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Reinforcing Stereotypes of Brazilians
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By Stephen Thompson
May 30, 2010
An interesting article appeared in last week's China Daily, mouthpiece of China's Communist party. In it, Alessandro Teixeira, Commissioner General of the Brazilian Pavillion at the Shanghai Expo, talks about his plans for two festivals of soccer, drumming and carnival which he says "summarises our culture in the best way". Brazil, he says, is aiming to "reinforce stereotypes" about its people and passions rather than engaging complex rebranding. I will not waste time criticising this kind of attitude, I would rather quote a comment on the China Daily website. Posted by "A Brazilian" it says:
"My country has so many other things to show and share. Brazilian people are a very hard working people, competent, efficient and our best quality, Brazilian people are full of ingenuity. Why my government can only show samba, carnival and football?! Mr. Teixeira, as a Brazilian citizen who pays my taxes (heavy ones, by the way), I have all right to say "Shut the f*** up and stop embarrassing me and the Brazilian people in this newspaper or in any other communication channel. For sure you did enough already to our country! Thank you and get out!"
There is nothing wrong with celebrating great football, music and dancing, as long as it doesn't give the impression that that's all there is to Brazil. As a fan of Brazilian music, I would love to be a spectator in Shanghai on June 3, where Brazil will start a week celebrating its music and syncopated drumming. However, I have a prior engagement, because June 3rd is an important anniversary in China. It was the day in 1989 that the Chinese army finally broke through the barricades to begin the massacre of over 2000 unarmed civilians according to the Chinese Red Cross. By the morning of June 4th, the Army had reached and cleared Tiananmen Square, which is why the killings, although they happened throughout the city, are referred to as the Tiananmen massacre in the West and June 4th in China.
Although there is no excuse for firing at civilians with live ammunition or crushing them beneath tanks, the government could make amends by recognizing its mistake and compensating victims. Instead it commemorates the event with repression, and 20 years later is still handing down stiff prison sentences for discussing the subject in public.
So June 3rd is perhaps an inappropriate day on which to begin a festival of Brazilian music and samba drumming. Not only does it tend to reinforce stereotypes of Brazilian culture, it also reinforces stereotypes of the Brazilian government; which seems to care so little about human rights, and the feelings of people who live in fear of an authoritarian government that it launches a festival on the eve of an anniversary when many will be trying to mourn the loss of their children, spouses, friends and colleagues in pro-democracy demonstrations on June 3/4th 1989.
You can contract Stephen via stephenthompson@hotmail.com.
To read previous articles by Stephen click the links below:
The Lula Football Curse and the Lula Olympic Nightmare
Are China and Brazil Ganging up on Google?
China-Brazil Relations: Amnesia or Ingratitude?
Running After My Boss
Brazil: Run for your life!
If God is a Brazilian...
Amazon Exhibition in Tokyo
Other Places to Speak Portuguese (Apart From Brazil): Macau
Brazilian Music in Translation
China is Quite Popular in Brazil These Days
Brazil: Physical Fitness and Personal Training in São Paulo Part 2
Brazil: Physical Fitness and Personal Training in São Paulo Part 1
Brazil: What‘s in a Name?
Brazil: Go East, Young Man
Brazil: This Is The Life I‘ve Always Wanted
Brazil: Stolen Computer
My First Business Failure in Brazil Part 2
My First Business Failure in Brazil Part 1
Getting your Brazilian Steak Fix in China
Brazil: Birth and Dying
Imaginary Voyages to Brazil
Brazil: Probably the Best Country in the World to Live In
Great Brazilian Inventions: The Kilo Restaurant
Brazil: Things you wanted to know... and will never know!
Brazil: Expensive, Trendy, and Extremely Beautiful
Brazil: Not Really British Enough
Package Holidays to Brazil are Back On Track
Brazil: Reverse Culture Shock
Brazil: The Legal System
Brazil: Saying Goodbye to a Bilingual Kid
How to get Brazilian Citizenship
Getting Work in Brazil
Acquiring and Running a Small Business in Brazil
Brazil: To Free Or Not To Free
Brazil: Trail Biking in Chapada Diamantinha
Brazil: So Near, but So Far Apart
How to Get Into University in Brazil
The Pleasure of Driving a Car in Brazil
Brazil: The Bairro of Flamengo in Río de Janeiro
Brazil: The Information Technology Law
Managing a Brazilian bank account
Brazil's Middle Class Ruled By Political Apathy
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5/30/2010
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