Getting Out the Vote for Christ

Ask anyone to pick a symbol of Brazil, and the short list will usually include samba, soccer stars, caipirinha cocktails, beaches and ridiculously skimpy bikinis, a factory worker-turned-president, and, of course, Christ the Redeemer. And as Brazil goes all out to get its totemic statue of Jesus that towers over Rio de Janeiro recognized as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, some of the other symbols are doing what they can to help.

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The imperious statue on Corcovado hill above the city faces fierce competition from 20 other world-famous monuments to make the final list of Wonders to be announced on July 7 in a competition is organized by Unesco and Swiss-Canadian millionaire filmmaker and author Bernard Weber. Contenders range from the Great Wall of China and the Sydney Opera House to the Eiffel Tower and the whole city of Timbuktu in Mali. Organizers say that some 50 million people from more than 200 countries have already voted online or via text message to choose successors to the original seven marvels that so wowed the Greeks in the years before Christ.

And, though you might think they had more important things to think about, citizens of developing nations are the competition's most enthusiastic participants. Monuments from the U.S., France, Britain and Germany lag behind as governments and corporations in Brazil, India, Jordan, Mexico and Peru work hard to get out the vote for their national candidates.

In India, a popular singer wrote a song for the Taj Mahal and is touring the country to generate votes. Peru's government has placed computer terminals in public places to encourage votes for Machu Picchu, while Mexican buses sport ads urging votes for Chichen Itzaon.

In Brazil, telephone companies waived the cost of votes cast by text message, while the country's treasured national soccer team unfurled a banner appealing for votes before their recent clash with England. Even President Lula has pitched in to a campaign that has become front-page news, Corcovado to campaign for the Redeemer.

"Vote for Christ," said Lula before giving Web addresses and telephone numbers, "and gain one of the wonders of the world. It's up to us." The campaign is telling Brazilians their country will get a half million more tourists each year, and 45,000 new jobs, if their statue makes the cut. And the campaign appears to be working: Christ has risen into the top 10 list, and is now one of the favorites to win Wonder status. "We're there because we've appealed to people's nationalism," said campaign manager Savio Neves. "We first asked people to understand the economic importance of a vote, and now we are appealing for them to vote for Brazil, for Rio, to lift the self esteem of all Cariocas [the term by which the city's residents refer to themselves]."

With his privileged position above Rio's spectacular lagoon and open arms welcoming visitors, Christ the Redeemer is undoubtedly an attractive symbol for the self-described Marvelous City. But there's also a dark side to the big man that is equally emblematic of a city besieged by violence and corruption. Tourists have been mugged on their way up the hill, self-appointed 'guides' and taxi drivers fleece unsuspecting visitors, and Federal Police officers armed with machine guns were sent to guard him last month after an enquiry found that officials there had been embezzling entrance fees.

Always one to look on the bright side of life, Lula didn't mention any of that in last Thursday's visit. He simply told Brazilians it was their patriotic duty to vote for their Wonder, and railed against those who "go overseas to speak badly of their own country."

The factory worker turned president may have forgotten that when people think about Brazil they think of samba, soccer stars, caipirinhas, beaches, ridiculously skimpy bikinis, and Christ the Redeemer. But they also think of street crime and graft.