BRAZIL - A WORLD POWER IN THE MAKING?
When Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff opened the recent UN General Assembly, many delegates listened very carefully. Previously associated with carnival, football and drugs, Brazil has since established itself as a global player. Almost equivalent in size to Europe, this country has become the world’s leading food producer, providing the whole world with soya, sugar, coffee and meat. Huge reserves of crude oil have been discovered off the coasts. Corporations such as oil multinational Petrobras, aircraft manufacturer Embraer and mining group Vale are now leading international names in their respective fields. On the famous Forbes list, President Dilma Rousseff of the Workers’ Party (PT) is the second most powerful woman in the world, right behind Angela Merkel.
Most of the 200 million or so Brazilians have benefited from their country’s economic upturn. Of these, no fewer than 40 million have escaped the clutches of extreme poverty and now wield purchasing power for the very first time. In the city centres of Rio and São Paulo, the government is investing billions in converting hundreds of favelas into normal districts with sewage systems, street lighting, postal services and police stations for increased security. The majority of the Brazilian population now belongs to the middle class.
In spite of this, mass demonstrations are attracting attention to the country in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup. The citizens of the new middle class want more: more political say, better schools and a working transport system. Following the years of breakneck growth, the threat of high inflation is looming again. Having made extensive purchases on credit, many Brazilians are now in debt and are fearing for their new-found standard of living.
Authors Nina Hellenkemper and Birgit Schulz explore the many facets of the Brazilian upswing, but also shed light on the shadowy side of the new Brazil. They not only visited flagship companies such as JBS, the world’s largest meat processing group, but also use prime examples such as the Belomonte mega dam project in the middle of an Indian territory in the Amazon region to illustrate how Dilma Rousseff’s government is pursuing its growth-driven economic policy even if this means riding roughshod over ecological and human concerns.
The film combines an analysis of Brazil’s development with the life story of Dilma Rousseff. During the military dictatorship, she was one of the leaders of the guerrilla movement, for which she was imprisoned, as was her predecessor, Lula da Silva (in office between 2003 and 2010) who led the illegal strikes at the time.
Demonstrators take to the streets, calling that “the giant has awoken”. This documentary film shows how Brazil is confidently demanding its place on the world’s stage.
Script: Nina Hellenkemper & Birgit Schulz
Director: Nina Hellenkemper & Birgit Schulz
Director of photography: Francisco Romenique Alves
Sound: Leonardo Cardoso de Souza
Editor: Oliver Held
Production Manager: Monika Mack, Rolf Bremenkamp
Producer: Birgit Schulz
Commissioning editors: Monika Schäfer (NDR/arte)
Head of Departement: Ulrike Dotzer
On behalf of NDR/arte, 2013, 52 min documentary
