São Paulo – Brazilian artisans will have the opportunity to seek new consumers, mainly foreign, during the 2014 World Cup. The Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) should promote, in the first half of next year, the national release of a project called “Brasil Original” (Original Brazil), whose objective is to show Brazilian handicraft to tourists visiting the country during the tournament.
Some states have already released their project, but the campaign for domestic promotion is being thought for 2013, said in an interview to ANBA the coordinator of the Brasil Original project, Maurício Tedeschi. The focus is the World Cup, but the initiative should also be useful for other large events the country is going to receive, like the Confederations Cup, in 2013.
Through the project, artisans should receive training and incentives to develop higher value-added items. Brasil Original plans to improve the perception of buyers regarding Brazilian handicraft and to make possible access to more demanding markets, which pay fairer prices for articles.
For sale of the products, temporary spaces will be assembled in the cities to receive matches. "These showrooms will have a special layout, showing and trading Brazilian handicraft during periods of high exhibition of the country,” said Tedeschi. The sites will be defined by the state chapters of the Sebrae, but, according to the coordinator, they should operate in spaces with great flow of people, like tourist sites, airports, or the vicinity of stadiums.
"With events like the Confederations Cup and the 2014 Fifa World Cup, Brazil should be in the limelight and our culture will be shown on the national and international media. This phenomenon will certainly contribute for our handicraft to gain greater visibility among international and domestic tourists, so that the people may start seeing this work as a professional activity, developed by talented artists, not just a hobby,” said Tedeschi.
The products traded should be varied. The tendency, according to the coordinator, is for them to explore the cultural diversity of Brazil. He believes, however, that among the inspiration for production of the items will be the football World Cup and the green and yellow colours of the Brazilian team.
The project is at a different phase in each state, with research, selection and training of the target public or development of products. The choice of artists to participate, according to Tedeschi, will be through a curating system developed by Sebrae representatives, designers and decorators, among other professionals. The objective is to select those who have the greatest potential for production of higher value added items.
*Translated by Mark Ament
