ECONOMIC ANALYSIS DANGER 3

SURVEY OF BRAZIL PART 3 TO BE CONTINUED

8-STILL EXISTING SLAVERY

History is stubborn……

Emperor Peter II of Brazil was overthrown in 1889 because he abolished Slavery of Black people in 1888. After slavery of Black people, the new Republic of  Fazendeiros (Big Farmers) created the new slavery of white people.

Today we may consider that a minimum wage of 200 Euros is an official recognition of Slavery, but this is not enough, many companies hired people informally to avoid paying social charges and minimum wage.

But this is not enough, many organizations recreate pure slavery. Delinquent people go to poor villages and hire people to work far from their home and family in order to make them vulnerable. On arrival on work site (often Cane culture for ethanol production replacing car oil in Brazil or Cattle Ranches), the recruiters “Gatos” inverse the situation and explained to the workers that they are debtors because of food and transport and that they will not be paid for their works.

The last figures were published in 2003 by United Nations indicated that about 25 000 to 40 000 slaves were exploited in Brazil. More recent estimations are at about 25 000 slaves, mainly as above mentioned are exploited in Cattle Ranches and sugar cane plantations.

Mobile inspection Groups were created in Brazil to limit slavery and since 1995 have freed 33 000 slaves in Brazil. The record number was recent since 6 000 slaves were freed by the police in 2007.

The importance of this recent operation is particularly worrying regarding slavery in Brazil.

But Slavery might be more insidious since any people may have one of several domestics for 200 Euros per month each in total legality.

We also remind (See my report dated 4 January 2010) that Brazil do not recognize Indians as full citizens; they have a status of minor as children. On the other side of the border in French Guyana, same Indians are full citizens of France and Europe. This situation contravenes Human Rights Declaration that Brazil has signed.

9-EDUCATION

Education is the corner stone of a country future. There is a tax earmarked to Education, which is useless according OCDE’s opinion and this organization thinks that in term of share of GDP dedicated to Education, Brazil is in lines with OCDE’s countries. The last figure known is 4% of GDP in 2004 as compared to 5.7% in France.

OCDE forgot that Brazil population: 200 million is one of the most important among countries and that Brazilian GDP is very limited. Consequently comparing Education budget of a country with others as a percentage of GDP is totally meaningless. Education depends on population and should be particularly important for a country aiming to develop. Education should be a top priority for Brazil.

Contrary to OCDE we think that effort on Education should be bigger in percentage of GDP but adequately invested.

As fairly mentioned by OCDE the standardized International tests – PISA- demonstrate a strong deficiency of Brazilian Education system.

 Level of High schools is substantially inferior to those of OCDE. Students and people in general seem to have visible educational gaps. English and Spanish teaching would help students to have access to a wider culture but teaching of foreign languages is very deficient. Most of Brazilian lives in their country as in a huge Ghetto and have a vague idea of other countries, including the very close countries of MERCOSUL. Few of them travel and fewer travel abroad.

Portuguese learning is encouraged in the surrounding Spanish speaking countries but Spanish is hardly spoken in Brazil. This factor participates to stagnation since Brazilian citizens have not enough external comparison references to feed their requests for a Nation change.

The number of general courses in secondary Schools and High Schools per annum is insufficient and concentrated in the morning only. Teachers who are themselves the products of this system do not seem to have a sufficient competence to remedy the education system deficiency. 

Rich families have recourse to private Schools and external private teachers to compensate part of these deficiencies.

The final high school graduation does not open the doors of Universities. Another graduation per University and selected field is necessary named “Vestibular” and is valid in the same year of exam only. At University courses seem also reduced as compared to western countries e.g. physicians (Medicas) do not obtain MD (Doctorate graduation) but a post graduate professional diploma since studies are limited to 6 years as compared to 9 in France. Contrary to OCDE’s indications, progress should be continued in health Brazilian sector.

Significant Case of Museums in Brazil:

Museums are an important place enabling the citizens to enrich their education and culture continually and the poor situation of Museums is meaningful regarding the education situation. We present here below two examples:

National Museum of Rio de Janeiro:

Most of Cariocas including the police seems to have no idea where it is and the signalization to reach it permits only to make round circles in the city; a map is necessary to locate the museum.

This is probably a main museum in Brazil since Rio was a long time the federal capital city. Its size is similar to a small museum of small cities of France (for example Caen in France has much bigger museums), without clear organization and explanations. Various objects are accumulated and a good knowledge of the country’s History is requested to appreciate some of them. [The original torture cross of Tiradents, the National Hero, is simultaneously and miraculously present in the Museum of Rio de Janeiro and in the one of Ouro Preto (State of Minas Gerais)].

Visitors in touristic season seem to represent a smaller number than the museum guards who wear surprisingly battle dresses with truncheons or guns. Changes should be done before Olympic Games.

State Museum of Minas Gerais - Belo Horizonte

It has the size of a big flat on one single level with nothing interesting in it e.g. old pictures and old work instruments with no explanations. Guards wear civilian dresses but are clearly surprised by the presence of visitors.

 10- OIL RESERVES

Oil might help marginally the country development. Oil is no more the planet future and revenues depend on production costs. According to OCDE, new fields were recently discovered off the country’s south-eastern coast.  As a matter of facts, these new reserves are located in deep waters, below a thick salt layer at about 2 500-5 000 meters below the seabed, which renders production technologically complex and costly. The reserves are also distant from the coast, which poses logistical challenges.  On top oil concerns few States, which do not wish to share their resources with other States.

We will see that the current federal organization is a brake for the Nation development.