Against a recent chorus of criticism for public services here, one of Brazil’s rare working-class journalists says that the SUS healthcare system is far better than nothing. It saves lives, and despite persistent serious problems, we can’t deny the progress Brazil has made in recent years. Mauricio Savarese São Paulo I was about 24 when(…)
Songs that are better than the FIFA World Cup theme
The 2014 Brazil World Cup now has an official theme song, and it sucks. At least, that’s what lots of Brazilians have been saying since the video dropped Friday. I thought “generic foreign rhythms and lazy stereotypes” captured the sentiment fairly well. So, here are two songs (from Brazil) that might serve better as the(…)
Brazil’s decriminalization movement on the march
As Uruguay and some US states legalize marijuana, Brazil’s police have softened their stance on São Paulo’s Marijuana March. But in a country with a huge prison population and neighborhoods dominated by violent drug traffickers, activists are pushing for more. Claire Rigby São Paulo 4:20pm on a Saturday in late April, and a rattle of(…)
No room for Brazil’s best cinema
With local entertainment dominated by Globo, cinema that is independent of the monolithic network struggles for space . Two types of movies get made in Brazil – vapid comedies made by the all-powerful novela factory, and small productions, relying on sponsors and donations, that few Brazilians will see. James Young Belo Horizonte The fear of(…)
Brazil Nut farmers in the Amazon jungle – photos
Photographer Gavin Andrews follows traditional castanheiros through the jungle in Brazil, as they map the trees thought to have given the country its name. By Gavin Andrews It was barely noon on my first day accompanying the mapping team on the mountains of the Cajari River Extractive Reserve in the Brazilian Amazon state of Amapá, but I(…)
Brazil and US visas – a reciprocal headache
As many annoyed travelers are currently finding out, visas are required even for tourist travel between the two countries. It’s the consequence of ‘reciprocity,’ which increasingly feels like officials in Washington and Brasília needlessly banging their heads against one other. But in the wake of the Snowden revelations, things are not likely to improve. Anna(…)
As World Cup looms, local football in disarray
With the World Cup on the horizon and the Serie A season kicking off this weekend, fans of Brazilian clubs should be licking their lips at the footballing delights to come. But with attendance absurdly low and the national scene mired in conflict, the reality is quite different. By James Young Legal disputes threaten to(…)
What does the Brazilian military do now?
The military dictatorship ended in the 1980s, and Brazil’s military forces have struggled to establish a role for themselves ever since. Sidelined from politics and unlikely to be deployed abroad due to Brazil’s “rainbow diplomacy,” they have been pushed reluctantly into acting as back-up police forces. By Mauricio Savarese Fifty years after the coup that(…)
Rio’s police ‘pacification’ program on the defensive
Drug crime has returned to some of the favelas taken over by Rio’s police in recent years, putting the ‘pacification’ program under further scrutiny. Escalating violence and accusations of human rights abuses indicate police forces may be losing control. One resident group questions the wisdom of trying to resolve the problem with more military force.(…)
Rio and graffiti artists – friends or foes?
After years of an uneasy relationship between Rio’s government and technically illegal street art, a new decree passed by Mayor Eduardo Paes has divided the city’s much-celebrated community of graffiti artists. Above, artist PXE approaches a wall in Arpoador. By Nathan Walters On a purely aesthetic level, pixação—the spiky black glyphs that pop up at dangerously(…)
