preoccupied with technology. In Rio we have more of a cultural movement in which people, and not only musicians, prefer music connected with our Brazilian roots."

At Uni-Rio, students are offered a traditional, more European style of education. Although their ear training and theory programs are much stronger and more advanced than those at Musicians Institute, they have few computers, the keyboards are old, and only one Protools system exists. By graduation, UniRio students often lack the essential qualifications necessary to earn their livelihoods in the music business. Conversely, students at M.I. study in real-world contexts. The recording technology is stateof-the-art, accelerating both opportunities and information exchange; prior to graduation, many M.I. students are already gainfully employed.

Once in Los Angeles, Improta enjoyed an awe-inspiring kind ofnotoriety, impressing many people, jazz musicians in particular, with his ability to be at home in almost any setting and acquiring a reputation for being one of the most amiable musicians on the scene. His uncanny ability to take anybody's music and not only transform it into his own peculiar vehicle, but underline and accentuate every possible melodic and rhythmic idea in it, often with a clearly astringent edge, made everything he played seem like it was written especially for him. ( "It's almost impossible to play straight-ahead jazz in Rio," says Improta.

44

taflOztnflo Cal Saboya Carlin Malta Daniel Gonzaga Toms Improta

Rob Di RAdio Rob Digi Kalimba Eldotaa 500 Ve Rob Di

OSopro do &pIrito Sessj Pitneata ° PagsrilemPe' Os Passos net err Certas Mulheres

"Few people are interested in it, and most of them are musicians. I love jazz, but I had to mix ft with-traditional Brazilian music to play itthere. Maybe this is not so much a Brazilian, but a worldwide trend, a sort of cultural nationalism or backlash to all that 'globalization.' I totally agree with Oswald de Andrade who, writing about cultural cannibalism, explained how cannibals ate valorous persons to acquire their desirable traits, and how that can also be dose on a cultural level.

In its foundation, Brazil is a mixed country; that is its strength. We have already consumed characteristics from many other cultures and, despite that, have remained Brazilian. Absorbing influences from other countries to make our music richer, is a positive form of nationalism and much more embracing and intelligent than a defensive nationalism that advocates only traditional Brazilian genres, which, after all, are blends of many influences. Maybe that sounds odd, but it is a major controversy."

During his two-week winter break from Musicians 'agitate, Improta returned to Brazil to record k 0 viola° do Brasil! And it is a rare pleasure in these days of so many preeetitiously important recordings to find oriethat was obviously recorded to prove %Wag other than the repertoire is uncomisonty evocative and the musicians involved—Carlos Malta, Robertinho Silva, Ouduka da Fonseca, Marco Pereira, and Thomas Improta, among others—play at the very highest caliber. One ofthe disc's most absorbing aspects is hearingthe impact of personality upon personality.Th rough opt the disc, these sympathetic companions, all superior musicians, amplify Improta's musical persona and display a palpable camaraderie.

The tunes, while designed to give the musicians the most room to stretch out, also document the leader's multiple talents, which makes perfect sense when one considers that all were Written or

200 200 200

arranged by Improta. The opener, Edu Lobo's "Corrupiao," with an arrangement fueled by Egberto Gismonti's inspiration, is a white-hot baiao that spontaneously combusts into a compelling ) t tapestry of technique, passion, and plain ) old excitement. Carlos Malta's unfaily incisive sound, always searing, clari1I ingly • 1 fies why none of his imitators have ever i quite matched the same degree of spirit I and verve he brings to the job. Propelled Iby an infectiously exciting rhythm secI tion, the tune's harmonic and kinetic energy would undoubtedly delight the com"aiab de LA," one of the disc's most Poser l rhythmically adventurous compositions, e is anything but typical. Improta wrote it 1while living in Los Angeles, hence the - title, which actually bears a triple meaning: "Baia° from Los Angeles," "Baiao Ifrom There," and "Baiao in the Key of 5A." Following a strict AABA form, the piece begins as a maracatu, segues into a short rubato, which leads into a Bachhike suite atop the baiao rhythm. The improvisatory section fuses bailie) with an "L.A. pop" feel. Says Improta, "I was !thinking about adding some synthesized •' ercussion, but both Marco (Pereira) and arcelo Bernardes, a musician who plays larinet with Chico Buarque and for whom have great respect, were completely against the idea, feeling there was no justification, that baiao is best with traditional percussion instruments."

One of Cuba's most important cornposers, and for the guitar one of the orld's most impressive, Leo Brouwer, as influenced by Yoruban culture when be wrote El Decameron Negro for classical guitar solo. "Balada de la Doncella Enamorada" is an arrangement of its prelude, reformatted into a jazz trio, and although imbued with lmprota's own personality, captures the spiritual ambience of the original. Ney Conceicdo, giving a magnificent display of both supfortive and sciupulously accurate bass i

1

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BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

