Adventures of a Gringa

Brazil: Hot in the U.S.

Brazilian culture is enjoying growing popularity in the United States, with everything from music to video games, from Neymar to cachaça. In some cases, they aren't positive or accurate visions of Brazilian culture, so it's something of a mixed blessing to see Brazil becoming increasingly visible stateside.

Beginning in May, Max Payne 3 brought gritty visions of São Paulo to gamers in the U.S. and all over the world. While it glorifies the violence often featured in other forms of entertainment about Brazil, it also had a surprising attention to detail, ranging from loads of Portuguese with native speakers to real Brazilian designer furniture in a penthouse scene.

 

The same month, Macy's began a huge Brazil campaign nationwide, featuring both Brazilian products and designers as well as Brazil-inspired products from international brands. Apex, Brazil's export promotion agency, partnered with Macy's on the project. The flagship store in New York designed parts of the store to "look like" Brazil, including a Rio-style calcadão. Stores sold everything from cashews and Guaraná to Natura hand creams and fitas do Bomfim. Lots of products and clothes featured bright colors with "tropical" themes, and language around the campaign used words like "sensual" and "exotic." Nevertheless, the campaign put Brazil in the spotlight in one of the biggest retail chains in the country, and for the past few months, Brazil-themed Macy's shopping bags were ubiquitous throughout New York.

 

Indeed, Brazil is especially big in New York this summer. The Brazilian national soccer team played Argentina at the Metlife Stadium in June to a nearly sold-out crowd. In a single week in July, the New York Times featured two separate stories on Brazilian culture: a profile on soccer star Neymar and a feature on cachaça. In July, there was even a Broadway musical about Rio featured at a local festival, as well as a Nelson Rodrigues play for a short run. Everywhere you look, Brazilian keratin and blowout treatments are popping up around the city.

Brazilian music in particular has had a good run this summer. This month, an annual music festival at Lincoln Center dedicated a night to two forró bands, which were also featured in the New York Times. The event brought Brazilians, Brazilophiles, and curious New Yorkers alike to dance to the Northeastern beats. Brasil Summerfest returned for a second year, with a week of Brazilian shows including a big performance by Criolo in Central Park. And Michel Teló is now in the top 10 of the top 25 Latin songs in the U.S., with "Ai se eu te pego" continuing to spread among all audiences.

Criolo at Summerstage 2012

This year's Brasil Summerfest brought Criolo, one of Brazil's biggest new music stars, to New York. Ending a tour in Europe and two U.S. cities, the paulistano singer gave an electrifying performance, upstaging the other performers at Central Park on Saturday. The incredibly versatile performer sang a number of songs from his award-winning record Nó na Orelha, ranging from rap and hip hop to samba, reggae, bolero, soul, and pop. 

Raised in a São Paulo favela, Criolo focuses on issues from his upbringing and life in Brazil's biggest city. Among his best known songs, Não Existe Amor em SP, captures a somewhat dark view of São Paulo:

Não existe amor em SP/
Um labirinto místico
/Onde os grafites gritam
/Não dá pra descrever
/Numa linda frase
/De um postal tão doce/
Cuidado com doce
/São Paulo é um buquê/
Buquês são flores mortas
/Num lindo arranjo/
Arranjo lindo feito pra você

Não existe amor em SP
/Os bares estão cheios de almas tão vazias
/A ganância vibra, a vaidade excita/
Devolva minha vida e morra afogada em seu próprio mar de fel/
Aqui ninguém vai pro céu

Another song, Sucrilhos, focuses on favela identity, racism, and how favela residents are perceived:

Calçada pra favela, avenida pra carro,
céu pra avião, e pro morro descaso.
Cientista social, Casas Bahia e tragédia,
Gostam de favelado mais que Nutella
Quanto mais ópio você vai querer?
Uns preferem morrer ao ver o preto vencer

Though he was born Kleber Gomes, the singer adopted the stage name Criolo, an adapted version of the Portuguese word crioulo. In Brazil, this word can be used to describe a person of African descent, but can also be used as a racist epithet. Criolo told a Brazilian publication that he chose the name to honor his father, who is black. In Sucrilhos, Criolo talks about how he's proud of his heritage and his ethnicity. "This is how I am, and I'm happy...I'm Brazilian!" the song goes.

DJ Dandan performed with Criolo.

In addition to Criolo, mineiro rapper Flávio Renegado performed, as did singer Bebel Gilberto.

