Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Residents of Rio de Janeiro (Cariocas) playing soccer on Enseada de Botafogo
and Paulo Coelho, have helped
spread the word about their
homeland. The music of Brazil, be it
samba
,
bossa nova
, or one of the
many other musical styles to be found
across the country, has been a
powerful calling card since the 1960s.
In more recent times, talented
filmmakers have gone on to produce
critically acclaimed works, including
Walter Salles with
Central do Brasil
(
Central Station
, 1998) and Fernando
Meirelles with
Cidade de Deus
(
City
of God
, 2002).
Brazilians celebrate life with their
colorful festivals. Carnaval, the
cultural event that helped put Brazil
on the map, is perceived as the
biggest and best in the world, and its
revelry embraces the whole country.
SPORT & CULTURE
Brazil's sporting and cultural influence
has made the “Brasil” brand known
throughout the world. Brazil is the
world's greatest soccer (
futebol
)
nation, having won
the World Cup on
five occasions and
being the only
nation to play at
every World Cup.
Pelé
(see p168)
,
hailed as a great
national hero, is the
most famous soccer
player of all time.
Brazil's sporting
prowess has not
been restricted to soccer. In Ayrton
Senna, Nelson Piquet, and Emerson
Fittipaldi, it has had three Formula 1
World Champions, and in tennis it
saw success in the 1950s and 60s
with Maria Esther Bueno and, more
recently, with Gustavo Kuerten.
Culture has also played its part in
establishing how the world views
Brazil. The first musicians to make a
mark internationally were composer
Heitor Villa-Lobos and legendary
performer Carmen Miranda. In
literature too, writers as different in
their subject matter as Jorge Armado
Ayrton Senna, winner
of the Monaco Grand
Prix in 1992
A group of musicians rehearsing Brazil's country
music
sertanejo
, in Cidade de Goiás
