In a summer when Brazil took center stage as host of soccer's World Cup, South America's largest country is receiving a week's worth of attention at the Chautauqua Institution. WBFO's Mark Scott reports on "Brazil: Rising Superpower" in this week's Chautauqua Preview.
There was much apprehension in the weeks leading up to the World Cup. Construction of the facilities where the games were to be played was behind schedule. Some Brazilians protested the huge spending on this and the upcoming Olympics in 2016. But other than an embarrassing seven-one loss by the home country to Germany in the semi-finals, the World Cup was staged without incident. This week at Chautauqua, speakers will be charting Brazil's history, politics and culture. Chautauqua President Tom Becker says its influence in global affairs is growing.
"There's a term, BRIC -- which represents Brazil, Russia, India and China. There are relationships among them, certainly in terms of the resources they have and consume. Brazil has these resources, and they're consuming them at a dizzying pace," Becker said.
Brian Winter, Reuters chief correspondent in Brazil, will speak at the Amphitheater Tuesday morning. He's expected to talk about why soccer matters so much in Brazil, as well as the country's economic and social policies. Then on Wednesday, Deborah Wetzel, the country director for Brazil at the World Bank, will focus largely on Brazil's economy. At a 2012 forum sponsored by the World Bank Institute, Wetzel said open governance in countries like Brazil is key to long term economic prosperity.
"We have been doing a great deal of work to try and strengthen institutions, focusing on better public sector management," Wetzel said. "That helps promote democracy."
The afternoon inter-faith program at the Hall of Philosophy will explore the Interplay of of Religion and Culture in Brazil. Pope Francis is from neighboring Argentina. Chautauqua's Associate Religion Director Maureen Rovegno says Latin America is richly spiritual with a strong Catholic presence.
"The impact of the Roman Catholic Church on Latin America has been very significant," Rovegno said. "It has become the champion of human rights. Pope Francis is a wonderful example of that."
But Rovegno says 21st century Brazil has seen more secularism and Protestantism that will be explored.
Coming up Monday, the author who won the 2014 Chautauqua Literary Prize will hold a public reading and book signing. Elizabeth Scarboro will be awarded her prize at 3:30 at the Hall of Philosophy for her critically acclaimed book, "My Foreign Cities." It's Scarboro’s memoir of her life with her first husband Stephen, whose cystic fibrosis was always present throughout their time together. In an interview last January on public station WAMC's "Roundtable" program, Scarboro said Stephen faced his mortality head on.
"He didn't second guess himself very much. He had pretty strong instincts," Scarboro said. "He wanted to do what he wanted to do in the time he had."
Chautauqua Prize judges called the book a "deeply moving, incredibly honest story of embracing life while confronting certain death.”
We told you earlier this season that each of the guest conductors of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra this summer are all finalists for permanent appointment as music director. This week, former Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Director Maximiano Valdes will take his turn at the podium Tuesday and Thursday.
Then on Friday night, jazz great Pat Metheny performs in concert with Bruce Hornsby, starting at 8:15 at the Amphitheater.