playing, brings a rhythmic vitality and that recalls the work of Tyner, its plas ic- atonal ism. Following the practice ofmany textural earthiness to the group sound. ity of phrasing, the supple ease of ote composers, Improta personalized the sysIt's refreshing to hear a guitar player placement, and the variety ofnote choi es tem to include jazz scales—diminished who allows lines to breathe, and whose echoing the imagination and excite ent whole tone, and pentatonic. "Tez" is an piquancy is as much a matter of knowing that Tyner combined so effortlessly at his extraordinary demonstration oflmprota's what to omit as what to play. On "Valsa peak. "So my lesson," says Improta," as intellectual and emotional response to a de Janeiro," a graceful duo resonating analogous to Oriental philosophy: So echallenging musical language. tasteful restraint and quiet melodic charm, times it's better to let things just hap en Inspired by Tom Jobies composiMarco Pereira's use of space as a means by themselves--especially in the p s- tion "Radames e Pele" (titled for the of articulation is exemplified, and solo ence of genius." soccer star and composer Radames elements are matched by a beautifully "Samba da Quarta-feira de Cinz s" Gnattali), Improta's jazz-samba "Delmiro balanced counterpoint. Says Pereira, (Ash Wednesday's Samba) is a sl w e Aninha" was written for two personal "There was a lot of work to do at the samba in homage to Maestro Ba en passions—Helio Delmiro's guitar playrecording sessions, and so an untitled Powell that begins with an intrigu ng ing and his girlfriend, An inha. Upon hearwaltz kept waiting in my desk drawer. rebalancing of Powell's "Retr to ing the tune, Aldit Blanc authored lyrics The day before we decided to record, I Brasileiro." It is a track that showca es that narrate a soccer game between teams started working on it, and the more I Imprdta as a sympathetic quartet in of renowned guitar players—Joe Pass, practiced, the more I sensed something ber and a natural improviser who bui ds Hello Delmiro, Laurindo Almeida, was missing. So I dared to write some- his solos with careful attention to t ir Raphael Rabello, Guinga, Dilerrnando thing new, which Gabriel loved and overall symmetry, totally devoid of uReis, Baden Powell, Garoto, Dino 7 adopted as a second section. We wrote perfluous embellishment or pretense. e Cordas, and Bola Sete. Improta solos the arrangement together at the studio is given the perfect sympathetic platfo with warmth and invention, concentratjust before the session, then Gabriel gave by his partners—Robertinho Silva, p r- ing on and allowing the notes that matter this beautiful waltz its name." The piece cussion; Ney ConceicAo, bass; d to stand alone with plenty ofroom around exudes the happy spirit of collaboration. Rodrigo Lessa, bandolim—who are so them, thanks largely to the sensitive piWritten as an entry for the Praca da intuitive in their listening that they re ano backing from one of the least demonCarioca Music Festival and in reverence with him in every nuance, each an in strative, but most effective keyboard playof his father's passion for the music of vidual both in sound and ideas, givi g ers in Brazil, his father, who provides the McCoy Tyner, "Choro para McCoy" was Improta the broadest and most exciti g ideal cushion for his son and also spins the only instrumental composition in an palette to work from, and Improta rev Is out another memorable solo. Musical event dominated by sertaneja music and in the support he is getting. communication between father and son "pop" singing, a la Roberto Carlos, but it "Tez" is a solo guitar reduction o a is total, definitely a two-way street. advanced through the various prelimi- string orchestra piece Gabriel wrote w On the final track, the Vinicius de nary rounds to eventually take both third he was studying composition at the F d- Moraes and Tom Jobim composition "0 place and the Acclamation Prize, an award eral University. The word tez means co Morro NAo Tern Vez" (Favela), Improta selected by a popular vote of the audi- plexion in Portuguese, but here also hi ts metrically shifts the traditional introducence. At an early morning recording ses- at the pluralization of the letter "T," n tion and interlude into 7/4. There is an sion, Thomas Improta wrote the five voice allusion to Improta's father (Tomas), is impassioned excitement to his electric arrangementin the style ofMcCdy Tyner, teacher (Ricardo Tacuch i an), a d guitar solo. Its enormous potency—borand Carlos Malta suggested playing all Tacuchian' s nine tone compositional p - dering on ferocity—combines complete five on bass instruments. "Both my father cedure, Sistema -T. Both Tacuchia 'S authority with harmonic clarity. Duduka and Malta were overexcited," Improta system and "Tez" are grounded on t da Fonseca's rappOrt, achieving a telerecalled, "so my father immediately post-modernist Theory of Conjunc s, pathic elegance, is instantly apparent, agreed." which stresses a fusion, or better, a coe - and Barrosinho, formerly the leader of Malta plays all five voices of the first istence of compositional procedures Ii e Banda Black Rio and a player possessed and second chorus on bass flute, dou- serialism, pan-diatonicism, a d of phenomenal bravura technique as well bling the higher parts an as a beautiful brass tone, octave lower. On the third blows with boldness, his chorus, which was initially short, but volatile solo soarto be divided among the ing to the trumpet's outer entire saxophone family: soreaches. pranos on top, alto and tenor Gabriel Improta's debut in the middle voices and as a leader may have put him baritone on the lowest plane, in very fast company, but he he plays, then doubles all stands up and takes full adfive voices on baritone sax. vantage of such strong sup"I suggested usihg soprano port. Moreover, his colsax for the highest voice," leagues are outspokenly says Improta, "and he did, among those who firmly beonly to make me happy. So lieve that Improta, a major there are ten baritones and voice poised tranquilly at the one soprano sax in that secwater's edge, has the potention. It's an entire orchestial to become one ofthe leadtra!" Enrich ing this mixture, ing artists of his generation.

Improta's score for "Moment° his father solos in a manner Says Marco Pereira, "This BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

45

CD will be, no doubt about it, a reference for generations of guitar players in Brazil and abroad. Gabriel is writing an important page in the history of Brazilian instrumental music, especially for our guitar."

One reason for Improta's stellar reputation among his fellow musicians, besides his relaxed attitude, is not the fact that he is able to play and stretch out on anything, but that he can turn even the most cliché-ridden tune into an adventure. The audience feels how much he enjoys playing, and his pleasure is contagious. A master of subtle accompaniment and interplay, Improta supports with a strong rhythmic undertow that gives his playing a churning insistence. He is currently touring with Francis Hime and has been invited to record in Rio with the New Orleans brass band Night Crawlers, and further, to select the other musicians for the session.

Improta's music may owe something to Baden Powell's world, but he sets his own indisputably virtuosic guidelines.

He is a man whose compositions are full of unexpected details, revolving colors, emotional curves, and surprises. Says Pereira, "In our first encounter, Gabriel presented the repertoire to be recorded, and I had the first positive impact of his geniality and the originality of this great musician. Throughout the recording sessions, that first positive impression, little by little, imposed itself as an unquestionable truth. At each step I was confronted with a musical work containing the best characteristics: extremely coherent and original musical ideas allied to perfect technique, always resulting in music of quality, brilliant rhythmic articulation, and, above all, Gabriel's rare capacity and maturity for improvisation." o Viola° do Brasil! is more than an impressive example of Improta's playing and compositional abilities. It shows— as he explores voicings and moods—a spatial ized sound with different levels of intensity and a pulsating depth of expression. This is music realized with a cast of daringly inventive players who play with flair and imagination, and whose creative processes have a clear and tangible base. There are moments of introspection, but plenty that demonstrate extroverted musical sinew. By the simple, if uncommon, process of being himself, Gabriel Improta has developed into a musician with a style that is lyrical and warm, yet displays fire and drive without sounding driven or harsh—a force caressed by serenity.

Web sites of interest: www.radiomec.com.br www.kalimbaproducoes.com.br * CAPES is an acronym for Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (Coordination of Improvement of University Level Personnel), a Brazilian foundation that confers scholarships, finances research for master's and doctorate programs, and helps the Federal Government establish a policy for post-graduation courses abroad.

Their web site is (www.capes.gov.br). ** Tomas Teran was also the teacher of Ant6nio Carlos Jobim and a close friend of both Villa-Lobos and Andres Segovia.

Bruce Gilman, music editor for Brazzil magazine, received his Masters degree in music from California Institute of the Arts. He is the recipient of three government grants that have allowed him to research traditional music in China, India, and Brazil.

His articles on Brazilian music have been translated and published in Dutch, German, Portuguese, Serbian, and Spanish.

You can reach him through his e-mail: cuicaAinterworld.net

U.S. Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation as required by 39 USC 3685 1. Publication Title: Brazzil 2. Publication No.: 1091-868X 3. Filing Date: October 6, 2003 4, Issue Frequency: Monthly 5.

No. of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. Annual Subscription Price: $3.00 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Brazzil, 2039 N. Ave. 52, Los Angeles, CA 9004210248. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: Brazzil, 2039 N. Ave. 52, Los Angeles, CA 90042-10249. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher: Rodney Mello, 2039 N. Ave. 52, Los Angeles, CA 90042-1024; Editor: Rodney Mello, 2039 N. Ave: 52, Los Angeles, CA 90042-1024; Managing Editor: Rodney Mello, 2039 N. Ave. 52, Los Angeles, CA 90042-1024 10.

Owner: Rodney Mello, 2039 N. Ave. 52, Los Angeles, CA 90042-1024 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. N/ A 13. Publication Name: Brazzil 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: September 2003 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Actual No.

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16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the October 2003 issue of this publication. 17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who om its material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including multiple damages and civil penalties). (Signed) Rodney Mello, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

46

Bispo (Bishop)—The tortured life of schizo-paranoid popular artist Arthur Bi po do Rosario (1911-1989) who created St of his art using trash and old material fr the Rio psychiatric hospital where he liv d.

