For our latest print issue on youth in Latin America, we asked leading young politicians, artists and entrepreneurs from around the region about the biggest challenge facing youth in their country today. See all of their answers here.
The biggest issue facing young Brazilians is a lack of confidence in the future. This is a generation that grew up with currency stability and direct elections, something my generation only experienced in adult life. Paradoxically, the country is living the largest anticorruption movement in its history, the most visible aspect being the Lava Jato corruption probe. The misuse of public funds by businesspeople and high-ranking officials is being bravely and judiciously exposed for the first time. An uncomfortable yet familiar uncertainty has reappeared in Brazilians’ hearts: Will there be punishment for those responsible? It is a question that recurs in cycles: Is this the light at the end of the tunnel, or are we once again diving into the darkness of an institutional hell? Young people are the most sensitive measure of this lack of confidence.
—
Marcelo Tas is a Brazilian director, writer, actor and host of Papo de Segunda
