In Brazil, the richest tenth owns 23,5 times more than the poorest tenth

... and that is good news! Social inequality diminished for the first time in recent history, thanks to social programs like Bolsa Família and the rise of the minimum wage.

In 2004, the richest tenth owned 27,4 times more than the poorest tenth. In the last 5 years, the revenues of the former has risen 4,9%, while the revenues of the latter increased in a much faster pace: by 22%.

The interesting thing, though, comes when we relate this piece of news with other figures:

- the average monthly wage of the poorest tenth of the population is R$ 207 (US$ 128), while the richest tenth earns R$ 4,853 a month (US$ 3,014 - not a fortune, right?)

- when we consider the number of billionaires, Sao Paulo is the 11th city in the world, with 14 uber rich residents - first is Moscow (with 74), followed by New York (71), London (36), Istanbul (34), Hong Kong (30), Los Angeles (24), Mumbai (20), San Francisco (19), Dallas and Tokyo (15 each)

- talking about millionaires, Brazil was granted with 60.000 new ones in 2007 - in 2006, there were 130.000, a colossal 46% growth

- Sao Paulo has the second largest helicopter fleet in the world - it has passed Tokyo and is just behind New York

I guess we have a lot of serious work to do when it comes to offering a quality life to all the Brazilian citizens. And if we take sustainability into account, we should probably not count on economical growth for closing the wealth distribution gap. But that discussion is worth a new post for itself. Stay tuned!

Sources: Portal Exame, Folha Online, BCG Global Wealth Report 2007

Violence

Today it's been 7 years a cousin of mine was killed after a robbery attempt. Also today I got to know that, in a different part of the country but under the same circumstances, the ex boyfriend of another cousin was assassinated.

As Brazilians, we're exposed to violence all the time: drug dealers porting heavy guns; policemen invading slums and handing people to rival gangs to be executed; huge gap in wealth distribution, stopping a big part of the youth from dreaming about a good future; kids pickpocketing in the city centre; people afraid of being kidnapped while driving their cars at night alone; friends and family members being robbed, abused and assassinated.

This can't be normal! We shouldn't need to learn how to live with such an absurd!

I can't understand the dynamics and the level of influence of each of the founding factors of violence: poverty, guns, bad wealth distribution, destroyed communities, psycological temperament, history, drugs, others. We must have created an environment where the combination generated an explosive result, as many countries have more serious individual problems, which don't seem to lead to this war we live in.

What I can say, though, is that is getting harder and harder to stay loyal to the phylosphy of being free, not thinking too much about what could happen and just enjoying life.

Grupo Corpo

Grupo Corpo is one of the best contemporary dance groups in Brazil. They do about 80 shows a year, travel all around the world, launch a new fantastic spectacle every couple of years and do unbelievable things with their bodies. Tonight, I had the opportunity to talk to Paulo Pederneiras, the production director and one of the founders of the group.

History
Started 33 years ago in the house of the founders, who convinced their parents to move out. Contributions for the first big success came from famous and unknown artists.

Principles
- one interferes and helps in everyone else's work
- doors are always open. In fact, there are no doors
- transparency and honesty
- commitment to do arts (and not with any particular cause)
- hard work
- great freedom AND responsibility

Evolution
After a big success, a need for self assurance and various experiments, an identity started to emerge.

Keeping humility
- "I don't know anything about contemporary arts. But I pay a lot of attention"
- "Our goal can't be success, because it attracts dishonesty"
- "I depend on other people's skills 100% of the time"

Plans
- "It doesn't matter much what has happened in the past, but what's in front of us"
- "I'd like Grupo Corpo to be something I don't know exactly what it is. I guess a space where everything is allowed"
- and asked about succession, Paulo said: "I don't intend to pass away any time soon..."

Brazilian Attractions

In the exact week Brazil is celebrating the Standard & Poor's raise of debt rating to investment grade, which can potentially open the floodgate for foreign investors - particularly big endowments, pension funds, and insurance companies that are restricted from buying risky debts - I came across an article talking about another of the Brazilian attractions: the Brazilians.

