Since Claire Rigby grippingly described the nightmare scenes on the street in São Paulo a week ago, things have changed. Last night’s demo had a festive atmosphere, a multiplicity of often confusing demands – and a small group attacking the left-wing parties that had formed the core of the smaller protests last week. By Claire Rigby(…)
Videos 2 and 3 – Protests explode, São Paulo
After the excellent video Dom Phillips and Otavio Cury sent in to From Brazil on Monday’sprotest, we have two more. All with English subtitles. Above, an extended interview with a lower middle class protester, and below, as the New York Times Lede Blog called it, a wordless glimpse of the energy on São Paulo’s(…)
Video – Protests explode, São Paulo
Dom Phillips and Otavio Cury were at the protests here in São Paulo last night (June 17), taking in the scenes and exploring the diverse reasons people took to the streets. In Portuguese, with subtitles in English.
São Paulo protests – what do they mean?
Brazil-watchers have all seen that protests exploded into violence last night, and that the police handled the situation horribly and perhaps even maliciously, over-reacting, letting the situation get out of control, and committing shocking acts of violence. None of that is actually in dispute anymore. Claire Rigby described the tension and fear last night excellently(…)
Fear and loathing in São Paulo
Claire Rigby describes the nightmare scenes she lived through in last night’s protest, as well as a society grappling with the idea of protest itself. Above, Folha’s own Giuliana Vallone, shot in the face with a rubber bullet. By Claire Rigby I took my press card to the demonstration in São Paulo last night, seeing a(…)
Luís Barroso, new man on Brazil’s supreme court
Dom Phillips spoke to Barroso in March and found him an impressively clever and composed man. He is a critic of Congress, which is in a power struggle with the Court, relatively liberal on social issues, and pro-market. By Dom Phillips New Supreme Court judge Luís Barroso, 55, landed in a hot seat when he was(…)
Brazil vs. England, at Maracanã
Though both the stadium and Brazil’s national side are still ‘under construction,’ Sunday’s match was a largely successful and inspiring example of what the World Cup here can be. Above, a dedicated England fan…who is Brazilian. By Dom Phillips Be careful around the Maracanã, because that part of town can be a bit sketchy, one carioca,(…)
FLIP literature festival – preview
If you care about literature and/or Brazil , pay attention to FLIP this July – Dom Phillips The Paraty International Literary Party (Festa Literária Internacional de Paraty), or FLIP, as Brazil’s biggest literary festival is known, announced its 2013 lineup in Rio last Thursday. Palestinian poet Tamim Al-Barghouti and French novelist Michel Houellebecq are among the(…)
Neymar – Should he stay or should he go?
By Dom Phillips – As Brazilian soccer star Neymar himself says, it has been four years that people are relentlessly asking him if and when he is moving to a club in Europe. And he keeps saying, “I’ll let you know when it happens.” And the rumours keep coming. And he keeps denying them. Well(…)
Saga part two – Waiting for Vivo
Vivo gave me extra-special treatment, and a discount, which wasn’t exactly the point, and I’m still waiting on a promised interview about their customer relations practices. Submissions for questions welcome. Two weeks ago I wrote about the sorry state of customer service in Brazil, using a 7,000 reais mistake Vivo, my cell phone provider, had(…)
