The Covid pandemic has often been described by the Brazilian government as a war. While Bolsonaro himself, a former captain in Brazil's army, often argues that it is a biological war launched by China, high-ranking members of the executive and legislature tend to use the notion of a war, in a metaphorical sense.
Brazilians' love for social networks is not new. Since the times of Orkut, Brazil has been among the most assiduous on the networks, one of the first social networks in the early 2000s, counting 30 million Brazilian users. However, in 2001 Orkut lost its throne to Facebook, which soon built an empire by adding new territories to its domains, Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.
More than starring in a simple comedy film, Mazzaropi portrayed a bumpkin different from the one described by most Brazilian men of letters. Fulfilling a social function before the public, he distinguished himself by being combative when the elite prejudice attacked him; by his wit in the face of common and complex issues of his daily life. The bumpkin he played was unique because, even though he was poorly dressed and with a clumsy walk, he was not the bumpkin, whom society usually conceived of as stupid and ignorant. Mazzaropi has got audience because people wanted to see a bumpkin who, contrary to what everyone imagined, did well in the end. He was an anti-hero who turned into a hero.
The theme of legal resistance within the State has an easy solution only at first sight – when we observe public servants (whoever they may be) acting in defense of democracy, the institutions of the rule of law, and the very security necessary for the affirmation of Federal Constitution.
Edited and reviewed by Anna Paula Bennech and Giovanna Imbernon. "In The Imperial Mode of Living: Everyday Life and the Ecological Crisis of Capitalism, Ulrich Brand and Markus Wissen offer new perspectives about the links between everyday life and global inequalities. The authors show how an ‘imperial mode of living,’ broadly disseminated by Global North countries during their hegemonic actions carried out throughout the years, underpins inequalities, and relies upon the exploitation of people and resources from ‘somewhere else,’ mainly in the Global South."
Foreign travelers who arrived in Brazil at the end of the 19th century described the natives of the land as poor, miserable, and ugly people. In contrast, the elite was outnumbered and did not see themselves as a part of the national culture. The Brazilian heterogeneity imposed an impasse: who could be called as the Brazilian people?
Jair Bolsonaro's presidency marks a rupture with the century-old Brazilian diplomatic tradition dating back to the Baron of Rio Branco in the early twentieth century and the continuity of well-developed, balanced, pragmatic, and professional practices. Not only is Jair Bolsonaro the worst president in Brazilian history, but also responsible for what will certainly be acknowledged as the worst foreign policy.
September 7th is one of the most important celebratory dates in Brazil. The value of independence and the release from the Portuguese monarchy meant that we could finally live by our own interests. Tomorrow, a series of protests pro-Bolsonaro are happening around the world to show support to the most rejected president in Brazil’s democratic history. These are also an effort of very noisy few to discredit institutions like the Federal Court and the Legislative Power. How can our institutions hold their trust and stop more far-right movements from getting to power and threatening democracy?
A year ago, in March 2020, the health crisis caused by the new coronavirus officially reached the Brazilian territory, amplifying the current scenario of political and juridical instability in the country. This is certainly the most critical moment experienced by Brazilian democracy since the end of the dictatorial regime.
On the night of July 29th, we sockingly watched the news about the fire that hit a shed at the Cinemateca Brasileira in Vila Leopoldina, São Paulo. Strangely, the feeling shared collectively was not one of amazement, but of an undignified confirmation of an announced tragedy.