Two hundred years ago, José Bonifácio in his "Living Thinking" expressed the following about the citizens from my country:

"Brazilians are enthusiastic about beautiful ideals
They love freedom and suffer very little whenever they lose privileges they once had
Obedient to those who are fair, the enemies of arbitrary actions, they would rather be robbed than despised
Ignorant due to a lack of instruction, but talented by nature
With a brilliant imagination, they are therefore the lovers of novelties that promise perfection and nobility
Generous, but braggers
Capable of great actions, as long as they do no require a long attention span or constant monotonous work
Passionate about sex, climate, life and education
They take on a lot, but finish little..."

Recently, a research carried out for the National Tourism Company (Embratur) confirmed the uniqueness and attractiveness of our people. When foreign tourists come to Brazil for the first time, their main motivations are the beaches (31%), the climate (20%) and the scenic beauty (16%). When they leave, asked about what they liked best, some of the most common answers are the tropical climate (19%), the scenic beauty (22%) and the beaches, sun & sea (28%). However, the absolute leader wasn't showing in the expectations' list: 52% of the interviewed will miss the Brazilian people the most.

Wanna come along?

Brazilian things

When I talk about Brazil or Latin America, there are many things I like to call attention to, things that are unique, which we are generally unaware of, rarely conscious about and that are so needed in our world! I'm talking about things such as optimism, creativity, community orientation, arts and entrepreneurship.

Yesterday, talking to a girl from the UK, I realised there are other more practical inventions characteristic from here: bar code payments in ATMs, per kilo meals and a can opening system that doesn't require a can opener.

Wanna come along?

Perfect Easter

If Easter is about resurrection, I had the perfect long weekend.

It all started with the idea of visiting a charming town called Paraty (meaning "river fish" in the indigenous language tupi), 350km far from São Paulo.

As we started to read about the region, we realised there were a lot of nice beaches, waterfalls and hiking tracks around. So, why not staying at a guesthouse in the middle of the Atlantic Forest, 6 km from indigenous communities and close to desert waveless beaches?

Our guesthouse


The view from our room

Trekking

Wide smile after a refreshing swim at a waterfall

More pictures of our Perfect Easter

Old centre of Paraty

Paraty's pier under the full moon

Chimarrão, sun & sea



Great company for special times

How does it feel to be back?

How does it feel to be back to Brazil after 16 months abroad, mainly in a developed country, where everything seems previously thought, organised and easier? Not an easy question!

Certainly, some “normal” facts are now annoying and uncomfortable. Taking precautions in order to avoid being mugged bothers me profoundly; constantly seeing the wealth gap between rich and poor feels really wrong; and the big-brother-star success concept is frustrating.

On the other hand, the list of great cultural and personal aspects doesn’t seem to end soon. Meeting family, being surrounded by long term awesome friends and realizing the power of the networks in my job hunting effort are bringing me comforting happiness.

Amongst the cultural and natural things, highlights go to:
- Ever green scenery;
- Tropical fruits;
- People aware, discussing and acting upon social issues;
- A good number of companies, individuals and media channels engaged in the sustainability dialogue;
- Client oriented services and kindness;
- …and, to top it up, the feeling of being one in the crowd of an Ivete Sangalo’s show, what should probably be considered the most energetic spectacle on Earth!

Wanna feel a little bit of it? Play below, enjoy and start planning your trip to Brazil!



The lyrics, by Jorge Ben, say (free translation):

"I live in a tropical place
Blessed by God
And naturally beautiful
How wonderful!
In February
There is carnaval
I've got a beetle and a guitar
I support Flamengo and have a black sweetheart called Tereza"

See you here!

Movement Our São Paulo: Another City

Some weeks ago I got to know this movement going on in São Paulo and so much wished I was there. Just because it’s one of the best initiatives I’ve heard of recently and, in my point of view, a potentially hyper transformative one.

Let me explain: it’s a chaordic, democratic and ethical movement aiming to build a fair, safe, beautiful and sustainable city for all its citizens and visitors. Inspired in the successful experience of the city of Bogotá, the idea is to construct a social, economic and political alliance which is capable of engaging society and holding government accountable in the long term, because of its credibility, wide representation and effectiveness.