Written by Joao Miguel and Edg rd Navarro, directed by Edgard Navarro, ith Joao Mi•uel

Batalha de Arroz num Ringue para Dois (Rice Battle in a Rink for Two) Written by Mauro Rasi Directed by Miguel Falabella, with Miguel Falabella and Claudia Jimenez.

Playwright Rasi, who died in April, wrote the play for Falabella and Jimenez in 1985, but this was the first time they staged it.

The story of marriage of Nell° and Angela, which brings lots of laughs to the public.

Capitanias Hereditdrias (Hereditary Captaincies)—After embezzling a huge amount of money, a trio composed by an unscrupulous banker, his partner, plus the sister-inlaw try to leave the country. Written and directed by Miguel Falabella, co-written

by Maria Carmem Barbosa, with Jose Wilker, Ney Latorracaand Natalia do Valle.

Sem Vergonhas (No Shames)—Based on Anthony McCarten and Stephen Sinclair's play Ladies 'Night. The New Zealand story about down on their luck men who decide to put a strip-tease show was moved with success to the Lapa neighborhood. Written

by Daniel Botti, translated by Liane Lazoski and Gabriela Morales, with Jandir Ferrari, Leandro Hassum, Jayme Del Cueto, Marcelo Mello, Pedro Neschling, and Marcelo Escorel.

Just-released or re-released foreign-language movies: (+ Velozes + Fur iosos (2 Fast 2 Furio s), A Casa Caiu (Bringing Down the Hou ), A Estranha F,amilia de Igby (Igby G es 'Down), A Experiencia (Das Experime t), A Inglesa e o Duque (L 'Anglaise et le Duc), A Liga Extraordindria (The Lea ue of Extraordinary), A Viagem de Chih ro (Spirited Away), Acontece nas Melho es Familias (It Runs in The Family), Ag ra ou Nunca (All or Nothing), Bern e , Quer...Mal Me Quer (A la Folie... Pas u Tout), Campeao (Swimming Upstrea ), Conto de Inverno (Conte d 'Hiver), Co to de Outono (Conte d'Automne), Descjo Humano (Human Desire), Dirigindo io Escuro (Hollywood Ending), Dois Destinos (Cronaca Familiare), Driblando o Desti o (Bend It Like Beckham), Eu Fui Secretdr'a de Hitler am Toten Winkel - Hitlers Sekretarin), Identidade (Identity), Kamchatka (Kamchatka), Lara Croft Tomb Rider: A Origem da Vida (Lara Croft Tomb Rider: The Cradle of Life), Longe do Paraiso (Far from Heaven), Monique Sempre Feliz! (Monique), 0 Dono da Fes a (Van Wilder: Party Liaison), 0 Exterminador do Futuro 3: A Rebeliao das Maquinas (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines), 0 Filho da Noiva (El Hijo de la Novia), 0 Show Nao Pode Parar (The Kid Stay in the Picture), 0 Vingador (A Man Apart), Only the Strong Survive (Only tne ' Strong Survive); Piratas do Caribe - A Maldicao da Pirola Negra (Pirates of tne Caribbean- The Curse of The Black Pear), Primavera para Hitler (The Producers), Procurando Nemo (Finding Nemo), Regras da Atracao (Rules of Attraction), Salo 120 Dias de Sodoma'(Salo- 0 120 Giorna e di Sodoma), Secretdria (Secretary): Sinbad - A Lenda dos Sete Mares (Sinbad- Legend of the Seven Seas), Todo Poderoso (Bruce Almighty), Tratamento de Choque (Anger Management

name. The adventures of a kind swindler who gets involved with the wife of a killer for rent and then runs away to another city where he again finds the wrong girl. Directed by Guel Arraes, with Selton Mello, Debora Falabella, Virginia Cavendish, Bruno Garcia, Tadeu Mello, Marco Nanini.

0 Homem do Ano (The Man of the•Year)— Brazi1/2002—Fed up with bullies a young guy kills a bandit in cold blood and becomes a hero. His problem now is to get rid of all the people who want him to do a "little service" for them too. Based on Patricia Melo's 0 Matador (The Killer), with script by Rubem Braga. Directed by Jose Henrique Fonseca, with Murilo Benicio, Claudia Abreu, Jorge Doria, Natalia Lage, Carlo Mossy, Wagner Moura, Lazar° Ramos, Jose Wilker.

ooks Pavia Coelho

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1.Viver para Contar,, Gabriel Garcia Marquez 2. As Vidas de Chico Xavier, Marcel Souto Maior 3. Matrix: Bem-vindo ao Deserto do Real, William Irwin 4. 0 Sonho Brasileiro, Thales Guaracy 5. Stupid White Men: uma Nagar) de Idiotas, Michael Moore 6. Abusado: o Dono do Morro Dona Marta, Caco Barcellos 7. 0 Guia dos Curiosos: Lingua Portuguesa, Marcelo Duarte 8. Pela Bandeira do Paraiso: uma Historia de Fe e Violencia, Jon Krakauer 9. Vivendo a Hist6ria, Hillary Clinton 10. Casa-Grande e Senzala , Gilberto Freyre

Amarelo Manga (Mango Yellow)—Brazi1/2 002—A mosaic of the Brazilian uiderbelly. The characters live parallel lives Quarta-Feira, Sem Falta, La Em Casa that sometimes intersect. The action is set (Don't Miss It This Wednesday at My in the northeastern city of Recife. Directed 1. Quem Mexeu no Meu Queijo?, SpenHouse)—Comedy. Two friends, both wid- by Claudio Assis, with Leona Cavalli, cer N. Johnson ows—one a hypocrite, the other foul Matheus Nachtergaele, Chico Diaz, Jonas 2. Quem Ama, Educa!, Icami Tiba 3. A Semente da Vitoria, Nuno Cobra mouthed—meet every Wednesday to ex- Bloch, Dira Paes. change gossips and their own past extra- Historias do 01/tar (Glimpse's Stories)— 4. Os 100 Segredos dos Bons conjugal sexual adventures. Written by Brazi1/2 001—The whole story happens in Relacionamentos, David Niven Mauro Brasini, directed by Alexandre one day in Rio. Four episodes: "Jealousy" 5. Criando Meninos, Steve Biddulph Reinecke, with Beatriz Segall and Myrian with a mature woman, "Resentment" with 6. Criando Meninas, Gisela Preuschoff 7. Dieta de South Beach, Arthur Agatston Pires. a woman psychoanalyst, "Love" with a Novas Diretrizes em Tempos de Paz (Peace 1yrical singer and "Fear" with a teenager 8. Ate que a Vida os Separe, Monica de Time New Guidelines)—The 1945 drama- girl harassed by her stepfather. Directed by Castro & Leonel (Espirito) 9. Mentes Inquietas, Ana Beatriz B. Silva charged real story about Polish Clausewitz, sa Albuquerque, with Maira Lucia Dahl, who needs a permit to stay in Brazil and the E liane Giardini, Walmor Chagas, Jonas 10. Os Dez Mandamentos da Etica, Gabriel Chalita man who can give him this document. Bloch, Juan Alba.

