Why I'm Not Going to the World Cup in Rio 2014

Last month, when I heard about the riots in Brazil, I must admit I was slow to take them seriously. Having seen daily demonstrations in Bolivia and Argentina, some of which seemed more like publicity stunts than desperate social protests, I wasn't overly concerned when I heard that people were taking to the streets in Sao Paulo and Rio. Although the mainstream British media does not tend to give Latin American demonstrations much coverage, it made sense for them to report on this because Brazil's World Cup next year has placed the country firmly into the international spotlight.

However, after watching the clip, No, I'm not going to the world cup, I realized I had underestimated the scale and political impact of these protests. In this video, Claura Dauden denounces the stereotyped international perception of Brazil, which is renowned for its hedonistic lifestyle and is seen as the wildest host for a worldwide fiesta at the FIFA World Cup. Spending money on the World Cup, she argues, does little for the economy and instead drains social welfare for buildings that might never be used again. Instead of seeing the World Cup as a marker of Brazil's progress, she claims it will stunt Brazil's development.

I spoke to Juliana Iooty, editor of BBC Brasil, who was worried about the safety of students on their year abroad living in Rio. When we told her that the riots would not deter us from living there, she invited us to write a personal blog in Portuguese (which I will translate for you here) about our experiences in the country. Will these demonstrations lead to further violence? Or can President Dilma Rousseff, a former Marxist guerrilla, handle the angry crowds?
Watch this space.

Above: After Visiting the World Service Office at the BBC, I couldn't resist getting a tourist snap outside!

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