Brazilian uprising

Update on current events in Brazil
CIMAM 2013 Annual Conference
MAM Rio, Rio de Janeiro 12–14 August

Political demonstrations have shaken Brazilian streets in the past two weeks. Driven by public transport issues, they grew dramatically and gained an amazing scale with a series of overlapping demands. One point, however, is certain: Brazilian population took the streets demanding democratic rights that were historically denied. Even though there were economic development and very successful distributive policies in the last two decades, Brazil still has great inequalities demanding better transport, health and education services.

Museological institutions are listening to the streets and starting to take part in the political debates following the demonstrations. It is important to notice that museum visitors kept its levels during the last weeks and no major risk to the buildings or collections were felt. The only exception was Paço Imperial, with lots of graffiti and some destruction in its external walls. It must be said that Paço is situated next to the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro.

I would like to say to CIMAM Members that Brazil lives today a very interesting political moment, an unusual democratic outcry, with many meetings and discussions in universities, in the web and on the streets. We, at MAM Rio, are organizing a forum together with the exhibition on South American Pop that deals with art and politics in the sixties and nowadays . I am sure that a different and more democratic society will come out of these demonstrations.

The round table to understand the local context that will be held during CIMAM at MAM Rio will help us discover initiatives that bring together art and activism and to learn about new political and cultural programs that are facing the outcry for a more democratic society.

Luiz Camillo Osorio, Chief Curator, MAM Rio, Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro.

Five key themes from recent days' events: origin, violence, corruption, reaction and future.

Article by Francisco Bosco, originally published in Portuguese on 26 June 2013 in O Globo.

I will make here a summary of the recent events. I will structure this vision into five key themes: origin of social outburst, violence, corruption, reaction and future. Before turning to them, I will say this: these events have proved that social networks are now unavoidable. Not only they were and are articulated with the emergence of the protests but it is through them that we read the most acute interpreters and reporters. Collective intelligence networks, linking real-time reporting of all critical points of view has poured most of the interpretations that we usually don't come across with. For me the best text on the events has been circulating in social networks. If it were possible, I would reproduce it here. As it is not, I will leave you with the link and move to my own formulations.
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