Written by Bosco Brasil, directed by Ariela L isbela e o Prisioneiro (Lisbela and the According to Veja magazine Goldmann, with Tony Ramos e Dan prisoner)--Brazi1/2 003—Romantic comStulbach. www .ve• a.com.br dy based on Osman Lins's play of same

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Brazil's Fat lady Can'tAct OneSing Whatever happened to the opera in Brazil? And why has Brazil produced no opera stars since Bid() Sayao? The causes for Brazil's severe operatic drought remain elusive, but perhaps they lie more within the nature of the Brazilian national character than in the financial pages of the Gazeta Mercantil.

JOE LOPES

52

The broadcasts would all begin around 1:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, and in the same imperious manner: "Texaco presents the Metropolitan Opera. Welcome opera fans to the Saturday afternoon Texaco broadcast season."

You can imagine my surprise when instead of the familiar strains of New York-based radio announcer Peter Allen, I heard the Italian- o, who spoke inflected speech patterns of one Maestro Walter Lorened these same words not in the mid-Atlantic English I had been accustomed to, hut in perfectly produced Brazilian Portuguese.

For over sixty years the radio transmissions of opera performances, "broadcast live and direct from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City," have been a greatly anticipated annual event, commencing in early December and lasting until the spring, and relayed to hundreds ofradio stations across the country and around the world. But the news last month that next season's broadcasts would be the last to be sponsored by Chevron Texaco, the current moniker for the multinational Oil Company and longtime supporter of the opera, was most disheartening to devotees. The Met, meanwhile, is currently in the market for a new radio sponsor to continue the popular weekly transmissions.

As a former resident of the megalopolis of Salo Paulo, I, too, listened with rapt attention to the regular Saturday broadcasts, heard there over the facilities of Radio Cultura FM. But to hear the opera in this foreign format was a bit of a shock, as there were no "OperaNews on the Air" intermission features, no "Texaco Opera Quiz" games, and no revelatory interviews with celebrated Metropolitan Opera stars or directors. In their place were the lucid and erudite comments o f M aestro Lorened-o, who glowingly described this week's broadcast work in dulcet-toned reverence.

It seemed altogether fitting, I thought, to be listening to a radio feed of a fabulous musical event from the Big Apple in the South American equivalent of Sdo Paulo, the very pulse of the economic, financial and industrial heart of Brazil, christened after St. Paul, the biblical Apostle, and the one-time cultural capital of the Sudeste (Southeast), now as much of a neglected backwater for live opera performances as the dry and arid Northeast.

In the meantime, over in the extreme northeastern corner of the state, another event was beginning to take shape, only this was to become a part of the annual celebration called the Festival de Inverno (Winter Festival) in the resort town of Campos do Jordan, where recitals of chamber, lieder, opera, jazz, and choral works are presented each year by an international array of participants, concerts that attract over half a million people during the month of July.

Like an army of invading ants, they climb the Serra da Mantiqueira mountains in a mass migration to this charming but maddeningly overcrowded Alpine-like abode, about a two-and-a-halfhour drive from the big city. Dubbed the Suica brasileira for its cool European climate and quaint Swiss-style chalets, Campos do Jorddo has fast become one ofthe few spots left in Brazil where classical music fare of a reasonably high order is performed on any kind of regular basisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and in the dead of winter.

With piped-in broadcasts of live opera from the Met, beamed to Brazil for the "pleasure of opera lovers everywhere," and the yearly pilgrimage of rabid music fans ready to brave the freezing temperatures for the sake of a few short-lived moments of inspired music-making, this somewhat incongruous modulation in the musical habits of upper and middle class paulistanos is occurring at a most precipitous time for the classical music industry as a whole, and for Brazil in particular.

The reasons for this turbulence are manifold, relating partially to the ups-and-downs of the roller coaster Brazilian economy, to the revolvingdoor aspect of culture ministers and artistic directors, to the lack of conviction (read: funding) on the part of the federal government, and to the popular perception of opera as a strictly elitist form of entertainment, originating in Western Europe, and the intellectual province of princes, patrons and prima donnas.

But the most confounding condition of allâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the noticeable lack of domestic singing talent to satisfy the growing demands of voracious opera

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

fans—has become ever more pronounced with the years, until recently it has turned into a veritable scavenger hunt for nativeborn coloraturas and budding Brazilian basses.

Pre-Curtain Feature: So What's Up With Opera?

But what is it about the opera, anyway, that attracts people so? Why has this art of "belting it out to the rafters" suddenly afflicted so many novice aficionados with the same fanaticism usually reserved for movie icons and rock stars, and in Brazil of all places?

To begin with, opera is about personalities—the stressed-out soprano heroine, the dashing tenor lover, and the villainous baritone scoundrel—characters that have been fashioned from both literary and historical sources, and shaped into patently melodramatic plot points that some discerning audience members might find reminiscent of the next chapter in the latest television soap opera.

It is about the extremes ofhuman emotions, and the depths of human passions; it is about love and about hate, about jealousy and rage, bedrooms and betrayals, laughter and folly, sorrow and solace, treachery and murder. Indeed, the unlikely analogy to a telenovelais not at all a stretch in correctly depicting it, and Brazilians do seem devoted to their nightly dosage of drivel.

Yet despite the stereotypical trappings surrounding both genres, opera demands equally strong human personalities to fling these raw emotions and passions across the footlights and into the laps of modernday audiences; it needs real flesh-andblood figures to populate the flowery wardrobe and don the powdered wigs; and it requires the utmost dedication and sacrifice on the part of its performers, more so than most other art forms.

And for the true die-hard opera fan,

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

this quintessential human volvement becomes the sin most important fabric in any s cessful opera production. B won't ever make it to that 1 point sans funding and resour the current bane of opera co panies everywhere.

Be that as it may, the op tive words here are "passio "emotion," and "personali easily the most applicable Brazilian traits. And the B ian people, made up ofcountl individuals with diverse pers ality quirks, are nothing if passionate and emotional abut life, and about music.

The performance histo of opera and opera-singing in B azil, then, begins and ends *th extraordinary personages, from the mist exceptional opera composers to the m st fervent vocal interpreters. They are, in essence, what drive the opera to do wh it does best: to allow us to look into, an to identify deeply with, our innermost sel es on the stage.

Overture: Reality Check The propitious announcement earl'er this year of the appointment of pop sin er and Tropicalismo co-founder Gilberto il to the post of Cu lture Minister was gree led with a mixed round of tepid approval d critical brickbats, thrown at the Lula ministration for its choice of minister.

The criticism was leveled at Gil's p rfectly innocent yet revealing remark at despite his elevated cabinet status, he wo Id continue to perform as an entertainer to supplement his meager Minister's e ings. Gil did vow to campaign for mor if a piece of the dwindling budgetary pie in order to provide further funding for projects, to be financed through a corn nation of tax breaks, fiscal incentives additional private investment.

A quick perusal of the latest headli from the local newspapers, however, will reveal that the financial resources of the federal government have been stretched to the limit, and the current combination of high unemployment, low growth and economic stagnation has dealt a severe blow to the initial optimism regarding funding for the arts, especially ofthe operatic kind. It has taken a reluctant back seat to the administration's primary objectives of providing new jobs and resolving deep-seated social problems, all worthwhile and noble pursuits.

