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Tomorrow @LulaOficial Workers’ Party (PT) is staging rallies against an amnesty law that could free @jairbolsonaro. To outsiders, the posters look like popular Brazilian figures like Caetano Veloso, Daniela Mercury, Djavan, Maria Gadú are genuinely opposed to the amnesty law. And, perhaps that means the public is also? But here’s how it really works. Since returning to power in 2023, Lula has unleashed record cultural spending. State-owned banks like Banco do Brasil and Caixa, along with federal incentive programs, now bankroll tours, festivals, and concerts. For artists, access to this pipeline can make or break careers and their finances. Behind the scenes, I am hearing artists are being pressured to show up at PT rallies, with two even told to rearrange travel plans at the last minute to show up or lose funding. So when the media show “massive crowds” and superstar lineups, remember that these artists are just doing their “job.” It isn’t spontaneous grassroots energy. It’s a stage-managed spectacle, fueled by government money and political pressure on several of Brazil’s artists.