The use of tax incentive mechanisms in order to guarantee and encourage cultural freedom of expression has become challenging in Brazil’s cultural sector.

Santander Bank’s cultural centre closed an art exhibition a month ahead of schedule after heavy criticism that works allegedly alluded to taboo topics.

A billboard displaying Livia Natalia’s ‘Quadrilha’ poem, in the city of Itabuna in southern Bahia, was taken down after four days due to its portrayal of a black character killed by military police; the billboard was originally approved to stay up for two months, Brazilian newspaper Globo reported on 21 …

Leading up to the World Cup in Brazil, with sounds of gunfire in the background, forbidden funk rappers continued to talk about what the government wants to hide: extreme violence, social segregation and racism in the favelas. By Debora Baldelli Girls dance at a baile funk party in the Rocinha, the …

Newsletter from Article 19, published on article19.org on 21 October 2013: Art, in any form, constitutes a key medium through which information and ideas are imparted and received. Artist Alert, launched by ARTICLE 19 in 2008, highlights cases of artists around the world whose right to freedom of expression has …

  The Brazilian state Bahia has approved a law banning the use of public funds to pay for events where songs that offend women and gays are played. The state legislature of the north-eastern state of Bahia approved the law on 27 March 2012, and hereafter the Governor of Bahia, …

  During the carnival period anyone caught listening to Brazilian funk or rap in Sao Lourenco, situated in south-eastern Minas Gerais state, will have to turn it off or face arrest and up to six months in prison. Sao Lourenco’s mayor, Jose Neto, has banned carnival revellers from playing funk …

Universal rights of freedom of expression, and freedom of movement, are seriously violated in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Hip-hop artists face bans, personal intimidation, harassment and in the worst case death if they don’t obey to the rules, restrictions and ‘code of conduct’ of the gang which controls the …

1960s. Brazil. Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso The Brazilian military coup of 1964 ushered in 20 years of military rule and, with it, strict censorship of broadcast music – and especially of Musica Popular Brasileira. Numerous musicians during that period spent time in exile, including Chico Buarque, Gilberto …

1700s til today. Mexico. Son jarocho The Catholic Church banned son jarocho – one of Mexico’s most politically charged musical genres – during the 18th century on the grounds it was immoral, and first the Spanish, then the Mexican authorities tried to isolate and suppress the genre. The most famous …