This disequilibrium between what the government says it wants to do and what it can actually accomplish— given the hargh realities of the situation at hand—should come as no sur-

prise to avid Brazil watchers, for this has always been the case in the country. I have never known an instance in the nation's past that has not been fraught with government intervention of one type or another: with frequent attempts to stave off inflation, address the ballooning federal deficit, reform the bloated public pension system, thwart bureaucratic and political corruption, and confront constant currency devaluation.

Yet even in Italy, the "biological parent" of opera, where this sort of administrative template has been followed for years, the perennial parliamentary crises found there—reflected in the accompanying anarchic conditions that have pervaded such institutions as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and the Teatro La Fenice in Venice—serve as the rule rather than the exception.

This state of political and artistic unrest, invariably ending in last-minute cancellations, substandard opera performances and dubious musical presentations, has never prevented Italian opera houses from attracting delirious operafans to their doors.

The same holds true for France and many other countries where funding for the arts is officially a matter for the state.

No, the causes for Brazil's severe operatic drought must be found elsewhere and remain as elusive as the long sought after Ring of the Nibelung. But perhaps they lie more within the nature of the Brazilian national character than in the financial pages of the Gazeta Mercantil.

Prologue: The Spanish Conquest The relative paucity in Brazil of opera performers of the highest international caliber may indeed have something to do with the way Brazilians look at themselves, what Joseph A. Page in his informative book The Brazilians describes as an inbred inferiority complex and fundamental lack of self-esteem. When it comes to the positive aspects oftheir own cultural distinctiveness, Brazilians often tend to

53

emulate the standards first set by their European and North American counterparts—not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to the opera.

And there has certainly been no lack of laudable vocal talent for lovers of fine singing to look up to and imitate. A quick scrape below the surface of artists past and present will unearth an impressive lineup of the Spanish, or Latin American, breed of romantic tenor, to cite only one example from among so many.

Going back as far as the time of Gioacchino Rossini, there were the Spaniards Manuel Garcia, who sang in the 1816 premiere of the composer's The Barber of Seville. the legendary Julian Gayarre from the late 19th Century, and the wonderful Miguel Fleta and HipOlito Lazar°, who both graced the world's stages in the roaring twenties and early thirties; the forties and fifties gave us the extraordinary Otellos of Chileans Ram& V inay and Renato Zanelli; in the sixties, the Almaviva of Peruvian-born Luigi Alva warmed the cockles of our hearts, as did the Duke of Alfredo Kraus (Canary Islands) and the Alfredo of Giacomo Aragall (Spain); the seventies and eighties brought the vocal splendors of Placid° Domingo (born in Madrid, but raised in Mexico) and his Catalonian counterpart, Jose Carreras (via Barcelona), as well as the fireworks generated by Mexican tenor Francisco Araiza and Argentine bel canto specialist Raul Gimenez.

Today, there are ever more willing pretenders to the title of operatic superstar, and from just about every Latin American contingent, includ ing Marcelo Alvarez and Jose Cura (Argentina), Ram6n Vargas (Mexico), Juan Diego FlOrez (Peru), and Aquiles Machado (Venezuela).

But where are the contributions from South America's largest country to this United Nations of vocal ambassadors?

The single representative exponent, encompassing the categories of tenore di grazia, tenore di forza, lirico spinto and lirico robusto. from the vast Brazilian continental expanse is nowhere to be found; it is, to say the least, unaccounted for and made more conspicuous by its very absence.

From the sports arena to the world's fashion runways, Brazil has always brought to the forefront no less than certifiable world-class competitors in every major field of endeavor. The rarefied names of famous racecar drivers (Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet, Hai° Castroneves), tennis pros (Maria Bueno, Guga Kuerten), top models (Gisele Bundchen, Susana Werner), film directors (Carlos Diegues, Glauber Rocha, Bruno Barreto, Hector Babenco), stage and screen personalities (Carmen Miranda, Fernanda 7

Imperial Precedents Montenegro, Sonia Braga), and soccer There were several false starts at prestars (Pete, Ronaldo, Rivaldo) have all been acknowledged as the "best of the senting staged opera in Brazil during the best" at what they did, or continue to do, as late 18th to early 19th Centuries, mostly professionals in their spheres of influence. with the building of a few ad hoc theaters With relatively few exceptions, no other in fairly impermanent locations, with some country can quite approach the luxury, the even taking on the rather apt name of ebullience, and indeed the passion, that Teatro Provisorio (Temporary Theater).

RNA/as not until the establishment ofthe Brazil's God-given, natural-born talents Portuguese court in Rio de Janeiro, circa have brought to the fields ofjazz and pop (Airto, Flora Purim, Egberto Gismonti, 1840—where the "enlightened despot" Nana Vasconcelos, Sergio Mendes, Ivan Dom Pedro II was later formally crowned Lins), MPB and Tropicana (Caetano emperor of Brazil—did opera begin to Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Chico make any serious inroads with like-minded Buarque, Milton Nascimento), samba and audiences. His majesty was an extremely bossa nova (Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa, well-educated and well-traveled sophistiElis Regina), literature and poetry cate who strongly believed in support of all (Machado de Assis, Monteiro Lobato, scholarly pursuits.

He was a tireless and enthusiastic adJorge Amado, Vinicius de Moraes), art and architecture (Candido Portinari, vocate of the opera, mostly from the Italian Aleijadinho, Oscar Niemeyer), and musi- and French repertoires, and encouraged its cal composition (Ary Barroso, Tom performance everywhere in the realm, but particularly in Rio and Sao Paulo; he asJobim).

So why have there been so few appear- tutely grasped the efficacy of bringing ances by the proverbial Fat Lady from high culture to the Brazilian masses as a Fortaleza, singing of the wealth and plea- way out of their agricultural and educasures of an invisible Valhalla in Wagner's tional rut.

Through one ofthose divinely-inspired Die Walkiire, or before the inevitable inundation in The Twilight of the Gods? confluences that brought worthy artists Perhaps that twilight has already de- and their benefactors together when the scended, and a more appropriate death need was at its greatest, the restless and knell now needs to be tolled for opera in urbane Emperor of Brazil was introduced to a talented young composer from the Brazil instead, But iflesser, more volatile Latin Ameri- rural sticks of Campinas, Antonio Carlos can nations can inspire their young people Gomes, of whom Giuseppe Verdi, the to pursue an international operatic career , Italian grand master of opera, was once abroad, why can't the more educationally purported to have proclaimed, "This young advantaged, and undoubtedly more politi- man begins where I have ended."

Accounts vary as to exactly when and cal ly, competitively, musically and culturally diverse Federative Republic ofBrazil, where the two first met, but from their do the same? How can a country so steeped initial reticent exchanges composer and in musical tradition, so rich in rhythmic patron soon forged a close personal bond vitality and lyrical invention, so wrapped as well as a strong financial relationship; in melodic and harmonic subtleties, with a but more importantly, they built and mainboundless energy and enthusiasm for pub- tamed a lifelong mutual respect for each lic celebration, produce no recent home- other's worth.

The Emperor, through his royal congrown opera stars of international repute?

