Brazzil - Politics - June 2004
 

Palocci
Leftist Lovers 1

A section of the Brazilian media has fallen in love with a new sweetheart— finance minister Antonio Palocci. He was the subject of a fawning profile in Veja magazine and there have even been reports that he might be a presidential candidate for the Workers Party (PT) in the 2006 elections.

The Estado de S. Paulo newspaper, while not going as far overboard as Veja, has been plugging any bit of positive economic news as though it meant we were no longer in a crisis. The front page lead story on June 12 announcing that “Retail sales surpass expectations” was typical of the kind of positive spin the paper has been putting on news recently.

One of the reasons for this crush on Palocci is the media's distrust of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's chief of staff José Dirceu who has lost much of his power and influence since one of his aides was involved in a bribery scandal.

There are signs that Dirceu is regaining his strength and the press—most of which loathes him—is trying to replace him with Palocci. Since Dirceu has much more influence with Lula and the PT than Palocci this ploy is unlikely to work. However, it shows just how the Brazilian media manipulates the news when it wants to.

Leftist Lovers 2

If you think the Brazilian Senate is a place for dignified speeches on the future of the country made by statesman who have the interest of future generations in mind then think again. The Senate recently witnessed a touching demonstration of peace and love by Senators Eduardo Suplicy and Heloisa Helena who openly kissed on the floor in front of other members.

Maybe it was just a collegiate cuddle from two ideological allies or maybe it was their way of marking the upcoming Dia dos Namorados, Brazil's Valentine's Day. What next—wedding bells?

At least this display will bring to the attention of the public the heroic efforts this great constitutional body is making in resolving the problems facing the country. One of its latest ways of helping Brazil overcome these problems has been to appoint a Senator accused of diverting loans from the state development bank, the BNDES, to the body which oversees the federal accounts.

Salvation Army?

São Paulo is hosting a meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, a body which has the kind of unlovely acronym, UNCTAD, which is so common here such as CEAGESP, CEASA, FAPESP, SABESP, FIESP, CESP, MASP and so on.

The presence of hundreds of political leaders, international bureaucrats and the media has allowed the city authorities to feel that São Paulo is taking its rightful place on the world stage.

However, apart from some hoteliers and presumably the local ladies of the night, most people are either uninterested or fed up because the event has led to even more traffic chaos.

Security has been stepped up and armed troops have taken up positions in the streets—not to protect us locals from the gangsters and murderers amongst us but to look after the distinguished visitors. Although this is a special case, the issue of soldiers assuming greater responsibility for public security is becoming increasingly topical.

Troops have recently been sent to Minas Gerais and Piauí to help the state governments there following strikes by the local police. Many people like having soldiers and armored cars patrolling the streets despite the fact that the military ran the country for two decades and deprived the people of their rights rather than defended them.

While there is no political or military movement which wants the armed forces to return to the political arena this feeling shows how democracy is failing to provide the people's need for security.

The decision to send Brazilian troops to take command of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti has been criticized in several quarters. It is common to hear people ask why these troops are patrolling slum areas of Port-au-Prince instead of Rio de Janeiro or Brasília.

Caetano - Better Get Rid of Your Accent!

If you are a fan of Caetano Veloso then don't read any further because you won't like what I say. If you are Caetano Veloso then read on because I am going to give you some useful advice—don't make any more CDs like your latest, A Foreign Sound.

This is one of the weirdest collections of songs ever assembled by a grown man and raises doubts about Veloso's judgment as he gets older. It includes songs like "So in Love" by Cole Porter, "It's Alright Ma" by Bob Dylan and "Come as You Are" by Nirvana.

The strangest of all is his choice and version of Paul Anka's “Diana”. This was a smash hit in the late 50s and is a good example of the kind of rather naïve innocent teenage music which was to be overthrown by the rock revolution.

People like Anka, the Everley Brothers and Dion would soon be swept aside by the barbarians at the gates led by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and later on by heavy metal gangsters.

Veloso is about 40 years too old to sing “Diana” and does so in a slow, pretentious way with slushy backing strings as though he were trying to seduce someone in a Roger Rabbit-style nightclub. His accent makes the whole effort sound like a parody.

This is particularly strange because Veloso is fluent in English, the result of the time he spent in exile in England during the military dictatorship. He even wrote his song “London, London” when he was still picking up English. This might explain the bizarre lyrics e.g. “I'm wandering round and round, nowhere to go/ While my eyes go looking for flying saucers in the sky.”

As far as I know no Portuguese version exists, presumably since it would be impossible to make sense of it. In these circumstances you would think Veloso's ear would be better attuned. No-one expects him to sing like a native speaker but in this particular case he should have sought some advice.

Veloso is not the only good Brazilian artist who loses his way singing in another language. Gal Costa, for example, who has one of the most beautiful voices of any female singer, has recorded some appalling versions in English, such as “The Fool on the Hill” and “The Laziest Gal in Town”.

Ed Motta, Roberto Carlos and Sandy and Junior are others who have flopped in English. One exception is Marisa Montes whose version of Lou Reed's “Pale Blue Eyes” is haunting. She also sings an unusual but passable live version of George Harrison's “Give Me Love”.

Before singing in English again Veloso should recall the advice to the Puerto Rican girls in the West Side Story number “America” - “Better get rid of your accent.”

Scolari Stumbles

I'm sure I was not the only person in Brazil who was pleased to see Portugal getting beat by lowly Greece in the opening game of the European football championship held in Porto. My pleasure was not the result of any antipathy to the Portuguese but to their Brazilian manager, Felipe Scolari, who abandoned Brazil immediately after leading the national squad to its World Cup triumph in 2002.

The Portuguese must now be regretting their decision. Not only has Scolari's record been unimpressive but his chances of overseeing his adopted team win the second most prestigious football championship in the world now look slim.

Ratinho Outdoes Himself

I have written about the Ratinho TV show several times expressing my distaste at the tripe it presents—physically deformed people, dwarves, grave robbers, obese transsexuals, midgets etc. However, I have to compliment him on a recent item which surpasses any of his previous feats—an item entitled “Man Wakes Up During His Own Autopsy”.

Unfortunately this interview was not accompanied by a film, unlike one of Ratinho's previous scoops which showed a pederast doctor fondling a drugged teenage boy he was allegedly giving a medical examination.

John Fitzpatrick is a Scottish journalist who first visited Brazil in 1987 and has lived in São Paulo since 1995. He writes on politics and finance and runs his own company, Celtic Comunicações - www.celt.com.br - which specializes in editorial and translation services for Brazilian and foreign clients. You can reach him at jf@celt.com.br.

© John Fitzpatrick 2004