Society's Child

Brazilian graffiti art sends World Cup a clear message: 'Need food, not football'

RT
Thu, 29 May 2014 19:20 UTC

With just two weeks remaining until the World Cup kicks off in Brazil, those who believe the global event is too much of a burden for the country's struggling economy have found a new way to channel their protest energy - with graffiti.

Street artists have covered walls in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo with pictures which blame football's governing body, FIFA, for exploiting Brazil and the local government for neglecting the needs of the poor.

They share the belief that the US $11 billon which has been spent on the World Cup should have been used to improving transportation, healthcare, and education.

"It's a good way to expose the country's problems," graffiti artist Paulo Ito told the Guardian. "If the government doesn't want to expose these things it's because they feel ashamed. If they feel ashamed by this they might take it more seriously - at least, that's our intention."

Despite the Brazilians' passion for football, over one million people took to the streets across the country last year demanding the cancelation of the World Cup.

The people's outrage is only increasing as the tournament draws nearer - even Brazil's training session ahead of the event was marred by protests.

Meanwhile, graffiti that celebrates the upcoming tournament and the country's football heroes - who will be hoping for their sixth world title at the home event - is being vandalized.

© rt.comA woman walks with her child on her shoulders in front of graffiti against the infrastructure work for the 2014 World Cup at the Metro Mangueira slum near the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Comment: Eleven billion dollars have been pumped into funding an eight-week tournament fraught with high costs, unnecessary construction, corruption, greed and injustice. As Brazilians protest (against the sport for which they are most famous), the World Cup becomes a sticker face for underlying problems effectively expressed by artists who message human suffering in colorful and graphic terms.

Reader Comments

Aeneas · 2014-05-30T01:45:02Z

BRICS or RICS

One should also not dismiss an American wish/attempt at regime change in Brazil and thereby weakening the BRICS countries' cooperation.

There are lots of unresolved problems in Brazil and nothing is easier from outside ngo's than to fuel this discontent and see how all of a sudden there are street protests with demands of a new government. Choose a color, ramp up the media, add a few hidden snipers and bingo you have a regime change. And what better time to choose than when the international spotlight will be on Brazil to push those plans a bit further. During the football world cup the hands of the Brazilian government are tied, much like Russia's hands during the Olympics.

It is a proven formula, and the US would dearly like to have a strong ally in South America to divide the continent and put up more military bases there. It is after all the world hegemony that is at play.

Eduardo · 2014-05-30T08:04:25Z

Aeneas, I agree with you! I am Brazilian, I know this country since I was born (1981) and I can notice something beyond suspicions going on. What is happening has its legitimate reasons, but there is something artificial stirring it up. The faceless internet group known as "anonymous" is envolved and even the mainstream media is envolved. Since when does the MSM sympathize with street protesters? siding with the people on the street against the government? That has never happened here before and I have the feeling it is how things started in other countries who were victim of this kind of coup. I believe they call it 'social engineering'. I don't wanna see my country joining Libya, Syrya and Ukraine! I don't want to see our current government overthrown and replaced by a NATO-US puppet. And above all, I do not want to see a blood bath in this world cup or ever.

nedlud · 2014-05-30T09:40:05Z

agenda 21

@Eduardo:

Agenda 21 is one of the names for what is going on.

Corporate structure is slowly and COMPLETELY taking over everything good the earth and its life have ever had to offer each other. I said slowly, but lately, it has speeded up considerably, due to technology, we are just about THERE. Horrific death (ie., a spiritual one carrying over to other lives in domino fashion or like a unstoppable nuclear chain reaction) is just around the corner, over the next bump or just past that next sign you see while cruising down the highway..Everyone is bleeding profusely, though they (many of them) cannot see. Blood is being replaced by oil and gizomos. Do you like your new apps and ipod accessories? Aren't they just swell? Would you like an RFID chip now to help further? Would you like another gmo soft drink?

It is a US (United States) sponsored thing for sure, but one of my criticisms of Sott is that it (ownership, editorship, general readership) STILL fails to see enough of it (this corporate dominance, influence, control) elsewhere in the world. Ie., (ownership, editorship, readership) fails to see it in basically ALL political and economic endeavor today, not just the US or its 'allies'. (Putin-good? Give me a break!)

Every single major grouping of people follows, almost without fail, this corporate imposed type of leadership, activity mode, behavior pattern, psychology, mind control and so-called advanced vision for human 'success'.

It makes me sick--literally, my stomach is killing me right now--and I have a shiload of work today I must do on our little farm that opposes corporatism AND Agenda 21 and always has.

Wish me luck, I wish you the same.

signed,
ol' McDonald had a farm...once upon a time

Niall · 2014-05-30T11:22:57Z

Not sure how much more is left to be said once you've said the world is embedded within another that controls every aspect of it via psychopathic bio-machines...?

About 'Agenda 21', can you point me to any info on it?

Aeneas · 2014-05-30T17:04:42Z

Here is a link from wikipedia, but nedlud might have other links, that spell it out in the ways he is alluding to: [Link]

ironman_79 · 2014-05-30T12:12:36Z

Come and see

How that $11bi have been spent. It soiunds like the money has disappeared

ironman_79 · 2014-05-30T12:18:58Z

It has been used to build new infrastructure that Brazil really needed to keep growing.

Also, the government has spent $370 bi on education and healthcare since 2007 when the construction began.

Aeneas · 2014-05-30T17:10:53Z

It sounds like the way Putin was demonized for the money spent on the Olympics, yet a big part was also needed infrastructure and a diversifying away from just oil and gas and revenue sources. Russia now has a number one ski resort, that can cater for it's own population, thereby stimulating the national economy.

It should also be noted that Brazil is a HUGE country with a population of 200 million people and a GDP of $2.5 trillion. So $11 billion though a lot of money, is still fairly small for such a country, less than 0.5% of GDP.

I thought the financial destruction of the collective west is the goal of the globalist elitists.

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Society's Child

Brazilian graffiti art sends World Cup a clear message: 'Need food, not football'

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