THE LIGHT AND THE DARK SIDE OF A WORLD CUP

Another World Cup. This time in Brazil. I want to take a look back, to be exact at the day Brazil was selected as the country to hold the 2014 World Cup. We Brazilians were very happy about it. After sixty-four years, we were again going to host the most watched event in the world. President Lula proudly announced that we would be holding the World Cup of all World Cups, and corporations from around the world would be financing the construction and renovation of any number of stadiums, airports, and other facilities important for the infrastructure of our country. The government would invest in local public transport, and there would be enormous improvements made in all of the locations where games are taking place. In any case, the Brazilian people could celebrate, regardless of who becomes world champion, for the population already profited most from what the FIFA World Cup would bring to the country.

The time passed, and the investments didn't materialize. Construction work was delayed. Political and company-internal disputes hindered the planning and implementation of infrastructure measures. The World Cup was approaching, and there was still a lot to do. At the risk of losing everything, the Brazilian government assumed responsibility for the building measures and paid dearly, because it was so pressing, for everything being able to be completed on time. Urgent construction measures did not require a public call for bids. A paradise for siphoning off money, inflated invoices, corruption, and money laundering in our country.

Reality finally caught up with us last year, and we, the Brazilian people, took to the streets. What triggered it off was the increase of bus fares by twenty centavos. Crowds of people took to the streets as never before. It was no longer about twenty centavos but about much more: the neglected education system, poor public healthcare, several cases of corruption, public safety gone out of control, inefficient local public transport, and any number of other situations about which the people had always complained but had never protested against in such an organized manner. I say always, because these problems have always existed and still do. But the FIFA World Cup caused the population's rage to escalate, until they ultimately took to the street and demanded change.

We're not against the World Cup. We love soccer, and we want to be world champions. What we don't want is to be played for suckers. We don't want our tax money wasted on the construction of stadiums. We want a reliable education system, and we don't just want to be admitted to hospitals but receive treatment according to quality standards; we want fair politicians; we want the judiciary to observe the law and that criminals pay for their crimes; we want our police to protect us; we want local public transport that is on time and reliable; in short, we want to be consulted in matters concerning the growth of our country.

Since I was born, I've always experienced the Brazilian people as festive when a World Cup was approaching. They band together, paint the streets, display little flags, organize parties to celebrate the victories of the Seleção. It was taken for granted to be for Brazil, and simply inconceivable not to be.

This year it's different. There are only few colorful streets, few little flags; people watch the games in bars or on large-format screens put up by corporations or governmental organizations, victories are celebrated at home, and more than a few are against Brazil.

We don't want what happened in Argentina in 1978 to happen to us. We don't want the Brazilian national team winning a game allow us to forget the problems we have. We don't want any of the corrupt politicians in Brazil to be re-elected and that everything is the same afterwards. We want a new avenue, a new history, new people in the government; we want justice, punishment for criminals; we want to be proud of being Brazilian; but above all, as a population we want to see all of this demanded and succeed in becoming reality.

Most of what is expressed on the walls and in the streets throughout the country is not in the form of pictures, and even more rarely is it art. It is mostly statements by very ordinary people. A few artists have painted pictures in which the FIFA World Cup is criticized. But most of them have written something next to what they normally paint. Many of the pictures criticizing the World Cup that are already less artistic have been removed by the municipal authorities.

The media have fought alongside the government and the big corporations against the people's protests. The greatest violence stems from the government and the repressive forces of the military police. Protesters are labeled as vandals and hooligans. The truths that have been exposed are hidden, hushed up, distorted, ignored, or censored. Censorship has even reached the social media. Posts have mysteriously disappeared, and some accounts have been blocked contrary to site policy. My own Instagram profile, for example. I've looked at all of the terms of use, and I haven't violated one of them. My email to Instagram still hasn't been responded to. That was two months ago.

At any rate, the FIFA World Cup is now in progress. We welcome tourists like we always have. With a great deal of love, warmth, friendship, and respect. We like to have people visit us from all corners of the earth. We're Brazilians. Most of us never have the opportunity to travel abroad; most of us can't even travel within our own country. Welcoming people from other countries is our way of getting to know the world. To tell stories about stories and hear stories about stories. What we like most is when someone brings something typical from where he or she comes from. In return, we offer them all of the good things there are in Brazil.

Please help us to fight against our situation here. Help us to gain control of Brazil's fate. And come visit us! Don't wait until the next World Cup. Because we don't need it!