The movement is not led by any political party or religious institution. In fact, it doesn’t even have a Board of Directors, so that it’s opened for ideas from companies, organisations and citizens.

All the best to this fantastic movement! I already share your vision and am eager to contribute in some months’ time!

Click here to learn more about Our São Paulo: Another City (in portuguese)

Olympic Games in Rio Grande do Sul

I'm sincerely sorry for the English speakers, who not even will a translator will be able to laugh at this wonderful article. Brazilians, enjoy! Gauchos, delight yourselves!


Por JURANDIR FEIJÓ

Só porque vai sediar o Pan, o Rio quer também organizar os Jogos Olímpicos de 2016. Não sei quem toma essas decisões, mas gostaria de apresentar uma proposta: a candidatura da cidade de Pedro Osório. Nada mais justo do que homenagear esse município que traz na sua origem o nome de Vila Olimpo.

É uma cidade predestinada. Nós, os gaúchos, somos o povo mais preparado para sediar os jogos, se levarmos em conta alguns fatores. Por exemplo, a tocha olímpica. Ninguém sabe fazer um fogo como nós. Qualquer índio velho junta umas achas de lenhas, acende um fósforo e pronto. E aí, aproveita o braseiro, enfia um naco de picanha gorda no espeto... Não há dúvida, seria uma olimpíada inesquecível.

É claro, teríamos que fazer algumas adaptações. As modalidades de esportes precisariam incorporar jogos com características mais regionais, como a Bocha, o Truco e o Jogo do Osso.
O espírito olímpico do Barão de Coubertain - "o importante é competir" - teria que ser alterado para alguma coisa do tipo "não te fresqueia, bagual". O Boxe poderia ser substituído pela Briga de Baile, mais emocionante. Só termina quando alguém abre a cabeça do outro com uma garrafa de cerveja.

Nas artes marciais temos a Queda de Braço e a Guerra de Bosta. Tênis de Mesa, o tal do Ping-Pong, pra nós é jogo de criança. Já que tem diversão pra gurizada, podiam incluir também Bolinha de Gude, Pandorga e Bodoque com Caroço de Cinamomo. Arco e Flecha é barbada, é coisa de índio. A gente mexe com isso desde o tempo dos guaranis. E esse negócio de Ciclismo é passeio de bici. Vamos botar as mulheres pra disputar com eles. Agora, aquela corrida esquisita em que os homens ficam se requebrando com passos de mulherzinha, está proibida.

Natação terá Nado de Costa com Poncho em Açude, esporte para poucos. Hipismo vamos manter, o que não falta é cavalo pra Cancha Reta. Tiro ao alvo também, mirando uns maçanicos do banhado. A Esgrima vai usar adagas de verdade e não aqueles arames fininhos, sem graça. E se tocarem uma rancheira, melhor, a coisa vira Dança dos Facões.

Futebol será o de Campanha - com bota e espora - para se adaptar às condições do estádio, que durante a semana funciona como pastagem para o gado. A Ginástica Olímpica será substituída, com vantagens, por Chula e Chimarrita. E vamos promover alguns esportes até então considerados menores, como Cuspe em Distância, Peteleco e Halterocopismo.

Tudo isso sem falar da festa de abertura: som de 300 bombos legüeros, apresentação de Gisele Bündchen e shows com Luiz Marenco, César Oliveira e Rogério Mello.... E por aí a fora.

Vamos amadurecer a idéia. Não quero cantar vitória antes do tempo.

Australia's most famous songwriter crazy about Rio

Peter Allen is a famous Australian songwriter and singer, creator of the unofficial Australian anthem "I still call Australia home" and inspiration for a musical based on his life called The Boy from Oz, the first Australian to be performed in Broadway.

