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An absurd amount of police gather near the imaginary line that divides Recife and Olinda. The traffic cops place cones on the road and direct traffic. The idle police officers chat on the sidewalk. And I think: “President Lula must be here, because I’ve never seen this many cops, not even during Carnaval.”

It’s not Lula, but it might as well be. The same force that has drawn this strong security contingent has also managed to trim the grass and knock down trees in the Complexo Salgadinho. A large part of the park was covered in asphalt and cement. And the already-messy traffic has been diverted to accommodate the event.

Cirque do Soleil has come to Brazil (“finally”, some might say) to present their show Quidam.

But I am on the bus, on my way home, and I really don’t care. And the bus continues into Olinda. But, around me, Brazilians are interested. People talk about it; ask me if I’m going to one of the many shows in Cirque do Soleil’s nine month Brazilian tour. Most can’t afford it, so they lament themselves: “I wish I could go.” That group isn’t small: 40% of Recifenses live under the poverty line, and I’m certain that this circus is not for those 1.5 million people. Yes, it’s a circus and, thus, art. But it’s also a business. A multimillion dollar business. In a developing country.

The newspaper explains that tickets were initially priced between R$ 490 ($260 USD) and R$ 230 ($120 USD), in a country where the monthly minimum wage is R$465. I can only assume that sales were weak, because the circus decided to lower the prices of its most expensive seats to R$300. This was supposed to be a “limited time offer” available only until July 16th, but today the circus announced the price reduction would be permanent. I wonder why…

And the absurd prices don’t stop there. Parking is R$15. A bag of popcorn is R$13. The cheapest item at their store is R$15. But I have no pity for someone who can afford the R$300 ticket; the additional expenses are just petty cash.

Nothing personal against the performers. I already saw Cirque do Soleil, in the United States, a few years ago. I know it’s fantastic. But I also know that, as a college student, I didn’t pay this much to see Cirque do Soleil. And that’s what’s baffling: a first world product in a developing nation, and charging higher prices. It’s obvious that this is a product brought to Brazil by the rich, for the rich. In a country that preaches socialism. In a country that claims to be ruled by the left wing. In a country that claims to have a rising middle class. In a country where the politicians can indiscriminately pour public funds into a private event, without worrying that when the circus leaves all that will remain will be asphalt and cement.

Thankfully, I am not the only one to notice all this. Out of all the critics, and there have been many, Clovis Cavalcanti has had the most revealing observation, and I am unable to come up with a better finale: “If this was a circus from Pernambuco wishing to have shows in Montreal, they would have never been allowed to do so in one of the twenty public parks of that pleasant Canadian city.”