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Rio de Janeiro (dpa) - World Cup fever hit top officials of Germany and Brazil on Thursday as they opened a special art exhibit to salute the themes of football and art in Brazil's cultural capital.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Brazil's Cultural Minister Gilberto Gil signalled the start for the exhibit at the Goethe Institute, where paintings, photographs and installations from 30 artists from Brazil, Germany and other countries on the theme "football and art" are on display.
Brazil is the proper place for such an exhibit, Steinmeier said.
"There's no other land in the world where football has such a strong cultural position as in Brazil," he said.
Afterwards, Steinmeier visited a 100-year-old school supported by the German government, where 1,000 students from Rio's poor neighbourhoods attend. The children also receive free meals during the school day.
Brazil has returned the cultural favour to Germany with 200 "Copa da Cultura" exhibits around Germany. In addition, Gil, who is not only a politician but also one of Brazil's most famous musicians, will perform in concert in Berlin during the World Cup play, which begins June 9.
Steinmeier said he would attend the concert.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