Look at parts of one of his songs:

"When my baby
When my baby smiles at me I go to Rio
De Janeiro, my-oh-me-oh
I go wild and then I have to do the Samba
And La Bamba
Now I'm not the kind of person
With a passionate persuasion for dancin'
Or roma-ancin'
But I give in to the rhythm
And my feet follow the beatin' of my hear-eart

Woh-ho-oh-oh, when my baby
When my baby smiles at me I go to Rio
De Janeiro
I'm a Salsa fellow
When my baby smiles at me
The sun'll lightens up my li-ife
And I am free at last, what a blast"

Getting to know Brazilians by the way they shop

Today I was reading the McKinsey Quarterly Review and saw an article about how big retailers can serve Brazil's mass-market shoppers. I guess I could see some characteristics of the people between the lines. Check it out:

1) Brazilians are very warm

Compared with similar shoppers in China, India, and Russia, twice as many Brazilians have stopped going to a store as a result of poor service. Since shopping trips are the only opportunities that many consumers have to be served, they value customer service highly. Shoppers expect the human touch that they find at their neighborhood stores, where salespeople greet them warmly by name and extend credit without collateral or other formalities.

2) Brazilians have a strong sense of community and value the cozyness of their neighbourhood relations

On average, Brazil's mass-market consumers shop once a day. They shop frequently because they worry about freshness, income rarely arrives in the form of a regular paycheck, storage space is limited, and bargains appear and vanish daily. Since almost 70 percent of shoppers travel by foot, shopping is much easier when stores are nearby. As one Brazilian shopper explained, "Doce Lar [a neighborhood store] is about one kilometer [ 0.62 miles] from here, and it takes me about ten minutes to walk. Carrefour is five kilometers—it takes me about 50 minutes, which is too far. I cannot get back carrying my bags."

Even including the few households that own cars, nearly 80 percent of Brazilians traveled less than 15 minutes on their most recent shopping trip—about one kilometer by foot or five kilometers by car. These habits mean that a retailer can hope to attract households only within a radius of two or so kilometers (applying a weighted average). Even in an urban area as densely populated as São Paulo, that makes it challenging to attract the volume that big-box formats need to be successful.

3) Brazilians dream with a better future

Brazil’s shoppers express a preference for smaller, more convenient stores. Yet upward of 70 percent of all survey respondents (and the vast majority of focus group participants) also express a seemingly conflicting desire: to choose from a full range of products, including high-end ones, whether or not they intend to purchase those products.

In focus groups shoppers provided several explanations for this preference: the opportunity to treat themselves every now and then, a need to see a well-known branded product and use it as a reference price for the products that they would actually purchase, or the desire to impress neighbors—say, by purchasing Coca-Cola for a party instead of the local brand they drink every day. As one shopper explained, "I like to see the 25 reais brand of shampoo, not because I will buy it, but to dream a little." The challenge for retailers is to give mass-market shoppers a sense of choice, knowing that they often have no intention of purchasing the highest-end products and that the supply chain and inventory challenges associated with SKU proliferation can make it harder to serve the mass market economically.
What do you think?

Learnings from Brazil

Besides the whole “activity agenda” (family catch up, wedding, meeting a few friends, etc), my trip to Brazil involved more emotion that I expected. I thought I would go there, have a good moment and come back to my Australian new world… but it wasn’t exactly like that.

Being in Brazil made me think about a bunch of stuff:

- Values: I really appreciate “countryside” values – friendship, simplicity, commitment, this type of thing;

- People: I think I’d like to participate more of the live of people who love me, especially the ones that know me for a longer time…

- Culture: Brazilian spirit, optimism, openness and entrepreneurialism are really unique. I really think Oriana and I should go further with the Latin American project;

- Work: I do miss a profound meaning in my work right now and I’m definitely putting this in the top of the next decision I’m going to take;

- Life in Australia: it’s really going great, but I should not feel too comfortable about it and remember where I came from and what I’m supposed to do, in terms of contribution.

Reflections go on…

Brazil

"Brasil, meu Brasil brasileiro
Meu mulato inzoneiro
Vou cantar-te nos meus versos

[...]

Deixa cantar de novo o trovador
A merencória luz da lua
Toda a canção do meu amor
Quero ver a “sá dona” caminhando
Pelos salões arrastando
O seu vestido rendado

[...]

Ôi, esse Brasil lindo e trigueiro
É o meu Brasil brasileiro
Terra de samba e pandeiro

Brasil! Brasil!

Prá mim... prá mim..."

Aquarela do Brasil - Ary Barroso

Stories, pictures and thoughts about my brazilian experience soon...