Casa do Povo's Pandemic Response: From Soap Production to Food Distribution in São Paulo's Bom Retiro
Founded in 1946 by progressive Jews, Casa do Povo is a cultural hub located in São Paulo's Bom Retiro neighborhood. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the center, led by Benjamin Seroussi, adapted by producing masks and soap while also donating food. Engaging with the local community, it viewed culture as intertwined with activism and crucial services. The densely populated area suffered greatly from the pandemic's effects. Seroussi expressed concern over the closure of cultural centers and their shift to online platforms, labeling it as a neglect of privilege. Casa do Povo also pursued ongoing initiatives, such as the restoration of the TAIB (Teatro de Arte Israelita Brasileiro) and the reopening of its library in 2019. The 2021 budget is projected at R$1.9 million, facing difficulties due to an unsupportive federal government.
Key facts
- Casa do Povo, a cultural center in São Paulo's Bom Retiro, shifted to producing soap, masks, and food distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Director Benjamin Seroussi criticized cultural centers moving solely online as abandoning their core functions and communities.
- The institution was founded in 1946 by progressive Jews and is housed in a modernist building by Ernest Mange.
- It faced a 30-year crisis before resuming activities around 2012-2013, coinciding with Brazil's broader economic and political crisis.
- Projects continued during the pandemic include restoring the TAIB theater and reactivating a library with 8,000 books.
- Financial challenges are heightened by the pandemic and a federal government hostile to culture, with a 2021 budget of R$1.9 million.
- Seroussi argues culture faces both economic censorship (neoliberal) and a potential return to political censorship.
- The institution secured support from international bodies like the British Council and Germany's Relief Fund.
Entities
Artists
- Benjamin Seroussi
- Ernest Mange
- Marília Loureiro
- Jean Camoleze
- Mariana Lanari
- Remco van Bladel
- Jorge Wilheim
- André Vainer
- Ilan Szklo
- Silvio Oksman
- Fernanda Montenegro
- Ana Druwe
- Martha Kiss Perrone
- Jakub Rotbaum
- Hugueta Sendacz
- Rino Levi
- Le Corbusier
- Plínio Marcos
- Augusto Boal
- Caetano Veloso
- Marilia Loureiro
- Amós Oz
- Lilia Schwarcz
- Vicente Perrota
- Amos Oz
Institutions
- Casa do Povo
- Centro da Cultura Judaica
- Bienal de São Paulo
- Coletivo de diálogo e diversidade de táticas
- TAIB (Teatro de Arte Arte Israelita Brasileiro)
- MST
- Uneafro
- South South
- Raw material
- Green Papaya Project
- British Council
- Relief Fund (Ministerio das Relações Exteriores da Alemanha)
- Foundation for Art Iniciatives (Ffai)
- arte!brasileiros
- G1
- Prefeitura de São Paulo
- Nossa Voz (newspaper)
- Clube da Juventude
- Ginásio Israelita Brasileiro Scholem Aleichem
- Teatro de Arte Israelita Brasileiro (TAIB)
- Teatro de Arena
- Teatro Popular do Sesi
- Coral Tradição
- Pinacoteca
- Oficina Cultural Oswald de Andrade
- Sesc Bom Retiro
- Sala São Paulo
- Teatro Porto Seguro
- Museu de Arte Sacra
- Teatro de Container
- Judeus pela Democracia
- Youth Club
- Brazilian Israeli Gymnasium Scholem Aleichem
- Brazilian Israelite Art Theater (TAIB)
- Arena Theater
- Sesi Popular Theater
- Center for Jewish Culture
- Coral Tradition
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Bom Retiro
- Brasilândia
- Salvador
- Dakar
- Senegal
- Manilla
- Philippines
- Porto Feliz
- Mato Grosso
- Grão-Pará
- Rua Três Rios
- Gran Chaco
- Argentina
- Paraguay
- Algarve
- Portugal
- Israel