Pleased to meet you
The Braskem Culture and Arts Award introduces Brazil to eight professionals in the fields of music, the fine arts, literature and cinema A word from past winners
written by ◦ Flávia Azevedo photos by ◦ Christian Cravo

Conceptually focused on the production of new works in the fields of music, literature, cinema and the fine arts, the Braskem Culture and Arts Award marked its 10th anniversary in 2005 by introducing the Brazilian public to the group of breakthrough musicians, artists, writers and filmmakers that won this year’s awards. There were eight winners, all born or now living in Bahia. The awards will launch their careers by recording two CDs, mounting two exhibitions, publishing three books and producing a short film. Expectations are that all of the winners’ works will have a nationwide impact. They know that most award winners have done so in the past.

The two exhibitions are Série Nômades (Nomads Series), by Andres Rubio, and Artista e o ouro (The artist and gold), by Alvaro Machado. Jurandir Santana and Luciano Bahia will respectively record the CDs Só Brasil (Just Brazil), and Luciano Salvador Bahia. Léo Araújo Martins will direct a short film titled E aí, irmão? (What’s up, brother?). And the three books that will soon be arriving in the bookshops with the help of the Jorge Amado House Foundation are Padecimentos completos (Full sufferings), by Victor Pablo Jacobina Mesquita da Silveira, As casas onde eu morei (The houses where I’ve lived), by Vanessa Buffone, and Canção inglesa (English song), by Normalice dos Santos Souza.

José Cerqueira, Braskem’s Institutional Relations Manager in Bahia, observes that the award program’s credibility is due to the level of transparency and high standards set by the panel of judges, which is made up of renowned specialists from Salvador’s arts scene. Each year’s Braskem Culture and Arts Award competition opens in March or April. Potential candidates are recruited through news features and an advertising campaign informing candidates where and how to submit their entries. Once the deadline for submissions has expired, specific panels of judges formed for each area get to work to select the winners.

The ceremonies held to launch the winners’ work are major events in Salvador’s arts scene. They are eagerly awaited and the venues are always packed. Each artist performs or presents his or her work to an audience of 500 guests, including celebrities and personalities from each area of the award, critics, scholars, opinion shapers and journalists. It was at one such event that Mariene de Castro launched her CD Abre Caminho (Make way). The singer, who started her career 13 years earlier, won the Braskem Culture and Arts Award in 2004. During a memorable evening at Gantois (one of the oldest traditional African temples in Salvador) her voice had an opportunity to ring out throughout the country. Abre Caminho eventually won the 2005 TIM Award in the “Best Regional Album” category – one of the top music awards in Brazil.

Artist Sara Victória is another winner whose career got an extra boost from the Braskem award. After garnering the prize in 2003, the artist exhibited her works at the Paulo Darzé gallery, a prestigious venue in the city of Salvador. Since then, she has gone from success to success: one of her many exhibitions was recently mounted at the Post Office Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro.

Another example is Jean Willys. Before he became a national celebrity for his participation in a TV program, the college professor, journalist and author published his book Aflitos (The afflicted) in 2001 through the Braskem Award. In just four months, it sold 1,500 copies. The Editora Globo publishing house recently released a second edition.

“Braskem’s support for cultural expressions is a facet of the company’s Social Responsibility Program,” says José Cerqueira. “It is yet another example of how the company is demonstrating its commitment to the development of the communities in which it is present by encouraging, valuing and recognizing those communities’ talents and cultural traditions.”