And what of Brazil's abundantly rich mu- nections, helped Gomes gain entry into the sical past? Must it always boil down to Imperial Conservatory of Music in Rio de money issues (mainly the lack of it), or are Janeiro (1859-61). To further his potential . there other possibilities still to be explored? as an opera composer, especially after two These puzzling thoughts have remained highly successful early works for the stage a conundrum in my mind for more years (A Noite do Castel°, 1861, and Joana de than I care to count. And as far as historians Flandres, 1863), Dom Pedro packed the or musicologists having any particular young man off to Italy—the highpoint of h knowledge or insight into any of them, it any 19t Century musician's professional can be safely said that the underlying causes career—where Gomes was given a grant for this continuing mystery have never to complete his studies at the Milan Conbeen examined neither have they ever been servatory (1864).

Due to his being over the mandatory fully resolved to any degree in my lifetime.

Nevertheless, I will endeavor to dis- age limit, Gomes' application to the Consect this fascinating subject into a continu- servatory was at first rejected, and he ing series of artic I es, the first installment of began private lessons with one of its former which takes a brief look at the life of graduates, the composer Lauro Rossi.

Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Coincidently, this denial of entry into one of Italy's most prestigious institutions had Gomes. been a source of much bitterness for the Act One: Musical and

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003 54

inexperienced Verdi some thirty years earlier, and for the same reason. Only, the Italian master's musical pathway would take a far different route than that of the Brazilian novice.

Gomes eventually received an official sanction from the Conservatory's ruling body, yet would never reap the financial rewards this honor would presumably bestow. Verdi, on the other hand, nursed his earlier rejection for the rest of his days, but went on to greater fame and fortune despite the turndown.

It would seem the Milanese were as adept at recognizing nascent musical talent as the perceptive Dom Pedro was, for while the composer was in the city he became the toast of the industrial town.

Some of his greatest operatic compositions received their premieres at Milan's La Scala Theater, including his most popular piece II Guarany (0 Guarani, 1870), performed and revived by opera companies worldwide but never given at New York's Metropolitan Opera. His subsequent La Scala works, Fosca (1873), Salvator Rosa (1874), and Maria Tudor (1879), were all semi-favorably received by critics and public alike, but were nothing like the success he had enjoyed with Guarany.

In 1880, the disillusioned and economically hard-pressed composer returned to Brazil, where he set to work on several new projects, but all were prematurely aborted for one reason or another, thus repeating a pattern of fits-and-starts he first displayed back in Milan. Traveling to and from Italy, Gomes put the finishing

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

touches to his next opera, Lo Schiavo 10 Escravo, or The Slave, 1889), which ebuted in Brazil to wide acclaim.

Unfortunately for Gomes, the atm. sphere there was rife with revolution, d by late 1889, the Proclamation of the public was a fait accompli. The agi g sovereign Dom Pedro II, the very symb 1 of Brazilian aristocracy and the ruling elite, was deposed and unceremoniou y shipped off to Portugal.

As a recipient of the benevolence d generosity of the now-exiled monarc , Gomes lost the yearly stipend to which e had been accustomed to receiving for ne y thirty years. Because of his diminish d financial status and his personal conne tion to his royal patron, he was forced o leave Brazil for Italy, where e went to fulfill a contract with a Scala for a new opera, 0 Cond , given in 1891, to much local f fare but very little monetary re ompense, and even less critic regard. Sadly, the year ended wi h the death in France of his mot erstwhile supporter, Dom Pedr , thus sealing the composer's fin cial fate.

For the Fourth Centennial C ebration of the Discovery f America, Gomes wrote a "sy phonic poem with chorus," C lombo, which premiered in Rio • 1892. He even traveled later th t year to Chicago to oversee a pe formance of ll Guarany. Ho ever, when an expected subsi from the Brazilian governme t failed to materialize, the put upo composer was forced to give fr e public concerts of excerpts fro his work instead. In a letter fro that period, written in the U.S. to friend in Italy, the exasperate Gomes complained: "The presentation in Chicago if Guarany went for nothing... I had hope to make a World of contacts, but too late I realized the sad truth. In this country, art s a myth. Americans are only interested i new and practical matters, that is, in t easiest methods for making money!"

Despite the comparisons to Verdi an the earlier predictions of his being th great man's successor, Gomes never a tained the success and recognition in hi profession that had once been expected him. Although some ofVerdi's own libre tists, i.e. Antonio Ghislanzoni and Arrig Bolt°, supplied texts to several Gome works, in the long run they did nothing t help earn his operas a permanent place i the standard repertory. Further, th composer's work habits were often errati i, as a peremptory burst of enthusiasm for subject would give way to complete aban

donment of the idea soon after.

Though they were popular in their day, the quality of the music to be found in his operas was inconsistent and derivative, what one modern critic called a "cliched stew of Verdian heroics and Donizettian flightiness," and another reviewer termed "Bellini without tunes, Rossini without wit." These may seem like unduly harsh assessments, but they are not far from the mark.

Gomes chose as his musical models the operas of early and middle-period Verdi, spiced with the unwieldy five-act opuses of Giacomo Meyerbeer, whose oeuvres were already considered passé just as the Brazilian approached his creative prime, and topped them off with a dash of Wagnerian leitmotiv, for which he was severely taken to task by the press.

It was quite probable that Gomes was eclipsed by the mature Verdi's late career ' output, which included Aida (1871), the Requiem Mass (1874), and the final masterpieces of Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893).

There was a whole new stylistic form called verismo to contend with, and new challengers on the Italian front to defend against, among them Pietro Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana, 1890), Ruggiero Leoncavallo (Pagliacci, 1892), and the up-and-coming Giacomo Puccini, whose Manon Lescaut caused a sensation at its 1893 premiere, which Gomes attended.

It was not so much feelings of inferiority that finally did Gomes in, so to speak, as that of the caliber of the competition. History eventually relegated the campineiro to a position not unlike that of Viennese court composer Antonio Salieri, the extraordinary body of work produced by that musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Poortiming and equally bad luck would continue to badger the unfortunate composer all the way back to his native land. In fragile health from years of neglect, battered by bouts of depression over the earlier deaths of three of his children—intermittently relieved by the liberal ingestion of opium—and constantly pressed for funds, Gomes returned to Brazil one last time in 1896, to assume the directorship of the Belem Conservatory, at the mouth of the Amazon River, which for him was a personal and artistic nadir compared to his earlier triumphs.

Antonio Carlos Gomes died only five months after he had taken up his post, in the same year that opera was about to delight in a decade-long rebirth in the region. He was sixty years old, but his legacy would forever be assured as the first and only widely renowned composer of Brazilian national opera A beautiful marble bust of Gomes,

55

sculpted by the Genovese artist Achille Canessa, reposes in the great hall of the Teatro da Paz Opera House, in the northeastern city of Belem do Park as a posthumous tribute to the man and his works. It occupies a spot next to the bust of a relatively unknown fellow composer named Henrique Gurjdo.

The irony ofjuxtaposing the perceived greatness of a Carlos Gomes with the almost total obscurity of an Henrique Gurjdo cannot be lost on the visitor: of course, Gomes towers head and shoulders above this unfamiliar countryman; but he stumbles ever so markedly, and so utterly, before the likes of Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini.

We need only be reminded of the ephemeral quality of fame, and of how truly fleeting our memory of a great artist can be when compared to his peers.

Intermission Sources & Recommended Reading: Berger, William, Verdi with a Vengeance, Vintage Books, division of Random House, Inc., New York, 2000.

"Carlos Gomes," SAO Paulo

Prelude

The Triumphal Scene of the second act of A ida was well underway, with all of the stage participants actively engaged in one ImagemData,www2.uol.com.br/spimagem/ of opera' s most impressive ensemble gathcgomes.html, no date. erings.

