The ‘Hexa’ for Xmas!

Dear Santa Claus,

It hasn’t been an easy year for us Brazilians. We started 2022 worried about the Covid pandemic and concerned with footage from the war in Ukraine. The uncertainty all of this caused led to inflation, and living costs have gone up significantly. 

We’ve seen social indicators dropping, and the homeless populations in major cities are growing fast.

And among all this, we had to go through a pretty punishing and tense election, with citizens on both sides fearing for the future should their candidate lose. Arguments among friends, family, and coworkers became commonplace, political violence rose. For a significant portion of the population, the result on October 30 was a relief, not necessarily because of Lula’s victory, but because the process had finally come to an end.

Santa, there are few things as important to our identity as football. And an end-of-year World Cup, to bring people together after such a divisive and tortuous year, has been a blessing. But, would it be too much to ask for the trophy too?

Brazil has played some of the tournament’s best football so far, and can you imagine what a sixth World Cup title would do for the country and our sense of unity?

Think about it!

Thanks,

The Brazilian Report 

Go deeper:

• Is it time for Brazil to re-engage with its national symbols?

• #worldCup