Published in 2004, in the second year of Lula’s long-fought-for-presidency, “A Death in Brazil” delves in the background of Brazil’s first popularly elected president Fernando Collor de Mello and the murder of his campaign treasurer/criminally corrupt money launderer Paulo Cesar Cavalcanti de Farias (known as “PC")--that’s the obvious death in Brazil. In telling the story of Fernando and PC’s rise he contrasts it with current President Lula’s populist ascension and ambitiously lays it all across a selected violent history of Brazil–that’s the broader metaphorical death in Brazil.
Author Peter Robb's talent shines through in his ability to weave his own travelogue narrative with the history of various cities and people groups in Brazil. For the uninitiated reader, he offers a strong argument that the geographic segmentation and division between northeast (nordeste) and the South (particularly the Sao Paulo financial center) is not only a historical fact but a continued blight on Brazil’s ability to grow, democratize and modernize as a country.
Aside from the straight forward politics and history, other noteworthy anecdotes include his history of Globo’s rise and its incredible reach, role and influence in Brazil's modern history and politique writ large. What has stuck with me most, however, was his insight that “Brazilians expected little of their leaders and even less of the mob in Congress.” This observation came as he examined the lurid and sordid details of PC and Fernando’s political machinations and the author was hopeful that this “truth” would start to change with Lula’s election but sadly this is an outlook that many Brazilians still hold two decades later (just read through any recent polling data). This outlook also stems from a seemingly absurd but accepted mixture here in Brazil of realpolitik and laissez-faire–captured in the maxim rouba mas faz–meaning “he’s a thief but gets things done.”
Notes:
4 History of military dictatorship. Almost 20 years. Most of Brazil’s democratic
leaders left the country. No guerilla warfare. But by 80’s the generals clearly lacked the expertise to manage such a large economy. 1979 very small Worker’s Party forms. 2003 City of God emblematic of larger corruption and violence and used real people as the actors.
14-15 City of Sao Paulo–lacks Rio’s glamour but has the sex, drugs and violence
cornered. For centuries was a backwoods cattle town. Coffee boom transformed the city. Slavery ended and there is where bulk of European immigrants arrived. 1M Italians, 100’s of thousands from Portugal, Japan, Syria, Germany. 4th largest city in the world–def top 10. Sao Paulo has more private helos than any other city in the world, more armored limos and cars, more armed private security…and more desperation.
15-16 NE. The Nordeste is seen as a problem. It’s maintained its
backward history in a way that Rio and SP gobbled up as they expanded. Past the resort facades much of it is frozen in the past. Interior NE is bare and dry–inhospitable
17-18 Recife. Easternmost pt. of Brazil. Built on river delta islands. Its harbor is
protected by a natural reef–hence its name. Founded by the Dutch.
26-29 Gilberto Freyre, Masters and Slaves Comes amidst Getulio Vargas 1930’s
Dictatorship. This was a insider’s expose on Brazi’s slave plantation past, “patriarchial tyranny”. Called out NE as the birth place of Brazil unique and wonderful culture–specifically keying in the sordid sexual sins of the slave holders. Before this, most Brazilians were wholly ignorant of the NE history. “Gilberto’s work leaves us all more Brazilian.” –Amado.
34-35 Banghe multiple meanings in the regional context: hammock where slave
masters had sex with slaves, also a stretch to carry away dead slave bodies, also the trough where rawhide was washed and tanned.
39-43 Lula and workers party Fernando and the 1st votes. A “brazilian battler”. Taken
to Sao Paulo as a kid, shined shoes, sold peanuts. Started as metal worker union leader, then Worker’s Party leader (itself a large cluster or voices ranging from revolutionary Marxists to social democrats). Never very ideological himself or even intellectually curious. He had an ability to connect with his audience in a very intimate way about practical solutions to their problems. In 1989, he lost Brazil’s first presidential election since the dictatorship but came close–losing to Fernando Collor De Mello. This winner was the guy the ruling elite and money chose to represent them and to keep their power concentrated.
43-44 Workers party elevation. Anthem was “Our Star is Going to Shine”
45 Why Lulu lost in ‘89. Lula lost because of his image at that time. Small, stumpy
bearded backward Nordestino. Not a smooth portuguese speaker…not someone most Brazilians could be proud to have represent them on the world stage.
49 Paulo Cesar Cavalcanti de Farias. PC Farias. He was Fernando’s campaign
treasurer and instrumental in his victory. He had $60M leftover after the election from donations.. This became a slush fund for Fernando and PC that was siphoned through offshore accounts etc.
58 Brazil’s “discovery”--Pedro Cabral left Lisbon with a huge fleet in 1500 headed to
Asia. After looking for a lost ship IVO Cape Verde, they drifted and got lost and ended up on the coast of Brazil. Specifically in Bahia (later named Porto Seguro).
65 Origin of Rio de Janeiro name. Portuguese Goncalo Coelho sailed into a huge
bay that the indigenous people called Guanabara. He thought it was the mouth of a giant river and since it was 1 january 1502–he called Rio de Janeiro. This was the beginning of the end for the Tupi and Guarani tribes.
76 Globo soap opera as reflection of a society based on non-confrontation. The
soaps lacked normal dramatic elements like tension, conflict and resolution. Instead it chose the opposite.
77 Power of Globo and its president Roberto Marinho can’t be overstated. “I might
be fighting with my army minister, but I won’t be fighting with Roberto Marinho”
78 Problem in 89 election was that no one alive had ever democratically elected a
president.
