The Americas | Rio’s Olympics

More with less

The ceremony that opened the Olympic games at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã stadium on August 5th cost a fraction of what London spent four years ago. But ingenuity and style made up for it. The film directors who staged the show conjured up a rainforest, a favela and an animated city in a celebration of Brazil’s hybrid culture. Brazilians are depressed about an economic slump, the impeachment of their president and a huge corruption scandal. Despite glitches at the games, the Olympics are cheering Brazilians up.

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “More with less”

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From the August 13th 2016 edition

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