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Pontos de Cultura

Dougald Hine
April 2007

"Our entire global system is a political construct, and Brazil is doing its best to hack that system to make it work better for the billions of people on this planet who dont own Microsoft stock. " - Alex Steffen

From the favelas of Sao Paolo to villages far up the Amazon, in the poorest communities in Brazil, a network of grassroots digital media centres are leading an open source revolution. At the last count, there were 600 of these Pontos de Cultura (Culture Hotspots) running on free software, recycled technology and a balance between government support and the dedication of local activists. Its a model which promises to extend open source culture through a whole society - and which is creating excitement around the world.

"Every license for Office plus Windows in Brazil means we have to export 60 sacks of soybeans," explains Marcelo DElia Branco, coordinator of the countrys Free Software Project. "For the right to use one copy of the software for one year or a year and a half, until the next upgrade, we have to till the earth, plant, harvest, and export 60 sacks of soybeans. When I explain this to farmers, they go nuts."

The adoption of free, open source software by the government of the worlds fifth largest country has a straightforward logic to it. But its the vision that goes beyond that logic which is increasingly drawing international attention. For Claudio Prado, the man who started the Pontos network, another world is not just possible - its already here. "The digital world is another world," he insists. "Industrial Age logic is no longer sustainable."

Soon after the election of President Lulas government in 2002, Prado went to see his old friend, the renowned musician Gilberto Gil, who had just been made Minister of Culture. He wanted to talk to him about an idea for using technology and cultural activity to help Brazils poorest communities find "a shortcut from the 19th century to the 21st".

"Because this wasnt something that could fit into the Ministry of Culture the way it was, he asked me to wait a few weeks." Instead of waiting, Prado decided to make a start - and so, as a few weeks turned into two years, he found himself building a new department out of good will and thin air. He would speak at international events on behalf of the government - yet with no budget, the Digital Culture programme was being run by activists and grassroots organisations, instead of civil servants.

This suited Prado down to the ground. He talks mischievously about how he "hacked the state" and built a government programme "from the outside-in". And two years later, when funding finally arrived, he was able to build on the network of artists, activists and hackers which had collected around the project in the mean time.

Prados suspicion of bureaucracy and top-down, one-size-fits-all solutions has influenced the way government interacts with the Pontos. Rather than parachute new facilities into a community, the programme works with existing local organisations. But although the resources attached are significant, the selection process favours organisations without previous experience of government funding.

"NGOs that are used to receiving money from government become experts in - receiving money from government!" Prado laughs. "So we dont choose the projects by whether they have their papers in order." Instead, potential applicants are judged on their cultural and social merit, and then provided with help to complete a formal application.

Each new Ponto gets a multimedia kit including a video camera and microphones, as well as a set of recycled computers. But its not about giving people a load of technology, then hiring a company to come in and fix things every time something goes wrong. The focus is on self-reliance and demystifying the grey box - opening up the machine and learning how to maintain it for yourself.

The convergence of artists, activists and hackers is not unique to Brazil. All over the world, groups are coming together and creating hubs of free software, recycled technology and grassroots creativity. The difference is, Brazil is the first country where a government has got seriously behind the idea.

The hope is that, as open source culture makes the transition from the margins to the heart of society, it can bring with it a different approach to development and economics - one based on collaboration, autonomy and decentralisation.