Editing Gilberto Gil (section)

== Political career (1987–present) ==
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Gilberto Gil
| image               = Gilberto Gil 1719MC198.jpg
| caption             = Gilberto Gil on 11 September 2007.
| office              = [[Ministry of Culture (Brazil)|Minister of Culture]]
| term_start          = 1 January 2003
| term_end            = 30 July 2008
| president           = [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]]
| predecessor         = Francisco Weffort
| successor           = Juca Ferreira
| office1             = Councillor of [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]]
| term_start1         = 1 January 1989
| term_end1           = 1 January 1993
| constituency1       = At-large
| party               = [[Green Party (Brazil)|PV]] (1990–present)
| otherparty          = [[Brazilian Democratic Movement Party|PMDB]] (1988–90)
| signature           = Gilberto Gil Signature.svg
}}

Gil describes his attitude towards politics thus: "I'd rather see my position in the government as that of an administrator or manager. But politics is a necessary ingredient."<ref name=rohter2>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=Gilberto Gil Hears the Future, Some Rights Reserved |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/arts/music/11roht.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=[[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], Bahia |date=March 11, 2007 |access-date=2009-08-16 }}</ref> His political career began in 1987, when he was elected to a local post in Bahia and became the Salvador secretary of culture.<ref name=steward>{{cite news |first=Sue |last=Steward |title=Minister of cool: part one |url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1066490,00.html |work=[[The Observer]] |publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]] |date=October 19, 2003 |access-date=2008-03-16}}</ref> In 1988, he was elected to the city council and subsequently became city commissioner for environmental protection. However, he left the office after one term and declined to run for the [[National Congress of Brazil]].<ref name=rohter2/> In 1990, Gil left the [[Brazilian Democratic Movement Party]] and joined the [[Green Party (Brazil)|Green Party]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Staff |url=http://www.gilbertogil.com.br/sec_biografia.php?page=4&ordem=DESC |title=Gilberto Gil:: vida |publisher=Gege Produções Artísticas Ltda. |work=gilbertogil.com.br |year=2004 |access-date=2008-05-03 |language=pt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080612045839/http://www.gilbertogil.com.br/sec_biografia.php?page=4&ordem=DESC |archive-date = June 12, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> During this period, Gil founded the environmental protection organization Onda Azul ("Blue Wave"), which worked to protect Brazilian waters.<ref name=cnn/> He maintained a full-time musical career at the same time, and withdrew temporarily from politics in 1992, following the release ''Parabolicamará'', considered to be one of his most successful efforts.<ref name=tepel/> On October 16, 2001 Gil accepted his nomination to be a [[Food and Agriculture Organization#FAO Goodwill Ambassadors|Goodwill Ambassador]] for the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (FAO) of the United Nations, having promoted the organization before his appointment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2002/9700-en.html |title=Singer Gilberto Gil |access-date=2009-09-17 |author=Staff |work=FAO Ambassadors Programme |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020113457/http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/news/2002/9700-en.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

When President [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]] took office in January 2003, he chose Gil as Brazil's new Minister of Culture, the second black person to serve in [[Cabinet of Brazil|the country's cabinet]]. The appointment was controversial among political and artistic figures and the Brazilian press; a remark Gil made about difficulties with his salary received particular criticism.<ref name=rohter>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=A Government Gig for Brazilian Pop Star; Gilberto Gil Becomes Culture Minister, But Not Everyone Sings His Praises |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EFD8143FF932A05751C1A9649C8B63 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716110817/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EFD8143FF932A05751C1A9649C8B63 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 16, 2012 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 31, 2002 |access-date=2008-04-11 }}</ref> Gil had not been a member of Lula's [[Workers' Party (Brazil)|Workers' Party]] and had not participated in creating its cultural program.<ref name=rohter/> Shortly after becoming Minister, Gil began a partnership between Brazil and [[Creative Commons]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://creativecommons.org/2008/06/25/gilberto-gil-on-democracy-now/ | publisher = Creative Commons | title = Gilberto Gil on Democracy Now | date = June 25, 2008 | access-date= 21 February 2021}}</ref> In 2003, he gave a concert in the UN General Assembly in honour of the victims of the [[Bombing of UN Headquarters in Baghdad|bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2003/note5812.doc.htm|title = MEMORIAL TRIBUTE CONCERT BY GILBERTO GIL TO BE HELD AT UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS &#124; Meetings Coverage and Press Releases}}</ref> In that concert, he played together with Secretary General [[Kofi Annan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/31/music-language-human-rights-political-diplomacy|title=How music is the real language of political diplomacy|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=October 31, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5-33YIVYC4| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/C5-33YIVYC4| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|title=Toda menina baiana| date=September 11, 2009|access-date=October 22, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

As Minister, he sponsored a program called Culture Points, which gave [[Grant (money)|grants]] to provide music technology and education to people living in poor areas of the country's cities.<ref>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=Gilberto Gil and the politics of music |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/12/news/gil.php |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |location=[[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], [[Brazil]] |date=March 12, 2007 |access-date=2008-03-16 }}</ref> Gil asserted that "You've now got young people who are becoming designers, who are making it into media and being used more and more by television and samba schools and revitalizing degraded neighborhoods. It's a different vision of the role of government, a new role."<ref>{{cite news |first=Larry |last=Rohter |author-link=Larry Rohter |title=Brazilian Government Invests in Culture of Hip-Hop |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/arts/music/14gil.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location=[[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] |date=March 14, 2007 |access-date=2008-03-15 }}</ref> Gil also expressed interest in a program to establish an Internet repository of freely [[downloadable]] Brazilian music.<ref name=dibbell/> Following Gil's appointment, the department's expenditures increased by over 50&nbsp;percent.<ref>{{cite news |first=Marco |last=Werman |title=Gilberto Gil |url=http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/8904 |format=radio |work=[[The World (radio program)|The World]] |publisher=[[BBC World Service]] and [[Public Radio International]] |date=March 22, 2007 |access-date=2008-03-22 }}</ref> In November 2007 Gil announced his intention to resign from his post due to a [[vocal cord polyp]].<ref>{{cite news |author=The New York Times |title=Gilberto Gil to Resign |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/arts/music/12arts-GILBERTOGILT_BRF.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 12, 2007 |access-date=2008-03-15 }}</ref> Lula rejected Gil's first two attempts to resign, but accepted a further request in July 2008. Lula said on this occasion that Gil was "going back to being a great artist, going back to giving priority to what is most important" to him.<ref>{{cite news |title=Brazil musician leaves government |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7534323.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC |date=July 31, 2008 |access-date=2008-08-09 }}</ref>