As a first-generation Brazilian living in Europe for years, I recently read John Fitzpatrick's article about the under
explored potential of Brazilian tourism ("Brazil: A Far Cry from Paradise" -
http://www.brazzil.com/2003/html/news/articles/nov03/p130nov03.htm
) and what should be done to get on par with many successful emerging touristic nations.
It expresses a well-intentioned view from First World and I would say quite typical Anglo-Saxon perspective. These
consist generally of common-sense recommendations and make efforts to inform how easy it would be for Brazilians to get
richer or live better if they just knew what to do to jump aboard the main stream.
But it seems to me that they stop short of reaching the second intellectual stage of any foreigner really interested by
Brazil. They just start understanding that for all its resources, open-mindedness and goodwill, there's one issue (that I'll label
"cultural") that at the same time maintains this country unique and...under-developed. And this includes, among others, yes, mental
laziness, at least in the general population.
I've traveled for my jobs in recent years around the world, in places that are generally referred to (S'pore, HK, SA,
SF) and know also how countries like Australia market themselves. Many times I've been wondering the same questions and
finding the same answers. With the difference I guess that I knew from deep inside why things were different.
In Cape Town I wondered why Rio, despite the same social issues, couldn't be kept as a garden like there. I also
imagined what would have been if the British on top of building railways had also decided that Rio was their beachhead for South
America as Cape Town was for Southern Africa.
In Singapore I fancied what if Manaus, being virtually an island in the middle of the jungle, had been given the same
intelligent logistic positioning as an air hub for South America as Singapore as a sea hub for South-East Asia and if this idea had
been implemented with the same methodical organization.
I don't intend to give lessons on Brazilianity, especially as I assume from these writings that they basically
understand it quite well, even if or when they have an "outside" perspective. But I've sensed some issues from it:
1) Though they don't claim to be comprehensive, they still believe that things can be changed that way, and
paradoxically exactly those that are actually mostly deeply embedded in the national psyche. Not that Brazil can't change at all. But
one has to stress the gap between these view of changes and basic Brazilian
jeito.
Brazil has probably arrived to a point it can only now change by internal evolution like Britain, as the specter of a
dramatic revolution in the French, Russian or Chinese model seems now far away. Brazilian social divide is probably not much
worse than Britain's XIX century. But telling Brazilians how it works in Europe and in the "globe" won't help much.
We have been following Europe and recently America for long, so basically we know what it takes, and generally
Brazilians end up realizing that there's no intrinsic superiority in northerner approach. Brazil is relatively unique for its
climate, history, ethnicity etc... so models need to be adapted. And yes climate and geography plays a lot, even on the mindset.
No Tourists. No Problem.
2) They forget that many Brazilians are perfectly OK with the fact that we haven't tourists. Like the Aussies, we
want to be forgotten. We are a continent wishing to be an island . We want our beaches and jungles for us, not for Germans
playing techno in huge brauereis like in Tenerife or futurely Fernando de Noronha.
Not for French patronizing the locals in their villas of Agadir or futurely Olinda. Not even for British backpackers
believing that Amazônia is theirs and that Brazilians should all get lost. And certainly not two-week tourists that don't want to
learn the language. Brazilians want foreigners to love the people actually more than the country. It's cultural. It won't change
before very long.
3) They mention issues like "image abroad". Most Brazilians don't (and can't) know exactly how their image is and
some who know couldn't care less, as they see it as an uphill fight. Embratur is not alone in that. Even more important, if
Brazilians knew their image, they would probably reject vehemently.
As a Brazilian living in France, I am surprised how often French try to put me in a box, as if we were some kind of
Latin Australia at best, or just another poor, undefined , Iberic South American country at worst, in any case with no valid
culture at all. And how systematically people will deform and even lie (when they have already been there) just to render the
country "exotic", like an object for obsessive projection.
4) These proposals also are generally too much British-oriented, as if this would be the global norm. This is fair as
most successful touristic places belong to the British world like Australia and South Africa, so one can imagine that
Americans just follow British taste. But we don't belong to the British ex-colonial chain.
