From the mid 1990’s, Brazil witnessed an extraordinary upsurge in cultural activities and cinema was the first area to benefit. Public acclaim for films such as “Carlota Joaquina”, “O Quatrilho”, “O Que é isso Companheiro?” and “Central do Brasil” showed that Brazilian cinema could quickly regain the important position it had occupied within the cultural scene early in the 1960s with “Terra em Transe” and other films. It is a sign that the Brazilian cinema industry has a future.
But cinema is not unique. In the area of Brazil’s artistic and cultural heritage there are also many and varied initiatives being undertaken in different spheres of public responsibility, showing that in societies such as Brazil, which have achieved a reasonable degree of control of inflation and economic stability, the social energy formerly used by the community in its struggle for survival can also be channelled into the preservation of cultural identity.
The restoration of the Pelourinho (Pillory) in the historical centre of Salvador (State of Bahia), the improvement and refurbishment of the State Picture Gallery and the Ipiranga Museum (São Paulo), the renovation of the historic centre of Rio de Janeiro and the colonial centre of cities such as São Luiz (State of Maranhão), Ouro Preto and Diamantina (State of Minas Gerais), and Recife and Olinda (State of Pernambuco), and the nation-wide celebrations of 300 Years of Zumbi and the Decade of the Native Peoples, show that despite necessary advances in economic and social areas, on the eve of celebrating 500 years of the Discovery of Brazil, Brazilians are rediscovering the importance of their own historical and cultural past. They are all signs of an enormous cultural revival.
The renewal of Brazilian culture can also be seen in music, literature and more important still, in an extraordinary media phenomenon that reflects Brazilian interest in the nation’s cultural production. Certainly, the reassessment of activities by museums and the fine arts – with exhibitions of painting and sculpture by artists such as Rodin, Miró, Monet and Maillol, not forgetting the biennial arts exhibition in São Paulo – are reflections of that interest. Since 1994, events like this have attracted the attention of more than two million people, leaving behind the traditional perception that credited only the more erudite sections of the public with interest in the plastic forms of language. In fact, these examples of extraordinary beauty and value have become mass displays of culture, especially on the part of younger members of the public, showing that there is a capacity for similar new initiatives.
Obviously, there are other interesting and innovative displays taking place within Brazilian culture but what has been described here is enough to put up for discussion another important and innovative aspect. It concerns the issue of financing culture. Since the middle of 1995 the Federal Government has been implementing in the cultural area an active policy of partnership between the Brazilian State, the cultural producers and private initiative. This policy supports artistic and cultural activities by means of fiscal incentive legislation enabling private investors to deduct, in the case of cinema, 100% of their investment and, in the case of other cultural areas, between 66% and 76%, depending on the nature of the companies. This concession can increase to 100% in relation to the scenic arts, learned and instrumental music, art books, museum collections, touring exhibitions of fine arts and public library stocks. It is a generous and fitting policy since, as a result of the acknowledged fiscal deficit of the Brazilian State and the enormous lack of resources for priority areas, private companies are being invited to become associated with the Federal Government and cultural producers in order to safeguard cultural development.
In fact, following major reforms introduced in 1995 and 1996 in legislation covering fiscal incentives to culture – and, at federal level, only where the incentive takes the form of deductions from the income tax of private sponsors – the Government has attracted investments that have exceeded 180 million reals during their first two years in office. The current policy for the financing of culture is far from being restricted solely to promoting private investment in the area. The Federal Government acknowledges that it also has a fundamental role to play in financing culture without any return, particularly in relation to activities that, because of their very nature, are not attractive to the market. Because of this, for the first time in many decades, the budget of the Ministry of Culture increased by more than 100% year by year, climbing from R$ 104 million in 1995 to R$ 212 million in 1996.
In addition, by means of budgetary supplements and an unheard of agreement with the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank), by the end of a four year period in 1998, the Federal Government will have invested almost 300 million dollars in the restoration of historical sites and the refurbishment of urban areas in several Brazilian states where there is strong interaction between culture and parts of the urban fabric that have either decayed or are decaying. In addition, by means of direct investment, the Ministry of Culture has given support to the restoration of public records, encouraged productions in the area of the theatrical arts, stimulated the renovation and consolidation of symphony orchestras as well as supported modifications to museums, theatres and cultural venues of various kinds. These are all indications that the State and society have an increasing understanding of the importance of culture for the quality of the life of the people.
Is this financing policy appropriate for present day Brazilian culture? There are several reasons that we could bring forward in order to justify it. Brazil is a country that is endowed with an extremely rich and varied culture which has its origins in the particular way in which Brazilian society was formed; since its birth in the 16th century, it has been the recipient of a generous contribution from widely differing peoples such as aboriginal Indians, Portuguese discoverers and African slaves followed by French, Spanish, Dutch, Italians, Japanese, Arabs and many others who came as invaders or adventurers, leaving their cultural mark on Brazil and bringing new values to those brought by land-clearing pioneers.
All this has contributed to making Brazilian culture a curious kaleidoscope in which races are mixed together and many different ways of life mingle to create an enormous variety of influences. What is most interesting, however, is that, contrary to the situation in some societies, this diversity does not lead to conflict or exclusion of any kind in relation to differences or to those expressing different cultural identities. On the contrary, one of the most extraordinary features of Brazilian culture is its welcoming and integrating character. It is an indication that in Brazil, the different origins of the Brazilian people serve to integrate them rather than to exclude or divide them.
For the same reason, it is essential that there is a vigorous cultural financing policy in Brazil that will drive its development whilst, at the same time, one that is able to guarantee the full realization of the richness and diversity of its origins. In fact, the financing of culture in multicultural nations like Brazil requires various sources of financing: the State, cultural producers and private companies. This will ensure both the preservation of public and civil interest by means of State action, and also society’s involvement in the artistic creative process, by means of its projects and investments.
The policy of partnership is the basis of present day cultural policy that has its roots in the very essence of Brazilian culture, that is, its richness and diversity.