Debate over the Rouanet Law and the impasses facing culture in Brazil is nothing new, but since the elections the issue has taken on different contours. Following the climate of polarization sweeping the country, conservative groups have begun calling for its repeal. These groups argue that the law centralizes power and that its decisions are biased.
Rumors abound, and if you follow the discussions—or rather battles!—taking place on social media, you will notice how little people know about the subject.
You commonly see statements such as: “Most ARTISTS are left-wing not because they ‘love the poor,’ but because they love Rouanet Law funding.” “Now those Rouanet-sucking actors will lose their gravy train.” “Today they’re Rouanets; in January, it’ll be ‘Rua neles’ [out on the street with them].” And so on.
Technical assessment
This shows that many people think the Rouanet Law provides direct state sponsorship for artists, but that is not how it works. The law is a mechanism for funding culture through tax incentives. Projects are submitted to the Ministry of Culture and undergo a technical assessment of whether they meet formal requirements. The merits of the proposals are not assessed.
Once approved, a project can move on to fundraising: seeking companies willing to sponsor it using a portion of their income tax. This ends up shifting much of the cultural debate to corporate marketing departments and their priorities. And here we have a problem.
But having a problem does not mean we should simply support repealing the law. In the absence of public cultural policies, abolishing it would be disastrous! The Rouanet Law has become strategic to the operation of major institutions. MASP, the Pinacoteca, OSESP and essential events in our cultural calendar, such as the Bienal, are good examples. We cannot simply decree its end. That would mean betting, as Folha recently put it, on a cultural blackout.
Bringing the FAPESP model to culture
But we must recognize that the Rouanet Law needs adjustments. We cannot have a single law covering everything from small producers to mega-events with virtually the same requirements. We also need to establish bodies responsible for assessing proposals on their merit and content.
Whenever I compare support mechanisms for culture with those for academic research, I am struck by how many light-years ahead the research funding agencies are… Take Fapesp, for example. The foundation is public, its autonomy is guaranteed by law, and its resources come from the state (1% of the state’s total tax revenue).
All proposals are peer-reviewed according to merit, through an independent process without government interference. This assessment method ensures the quality of projects and the independence of decisions. It also ensures that an immense variety of projects, involving small, medium and large budgets, can receive support through different categories of fellowships and grants.
We need the Rouanet Law. But we also need mechanisms to foster cultural production beyond the major players and the cultural economy circuit. It is time to bring the FAPESP model to culture.
Transcript of Giselle Beiguelman’s Ouvir Imagens column, broadcast every Monday at 8 a.m. on Rádio USP (93.7 FM).
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Featured image: Sofia Borges at the 33rd São Paulo Biennial. Photo: Giselle Beiguelman.