In this interview, Ambassador Corrêa do Lago talks about the cultural similarities between India and Brazil and the role Brazil can play in building the best possible cities in India to meet the various challenges ahead.
André Aranha Corrêa Do Lago, Brazil’s Ambassador to India, is a world-renowned architecture enthusiast who serves on the current Pritzker Prize jury. Established in 1979, the Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international architecture award given annually “to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, of who has produced lasting and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.”
A specialist in multilateral diplomacy, urbanism and climate change, Ambassador Corrêa do Lago is fascinated by the rich cultural heritage with which India is blessed. He is also aware of India’s growing influence as an economic powerhouse and cultural superpower.
In this interview, Ambassador Corrêa do Lago talks about the cultural similarities between India and Brazil, the Portuguese colonial churches in Goa and Brazil, the impact of the Pritzker Prize on the world of architecture and the role Brazil can play in building the best. potential cities in India in order to face various impending challenges like climate change.
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Q. How would you compare India and Brazil in terms of cultural heritage?
A. First of all, India is a country that has such a gigantic cultural heritage that very, very few countries can match. So I would never dare to compare Brazil and India. Brazil in this sense is a country that has a limited cultural history. You see, the indigenous people in Brazil developed some very interesting aspects of art, but they didn’t build them in stone. So the legacy of our indigenous people is still alive because as I always say, “Indigenous architecture in Brazil is contemporary architecture because we have indigenous people who still build as they used to build. But it is mostly made of wood, bamboo and other plants and so it is the kind of architecture that needs to be renewed often. It is not the case of Peru and Mexico in Latin America that have amazing pre-Columbian stone architecture. So you can’t really compare the cultural heritage of Brazil and India.
Q. Tell us about the similarities between India and Brazil in terms of colonial influences courtesy of the Portuguese.
A. Yes of course. Built Brazil and written Brazil began in the 16th century with the arrival of the Portuguese. So if we compare these periods, I think it would be a bit more fair. Now, the Portuguese presence in India was just before the Portuguese presence in Brazil. So you have very interesting Portuguese colonial churches in India that are very similar to Portuguese colonial churches in Brazil. But, in general, in Goa, they were built like a hundred years before the most important Portuguese churches in Brazil. So it is quite interesting that you can also study the evolution of the Portuguese colonial church starting in India at the beginning of the 16th century and continuing in Brazil until the end of the 18th century. But this is quite random and localized because it is basically in Goa and some other places. And that’s why I really like to compare the modernist legacy, because in that sense we can really compare the two countries. Our modernism starts in the 30s and same is the case with India. As for modernism, we are already a society in a similar state of development. We are both developing countries.
Q. A few months ago you gave a lecture on the impact of the Pritzker Prize at the Delhi School of Planning and Architecture as part of Bonjour India. How did this materialize?
A. Well, there’s always a personal dimension to that sort of thing. I am a very close friend of the French ambassador (Emmanuel Lenain) and on top of that I am married to a French woman. So I am closely associated with France. Also, my father was a diplomat and I always studied in French schools. I love French culture. When the French ambassador asked me if I could do something for Bonjour India, I told him I could talk about architecture and the French who got the Pritzker, and he liked the idea. And so it happened.
Q. During the lecture you touched on the need to help India build the best possible cities to meet the looming challenges like climate change. How can Brazil play a role in it? Also, what would be your recommendations for admins in India to fast track it?
A. I think India is too sophisticated and too advanced to be helped and advised. But what we can do is share experiences, and I think that’s something we can do a lot because there’s a very strong difference between India and Brazil in terms of cities. Brazil is already 87 percent urban. So we already have an economy that is predominantly urban. In case of India this number is much lower. In Brazil we made a lot of mistakes and we were able to do a lot of positive things. And I think we can share these experiences with India, because as two developing countries, we must have realistic development. We cannot depend on the kind of development that only works in a country of 3 million people that is extremely wealthy. The thing is, we know our shortcomings and we know how fast we need to do things. I think that in this context we can share many experiences. However, the truth is that there is very little exchange of ideas between Brazilian and Indian architects, urban planners and city administrators. Therefore, it is important to make the connection at the city level which can work really well. So we are trying to develop an idea of how to create a very objective and practical relationship at the city level between India and Brazil.
Q. You also mentioned in your lecture that these days many young architects are also receiving the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. As a jury member, what would be your advice to young Indian architects trying to make a mark in the global arena?
A. The Pritzker Prize selection process is very reserved. No one talks about how we choose and analyze, etc. But I can give you some open information that many people don’t know. The first thing you should know is that anyone can send a suggestion to the Pritzker jury about someone they think deserves the prize. Sometimes it’s a student who thinks his/her professor is brilliant, and he/she prepares a dossier and sends it to Pritzker’s office. So anyone can do it. In fact, one of the Pritzker laureates had sent his file. Say, if you think there is someone in Pune whose work is amazing, you can simply put together all the information, photos, plans, etc. and send them to Pritzker’s office. And the other important information is that many people think that the Pritzker is for a project, but actually the Pritzer is for the entire work of an architect. This is why it tends to be given to an older person. So in the beginning it was mainly the elderly. But now we have also given it to some young people because many people already have a very significant work that deserves to be analyzed.
Q. Are there any scholarships available specifically for students who want to study in Brazil?
A. I believe there is a very strong barrier for Indians to go and study architecture or urbanism or any other subject in Brazil. In Brazil, all universities teach in Portuguese. There are very few exceptions such as some business schools that have some programs in English. So it would be difficult for Indian students to come and study in Brazil. Also, because of the language, it is equally difficult for Brazilian students to study abroad. So I think that is the main obstacle. But I think it would be great to have an exchange of teachers, but for individual students it would be really challenging.
