CULTURE-BRAZIL: Carnival Raring Thanks to Crash of Real

By Mario Osava Reprint | | Print |

Mario Osava

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 16 1999 (IPS) - Far from drooping like most of Brazil’s economy these days, this year’s Carnival has been hotter than ever thanks to an unusually strong influx of tourists from abroad, drawn by the battered local currency.

Since Jan. 13, the real has lost 57 percent of its value against the dollar.

The number of foreign visitors to Brazil rises by as much as 45 percent during Carnival time, according to the Brazilian Association of Travel Agencies (ABAV).

Although the crash of the local currency just before Carnival made it impossible for tour operators to plan ahead and take full advantage of the situation, the number of foreign tourists, especially from neighbouring Argentina, was noticeably higher than in previous years.

But those who believe the big fiesta is only concentrated in the outrageously colourful parades of “scolas do Samba” in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are mistaken.

While foreign visitors flood the cities, locals flock to the beach.

Close to one-third of the 4.8 million cars that habitually circulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, leave the city during the four days of Carnival (Saturday through Tuesday), according to the local highway police.

The 70-km stretch separating Sao Paulo from the beaches of the region of Santos takes around five hours to drive during Carnival time – five times longer than usual.

Cabo Frio, 170 kms from Rio de Janeiro, receives nearly one million visitors, ten times the local population, and another 500,000 tourists can be found on other nearby beaches. At this time of year, the influx of visitors frequently leads to a total collapse of the overwhelmed local infrastructure.

“I’ll never travel again during Carnival,” said public functionary Maria de Oliveira, who spent more than six hours on the road to Cabo Frio four years ago. De Oliveira now stays at home in Rio de Janeiro, where she’s “calmer than ever” during Carnival.

Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro fills up with tourists from other parts of Brazil and abroad. In 1998, the city welcomed 108,000 tourists, who spent 202 million dollars here during Carnival, according to ABAV statistics.

This year, the number should be even higher, mainly due to a greater inflow of foreign tourists.

While the partying is heaviest from Saturday to Friday, celebrations stretch out for 24 days in Rio de Janeiro.

But the eyes of the world were trained on the top “scolas do Samba” which sang and danced their way through Sunday and Monday nights – “the greatest show in the world” according to the proud local residents, known as “cariocas”.

Since October, up to 5,000 people have been working on each of the 14 top “scolas”, which monopolise television air space.

But it is perhaps Salvador, the capital of the northeastern state of Bahia, that takes the fullest advantage of the tourism generated by its 10-day Carnival.

The Municipal Tourism Company estimates the number of Brazilians and foreign nationals who will flock to this city this week at around 600,000.

Bahia, one of Brazil’s poorer states, has made culture a top priority area, in economic terms as well.

Carnival in Bahia, which has a heavy African influence, is more closely entwined with the local culture than Rio de Janeiro’s showy affair. The people themselves, dancing in the streets, ARE the show.

Around two million people parade through the streets of Salvador, trailing the “electric trios”, trucks equipped with immense speakers that carry the bands which feed the frenzy of the crowds.

“Street choreographers” invent new dance steps every year. This year’s popular moves are the “crank” and “vampire” dances.

A study carried out by the state government found that cultural activities account for 4.66 percent of Bahia’s gross domestic product, and generate more jobs than any branch of industry.