Romulo Neves: A Poet on the Wings of Diplomacy
Exclusive Interview with Mais Afrika, by Rômulo Neves, Minister Counselor at the Brazilian Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique.
Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.
If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.
-------------------------------
Accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting, you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by third parties.
If you accept, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.
Welcome back to the Great Interviews series.”More Afrika“! Today, we have the privilege of receiving Romulo Neves, Minister Counselor at the Brazilian Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique. This interview follows a growing interest in diplomatic relations between Brazil and African countries, in this case, Mozambique.
In this nineteenth Great Interview and the first of this year 2024, we will explore Rômulo Neves' professional trajectory, from his journey as a journalist to his current position as a diplomat. We will also discuss the role of literature and writing about international politics in his diplomatic approach, as well as his vision of relations between Brazil and Mozambique.
Furthermore, we analyzed cooperation projects between the two countries and their prospects for future growth. Without further ado, let's dive into this fascinating conversation with Rômulo Neves and… prepare to be surprised.
The interview
The Journey of Rômulo Neves
In the heat of the conversation with Rômulo Neves, the Minister Counselor at the Brazilian Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique, it is easy to get lost in the intricate layers of his professional history. Rômulo, whose career began as a journalist before a fluid transition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2005, has had a career full of international adventures.
“My path is a little diverse.”
“Before joining the diplomatic service, I tried different roles in society.”
“From working as a journalist to working as a judicial technician, I explored different aspects of the professional world”.
Rômulo reflected with a smile.
In fact, his first years were marked by a constant search for new challenges.
“After joining the Rio Branco Institute and starting a doctorate in Sociology at UNB, I took the leap abroad.”
“From Suriname to Venezuela, from Ethiopia to Pakistan, my experiences have shaped my understanding of the world and its dynamics.”
He continued drawing an overview of his pilgrimages.
His journey, meticulously traced over nineteen years of service, reveals not only a desire to discover new cultures, but also an unwavering commitment to diplomacy and international cooperation.
“Each destination, each country, offered unique lessons.”
“Now, here in Mozambique, I find myself immersed in a new journey, ready to face the challenges that arise.”
Rômulo Neves shared, with an expression of gratitude.
Listening to his words, it is clear that Rômulo's career is much more than a series of destinations; is a narrative of dedication, learning and commitment to the search for mutual understanding and global collaboration.
The Poet and the Diplomat
Rômulo Neves reflected on his vast experience as a poet and author and outlined how his literary activities echoed his diplomatic role, especially in contexts as diverse as those found in African countries.
He highlighted the coexistence of several facets of his life: professor, diplomat and author and how his experiences, both in Brazil and abroad, were intertwined in his works.
“I have parallel lives, as a writer, teacher and diplomat.”
“Although I initially wrote more about my experiences abroad, such as in Berlin, where I published a book for the first time outside of Brazil, my personal experiences inevitably became intertwined with my diplomatic trajectory.”
Rômulo shared a remarkable poetic experience in Ethiopia, where the loss of a Spanish diplomat friend inspired a poem about exile and pain. These personal experiences, although independent of his artistic expression, inevitably became intertwined with his diplomatic trajectory.
“An example is the poem 'Exile', inspired by the painful experience in Ethiopia, where SUDDENLY, a Spanish Diplomat friend passed away.”
“This deeply moving experience ended up influencing my work.”
When recounting his experience as an exile in his poetry, Rômulo Neves highlighted the detachment and strangeness present in his relationship with São Paulo, the city where he grew up, but which still evokes feelings of otherness.
“Although I grew up in São Paulo, many of my poems portray the city with a certain strangeness, reflecting my experience as someone who arrived from another city.”
“This feeling of displacement permeates my poetry.”
The integration between his literary and diplomatic activity in Mozambique was particularly notable, with the relaunch of his books receiving a warm reception. Rômulo emphasized the importance of maintaining a clear distance between his roles as a writer and diplomat, seeking to avoid role confusion when relaunching his books in Mozambique.
“Although it was gratifying to relaunch my books here in Mozambique and to be well received in the literary world, I tried to maintain a clear separation between my activities as a writer and diplomat.”
“Avoiding, for example, holding the relaunch at the Centro Cultural Brasil Moçambique, to avoid possible conflicts of interest.”
This ability to navigate between different spheres of his life reveals the versatility and depth of his approach to both literature and diplomacy.
The Author, the Teacher and the Diplomat
During our conversation, Rômulo Neves shared valuable aspects about his experience as an author and professor of international politics, highlighting how this duality of roles influenced his diplomatic approach. He mentioned his two books on the subject, revealing that they are the result not only of his research, but also of his work as a teacher.
His first book, focused on Venezuela, came after his initial internship as a diplomat abroad, where he was impressed by the Venezuelan organization.
This interest led him to extensive research that eventually became his master's thesis and gained recognition as the best of the year. The second book, in turn, was born from a course he taught, reflecting his teaching-learning process.
