What does Brasilia mean to you?
Paulo Octavio - I was 12 when my father decided to move to Brasilia in 1961 as the capital's very first dentist. And like everyone of my generation, I had the privilege of watching this city grow, this amazing project. That's why I'm so attached to it.
Before Brasilia, 80 % of Brazil's population lived on the coast. There was almost nothing inland. I think that if Rio had remained the capital, Brazil would never have become what it is today. We would have got bogged down in a deplorable economic situation. And that's why Kubitschek was an extraordinary man: he changed the destiny of our country. Brasilia is a city that continues to evolve visibly. It's not as if I were living in a city-museum, like Rome. Here, everything is constantly evolving. There's always a new bridge, a new building, a new road...
The northern hotel zone, where my offices are now, was completely empty five years ago. The city has certainly been through great difficulties, crises and a dictatorship lasting almost twenty years, but it has always emerged victorious.
How do you see your role as Deputy Governor of the Federal District and businessman?
P. O. - As a businessman, I've always worked in real estate and construction. My aim is to build hotels like the Kubitschek or the Manhattan Plaza, to attract visitors. As a politician and public figure, I'm trying to get more businesses to set up here, stimulate the city's economy and promote education.
That's why every day I present a short television programme in which I invite people who have succeeded, at whatever level, to express themselves. To show that Brasilia is an active city, that you can succeed, whatever your ambitions.
