Aida Franco de Lima – OPINION
Laws to encourage culture are a way of transferring taxes to subsidize activities in this area. Just as there are subsidies for agriculture, health, transportation, housing, among other activities. However, in Brazil, ignorance combined with bad faith has turned one of the laws into a tug-of-war in an electoral dispute. For example, the Roaunet law. How many people do you know who have complained about the law without even knowing about it? Many people still firmly believe that the law distributes money to the artistic class, in the same way that confetti falls during Carnival.
Only those who work in the cultural sector know how much bureaucracy there is in understanding a public notice, which sets out the rules for obtaining certain resources. In the case of the Rouanet Law, after the project has been approved by the Ministry of Culture, the interested party must seek out companies that are interested in sponsoring it in exchange for deducting the amount from their Income Tax. In this case, it is obvious that a company would prefer a renowned, well-known artist who can give visibility to the brand, rather than an unknown bidder. However, both large and small companies have this option.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the cultural sector was severely affected and, therefore, the Aldir Blanc and Paulo Gustavo laws were approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, both honoring the names of artists who died as a result of Covid-19. However, former president Jair Bolsonaro vetoed them and they only came into effect after the vetoes were overturned.
By 2027, a total of 15 billion reais is expected to be distributed throughout Brazil, through the Aldir Blanc Law. The Paulo Gustavo Law, added to bank interest, reached a total of 4,1 billion. A lot of money, never before in Brazil have so many resources been allocated to culture. But there is no point in having so much money if the person who holds the key to the safe does not know how to manage it.
Today, in 2024, what has been happening is that while artists from various parts of Brazil are able to deliver to the community the results of events sponsored by both laws, in other locations the resources are being returned to the Federal Government's coffers. Changes in administrations, due to last year's election, are the most commonly used justifications.
But it seems that, in fact, municipalities and states, with exceptions, have not yet managed to organize themselves to ensure that the funds reach the recipients quickly. While the amount deposited in the accounts earns interest, on the other side of the counter, it really causes concern.
In Paraná, 35% of the 499 municipalities did not use the resources from the Aldir Blanc National Policy, the first transfer of which was made in 2023. If by the end of June this year, this amount is not distributed to artists, it will have to be returned to its origin.
In the case of Fortaleza, the municipality did not even pay the reviewers who analyzed the projects for the Arts Notice of the Paulo Gustavo Law, launched on September 21, 2023. In addition to the change in administration, the justification is that the heteroidentification board was not designated. In other words, the bonus that would go to this criterion ends up being the impediment of the entire process, as concluded by the official response from the organizing body, Secultfor (Fortaleza Municipal Secretariat of Culture). According to the announcement by the municipal secretary, at the time, the notice had a value of around R$6.000.000,00. If this money is still in the account, it must be generating a good income, while the artistic class is left high and dry.
And when funding reaches cultural agents, the results can be fantastic. In Cianorte, through resources from the Paulo Gustavo Law, productions are already moving audiences, such as “Ver e Reviver Cianorte: Júlio Hamamoto”, a biography of a pioneering photographer, and the film “O Brilho de Francisca”, a fictional film about life in the countryside and human relationships. And soon, the documentary “TEA, a perspectiva de uma professores e alunos: lições aprendidas e trabalhos a fazer” (TEA, the perspective of a teacher and students: lessons learned and tasks to be accomplished). The work narrates the successful work of the Colégio Estadual Igléa Grollmann in relation to autism, led by the teacher Ana Floripes.
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