The seventh of 12 official FIFA World Cup 2014 stadiums in Brazil was officially opened on Wednesday (Jan. 22) by President Dilma Rousseff after 29 months' work. Located in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, and named “Arena das Dunas” after the city's landmark sand dunes, the stadium can seat 42,000 spectators.
Some 4,500 workers were engaged in the construction project, which cost around $170 million. Workers included 145 inmates from the state prison system, hired under a social and re-employment program aimed at leveraging work opportunities as a reintegration and anti-recidivism strategy.
“We think a majority of the prison population in Brazil consists of people who haven't had training opportunities and learned the importance of having a job. So if people, communities, and business leaders could tap into this workforce and place them into the job market, it could make a really positive impact,” a National Justice Council official explained.
The inauguration was met with protest by unions, social movements, students and civil society representatives outside the stadium. Lighting fireworks, shouting slogans and sound cars, they demanded better working conditions for civil servants, as well as improvements in health, education and security, explained the coordinator of the Higher Education Workers' Union, José Rebouças: “We repudiate the use of public funds on this 'monument'. And we also repudiate our poor healthcare and education system. This is a peaceful protest, in spite of all these policemen with their rifles and machine guns.”
According to the union, 1,500 demonstrators attended the protest, but police reported 800.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: World Cup stadium in Natal unveiled
