every little thing's gonna be alright

the last few times i've updated i've begun with an attempt to write about the experience i had thursday night when i went to see gilberto gil speak for free at wheeler auditorium. but after i started using phrases like "freaking incredible," "indescribably cool," and "totally sweet" (well maybe not that last one), i decided i better not unearth an entry filled with such articulate description until i know what the hell i'm trying to say.

more than a week later i'm still inclined to give up, but so it goes. being that my memory is exquisitely bad and seems to only get worse with each passing year, i should probably write something before i forget the thing entirely.

gilberto gil, ("g" like "gesticulate") in case you don't know, is a brazilian folk/pop singer/songwriter/guitarist/etc popularized in the 1960s and 70s for his brilliant and influential tropicalia music. socially and politically conscious throughout his artistic career, he made the leap to governmental service in 2003 when he became brazil's first minister of culture.

the presentation gil made was a blend of exploration of the brazilian culture, economic development, social utopia, and persistent reality. in his soft voice and musical portuguese cadence, he outlined aspects of his policies and ideals to an audience that seemed to trust his propositions as a policymaker on the basis of his accomplishments as an artist.

gilberto gil's analyses are not easy to understand, but his vision isn't hard to imagine. he believes that in a world economy encountering its "fourth wave of globalization," there is an unspoken demand for new cultural models and policies. his goal, in a certain sense, is to put his voice (famous throughout the world) to the value of creativity. according to gil, the creative economy can only provide sustainable development when derived from cultural diversity.

the idea is to study the culture of economics and the economics of culture; that these two domains are inextricably related in the developing world; that these two domains can both feed and be fed by one another. in a market already infiltrated by creative industries like music, film, broadcasting, television, and internet, gil calls for an unfettered access to these rising commodities, in order to provide financial and economic opportunities for countries and their citizens.

thus gil encourages not the monopoly of these industries by any investor or government, but an equal distribution of this access. the market must be globalized equally, both socially and economically. the measurement of success will be the only thing by which we CAN measure success: the quality of human life. in his spirit of positivism he announces, "utopia? yes! we still need it! we still need it."

it is this idealism that makes gil's program so palatable. rather than dismissing artistic and cultural exploration as a subset or offshoot of society's interests, he puts it on the field of more readily accepted players: economics, politics, market development. natural resources and diversity are the basis for any sustainable investment, gilberto claims. so why not include culture as an acceptable form of this brand of capital?

yet it is not gil's intention to exploit or objectify culture. instead, he intends to use it as a means of feeding hungry societies both economically and creatively. mobilization of developing countries will allow for the promotion of such creative economies. in this way, the ministry of culture intends to "massage the sleeping points" of brazilian society, thereby stimulating its weaknesses and putting its "natural resources" to use.

the program minister gil outlines to do this goes by the characteristically vibrant and optimistic name "Life Culture." already in place in over 200 different points around brazil, "life culture" currently employs around 50,000 brazilian youths--and the numbers are rising. the program has three major functions: 1. to manufacture symbols of growth and hope 2. to promote sustainable economic development 3. to emphasize the equal rights and citizenship of every brazilian. the program is aimed specifically at socially vulnerable areas as a way of inducing development and socio-economic progress from a cultural standpoint.

according to gil, the program is to be run locally by community involvement, making the people both the users and the moderators of the system. the system itself essentially provides access to whatever culturally-inducing "stuff" that the local community deems appropriate, from musical instruments and equipment to recording studios to theatres to art supplies and galleries. the overriding principle is that the production and distribution of culture will diffuse socio-economic tension in the area, improve the individual and communal quality of life, and provide non-discriminatory (or even positively discriminative) access.

a program like "life culture" is laced with the utopian idealism by which gilberto gil has lived his life. undeterred by arrests for his revolutionary music-making, he has forged a path that so many of his musical followers have been able to follow. appropriately, his progressive music is matched by his political ambition. his positive outlook is because he sees in his vision sustainable improvement. in the 21st century, where uncertainty and cynicism are central to a "modernized" world-view, gil's idealism is not quaint or even refreshing; it is requisite.

when he finally stepped down from his podium to serenade the audience on guitar (gracing us with the legendary "aquele abraco," bob marley's "three little birds" and others), he radiated the optimism that he preached. he even inspired joan baez to hop on stage and begin dancing to his "sweet songs." i couldn't help but think that this is a man who has lived a life worthy of his own convictions. for someone like him, it's not just about his talent or his brilliance, but his capacity to share, influence and inspire. he is some kind of "life culture."