Totally unnoticed by the public, dramatic scenes still took place shortly before the final game of the World Cup. Protests in Rio de Janeiro were nipped in the bud with an extremely large contingent of security forces. It was clearly visible: at no cost should critical voices spoil the big farewell party.
The kick-off for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is just around the corner. The football festival is becoming a great nuisance for the locals. The protests are mounting. The creativity with which the people present their message is impressive. A video exhibition organised by terre des hommes schweiz and the Swiss Sports Museum is dedicated to the dark sides of the World Cup and this creativity.
It will start on 12 June 2014 in the new exhibition space of the Hinterhof, Basel.
During four days, 120 young people from different organisations in northeastern Brazil moved from place to place to learn about best practice examples in organic farming. The aim of this touring event was not only to promote intensive exchange but also to mobilise the population.
The Brazilian state of Pernambuco is the first federal state to adopt a policy on "sustainable living in drought" in March 2013. This is a great success for our partner organisation Centro Sabiá, which has been politically promoting the adopted methods for years.
It did not take long after the Confederations Cup for the international media to lose interest in reporting on Brazil. The social, economic and political grievances did not vanish into thin air as a result. The same applies to those who are working to solve the problems. On the contrary: the protests and actions have become smaller, but more diverse.
A wave of mass protests swept across Brazil in June. Hundreds of thousands of young people expressed their anger. Social networks played an important role in the spread of the protests. What role they played exactly will be the topic of a three-day symposium on 22 November in Weimar.
Andrea Zellhuber, responsible for violence prevention and campaigns
Once a year the most diverse social movements in Brazil demonstrate together at the grito dos excluidos. Argemiro Ferreira de Almeida, a member of our project partner Comite da Copa Salvador, has recorded this year's demonstration in a short film.
Annette Mokler, Programme Coordination Brazil
The latest report on violence in Brazil proves a gloomy fact: Afro-Brazilian youths have a significantly higher risk of dying in violent circumstances. While the number of murdered youths among the whites has decreased, their share among the blacks has continued to increase. Murder is the most common cause of death among young people in Brazil.
Unforgotten are the demonstrations that recently roused Brazil. Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets. Price increases in public transport had triggered the protest. But the protesters were concerned about much more, as a commentary by our staff member and National Coordinator in Brazil, Alexandre Menezes, shows.
The launch of the campaign "A World Cup for Whom?" has been successful: After the presentation of the campaign, media of various kinds signalled their interest. The campaign is part of the civil resistance against the effects of the preparations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Sascha Tankerville, Media and Information
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