The kick-off for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is just around the corner. The football festival is increasingly becoming a major nuisance for the locals. Protests are on the rise. The creativity with which people are getting their message across is impressive. A video exhibition organized by terre des hommes schweiz and the Swiss Sports Museum is dedicated to the dark side of the World Cup and this creativity.
It starts on 12 June 2014 in the new exhibition space of the Hinterhof, Basel.
The Swiss media have now also noticed and are reporting on the situation in Brazil again and again. The Brazilian population’s anticipation of the 2014 World Cup is evaporating at the same rate as public protests are increasing. The resentment among the population is also justified: While the Brazilian government has spent over 12 billion Swiss francs (Brazilian Court of Auditors April 2013) on the 2014 World Cup, people’s living conditions are continually deteriorating and their rights are being trampled on by the security forces. (Read more here)
Diverse, creative mobilization
Even if the demonstrations do not always end peacefully, people in Brazil have found many creative ways to take their protest to the public. On the one hand, they are active offline, for example with the Panini guerrilla action by the Midia Ninja group, in which Panini pictures are carefully removed from their packs, redesigned and resold in the same packaging. On the other hand, they spread their protest online on social networks, as in the witty campaign that changed the protest slogan “nao vai ter copa” (there will be no World Cup) to “vai ter copula” (there will be copulation). Posts on social networks are shared with pictures of people kissing under the keyword #vaitercopula.
Copa>Demo>Video>Stream
Because it is so easy to record videos with a smartphone these days, the protesters are very active on the video portal YouTube. Not only can you find video snapshots on this topic, but professional filmmakers also use this platform to draw attention to their message. Their videos provide first-hand information. They show the anger, fear, despair and powerlessness of the demonstrators, but also their will, courage and optimism to make a difference. Their videos give the global World Cup event a new depth.
The video exhibition by terre des hommes schweiz in collaboration with the Swiss Sports Museum is dedicated to this contradiction and will take place in the Hinterhof , Basel, during the World Cup. You can find all the details about this exhibition on our Copa>Demo>Video>Stream subpage, which can also be accessed via bit.ly/copademo.
We would be delighted if you would drop by!
