Economy

How important are state-owned companies to Brazilian cultural investments?

petrobras brazilian culture
Rio’s Film Festival

Besides being a symbol of national enterprise, state-owned oil giant Petrobras is also seen as an important cultural patron in Brazil, supporting initiatives related to performing arts, music and audiovisual art. But, according to President Jair Bolsonaro, who has ordered a review of the company’s sponsorship program, the state has “higher priorities” and sponsoring cultural ventures should not be the responsibility of state-owned companies. The question is: who is going to fulfill this role now?

On Wednesday, Mr. Bolsonaro took to Twitter to say that he ordered a “review of sponsorship contracts,” adding that investments in the last few years have reached over than BRL 3 billion, without naming Petrobras directly. He also defended that investments must happen in a “fair, streamlined, clear and responsible way”.

Petrobras is not the only company in the country to...

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