When discussing his practice as a teacher, Rômulo highlighted the importance of this role in his own understanding of the topic. He compared the act of teaching to the need to fully understand a subject, citing the saying:
“If you want to learn something, go teach it.”
His experience teaching in various institutions, both in Brasília and Mozambique, provided him with constant opportunities to reflect on his work and the challenges he faces as a diplomat.
“What I did in the book is what I do in the classroom, stop to explain to other people what you do.”
“It helps you understand exactly what you do.”
“You need to outline, you need to make it clear, you need to clarify points that are not so clear in your head, so you can pass it on to someone”.
Rômulo Neves commented, focusing on the relationship between his activity as an author and as a teacher.
This integration between teaching, research and diplomatic practice highlights Rômulo's multifaceted approach, where each activity feeds and enriches the others. His books are not just academic works, they are also reflections of his career as a teacher and professional in the field of international relations.
The PhD in Mozambique
During our conversation, Rômulo Neves shared interesting details about his current doctoral research at Eduardo Mondlane University, in Mozambique, exploring relations between Brazil and Mozambique and their impact on Brazilian foreign policy.
He contextualized his research within the current political panorama, highlighting the role of the President of Brazil in the formulation and execution of foreign policy and drawing a parallel with Lula's previous mandate, which also promoted rapprochement with Africa two decades ago.
“The theme of my research is exactly Brazil-Africa relations as a whole.”
Rômulo explained, highlighting the importance of understanding how Brazil's vision in relation to the African continent evolves over time. He underlined the need to examine not only the historical aspects of bilateral relations, but also significant changes in the global context, such as the advancement of technology and China's growing influence.
When addressing the current challenges and prospects for reactivating Brazil-Africa relations, Rômulo highlighted the complexity of the topic and the relevance of his research to break paradigms. He explained that his dissertation is not limited to analyzing specific actions, but seeks to understand the broader meaning of Africa for Brazil, including its importance for the government, Itamaraty and businesspeople.
“I will not deal with each specific action of Brazil for Africa, but the general concept of what Africa means for Brazil”.
Rômulo Neves explained, highlighting the need for a holistic approach that takes into account multiple actors and perspectives. He also referred to the importance of involving civil society, universities and the private sector in building an effective and meaningful foreign policy.
“Without businesspeople, without universities, without the population visiting, there is no way for the government to build a meaningful foreign policy.”
Rômulo commented, highlighting the interdependence between the different actors in the process of formulating and implementing Brazilian foreign policy. His research aims not only to generate academic knowledge, but also to provide practical knowledge to promote greater cooperation and understanding between Brazil and Africa.
Academic Partnerships
Rômulo Neves also addressed the importance of academic partnerships between Brazilian and Mozambican universities, as well as the need to optimize them to promote exchanges and joint research. He highlighted that academic exchange is fundamental to strengthening ties between Brazil and Africa, especially for students in Mozambique.
“The academic route is a cheaper, more permanent and more constructive way to foster a relationship.”
Rômulo commented, highlighting that knowledge transfer is a relatively accessible and long-term process. He recognized that although academic streams appear neutral at first glance, they also reflect broader structural interests.
“Brazilian students leave Brazil to do postgraduate studies in Africa, very few do”.
“It’s a political position.”
Rômulo explained, highlighting the importance of his choice to study in Mozambique as a declaration of commitment to Brazil-Africa relations. He also mentioned Brazil's scholarship program for developing countries, which has been widely used by African students.
“Fostering this exchange is crucial.”
“The guy who went to study in Brazil maintains relationships with the country, knows Brazilians and this results in long-term connections.”
Rômulo explained, highlighting the lasting impact of these academic experiences in building future partnerships and collaborations between countries.
He also discussed the role of language in promoting cultural and academic exchange, citing examples such as the Alliance Française and Casa Thomas Jefferson, which invest in training people abroad to speak different languages.
Rômulo Neves highlighted that the academic route, in addition to university, is a low-cost and high-benefit strategy to strengthen international relations between Brazil and Africa, although he recognizes the challenges in countries where reading is less encouraged.
The Agricultural Exchange
During the interview, Rômulo Neves shared his reflections on the opportunities and challenges in bilateral relations between Brazil and Mozambique, based on his experience at the Brazilian Embassy in Maputo and in other African countries.
He highlighted the intensity and promise of ties between the two countries, especially with regard to agriculture, an area in which Brazil is a powerhouse.
“These similarities are very interesting.”
Rômulo commented, referring to the potential synergies between Brazilian markets and the needs of Mozambique. He highlighted the availability of arable land in Mozambique as an ideal opportunity for an agricultural partnership with Brazil.
However, he recognized that, although the ingredients for a partnership are present, its realization faces significant challenges that require high-level action. Rômulo explained that bilateral partnerships require not only efforts from the Embassy, but also decisions at a higher level so that projects and processes can advance effectively.