There was also a graffiti artist who created a new piece on the sidelines of the concert.

Read more about the show from The Wall Street Journal. See more photos of the show by Eliseu Cavalcante.

Brazil's Obesity Epidemic

While the United States may reign supreme as one of the world's fattest countries, epidemiologists warn that the obesity epidemic is growing in developing countries and represents a new public health threat in countries like Brazil. Given a burgeoning middle class, an expanding food industry, and rising sedentarism, Brazil is experiencing an epidemic that has the potential to worsen in the coming years.

First, given the strength of the economy and a growing population of consumers--particularly the new middle class--fast food restaurants and food conglomerates are moving in or expanding in Brazil. Brazil already has nearly 700 McDonald's restaurants, along with chains like Burger King and KFC. In the past few months, several fast food companies announced they're entering the Brazilian market, including Johnny Rockets, due to open 30 restaurants, and Carl's Jr., due to open 100 restaurants. Coca Cola, which is hugely popular in Brazil, sold R$17.7 billion worth of 10.6 billion liters of soft drinks there in 2010. Coca Cola Brasil grew by 6 percent in the second quarter of 2012. The company plans to invest over R$14 billion in Brazil over the next five years. Pepsi--which also produces snack food--doubled its Brazil business from 2006 to 2010. The company plans to do a major investment push in Brazil's northeast, which has an important portion of Brazil's growing consumer class.

Brazil's obesity problem is something of a taboo topic. Larry Rohter was one of the first to cover the issue in the international media back in 2005, causing an outcry due to the fact that a foreign publication covered a sensitive issue, as well as the fact that the accompanying photo had mistakenly featured two European women. But since then, obesity become an increasingly salient problem. By 2010, a government-run survey showed that obesity had reached epidemic proportions in Brazil, indicating that 48 percent of adult women and 50 percent of adult men were overweight. An April 2012 study revealed that 15 percent of Brazilian adults are obese, while 52.6 percent of men and 44.7 percent of women are overweight. The University of the State of Rio de Janeiro released a report yesterday showing that obesity-related diseases cost the Brazilian government R$3.57 billion ($1.77 billion) per year.

One of the sources of the epidemic is the growth of the new middle class and the economic boom of recent years. With an all-time low unemployment rate and rising salaries, there's less time for exercise and more demand for fast food. Like in the United States, healthier foods tend to be more expensive. Access to places for exercise can be problematic; safe public spaces may not be accessible to poorer communities, while those who can afford to often join gyms. Government programs have done little to address obesity, and some believe that government anti-hunger programs may have actually helped feed the epidemic, as recipients of state funding have bought cheaper, unhealthier foods.

Another problem is the high level of sedentarism in Brazil. Only 15 percent of Brazilian adults are active in their free time. The Economist revealed a study this week that showed that Brazilians are among the most sedentary in the world--even more than Americans. Over 40 percent of Brazilian men and over 50 percent of Brazilian women get insufficient exercise, the study says. With record sales of cars, TVs, and computers, it's getting easier to avoid exercise. It's cruel irony, but the successes of Brazil's new middle class--including greater access to jobs, technology, and rising purchasing power--could also be the source of Brazilians' declining health.

Locked Up: Brazil's Prison Policies

While the international media had a heyday with strange news tidbits from Brazil's prisons, few have explored the complexities of the country's incarceration system. There are a number of policies and programs in place to try to protect prisoners' rights and reduce the inmate population, though a new penal code could have important implications for the overburdened prison system.

Estimated at around 500,000, Brazil's prisoner population is the fourth-largest in the world. The inmate population tripled in the last 15 years. Many prisons are overcrowded, with an estimated deficit of 200,000 spots for prisoners. At present, the country's prison population is 66 percent larger than the actual system has room for. Terrible conditions and human rights abuses are frequently cited as consequences of overcrowding. (Corruption of prison guards is also a problem, allowing drug traffickers to continue operating with impunity, sometimes from thousands of kilometers away.) So in order to contain the prisoner population, many new policies are focused on reducing the number of prisoners and shortening sentences. But it's important to note that while some of prisoner programs and policies might be considered innovative by some, in Brazil--where crime affects the daily life of much of the population--much of public opinion tends to be against prisoners' rights.

The big news over the past two weeks comes out of a prison in a small town in Minas Gerais, where jailmates ride stationary bikes to create electricity and earn reduced sentences. The idea is for the inmates--who range from petty thieves to murderers--to be productive, make the town safer by providing electricity for public lighting, and theoretically, to reduce recidivism and the overcrowded prison population.

