RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – When asked how religious intolerance against African religions had increased, the composer/singer told Valor Economico that the country had retreated to the past century.
“I see it with deep sadness. I speak often with friends in Portela. Today in order to make an offering on the street one must set up a whole scheme, to take care of it, to protect it. We went back to the beginning of the last century when the police suppressed any demonstrations that referred to African religion”.
But the artist went further. He criticized the coup-plotting right-wing, also stating that “this intolerance was encouraged by a number of officials. This violence against people from the poorest communities, against blacks and Indians, to do what they want, over and above the laws, is something unacceptable, commented on worldwide. I don’t agree, of course, and I don’t think most Brazilians do either”.
He also commented on the dismantling of culture conducted by Bolsonaro’s government: “There is also this blatant dismantling of Brazilian culture, the attack on artists and educators. The demonization of incentive laws. I’ve never used the Rouanet Law, but I think the government’s involvement in encouraging and sponsoring cultural actions is extremely important and crucial. I don’t think that we saw a dismantling of this magnitude during the military dictatorship”.