The suppression of cultural activity through environmental legislation in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, in 2018

Abstract

In 2018, in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, the Municipal Law 2.909/92, commonly known as the “Lei do Silêncio” (noise control law), changed in its text to restrict the noise limits of cultural events to 45 decibels. As a result, cultural areas were closed because they could not be following legal requirements for operation. In addition to the shortage of places that fostered an independent and authorial culture, with an emphasis on music, workers also lost their jobs. Thus, the present study aims to bring to light the implications that the amendment of the Law brought to the cultural life of the city and to understand the concepts music, art and culture within this legislation. For this, we applied semi-structured interviews to cultural producers in the considered period. This information was later analyzed according to Bardin (2009). Documental analysis and literature review complementaries were also employed to confirm the hypothesis that the decibel reduction proposed by environmental legislation is a form of disarticulation to the cultural manifestations in the city. It is hoped, with this work, to broaden the debate on the cultural importance for social and environmental development and raise information that may contribute to define inconsistent concepts in the Law.