On November 15, 1889 there was the Proclamation of the Republic in Brazil through a coup. During the next 5 years Brazil was governed exclusively by the military and the period is considered a dictatorship.
We were born, as a republic, as a dictatorship.
From 1937 to 1945 we had another dictatorship, that of Getรบlio Vargas, who was nicknamed Father of the Poor and Mother of the Rich. He is a controversial figure in Brazilian history because, despite being a dictator, he was and still is very popular. So much so that years later he was democratically elected and governed the country from 1951 to August 24, 1954, when he committed suicide.
Something I find very interesting about Getรบlio Vargas is the letter he wrote, which gave his death a grandiose tone, like a hero who dies in a Greek tragedy. He portrayed himself as a martyr. In his words, "Nothing remains except my blood. I gave you my life, now I give you my death. I choose this way to defend you, for my soul will be with you, my name shall be a flag for your struggle.(...) Serenely, I take my first step on the road to eternity and I leave life to enter History."
Then there was the Military Dictatorship, which began on April 1, 1964 with the support of the United States of America, with the justification that they were protecting the country from the communists. It was a dark and violent period, marked by the loss of rights, torture, persecution, censorship. It lasted until 1985.
In less than 100 years Brazil has gone through three Dictatorships, none as inhuman and violent as the most recent one. And people ask for it back. They extol torturers as if they were heroes. I will never understand this. I will never accept that the first president elected by the people after Dilma, who fought against the dictatorship and was tortured, is the same man who said that Ustra, a torturer, was a hero.
But that's not the point. What I really want to talk about is the music produced in 1964-1985.
Cรกlice (Chico Buarque and Milton Nascimento).
โPai, afasta de mim esse cรกliceโ, translated to โFather, take from me this chaliceโ is a reference to a biblical passage.
Cรกlice sounds exactly like โCale-seโ, so the phrase is "pai, afasta de mim esse cรกlice" traduzido para โfather, take from me this shut upโ. A great pun, in my opinion. Here the โshut upโ refers to oppression and censorship.
About the singers: both were censored several times during the Dictatorship. Buarque was exiled and Milton Nascimento was unable to see his son for almost 20 years, if he contravened these orders the military would kill his son.
Pra nรฃo dizer que nรฃo falei das flores (Geraldo Vandrรฉ)
This song is an invitation to popular revolt. No one was going to overcome oppression by carrying flowers. The idea of "peace and love" does not make a revolution. It does not prevent people from being tortured and killed.
Geraldo Vandrรฉ also opted for exile. Fleeing the country was safer than staying.
"Along the fields there is hunger
Even with abundant plantations
And in the streets,
Streams of doubtful people
Who still take a flower
As the strongest symbol of their convictions
People who still believe that
Flowers can put down the rage of guns
Come on, let's go away
Because it's not wise to be waiting for
The wise does not let the chance pass by
He never waits for it to come
We see armed soldiers
Some of them were ever loved, others were not
Most are equally lost
Holding a gun in hand
In the headquarters, they are taught of
That old pretty lesson
'To die for the sake of the Land'
But to go on without an opinion"
Mosca na Sopa (Raul Seixas)
Raul Seixas wrote this song to mock the Military Dictatorship. He represented himself as the fly, because he always bothered the military.
Raul Seixas was tortured and exiled.
โI am the fly that landed on your soup
I am the fly that got here to abuse you
I am the fly that landed on your soup
I am the fly that got here to abuse you
I am the fly that landed on your soup
I am the fly that got here to abuse you
I am the fly that disturbs your sleep
I am the fly that is flying around in your room
I am the fly that disturbs your sleep
I am the fly that is flying around your room
And don't even bother coming to kill me
Cause I'm resistent even to DDT
Because you kill one and then another one comes to replace meโ.
There are many other songs, but I made this text without planning and I wanted to post it soon. Maybe I'll put others later.
The translations of the lyrics of the songs were taken from internet sites, which I consider safer sources than I do.
stormborns
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