Ching Chang, "In Review: Rio de Just as the chorus of high priests anJaneiro," Opera News, New York, October nounces the entrance ofthe defeated Ethio2001. pian captives, now permanently enslaved Feeney, Ann, "Carlos Gomes: Biograto the Egyptian Empire, the prima donna phy," All Classical Music Guide, portraying the princess Aida holds up her w ww.allclassical.com/cg/ hand to quiet the proceedings. acg.d11?vacg&sql=1:7377—C, no date.

Taking his cue from the singer, the Ferreira, Alcides, "Funding for the Arts: young conductor Arturo Toscanini, played Brazil's Questionable Dilemma," InfoBrazil

by C. Thomas Howell, brings the specWeb Magazine, www.infobrazil.com/ tacle to a halt as the soprano, impersonated conteudo/front_page/analysis/af4187, May

by American actress Elizabeth Taylor— 10-16, 2003. and a flamboyant diva in her own right— Kozinn, Allan, "Feathers and Fireworks makes an impassioned impromptu speech in the Jungles of Brazil," The New York against the evils of slavery.

Times, November 11, 1996.

The Teatro Amazonas, in Her words and glances are directed Page, Joseph A., The Brazilians, upward, toward the private parterre box Addison-Wesley Publishing, Reading, Mas- Manaus, was inaugurated in 1896 where the emperor of Brazi I, Dom Pedro II sachusetts, 1995. ( French actor Philippe Noiret), sits with with excerpts from Ponchielli's Page, Tim, "Domingo's Debut: A Capihis entourage, attempting to enjoy the pertal Gain," Washington Post, November 11, La Gioconda, with many of the formance. His imperial glare strongly im1996.

Radii, Amy, "Letter From Rio," Opera era's greatest living artists, in- plies a certain lack of sympathy for the soprano's liberal stance.

News, New York, October 2002.

Nonetheless, Taylor's show-stopping Scherle, Arthur, "AntonioCarlosGomes: cluding Sarah Bernhardt, Enrico oration hits the mark, as the Emperor dutiA Brazilian Opera Composer," from the Sony Classics Recording of 11 Guarany, Caruso and Isadora Duncan, trav- fully rises and exits the opera, followed by his royal, retinue, amid the cheers and translation Gwyn Morris, 1995. eling hundreds of miles upriver, bravos of the delirious spectators, and to "Teatro da Paz: 120 Anos," www.uol.com.br/amazonview/view 14/ and through dense jungle forest, spontaneous shouts of "long live the Emperor, long live Brazil." teatro.htm, no date.

Undeterred by the goings on, the maeWarrack, John and West, Ewan, The to appear there. stro radiates admiration and respect for Oxford UniJOE LOPES Oxford Dictionary of Opera, Taylor's bold resolve, as unheralded in its versity Press, Oxford, New York, 1992, way as his own appearance was earlierthat updated 1994.

Brazil's Fat Lily Can't Sing Act To

evening, This thoroughly entertaining scene from the never-theatrically-released 1988 film Young Toscanini, directed by famed Italian auteur Franco Zeffirelli, superbly dramatizes the very real, and unscheduled, debut ofthe illustrious Italian conductor in a late I9th Century Rio de Janeiro opera house—and is a total and complete fabrication.

Act Two, Scene One: The Mighty Toscanini After the deaths of the Emperor Dom Pedro II and his favorite composer Carlos Gomes, it would seem that more adventurous and imperious souls than these two deserving titans would be needed to firmly place Brazil on the musical map.

What the opera most required at this critical juncture was a permanent home, in addition to a strong and fearless guiding spirit that could drag the culturally backward nation into the modem age.

In the end, these two key elements would emerge from the most implausible ofsources, for imbedded within this elaborate scenario was a single act of courageous defiance committed by one of classical music's most tempestuous personae.

This act, considered by musicologists as a watershed in the history ofthe operatic art, and an event that has long since passed into the realm of musical myth and legend—as evidenced in the opening passage—was the unexpected conducting debut ofprincipal cellist and assistant chorus master Arturo Toscanini, during a combative 1886 performance of Aida by a visiting Italian opera troupe, the Compagnia Lirica Italiana, at the Imperial Theater in Rio de Janeiro (Note: there is no record of the Emperor or his wife having attended the theater that night, or of a midact disruption by one ofthe cast members).

The fiery maestro from Parma was forced to step into the shoes of Brazilian composer-conductor Leopoldo Miguez, after a storm of controversy and a vociferous public outburst forced Miguez to quit the orchestra prior to show time.

The protest was launched due to alleged incompetence on his part, but probably had more to do with the Italian Company's incapacity to take orders from a contracted Brazilian "outsider" than to Miguez's unquestioned musical ability. It all spilled over in the press, and ultimately rubbed offon the shoulders of his hapless replacement, conductor Carlo Superti, who was prevented from taking up his baton just as the opera was about to begin by a steady hail of boos, whistles, catcalls and projectiles.

In desperation, the theater's

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

management approached a recent cons rvatory graduate, the nineteen-year- Id Toscanini, who was in the pit for t e performance, as a last-minute substitute o salvage what he could of the evening, d the rest of the tour.

To his lasting credit, the fledgli g conductor's first podium appearance w an unequivocal triumph; he even succeed in conducting the score entirely fr memory, an unheard of practice at t e time. This led to additional European d South American engagements, includin a stint at the Teatro Colan in Buenos Airs, and was instrumental in solidifyi g Toscanini's international reputati n abroad, thus launching him on one oft'e music world's outstanding conducting c 7 reers.

Recovering from this near fiasc , Miguez went on to earn kudos of his o n as a champion in Brazil of the works if composers Richard Wagner, Franz Lis and Hector Berlioz—quite unprecedent d for a Brazilian of that epoch—and ev n won a First Prize for himself in an 18 0 competition, the result of which was t e scoring of the Hino a Proclamacelo a Reptiblica (Hymn to the Proclamation if the Republic), once known to every litt e schoolchild until it was displaced by t e current national anthem. It no doubt help d his chances that Miguez was an avow d republican sympathizer.

But as far as the Brazilian nation I opera was concerned, neither he nor t e talented Toscanini would prove to be th t true guiding force destined for domest c greatness.

Act Two, Scene Two: Strange Operatic Bedfellows Towards the end of the 19th Centu , opera began to draw the seemingly inco patible attention of the wealthy rubb r barons, who settled the northern parts i f Brazil.

The riches that the world market fir natural rubber commanded at the time f a lavishly ostentatious lifestyle that fir manifested itself in 1878 with the comp! tion ofthe Teatro dallossa Senhora da P

(Our Lady of Peace Theater, now called simply Teatro da Paz) in Belem do Para, and would later reach full flowering with the resplendent Teatro Amazonas in Manaus.

A gilded 700-seat tribute to that bygone age of excess, it was the barons' way of leapfrogging over three centuries of European artistic and cultural development in a mere fifteen years, the exact length of time it took to complete the construction of the opera house.

