Author Name: GlobalVoices.
(C) GlobalVoices.org
This unaltered story was originally published on GlobalVoices.org.[1]
Republishing Guidelines:
url:https://globalvoices.org/about/global-voices-attribution-policy/
--------------------



Carnival Samba Takes Aim at World Cup in Brazil [1]
['Pública - Agência De Jornalismo Investigativo']
Date: 2013-03-05 00:00:00

This article, written by Mateus Coutinho, is a part of Agência Pública's special #CopaPública coverage, originally published on February 8, 2013, under the title Carnaval e Copa, será que dá samba?

With forced evictions and competing political interests surrounding the run-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, a group of concerned Carnival revelers in Belo Horizonte, Brazil have put the discord to a winning samba beat.

In January, a group of citizens created a marchinha [literally “little march” a music genre typical of Carnival] to recall who really benefits from the Cup. “Imagina na Copa” (Imagine in the Cup), by the composers Daniel Iglesias, Matheus Rocha and Guto Borges, won the city's second Marchinhas Contest.

Launched in 2012 [pt] by the cultural agency Cria Cultura, the Marchinhas Contest – named after Mestre Jonas, in an homage to the musician from Belo Horizonte – was created to rescue the old carnival dances, with costumes contests and marches composed by the population. The award takes place in a ball where 12 marchinhas selected by contest officials evaluated by a panel, which then chooses the three finalists.

The champions are then chosen by ball attendees; the first place winner gets a prize of 5,000 reais (approximately 2,520 US dollars), second place 3,000 reais, and third place 1,000 reais. Last year, the winning marchinha was Na Coxinha da Madrasta [pt] (In the stepmother's (little chicken) thigh, a popular food, also served in banquets), which alluded to a controversy involving Belo Horizonte city councilman Leo Burguês [pt] and the thousands of reais he spent on catering provided by his stepmother's company.

It was the Cup's turn this year, as journalist and contest curator Brisa Marques explains:

O público começou a gritar o nome da marchinha antes mesmo de ir a votação do júri.

The audience started screaming the name of the marchinha even before it was voted by the panel.

Imagine in the Cup

With references to the evictions caused by Cup-related construction and to the interests of local politicians in the Cup, the lyrics started as a joke between friends, explains Daniel Iglesias, one of the composers:

Estávamos de bobeira em casa e o Matheus disse que queria fazer uma marchinha sobre a Copa, aí já falei ‘imagina na copa’ e fomos escrevendo a letra.

We were just playing around at home and Matheus said that he wanted to create a marchinha about the Cup, then I said “imagine the cup” and we went on writing the lyrics.

A soccer field near the house where Daniel and Matheus live might give way for the construction of a hotel for the Cup. Matheus comments:

É bizarro pensar que por causa da Copa vão destruir um campinho para fazer hotel.

It is bizarre to think that because of the Cup they are going to destroy a small field to make a hotel.

The victory of the marchinha surprised the members of the Local Committee of those Affected by the Cup. Committee member Fidelis Alcântara says:

Foi uma surpresa muito marcante, inclusive porque no começo do Comitê [em 2010] as pessoas achavam que era exagero nosso, e hoje já vemos a população entendendo melhor os impactos da Copa

It was a very striking surprise, especially because in the beginning of the committee [in 2010] people thought we were exaggerating, and nowadays we already see the population understanding better the impacts of the Cup

Listen to the song #imaginanacopa, by Daniel Iglesias, Matheus Rocha, and Guto Borges:

Derrubaram minha casa

Por um erro de arbitragem

Ai meu deus, essa copa do mundo

É uma puta falta de sacanagem! Beagá não sai ganhando

Nem se for pra repescagem

Se o filho da babá é dono da bola

Vou levar minha pelada pra Contagem Se na praça não pode vender pipoca

#imaginanacopa

Se o Laécio tá fechado com a Coca

#imaginanacopa

Se na Guaicurus só ta dando poliglota

#imaginanacopa

Se o burguês pira nas mina de pi… Ôpa!

#imaginanacopa

Se no rádio essa música não toca

#imaginanacopa



‘Cos of an arbitration faux pas

Oh my, this World Cup

It's a pain in the ass

People here gain nothing

not even in the play offs

If the nanny's son owns the ball [a

I'm going to take my game far from all

If we can no longer buy popcorn at the square

#imagineinthecup

If Laécio has signed with Coca [a reference to Senator

#imagineinthecup

If Guaicurus [central area] is going polyglot

#imagineinthecup

If Burguês [city councilman] goes crazy with girls with di… Whoops! [a

#imagineinthecup

If the radio station does not play this song

#imagineinthecup They tore my house down‘Cos of an arbitration faux pasOh my, this World CupIt's a pain in the assPeople here gain nothingnot even in the play offsIf the nanny's son owns the ball [a reference to Mayor Mário Lacerda I'm going to take my game far from allIf we can no longer buy popcorn at the square#imagineinthecupIf Laécio has signed with Coca [a reference to Senator Aécio Neves #imagineinthecupIf Guaicurus [central area] is going polyglot#imagineinthecupIf Burguês [city councilman] goes crazy with girls with di… Whoops! [a reference to a scandal involving transexuals]#imagineinthecupIf the radio station does not play this song#imagineinthecup

[END]

(C) GlobalVoices
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
[1] Url: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/03/05/carnival-samba-takes-aim-at-world-cup-in-brazil/

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/globalvoices/