We can't market Brazil as a new mixture of South Africa and Australia (besides we barely play rugby). Comparisons
with how Scotland goes for it in the American market may be inspiring but pointless as we don't have any sentimental hook
in US mentality. Neither by the way in Spain or Italy markets (it's rather the other way around).
Brazilians indeed don't know how it costs them not to speak English (and not playing rugby. And probably never
will. But then Japanese also don't. You can say that's about not losing your soul. Or refusing global conformity (which
these suggestions just seem trying to enforce). Or Brazilian weltanschauung. Or
caipirismo. Or whatever.
Then I'm told that if Brazil wants to progress, it cannot have it both ways. This assertion is something totally
"un-Brazilian". Brazil mentality is exactly about having it both ways. This is the very source from which the
jeitinho stems. Having two apparently Cartesianly-incompatible ways getting along. Becoming streamlined and industrialized , but maintaining
our cordiality or kindness. You can compare this to Japanese approach, challenging the West but maintaining their
politeness and traditions.
Time to Share
It's not sure that we will repeat the boom of the 70's though the macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions are
again there. Anyway, these proposals to get money from tourism is about making the cake grow, not about sharing. But this is
not much different from the military times when everything was about growing. The problem was (is): when do you decide
that it's sharing time?
Apparently Brazilians have recently said clearly this was the time. And I don't think tourism is exactly a
sustainable development model, except maybe for some fishermen in Fortaleza. It may have helped a lot a few countries like Spain
to take off, but I don't think you can reproduce it in Brazil because of the scale. Besides it has destroyed the Spanish coast.
Brazil certainly wants tourists, but by ignorance don't know how to satisfy them. Please note that Brazilians still
don't really or barely understand why we never staged an Olympic or even a Pan-American game since ages or why despite
our record in football we only staged one World Cup, 50 years ago and just after the war. Or an important ATP tournament.
Or why our F1 Grand Prix has been constantly and is more than ever jeopardized.
The comparison with South Africa is striking. There you can have high standard tourism, with great guides and tours
knowing perfectly the European point of view, but as a Brazilian I've permanently wondered where were the 40 M blacks, though
I've even traveled one week through Zululand from Durban to Kruger Park.
Not sure the other tourists on my van from US, New Zealand and even Spain had the same reaction. Then I'm
eventually precised that this has to be done not by muddling through but rather by planned process and system. This brings me
one provocative thought: somehow Brazilians actually hate organization.
Lead Us Not Into Orgazination
Organization for Brazilians is almost evil itself: organization allowed British and European colonialism; military
organization not only triggered but also prevented stopping the "30-year War"; organization allowed the magnitude of the
Shoah and other genocides; organization allows multinationals to plunder countries; organization created the apartheid ;
organization makes the US close the border with Mexico. So basically Brazilians think that by
bagunça or maybe even sheer incompetence they are automagically protected from evil. Brazilians feel good with their
bagunça. Not surprisingly the most organized institution in Brazil is crime.
Finally I'm remarked that tourists or even temporary residents won't flock in if our landmarks are not maintained.
Like organization, maintenance is a word that entered Brazilian vocabulary only recently (if ever). Before we would just
move when things deteriorated (i.e., typically every 10 years. In XX century Rio, from Glória then to Flamengo then to
Botafogo then to Copacabana then to Ipanema then to Leblon then to São Conrado then to Barra).
Like or more than the US, we thought we had unlimited space and resources. Unlimited water, unlimited electricity,
even unlimited fuel (alcohol), unlimited growth. I rate the mentality shift in Brazilian consciousness that our resources are
limited and that we cannot go on moving in the country as probably the most important in the last 30 years. But it only occurred recently.
When we were bewildered that heavily-rainy São Paulo could get draughts and water had to be spared. When we
realized that we couldn't decently reject all the leftovers of the big cities to Amazônia. When moving to nice suburban mansions
started being more dangerous than remaining (or actually returning) downtown, and so on...
Bottom line, all this may be sad but should not be that much, and there are these days reasons to hope more than
recently ever. At least on this issue of tourism, whatever the reason, it is very unlikely that Brazilians will sell their soul for
global conformity and very likely they will not even grasp the box in which they are meant to be elsewhere.
Miguel P. Brossolette Branco, the author, may be contacted at
mpbb@noos.fr