The structure itself was located near the Amazon Basin, where the Rio Negro and Rio Solimbes converge—the black waters of the one, and the brown waters of the other—aphysical (and symbolic) meeting place for the two mighty rivers. Its pink Carrara marb le exterior, Portuguese stonework, English laminated gold leaf and elegantly embossed interior boast of a Belle Epoque opulence and Rococo refinement that rival even the gaudiest palaces ofthe mad King Ludwig 11ofBavaria.

The house was inaugurated in 1896 with excerpts from Ponchielli's La Gioconda, with many of the era's greatest living artists, including Sarah Bernhardt, Enrico Caruso and Isadora Duncan, traveling hundreds of miles upriver, and through dense jungle forest, to appear there.

The rubber barons' wild obsession with playing cultural catch-up to the rest of civilization was imaginatively reworked in the Werner Herzog film Fitzcarraldo (1982). German director Herzog would later assume a more integral role in reestablishing the Brazilian national opera to a semblance of its fin-de-siècle eminence with his 1994 production of II Guarany in Bonn, Germany, staged two years later at Washington Opera, both starring Placid° Domingo, and conducted by the Brazilianborn John Neschling; and of Wagner's Tannha user in 2001 at the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, originally slated for Sao Paulo but prematurely scrapped due to budget cuts.

In spite of the combination of hubris and pretentiousness or perhaps because of them—the glory days of grand opera in the Amazon lasted barely a decade, and the shortlived glitter of that era quickly faded along with the fortunes of the wouldbe empire builders, but the imposing physical structures they erected still stand, to serve as reminders of their misguided extravagance.

Act Two, Scene Three: Other Temples of Worship This was but a tempo-

57

rary setback, for opera as a viable art form in Brazil managed to survive well into the mid-20th Century. as the focus would shift from the undeveloped Northern interior to the progressive Southeast.

With coffee having supplanted rubber as the cash crop of preference, the nouveau riche baroes do cafe (coffee barons) now longed to fl aunt their own newfound wealth to the world. They agreed to finance and support the building of two of the most well known Brazilian opera houses, both of which took the name of Teatro Municipal, or Municipal Theater.

The theaters 'were built only a few years apart. with the house in Rio de Janeiro seeing completion in 1909, and Sao Paulo's version being anointed in 1911, in the very center of old downtown, and based on the classic Beaux Arts design of the Paris Opera, which was in keeping with the period esthetic ofadmiration for, and emulation of, all things European.

According to the historical brochures of both houses, they were created -above all to attend to the needs of the emerging Italian immigrant community... with the objective of providing a house with characteristics similar to the best the world had to offer."

The growing Italian population, which reached its migratory peak at about this same time, thrived in the southeastern parts of the country. where "king coffee" was most abundant. By dint of hard work and personal sacrifice, the immigrants managed to carve out an indelible cultural niche in Brazilian society. In the process, they permanently enriched the Portuguese language with an indisputably Mediterranean flavor—somewhat accurately portrayed in the late-nineties soap opera Terra Nostra—and gave Brazilians ofthe Sudeste their first real occasion to revel in the unrestrained joys of la bella musica Italiana, which for most people meant the opera.

With world-class theaters in full operation, Brazil could now boast of an espe-

58

cially attractive home base for opera per and it soon became a major stopover point on every important artist's South American leg oftheir world tour.

The Via Sacra of performance venues for any great singer started with the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, and would then move on to Rio de Janeiro, finally concluding in Sao Paulo.

The 1930s were relatively lean years for opera in the region, but the postwar period ofthe mid- to late forties, up through and including the fifties, proved to be an enormous boon time, as Brazil played host to a marvelous assortment of opera performers, conductors, directors and producers, typically of Italian extraction.

Among the principal guest artists who appeared in both houses at one time or other were sopranos Mari a C al I as, Victoria De Los Angeles, Magda Olivero, Antonietta Stella, and Renata Tebaldi; mezzos Fedora Barbieri, Adriana Lazzarini, and Giulietta Simionato; tenors Mario Del Monaco, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Ben iamino Gigli, Gianni Poggi, Tito Schipa, and Fen-uccio Tagliavini; baritones Gino Bechi, Tito Gobbi, Enzo Mascherini, and Giuseppe Taddei; basses Boris Christoff, GiulioNeri,Nicola RossiLemen i, and Italo Tajo; conductors Oliviero De Fabritiis, Franco Ghione, Vittorio Gui, and Tullio Serafin; and the American Verdi specialist, baritone Leonard Warren, billed as the very Latinate-sounding Leonardo Veronese, alongside soprano El isabetta Barbato and native-Brazilian singer Reis da Silva in II Trovat ore.

Unfortunately for opera, Brazil's capital was moved in 1960 from the festival atmosphere of Rio to the barren hinterlands of Brasilia, in the central state of Goias, with federal funds following soon after. Both theaters suffered, artistically and financially, as a result.

The houses underwent extensive renovations throughout the late seventies and into the mid-eighties, but due to perpetual funding problems, constant uncertainty over the economy, and the precarious political situation in the country during the early nineties, the Municipal Theaters were no longer the vibrant centers of artistic, and cultural life they once were. The golden

curtain had been lowered on a full-scale Brazilian revival of the opera.

More recently, however, imported productions from other international opera houses (i.e. Herzog's Tannhauser) and scattershot performances of standard repertory items (Madama Butterfly, La Traviata, Turandot, Die Wallaire) mixed with additional Brazilian fare (Gomes' Fosca and ii Guarany, Guarnieri's Pedro Malazarte) have conspired to keep the hope alive in Brazil for better opera days ahead.

Intermission Sources & Recommended Reading: http:// Toscanini," "Arturo digilander libero.it/classical/interpreti/ toscanini.htm, no date.

Pacheco—Biografia," "Assis www.terravista,pt/Copacabana/54I0/ biogra.htm. no date.

"Brazil Web Art: Teatro," www.brazilwebart.com.br/teatro inicio html no date.

ChingChang,"InReview:RiodeJaneiro," Opera News, New York, October 2001.

Gutmann, Peter, "Toscanini,theRecorded Legacy: The Beginning," Classical Notes, www classicalnotes.net/features/ toscaweb.html no date.

"Leopoldo Miguez," Academia Brasileira de Musica, www abmusica org,br/patr23.htm, no date.

Page, Joseph A., The Brazilians, Add isonWesley Publishing, Reading, Massachusetts, 1995.

Biografia," Fortes: "Paulo www.paulofortes.mus.br/biografial/htm, no date.

Radii, Amy, "Letter From Rio," Opera News, New York, October 2002.

Sachs, Harvey, Toscanini, Prima Publishing, September 1995.

"South America: Opera," http:// 206 67 49 .202 /archives/593 / SamerOpera.593.htm no date.

"Teatro da Paz: 120 Anos," www.uol.com.br/amazonview/view14/ teatro htm no date.

"Theatro Municipal—Historico," www.prodam. sp. gov . br/theatro/historia/ tmhist PRODAM, 1998.

Warrack, John, and West, Ewan, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York, 1992, updated 1994.

Joe Lopes, a naturalized American citizen born in Brazil, was raised and educated in New York, where he worked for many years in the financial sector. In 1996, he moved to Brazil with his Brazilian wife and two daughters. In January 2001, he returned to the U.S. and now resides in North Carolina with his family. He is a lover of all types of music, especially opera and jazz, as well as an incurable fan of classic films. You can email your comments to JosmarLopesii)msn.com

BRAZZIL - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2003

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