Lula government approved BRL 610 million in projects in the 1st month

In some areas the Lula government got off to a slow start. This is not the case with promoting culture: in the first month of the year, and with the Rouanet Law alone, the new management carried out 597 fundraising projects that, together, total R$ 610 million.

The approval of the projects does not mean that the resources are guaranteed. The law provides that those responsible for the proposals now seek to raise funds from the private sector through donations or sponsorships, and that companies that contribute receive rebates in the Income Tax. That is: the money does not leave the public coffers directly, but, with the tax waiver, these values ​​no longer enter them.

So far, the highest amount approved for fundraising by the Rouanet Law this year was the refurbishment of the stage at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, which corresponds to R$ 37.1 million. The lowest amount (R$22,400) is related to the publication of a book about legends from Rio Grande do Sul, with a print run of 1,000 copies. The average value of projects approved in 2023 was just over BRL 1 million.

The approval measures for new projects were announced by the Ministry of Culture in four ordinances published in the Official Gazette between January 18th and 23rd. In the first one, approximately 457 proposals were approved. The first item on the list is titled “African Diaspora Dances, Legacies and Traditions and Orixá Dances”. The initiative, whose value is R$ 582 million, is described as “an Afro-Brazilian diaspora dance show with conversation circles in order to provide a space capable of enabling friction and construction of ideas in the field of arts/dance of African diaspora.”

This wave also included a show produced and staged by actress Cláudia Raia, worth BRL 5 million – to present “two exciting stories selected based on important research” – and funding from Casa Fiat de Cultura, in Belo Horizonte ( BRL 6.4 million). The total amount approved in this ordinance was R$ 441.6 million.

On the 19th, the portfolio approved 14 more projects (total of R$ 11.8 million). The following day, another 93 projects received the stamp of the Ministry of Culture, adding R$ 80.6 million. This group includes projects such as “Disney on Ice” (R$ 3.5 million) and Disney Magia e Sinfonia (R$ 4.8 million). Finally, on January 23, the portfolio approved the funding of 33 projects, totaling R$75.8 million.

In general, the distribution of resources does not seem to follow a specific pattern: the list of contemplated projects includes gospel artists, circuses, regional culture events and some projects with commercial appeal. As adherence to the Rouanet Law involves relatively complex preparation, it is likely that all the projects approved by the Lula government so far were presented during the administration of Jair Bolsonaro. Therefore, it will take time for the new government’s priorities in promoting culture to become clearer.

extensions

In addition to approving new projects through the Rouanet Law, the new management extended the deadline for raising funds to thousands of projects that had already been authorized to seek funds previously.

On January 17th, the first ordinance dealing with the matter came out. At one time, 5,186 projects had the deadline for raising funds extended. The list includes samba schools such as Mancha Verde, linked to a Palmeiras crowd, and Vai Vai. Other projects that had their deadlines extended are the work on the annex of the Museu do Ipiranga, in São Paulo, and the project “As Aventuras de Luccas Neto”, which stars the youtuber brother of (also youtuber) Felipe Neto. In these cases, values ​​were not mentioned.

Later this year, the Ministry of Culture approved small changes in the value of some projects that had already been approved. The list includes the restoration of Christ the Redeemer (R$9 million) and the Risorama humor festival (R$5.2 million), organized by comedian Diogo Portugal.

missed opportunity

For filmmaker Josias Teófilo, the accelerated start of the Lula government in this regard demonstrates that the policy of cost containment adopted by the Jair Bolsonaro government in the area of ​​Culture was counterproductive. “The Bolsonaro government made a mistake. What he saved now will be used in Lula’s government. It was stupid”, he says, for whom the political position of the artists benefited by the promotion laws should not be taken into account by any government.

In the filmmaker’s opinion, the previous government missed an opportunity to leave a mark on culture. “The bicentennial of Independence took place, and many films could have been made on the subject. President Bolsonaro could have issued a notice,” he exemplifies. For Teófilo, the Rouanet Law, in general, is good. “The financing of culture has to continue independently of the government. In general, the law is very good and works very well”, he says.

President of the National Library in the final stretch of the Bolsonaro government, Luiz Carlos Ramiro says that the downsizing of resources destined for culture responded to a popular appeal. “A strategy was applied, especially from the management of Secretary Mário Frias, of moralizing the incentive laws”, he says, referring to the then Secretary of Culture of the federal government. “And that fulfilled an electoral demand”, he continues.

Ramiro says that promoting culture should be based on successful experiences.

“A conservative cultural promotion policy would need to recover a history of the main moments of culture promotion in Brazil”. The entity was created in 1937 and is now part of the National Library.

The former president of the National Library also agrees that the previous government missed the opportunity to leave its mark on the bicentennial of Independence. “It was one of the biggest wastes that a government has ever had. It lacked a more calibrated coordination for that”, he says. In Ramiro’s opinion, the cut in some expenses with Culture should have been accompanied by a propositional agenda and a strengthening of strategic policies for this sector.

Understandable but unjustifiable disbelief

Pianist Álvaro Siviero, one of the most respected in the country, believes that the disbelief of part of the population with the culture promotion policy is, in a way, understandable. “To a large extent, all the demonization of the Rouanet Law came because people realized that there were loopholes for embezzling money”, he says, adding: “Another reason for revolt is that sometimes the people responsible for approving the project see it as a cultural manifestation what is the brutalization of the human being, pornography, messing up.”

Even so, says Siviero, the injection of public resources into culture is essential. “Investing in culture is not an expense. It’s a people’s need. If there hadn’t been the Rouanet Law, the country’s cultural life would have been much further behind”, he says. In the pianist’s opinion, the lack of attention due to the promotion of culture is a mistake. “It is precisely the lack of access to culture that makes people confuse beauty with personal taste,” he explains.

How the Rouanet Law Works

In force since 1991, the Rouanet Law (Law 8.313/91) allows cultural producers and artists to seek donations or sponsorship in the private sector. On the other hand, there are tax rebates for those who contribute. Companies can deduct from their Income Tax 40% of donations and 30% of sponsorships. Individuals – who, in theory, can also contribute – have the right to deduct 80% of donations and 60% of sponsorships.

In February 2022, the Bolsonaro government issued a Normative Instruction that reduced the limits for some projects. The rules remain in effect. The funding limit was set at R$ 6 million and, in some cases, less. The exception is projects of “special typicality”, the category in which the renovation of the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro was placed. In addition, the funding term fell from three to two years. The fee for solo artists cannot exceed R$3,000 (previously, it was R$45,000).

A People’s Gazette sought out the Ministry of Culture to inquire about possible projects to change the criteria of the Rouanet Law, but have not yet received a response.