82 Manioc = Mani’s house in Tupi. This comes from a convoluted legend where a
Tupi tribal leader’s daughter has a white baby (but has a dream where a white man says it was immaculate conception). The baby’s name was Mani but she died after a year. They buried her beneath her own house. From that spot up came a new plant never seen before with flowers and fruit. They dug up the root, they saw that it was white and growing from Mani’s body. They ate the root and it was good.
82 Manioc is central part of diet still 500 years later. Macaxeira boiled in big strips or
fried–sweet manioc. Bitter manioc is high in cyanide and they figured out a way to boil and strain off the poison, then rolled out and baked to make beiju–unleavened bread. Or they’d roast the pulp, grind, roast it again into farofa.
85 Ode to feijoada. Different regional variations–carioca is with black beans,
whereas nordeste is with brown beans.
86 Sao Paulo feijoada version has orange juice put directly in, along with cachaca.
90 Inner drylands of the NE are called sertao deserto = desert. Desertao = big
desert. Desertaoes became sertaoes
93-100 Lulu origin story. Came from Pernambuco interior. Born in a shack, 7th child of a poor farmer in 1945. Dad walked out on them and headed to Santos (south of Sao Paulo). Shacked up with his wife’s cousin and had two kids (maybe 4). He later visited north and got his wife pregnant with an 8th baby and then left again. In 1952, his wife joins him. By the time his dad dies he had 10 kids with Lula’s mom and 13 with her cousin. Lula’s mom eventually went to Sao Paulo where they lived in the back of a bar. At 13 he got his first factory job.
Statement that still today the NE provides the labor for the south.
He worked his way up and at 20 in 1966 was at a car assembly plant and in no real way affected by the 1964 military coup. Took four years before his brother convinced him to get a union card. He married but his wife and child died during labor. He won election (reluctantly) to lead the local metal workers union. He didn’t like American food–found it disgusting.
On the union side he created comic strips leaflets that people actually wanted to read. He was reelected in 1978. At the time he wore his black hair in hanging ringlets that looked like a squid–hence his nickname–Lula. He remained NOT an idealogue.
112 1st political party for the workers that spoke to their needs–this was Lula’s
creation.
120 Quilombos still exist today tucked away outside Salvador. These are descendents of runaway slaves
133 ‘78-81 rise of Lula and strikes that actually work (to their surprise) and win
everyone a pay raise
136 Feb 1980 Workers party born.
138 Lula elected to congress in 1986. And rode that momentum to be the workers
party nominee for first democratic elections in 1989.
161 Zelia ruinous economic plan where they froze everyone’s money…she also had a
love affair with the minister of Justice. She was famously incompetent.
169 another miscarriage of justice. In 1996, a group of Landless movement were
brutally murdered and 4 years later there was still no justice–there was a trial but they were released and two were later convicted but released and never served any jail time. This is the quintessential BRAZIL story.
171 later 1800’s immigration with influx of Italy, Portugal, Germany to whiten
country–all to the Southeast and almost all to Sao Paulo
172 Backwood dark NE’s–looked down upon as dark and dumb and an
embarrassment when you could have white immigrants.
178-80 Story of Canudos (197-208 too). Late 1800s community founded by Maciel–later called Antonio the Counselor. Built into self-sustaining agricultural community. They drew the attention of Rio as an independent group that needed to be crushed. It tool incredible resources from the government in Rio to finally do it.
184 Moquenca–african origin dish that is a stew with fish and pepper and onions and
coconut milk. Emblematic of Brazilians–african, indigenous, portuguese…always a mixture.
187-195 Machado writer background (Brits and Rio) in the late 1800s. Celebrity writer, Brazil’s Dickens. Founding president of Brazil’s Academy of Letters.
209 Late 1900’s NE just as bad off as a century earlier. Land distribution inequality
was worse than economic inequality. 1% owned 40% of land. 40% of agricultural land was uncultivated while people starved–destitute.
218 The Drylands by Euclides da Cunha published in 1902–it was THE BRAZILIAN
NOVEL. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0143106074 This is about the Canudos rebellion
227 Quote: Brazilians expected little of their leaders and even less of the mob in
Congress.” But the depth of PCs and Fernandos public squabble tested even
this maxim
235 Rouba mas faz…he’s a thief but gets things done has been the default position of
Brazilians for their more competent politicians and leaders. But Fernando got nothing done.
238 Brazil public hold Fernando accountable and he resigns and is voted to be
criminally responsible. “Things slide backward after that, but in Brazil things
always do.”
268 PC pulled/hid/stole $1B from Brazil over the course on Fernando’s presidency
269 PC’s murder was an incredible and crazy scandal story worthy of a movie! And
the trial dragged out over years. Reflected transnational criminal organization.s
271 Ceci assassination in 1998 was brazen and crazy. Augusto was later indicted but
then nothing happened. He wouldn’t be convicted until 2012.
272 “then nothing happened”
289 owners of Power book by Raymundo Faoro. From wiki: The most important of
those was "Os Donos do Poder" (The Owners of Power). In this book, Faoro describes the history of power in Brazilian history, from pre-colonial times to approximately the end of Getúlio Vargas's first term. In this book, Faoro gave special attention to the "estamento", or Stand, which he notes was a classification used by Karl Marx but mistranslated in the English and French translations of his German work.[1] This "Stand", which he differentiates clearly from the ruling "Elite", was dominant in the creation of modern Brazil. According to Faoro, this "Stand", a strange mixture of the nobility, the bureaucrats and the military, always attempted to use the power and wealth of the State to benefit themselves, thereby preventing the masses from ruling the country in benefit of the majority.
290 BRA doesn’t have a sense of the common good–the res publica. Partly due to
super concentration of wealth, dynastic and otherwise. But it didn’t account for the post military rule birth of a worker’s party
2002 LULA finally elected.