OF THE GOLD THAT SHINES AND DOESN'T SHINE

The carnival drums had another joy this year: Lucas Pinheiro Braathen's gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Giant slalom, king discipline among winter sports. The fact that we have snow for good only in São Joaquim, in Santa Catarina, that the boy was born in Norway, that country rich in oil, full of fjords and owner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a great investor in energy and minerals in Brazil, and that the absolute majority of Brazilians have never seen snow or ski, does not change anything. He is a Brazilian son who knows how to sing the anthem and speaks Portuguese well, dances samba, was rejected by the Norwegians for his Olympic team and found his space with Brazil and won for Brazil. First gold medal in the winter games for Latin America, including countries that, such as Chile and Argentina, have snow.

Since 1980, Brazil has incorporated its 5 million Brazilians living abroad, its diaspora, as part of the Brazilian nation. These Brazilians, today already several generations, live in the USA, two million, then come the European countries and South American neighbors. Brasiguaios in Paraguay, decasséguis in Japan. Every year they send more than 5 billion dollars to the Brazilian coffers. And every year more than 300,000 leave Brazil, nowadays with families and educated people. Not only in Canada you find these Brazilians, but in New Zealand and Australia. It seems that they are not afraid of distance or difficulties in adapting.

Thus, while we are experiencing in Brazil an aging of the population and low population growth, we are with the prospect that in 2030 almost 8 million Brazilians will live abroad, that is, 4% of the Brazilian population. The bleeding from Brazil with the departure of young people with their families, highly qualified, deeply affects our development. The reasons for emigration today are from security, perspective and professional development and last but not least loss of hope that Brazil will offer its children a better perspective. If we add to this the outflow of private savings, deposits of Brazilians in foreign banks, which add up to more than 500 billion dollars, we have a worrying equation to see in our future.

The official Brazilian system of support for Brazilians abroad is somewhat effective through Itamaraty and the Guimarães Rosa Institute, in charge of teaching language and culture. It has Citizens' Councils. And there are many Brazilians who have risen positions in societies not only as executives, sportsmen, artists and entrepreneurs, but also academics. Brazilian abroad is respected as a worker, with his swing and joy.

They don't come back, they go out more and more, and how is Brazil? Proud of your children, but impoverished here.