Despite big-name dignitaries, Belém’s brega divas will be the stars of Cop30
When I think of Belém, it’s the vibrant music scene found in this corner of the Amazon, rather than the Cop30 climate summit, that comes to mind. And yet, the diplomatic event kicks off in the northeastern Brazilian city next week. A tip for visiting dignitaries? Forget samba or bossa nova: in Belém, brega dominates the charts. It is a tricky genre to define due to its mix of styles, from funk to calypso, which meld into a romantic, dramatic and admittedly quite cheesy whole. Earlier this year the UN recognised Belém as the world capital of the genre and the Brazilian government is leaning heavily on it to promote Cop30 and distract from months of headlines criticising its decision to host the global gathering there.
With the leaders of the world’s largest polluters (the US, China and India) not attending Cop30, many seem pessimistic about its chances of success. But, even with a parade of leaders still descending on the port city, it will be the divas of brega that will be the summit’s real stars. The most famous name of them all is Joelma, who has now gone solo after being part of the duo Banda Calypso. Her gigs are eclectic and carnivalesque. She embodies Belém and brega like no other. A recent European tour was packed full of Brazilians and their slightly bemused foreign partners. Joelma recently performed at Amazônia Live, a special pre-Cop30 concert, alongside other brega stars and the biggest diva of them all: Mariah Carey. But it was Joelma, performing atop a giant water-lily-shaped stage floating on the Guamá river, who stood out. The show was what my fellow countrymen would call “pure Brazilian juice”. Also on stage at Amazônia Live was the ever-impressive 86-year-old Dona Onete, who released her first record at the tender age of 73. Her song “No Meio do Pitiú”, which translates as “strong fish odour”, was a massive hit.
Growing up in São Paulo, I was not exposed to the wonderful sounds of Belém until singer Gaby Amarantos began incorporating it into her electric grooves, bringing the genre to other regions of Brazil. But as with so many of the nation’s infectious rhythms, it migrated first around the country and then beyond.
On the world stage, music is as big of a cog in Brazil’s soft-power machine as football. A little flamboyancy and a good dance are never amiss. Belém’s infrastructure has long been criticised but if there’s a dance floor (perhaps a well-made caipirinha too) then Cop30 has every chance of getting leaders to sing the same tune. While Brazil prepares to host the climate conference in the Amazonian city, I would advise all delegates to spare some time to explore the city’s music and shake their hips to the energetic and sweaty sounds of Belém’s wonderful divas.
Fernando Augusto Pacheco is a senior correspondent for Monocle Radio and host of ‘The Stack’. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.Further reading? In Brazil’s agricultural boom towns, ‘sertanejo’ now trumps bossa nova.
