Rio de Janeiro was the stage for the biggest show of Madonna’s career on Saturday, the 4th, bringing together 1.6 million people on Copacabana beach. In addition to private capital from a bank, 20 million reais of public money were invested to make the show happen, with 10 million reais coming from the city hall and another 10 million from the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro. There is no sufficiently convincing economic return argument that it was a good investment. Don’t get me wrong — I grew up listening to the hits from Madonna due to her maternal influence — but she definitely didn’t deserve that 20 million reais.
What leads a mayor to negotiate a free concert for “queen of pop” on Copacabana beach in the year of municipal elections? The answer seems obvious, but it is not obvious to everyone. On the internet, videos of people outraged by a huge VIP area that separated the stage from the public circulated days before the show. The narrative was always the same: “This is the place of the elite, the rich”. The truth is that the elite is not in the electorate. The elite are the elected. The elite is Eduardo Paes and his “companions”together celebrating in advance his re-election to the sound of “La Isla Bonita”. The old and classic revitalization of roads in an election year came in the form of a free show for Rio de Janeiro.
Before each and every show, there is planning and several negotiations. The artist who decides to do a show in a city generally prepares a presentation contract with the event promoter (or the company responsible for organizing the show).
The event promoter also needs to sign rental contracts for the show location, as well as production contracts with sound, lighting, scenography and security companies. In other words, this entire process is based on private contracts, as it should be. The natural course was for Madonna’s show to take place without public money.
No tax payer contributes to finance shows. The average tax payer is satisfied when they see that revenue is being invested in areas such as health, education and public safety, especially in a state manifestly abandoned by public authorities. No one should be forced to finance shows, especially since not everyone likes and will enjoy that show. There are priority areas in Rio de Janeiro that our mayor and governor barely talk about.
The state is handed over to the narco-militia. Education and health are scrapped. The Brazilian Yearbook of Basic Education has already shown that only 35% of public school students finish Elementary School with adequate learning in Portuguese.
Rio de Janeiro had the worst result in the Ideb in the Southeast Region in 2022. According to the G1 violence monitor, Rio de Janeiro recorded almost 2 thousand violent deaths in the first half of 2023, which is equivalent to 10 deaths per day. These are just some data. There was never room for Madonna to be awarded 20 million of the sweat of Rio workers.
To complete, Eduardo Paes thought it would be nice to post on social media the “great achievement” of the financial return of 300 million reais for Riowhile other political leaders expressed solidarity with the humanitarian tragedy in Rio Grande do Sul. While events like this can attract tourists and temporarily increase the flow of money into the region, the long-term benefits are questionable. Some studies and articles show that the real economic impact is often exaggerated and ephemeral, with few tangible benefits for local residents.
In this sense, even if we considered short-term economic movement, it is important to remember that the opportunity cost was completely ignored when these resources were no longer directed to areas most in need, bringing real long-term benefits. If it were true that every million invested turns into millions in return, it would be enough to invest monthly in an international show to become a first world country. Wrong.
This is the country of bread and circuses. This is the country where politics is a place to maintain power. It is better to invest in the millions in a three-hour show with the clear intention of promoting one’s own image and building political capital than to face with serious politics the deep-rooted problems of Rio de Janeiro, which affect the population’s quality of life. for a corner. Rio de Janeiro asks for help.
Letícia Barros is a lawyer, entrepreneur and vice-president of LOLA Brasil.
The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Antagonist and Crusoe
