Brazilian democracy under Assault: artists, intellectuals and leaders speak out against censorship and abuses
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Brazilian Democracy under assault: artists, intellectuals and social movement leaders from around the world speak out against Bolsonaro attacks to the arts, science and education programs.
A letter of support signed by linguist Noam Chomsky, musicians Sting, Caetano Veloso, photographer Sebastião Salgado, actor William Dafoe and a few thousand more is released on the week Bolsonaro tries to advance mining in indigenous lands and aggressions towards Brazilian renowned filmmakers
February 7, 2020 – Artists, intellectuals and social movement leaders from around the world denounce the current Brazillian president Jair Bolsonaro’s administration for threats to freedom of expression and human rights abuses.The group also urges the international community to take a stand against the rise of authoritarianism in Brazil, deeming recent policies and pronouncements as signs of a potential irreversible attack on the country’s democracy.
According to the letter, the country's democratic institutions have been under attack since the new presidency was inaugurated: "The Bolsonaro administration has systematically sought to curtail and undermine cultural, scientific and educational institutions in the country, as well as the press," it states. According to the National Guild of Journalists, the number of cases of violence against reporters in Brazil increased 50% in the last two years.
Notable artists, intellectuals and leaders who endorse the letter include: the anthropologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos, musician Caetano Veloso, musicians Sting, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Philip Glass, philosopher Djamila Ribeiro, documentary producer a CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans, painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, philosophers Nancy Frazer, Djamila Ribeiro, Sueli Carneiro, linguist and Noam Chomsky, photographer Sebastião Salgado, Political scientist Steven Levitsky, a actor William Dafoe and social movement and indigenous leaders Douglas Belchior (UNEAFRO), Sonia Guajajara, Célia Xakriabá and others.
This letter is issued in the same week the Bolsonaro’s administration advanced a new law that allows for mining in indigenous protected lands. The bill will now be reviewed by Congress, largely composed of mining and agribusiness lobbyists. The government also tweeted a video that defames filmmaker Petra Costa as an "anti-patriot" who "spreads lies." Costa’s film, The Edge of Democracy, released by Netflix, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature in the 92nd Film Academy Awards. The film investigates the impeachment of the first female president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, and exposes corruption in a divided country. On Sunday, February 9, 2020, Costa may become the first Latin American female director to get an Oscar.
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