Brazil in Germany

Brazil, a continent of cultural diversity

Music and football - these are the two models for Brazilian culture. Music and football are also the two cultural forms in which the identity and integrative force of Brazilian culture are most spectacularly visible. In actual fact, however, Brazilian society displays a great diversity of cultural forms in which indigenous, African, European, East Asian and North American influences not only mix, but also exist alongside one another. Brazil is a continent of cultural diversity: during the past few years, there has been a great upsurge in experimental contemporary art in the urban centres, while traditional ritual forms continue to exist quite naturally as elements of a modern society.

Copa da Cultura, the Brazil year that is being held in Germany to accompany the FIFA World Cup, presents that country’s unique cultural situation. Brazil confronts us with a concept of culture that effortlessly links mastery in music with virtuosity in football. A constant feature here is a culturo-anthropological conception of art and culture that has always managed to preserve a utopian core. Art and culture are not only aesthetic positions, they also help to create and preserve the country’s cultural and societal identity. Furthermore, social commitment is always visible, whether at carnivals or football matches, in the music scene or the sciences, in literature or the fine arts. It creates an open understanding of culture. And in the same way that Brazilian footballers turn their sport into an art form, the stars of the music scene transform heterogeneous influences into new styles.

The programmes of Copa da Cultura in Germany will present in an exemplary way a broad spectrum of contemporary Brazilian culture. They will be developed jointly by the Ministry of Culture at the initiative of the Minister, Gilberto Gil and its German partners, above all, the House of World Cultures and the Goethe Institute. A programme focal point is planned to coincide with the FIFA World Cup in the summer of 2006. The House of World Cultures will be presenting a special programme on Brazil that combines music, dance, fine art, film and literature. It opens on 25 May 06 with our IN TRANSIT festival. 20 Brazilian dance and performance productions will be presented between 25 May and 4 June. On 10 June, the exhibitions open, accompanied by a music series, a film festival and a lecture programme.

Parallel to these events, the HAU is presenting contemporary Brazilian theatre productions. Brazil will also be a focal point in Design May and at Popkomm in autumn 2006. From 13 January to 26 February, the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein showed an exhibition of contemporary Brazilian fine art photography. In September Brazilian authors will read at the internationalen literaturfestival berlin.

Throughout the year, the Brazilian Embassy in Berlin will be presenting other important fields of Brazilian culture in the form of classical music (chamber concerts), film screenings, and readings by the authors. There will be a second Copa da Cultura in Munich, where Brazil will be celebrated in a major festival lasting several weeks. The Goethe Forum plans to show a series of Brazilian films. Co-operation is planned with other partners in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.