Another story that came out recently is about a program that offers reduced sentences to inmates who read books, and prove they've read them by writing reports. Called Redemption through Reading, the program will be launched at four high-security prisons with some of the country's most hardened criminals. Federal prisons are also offering education programs to reduce sentences by going back to school.

There are already policies in place that seek to protect prisoners' rights and try to reduce recidivism. Perhaps one of the most controversial policies is that of the "prisoner's grant." Called the auxílio-reclusão, dependents of prisoners serving time receive up to R$915 (US$449) per family per month. In order to qualify for the benefit, the prisoner must be a contributor to the social security system, and cannot be working or earn a salary from a former job. He cannot receive money from a pension or sick leave, either. Also, the inmate must have earned equal or less than R$915 at his most recent job. In other words, the program targets low-income families of prisoners.

It's an incredibly controversial program, since those opposed not only disagree with the state supporting criminals' families, but also the fact that the monthly amount is more than the minimum wage, which stands at R$622 (US$305) nationally. Because of the growing prison population, the government's expenditures on this program increased by 60 percent from 2006 to 2009. Those opposed to the program also argue it rewards and even incentivizes crime. Last year, a congressman introduced a bill to prohibit the auxílio-reclusão to families of criminals convicted of rape, murder, and drug trafficking.

Next, there's the right to intimate visits, which are guaranteed to all prisoners, regardless of crime or sentence, by law. (There's an interesting National Geographic special on this topic, which you can watch here and here.) The law also accounts for gay couples. The idea is that these visits help prisoners' mental health and can potentially reduce recidivism. There are also work programs, which enable prisoners to reduce sentences through employment. There are even entrepreneurship programs that encourage prisoners to start their own businesses while still in prison.

But over the coming months, a new penal code could have an impact on Brazil's prison system. Currently under development in the Senate, the code is one of the most important pieces of legislation that will be under consideration during Dilma's presidency. Along with altering punishment and sentences for an array of crimes, the new code could increase the maximum sentence. Currently, the maximum sentence a prisoner can service is 30 years, regardless of the crime committed. Under the new code, this could increase to 40 years. Another big change is the proposal to reduce the age of criminal responsibility. Currently, it's 18 years of age in Brazil, but the new code could reduce the age to 13. A separate bill is under consideration in the Senate to reduce the age to 16, and could be voted on this year. While legislators hope the new penal code could discourage crime, it will undoubtedly have an impact on the size of the prisoner population, making prison policy even more critical over the next few years.

Photo: Karen Ferreira

Brazil's Middle Class Debt

Consumer debt continues to grow in Brazil, a result of ample credit and continued consumption despite a slowing economy. What exactly is going on, and how does this augur for the new middle class?

According to Serasa Experian, many of those accessing new credit are from the emerging middle class. In 2011, around 9 million Brazilians received credit for the first time. Many are under the age of 35, part of the so-called Generation Y looking to buy a car or smartphone. Credit growth was especially strong in retail stores outside of major cities, with rising credit in the North and Northeast. But some are finding they've bitten off more than they can chew. The new middle class has a high debt burden, a June study by FGV found. Nearly a quarter of those who earned up to R$2,100 and nearly a quarter of those who earned between R$2,100 and R$4,800 a month said they spend at least half of their salary to pay off debt.

Debt among the middle class is on the rise, recent numbers indicate. In May, debt defaults from businesses and consumers hit record levels. Overall consumer defaults hit a 30-month high. Credit card defaults rose to nearly 30 percent, amounting to an estimated $10.8 billion in unpaid charges. Car defaults hit 6.1 percent. Business debt defaults rose 17.5 percent from January to May over the same period last year. Though interest rates are at record lows, they're still significant--at 32.9 percent in May. Some credit cards even charge interest rates of up to 200 percent a year. It's not clear if consumption trends will continue. Some economists say in spite of slower growth, consumption will remain strong. Other economists point to slowing car sales as evidence of slowing consumption. Credit debt should slow, others say.

A credit bubble may not be an immediate concern. But credit debt has important implications for the new middle class, as some observers point out debt could be an issue in the long-term future for this group. It makes sense: debt could be the defining factor of whether families can maintain an improved standard of living, continue an upward trajectory, or slide backwards. Consumer debt, ultimately, could define what the new middle class will look like in a decade, and maybe even define the country's economic future in years to come.