After Bolsonaro’s “brutal attack”: Brazil’s cultural scene breathes a sigh of relief under Lula This Iranian loves Switzerland, but she is disappointed in the government

After the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the presidential elections in Brazil, the cultural scene hopes for a new impetus and an improvement in the budget.

“The mood is already improving,” says Rio de Janeiro artist Ernesto Neto of the German news agency. Neto, 58, is known for elaborate sculptures made of cloth, such as the one in Zurich’s main train station (“Gaia Mother Tree”) and his work with indigenous people of the Huni Kui people of the Brazilian Amazon. “Lula is part of the fight for education and culture, the indigenous and Afro-Brazilians,” says Neto. The left-wing politician Lula will take office on January 1, 2023.

The outvoted right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, in office since the beginning of 2019, mainly sees culture as a necessary evil or uses it to spread his values. The Ministry of Culture was downgraded to a secretariat and then Culture Minister Roberto Alvim was fired in 2020 for giving a speech in the style of Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. Funding for culture has been cut or blocked.

“These four years have been a relentless assault on culture by a government that advocates deadly police operations and gun control,” Neto said. “It only leads to hatred, death, sorrow, suffering – and is the opposite of art.”

In his victory speech, Lula pledged to reinstate the Ministry of Culture and resume funding for culture. Among others, the singer Daniela Mercury and a former head of the state film agency are traded as candidates for the ministerial post. During Lula’s tenure from early 2003 to late 2010, legendary singer Gilberto Gil served as Minister of Culture for several years.

“One of our commitments for the next four years is to invest more in culture and keep funding programs running,” said Márcio Tavares, who was responsible for culture in Lula’s campaign team. “But that’s also a matter of budget.” The issue is also sensitive given Lula’s suggestion that the budget cap may not be met.

All the more important, according to Tavares, are laws such as the controversial “Lei Rouanet”, which allows tax benefits in exchange for cultural subsidies. According to critics, this also gave support to well-known artists who had no need for it at all. “At the beginning of the government, we need to quickly review and resume programs to boost cultural production.”

Odilon Wagner expects the same. “We have several urgent needs,” said the vice president of the Association of Independent Theater Producers. “During the pandemic, many people looked for other work. Now is the time to invest in training and job creation.” (aeg/sda/dpa)