Initiatives of the Brazilian government to promote the Brazilian variant of Portuguese and national culture

The current presentation considers the key initiatives of the Brazilian state to promote the Brazilian version of the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture abroad: 1) the Lectorship Program Guimarães Rosa (port. Leitorado Guimarães Rosa), under which the MFA of Brazil sends Brazilian teachers of Portuguese to work in foreign universities; 2) creating a network of branches of the Instituto Guimarães Rosa in different continents, also under the auspices of the MFA of Brazil; 3) the technical support for the international exam in Portuguese Celpe-Bras, an important tool to enhance the prestige of the Brazilian version of the Portuguese language; 4) the development of textbooks on Portuguese as a foreign language, such as «Brazuca – Brazilian culture and language for Russian speakers», which is the fruit of the cooperation between the Embassy of Brazil, teachers of Portuguese, who work in the country of the target audience, and a professor of a Brazilian state university. The relevance lies in revealing key initiatives aimed at strengthening Brazil’s soft power in the field of language and culture. The novelty of the presented topic is due to the need for a systematic analysis of the little-known aspects of the Brazilian "soft power" implemented through language policy. The methodology is based on an analysis of the evolution and current status of the programs, their results and contribution to the formation of the international image of the country, which offers scientifically substantiated conclusions about their effectiveness. Despite the obvious successes, the implementation of Brazilian language and cultural diplomacy faces a number of challenges. The competition with the European version of Portuguese, since Lisbon actively promotes its language norm through the Instituto Camoenses, represents an alternative to the Brazilian model; in some countries (for example, in Africa and Russia) Portuguese is still associated primarily with Portugal, despite the growing role of both Brazil and African Portuguese-speaking countries in the international arena. Adaptation to local contexts in different regions (Asia, Africa, Europe), where interest in Brazilian culture and language varies, requires flexible strategies for promotion.