Academic and diplomat Sergio Paulo Rouanet died this Sunday morning (3), at the age of 88, in Rio de Janeiro. Rouanet was the creator of the Cultural Incentive Law in Brazil and fought against Parkinson’s disease.
Rouanet distinguished himself in his public career as consul in Germany and as Minister of Culture. The diplomat occupied chair nº 13 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL), elected on April 23, 1992.
“Sérgio Rouanet is an example of a public intellectual, who put his competence at the service of Brazilian culture, without abdicating ethical values”, said the president of ABL, Merval Pereira.
The official profile of the Rouanet Institute published a note of sorrow for the intellectual’s death.
“It is with great regret and sadness that we inform you of the death of Ambassador and intellectual Sergio Paulo Rouanet, this morning of July 3rd. Rouanet fought against Parkinson’s, but dedicated himself until the end of his life to the defense of culture, freedom of expression, reason, and human rights”, says the text.
Trajectory
Sergio Paulo Rouanet was born in Rio de Janeiro, on February 23, 1934. He was a Brazilian diplomat, philosopher, anthropologist, university professor, translator and essayist.
Graduated in Legal and Social Sciences from PUC-Rio (1955), Post-Graduate in Economics, at George Washington University (1960-1964), in Political Sciences, at Georgetown University, in Washington (1960-64), in Philosophy, at New York School for Social Research, in New York (1960-64) and a PhD in Political Science, at USP (1980).
He had a course to prepare for the career of diplomat at the Rio Branco Institute, in Rio de Janeiro (1955). He was responsible for creating the Brazilian law on tax incentives for culture, in December 1991.
In addition, he was Secretary of Culture of the Presidency of the Republic (1991-92), Assistant to the Secretary General for Foreign Affairs (1957-58), Assistant to the Head of the Basic Products Division (1966-67), Head of the Trade Policy, (1974-76,) Head of the Asia and Oceania Department, (1983-86).
He was part of the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, as Third Secretary (1959-61) and as Second Secretary (1961-62). He was also a member of the Delegation of Brazil in Geneva, as First Secretary (1967-68) and was part of the Consulate General of Brazil in Berlin, as Consul General (1993-1996).
Source: CNN Brasil
