The jury is still out on if the show put on by the Brazilians at the inauguration of Rio 2016 was really great. In recent memories, the show organised by the Chinese at the Beijing Olympics was a great display of the Asian country’s growing power. In 2012, at the London games, the Brits tried to show to the world how they have contributed to the creation of an international system as envisaged by them.
In Rio, on Friday night, it was not clear what exactly the Brazilian show was all about. Coming out if the Maracana, many complained about the lack of enough samba music at the opening ceremony, while others praised the inclusion of music by some legendary Brazilians artists like Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gill in the opening ceremony.
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Though the show tried to include the country’s history going back to 500 years and present various aspects of its culture, it was dominated by the culture of Rio. Capital of the country till 1960, when it was moved to Brasilia, the city of Rio still remains the centre of Brazilian culture. For a reason not known, all top Brazilian musicians have come from Rio de Janeiro. Bossa Nova, which is generally referred to as the Brazilian jazz, was born in this city. And till now it remains the defining feature of modern Brazilian music.
Though there are musical forms like forro, which developed in other parts of the country, they were given a pass on Friday night. The Cariocas, as the city people are called, take great pride in their music. Friday’s night was Rio’s show and there was not much scope for music from other parts of the country.
