The Brazil Pavilion at the Expo in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, was a success among foreigners and Brazilians. Since October 1st, there have been around 1.3 million visitors to the space dedicated to Brazil alone, whose main organizer is the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). In the entire Expo, 15 million visitors were accounted for.
A group of French women who passed through the interactivity platforms were excited about the discoveries about Brazil. “It is very beautiful, we like the quiz. It is different from the other buildings, very beautiful”, said Lucienne Laurent. For her, the best part was the construction on the water surface with different themes related to agribusiness, such as sustainability. According to the organizers of the event, 70% of the visitors, in general, are from other nationalities.
Public attends Expo 2020 Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates – Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
The Arab edition of Expo, the world’s biggest event since the beginning of the pandemic, has 192 countries exploring three major themes: opportunity, mobility and sustainability as ways to bring solutions for a better world.
Brazil is located in the sustainability district, in a 4,000 square meter Brazil pavilion made of translucent architectural membranes, where images of the country’s natural wealth, urban centers and major references of national culture are projected. The dark water mirror is inspired by the Rio Negro, a tributary of the Amazon River. At night, the pavilion becomes a kind of lantern for visitors to the Expo.
Brazil Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
In the week of February 17th to 23rd, the central theme in the Brazil pavilion is agribusiness. With this event alone, the expectation is to generate around 500 million dollars in exports to the country and 10 billion dollars in investments. With great importance, agribusiness accounted for about 43% of Brazilian exports in 2021, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply.
In the opinion of the general commissioner of the Brazil Pavilion, General Elias Rodrigues Martins Filho, the pavilion received an intense flow of public, so much so that Brazil appears as one of the most visited pavilions. “For us this is very significant,” he pointed out.
The objective, according to him, is to show the world how important this economic segment is for the country and for the rest of the world. “We are, perhaps, the biggest global power in terms of agribusiness, which works on sustainable and responsible agriculture”, he declared.
Japan Expo 2025
The World Exhibitions are held every five years. Dubai was selected in 2013 to host the 2020 edition, but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. In 2025, it will be the turn of the Japanese city of Osaka.
Of the entire structure set up in Dubai, 80% will remain and will be transformed into District 2020, a kind of city-neighborhood, where half of the buildings will be commercial developments and the other half will be residential. The objective is for this to be an innovation center with the participation of startups, universities and laboratories. The goal is that in 30 years the place will have a population of 150 thousand people.
*Reporter Fernanda Cruz and photographer Tomaz Silva traveled at the invitation of Apex-Brasil.