Rômulo cited examples of previous initiatives that did not reach their due potential, operational and communication issues, such as the antiretroviral medicine factory and the ProSavana project 1ProSavana is the acronym for the Tripartite Cooperation Program for the Agricultural Development of the Tropical Savanna in northern Mozambique. The agreement, made in 2009, envisaged using a strip of Mozambican land of around 14 million hectares, in the Nacala area (including Porto), for planting grains intended for export. The project would follow the same model as the development carried out by Brazil in the Mato Grosso region in the 1970s, an area today dominated by soybean monoculture. Mozambique would cede the land, Brazil the technology, and Japan would sell the products – using a large railway that cuts through the Nacala region, connecting it to the port of the same name. The project brought together the Government of Mozambique, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica, in English) and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC – linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). However, it suffered strong obstacles from peasant organizations in the three countries, to the point of being left aside by both Brazil and Japan. in the farming.
“ProSavana was a link, a very interesting partnership”.
Said Rômulo, describing the proposal that linked Mozambican resources to Brazilian producers and Japanese investors. However, he explained that the project was hampered by a mistaken narrative that led to its retraction, despite the potential benefit for small local producers.
It was regretted that the lack of understanding about the role of these initiatives had resulted in their interruption, despite the great development potential they could bring.
“Unfortunately, first the governments need to talk and second there is this negative history of ProSavana”.
Rômulo Neves commented, highlighting the need to overcome past obstacles to take advantage of the enormous potential of partnership between Brazil and Mozambique. He stressed that, despite the difficulties, the opportunities for cooperation remain enormous and are fundamental for the economic and social development of both countries.
The Role of Diplomacy
During the interview, Rômulo Neves addressed the role of Brazilian diplomacy in contributing to the training of Mozambican cadres, as well as the importance of technology, including the digital signature system, in the socioeconomic development of Mozambique.
Rômulo highlighted that Mozambique has been looking for references in Brazil, not only in relation to digital certification, but also in the organization of the internet environment, considering Brazil as a model to be followed. He stressed, however, that the Brazilian internet management model was developed over more than 20 years and that it is not something that can be replicated immediately.
“Brazil is in a very interesting middle ground, actually, of multisectoral governance.”
Rômulo commented, referring to the Brazilian approach that involves both the public and private sectors in decision-making related to the internet. He explained that, while in some countries the private sector dominates the field, in others it is governments that control it, Brazil has adopted a balanced shared approach.
Regarding digital certification, Rômulo Neves noted that Mozambique has the opportunity to take a leap and skip steps, taking advantage of the solutions already implemented in Brazil. However, he recalled that, although knowledge is available, it is necessary to guarantee adequate resources to implement such technological advances.
“Knowledge without resources is lacking 2“Ficar capenga” is a Brazilian colloquial expression that means to be incomplete, deficient or not functioning properly. in the same way as a resource without knowledge it is also lacking”.
Rômulo underlined, highlighting the importance of adequate investments in the area of technology to guarantee the success of initiatives such as digital certification in Mozambique.
He concluded by highlighting that the dichotomy between investment and knowledge is a challenge faced by many countries, and that it is essential to recognize the importance of investing in resources to boost technological and socioeconomic development.
What the Future Holds
At the conclusion of the interview, Rômulo Neves shared his reflections on what could have been done to promote trade and bilateral relations between Brazil and Africa and addressed the importance of disseminating information and mutual visits to foster a better understanding of opportunities trade between the two continents.
“Disclosure of information is first.”
Rômulo highlighted, highlighting the need for Brazilian businesspeople to become aware of the potential of the African market. He also recalled the importance of visits by Brazilian businesspeople to Africa so that they can closely assess the available opportunities.
He also recalled that many Brazilian businesspeople still prefer to invest in Europe instead of Africa, despite the greater competition and higher costs associated with entering the European market.
Rômulo also shared his experience in Ethiopia, where he observed that companies from Rio Grande do Sul were internationalizing to Africa, possibly due to the difficulty of competing in the Brazilian domestic market, especially against companies from São Paulo.
He suggested that, for many Brazilian companies, exploring the African market may be more advantageous than competing in the European market, but this requires Brazilian businesspeople to have a deeper understanding and direct visits to the African continent.
“Brazilian businessmen need to know Africa, they need to visit, they need to talk to those who are in Africa.”
Rômulo summarized, highlighting the importance of a gradual process of educating Brazilian businesspeople so that Brazilian companies can take advantage of the opportunities available on the African continent.
And it was in this way that Rômulo Neves ended the interview, thanking the opportunity provided by Mais Afrika magazine to carry out this interview and, expressing his hope, that discussions on relations between Brazil and Africa will continue to advance, promoting greater understanding and cooperation between the two continents.
What did you think of this interview with Minister Counselor of Brazil in Mozambique, Rômulo Neves? We want to know your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article, share and give a “like/like”.
See also:
Structural Alliances in the Webs of Diplomacy
Tanzania-Brazil: The Bright Colors of Diplomacy
Picture: © 2024 Francisco Lopes-Santos
