Who decided Brazil was cool?

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As a bit of a continuation of the Rio Gringo post I did, I found an article from the BBC from 2004 called “Who decided Brazil was cool?” in which the author attempts to describe why there is (was) a run on all things Brazilian (at least in the UK). At one point, the author writes…

“Not only is the world looking to Brazil for inspiration, Brazil itself is growing in confidence to break free of its stereotype of football, carnivals and samba.”

…yet the entire article revolves around these very things, stereotypes, complete with photos of Carnival dancers, the Christ statue, a screen shot from City of God, etc. I would think that in writing such a statement, one would wish to show instead of just tell. In the comment field, Ana from Brazil who lives in the UK, says…

“I am really happy to see that Brazil is getting a reputation as a country that has more to offer than samba, football and coffee.”

Even though the article she presumably just read, relates to those exact things. I think what the author of the article meant when she chose a title is, “Brazil is very cool…especially when just skimming the surface.” 

Here is the BBC article.

I suggest that the author take a look through my site and realize that if one wants to decide if Brazil is cool or not, its simply a matter of taking a deeper look.

3 thoughts on “Who decided Brazil was cool?”

  2. I can imagine! Its a cycle though, and the tourists aren’t going to naturally break it, its mostly the Brazilians that must show a different side to their country by deciding not to cater to the same ol’ audience. The tourists are going to Brazil for the reasons they’ve seen advertised…although foreign journalists/travel agencies/etc must also decide that there is more to offer.

    ‘Discovery Atlas: Brazil Discovered’ did a pretty good job of showing the rest of Brazil but other than that, there’s not much of a choice out there. Since people love the cinema, it would be in Brazil’s interest to throw some subtitles on their national films, not just glorify the violent ones. Film-wise, to the average American, Brazil is City of God, Carandiru, Bus 174 the documentary, and (presumably) the soon to be released Elite Squad…not to mention its likely Bus 174 the full length film by Bruno Barreto will be added to the list.

  3. You are right, the problem is that there are many Brazilians that seem not to understand the damage this type of message makes…

    Discovery Atlas was very good, compared to everything else I have seen made about Brazil.

    As for the movies, I think that is what sells, so that is what gets made. Which is fine, as they are good entertainment (or informative, like BUS 174). But it would be nice to see some balance there.

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