A three-day Brazilian festival in Atlanta will focus on culture, not commerce, but the Brazilian Consulate General hopes the event will build hype for its plans to mix the two more often next year. 

The inaugural Brazil Fest Atlanta Nov. 12-14 will feature films on famous Brazilian musicians and composers as well as musical performances covering styles from bossa nova to Afro-Brazilian sounds mixing reggae and samba, said Consul General Adalnio Senna Ganem. 

In conjunction with Atlanta City Hall, the consulate will also host a photography exhibition and a roundtable discussion on African cultural influences in Brazil and the U.S., Mr. Ganem said. 

Although excited about the festival, Mr. Ganem said it is largely a first step toward a "really huge event" the consulate is planning to host next fall, tentatively in September. In addition to cultural flair, that event would include sessions on tourism, business, technology and educational exchange. 

Brazil, which will host the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament and the summer Olympic Games two years later, is learning how to better use its cultural assets to forge business and tourism links with other countries, Mr. Ganem told GlobalAtlanta. 

As a result, even amid the economic downturn, the number of U.S. travelers heading to Brazil seems to be holding steady after a dip toward the beginning of the year, he said. 

"We are doing about 100 visas per day for people traveling to Brazil. There are a lot of people coming to Brazil not only for tourism but also for business," Mr. Ganem said.

Delta Air Lines Inc. is starting a new nonstop flight to Brasilia, the country's capital, in December. During the same month, Mr. Ganem said, US Airways Group Inc. plans to begin a flight from Philadelphia to Rio de Janeiro via Charlotte, N.C.

Mr. Ganem added that the consulate has an ambitious agenda next year for bringing in trade delegations from Brazil.  

Thanks to new oil discoveries, economic growth and the host of huge international events in the coming years, the World Bank has forecasted that the country of 170 million people will be the fifth largest national economy by 2016. By 2008 gross domestic product, Brazil currently ranks No. 8, according to the bank. 

For a full schedule of cultural events during Brazil Fest Atlanta, click here or call the Brazilian Consulate General at (404) 949-2400.

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