Avenida Rio Branco - IC thread

[Smyg]

Brigada Brasileira dos Palhaços Antifascistas

The BRIGADA BRASILEIRA DOS PALHAÇOS ANTIFASCISTAS is very pleased to announce the candidacy to the Presidency of the Republic of the United States of Brazil of its leader:

ZUMBI, King of the Palmaristas

The running mate of His Majesty King Zumbi, seeking the position of Vice President of the Republic, will be the rotting corpse of his beloved Queen, Lady Justiça, the first ever Brazilian female vice presidential candidate and the mythological embodiment of both Justice and Ruining-Jokes-By-Explaining-Them.

The Brigada has also mustered a rooster of proposed cabinet members, which will be submitted to the National Congress of Brazil for consideration upon our victory in the 1930 elections:

• Minister of Depression: Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa
• Minister of Corruption: Júlio Prestes de Albuquerque
• Minister of War: Getúlio Dornelles Vargas
• Minister of Finance: Henry Ford
• Minister of Justice: Horácio de Matos
• Minister of Monopolies: Percival Farquhar
• Minister of Agriculture: Joaquim Francisco de Assis Brasil
• Minister of Internal Revolution: Plínio Salgado
• Minister of Foreign Affairs: Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini
• Minister of Dentistry: Joaquim José da Silva Xavier
• Minister of Clowning: Astrojildo Pereira Duarte Silva

VOTE ZUMBI DOS PALMARAS (BBDPA) FOR A MORE HONEST BRAZIL

[Westar]

Don't let these fools kill our country.


Vote Getúlio Vargas for President!

((the last 2 words say "clowns" and "criminals" according to Google. I hope they do.))

[Gesar]

This letter is to be found in a dustbin, unsealed and unread. Daring to open it reveals a fluid, if hastily written scrawl.

Pai Cardoso,

I do not write to confess to you any longer, for I -and this is through no fault of my own- cannot bear myself to partake in the sacraments with those who have not seen and heard the suffering of the Nordeste as we cangaceiros have. Make no mistake, I do not fault your devotion to the urban ways of your diocese, and yet love you dearly, as the man who raised me.

That is why I write to you, Father. I write to mourn the death of the first woman whom I ever loved, murdered brutally by the coronels and their macaco allies, for the simple crime of giving the people of the Sertão a voice. Repression is so prevalent here that there was no defense, no salvation for my love; the evidence was stacked against her, my revolutionary Maria Vermelha, I admit: I am no communist, nor an anarchist, but to claim both is to make yourself a target of the men who own our beautiful Nordeste. But I do not mourn too deeply, Father. Captain Virgulino has reminded me that, despite my loss, that this is the true tragedy of our struggle.

The peasants are being thrown into camps by the coronel masters, the landless forced to fend for themselves as migrant workers, itinerant laborers, and subsistence farmers. And what is the hypocrisy we see in Rio? The Satanic forces of government bicker about the death penalty -with the Integralists predictably calling for yet more deaths, in that peculiar Italian way of theirs- and the ostensible reformists deny them with a Judas kiss to the Constitution even as Pilate summons the legions. We are the forgotten people, Father, and they label us criminals, when every death in the Nordeste owes its roots to the corruption that our nordestino Babylon thrives on.

But no more, Father. There is not a single Longinus among the monkeys who appears to feel guilt at their actions against the good Christian farmers and laborers of Brazil. Even now, we can hear the lockstep of their marching, and brace ourselves for not just the verbal slings and arrows, but the all-too-real machine guns and artillery fire. It is a conundrum, to think of Rio. That they would speak of an illegal death penalty, when the innocent sertanejos and laborers across this nation are brutally put down by the coronels, when violence is the only language understood on the caatinga.

My Red Maria knew this, and fought on regardless. She is a martyr for our fight, and while I suspect we'll have many more, I refuse to let her death go unanswered. We must organize, and we must fight, though our methods may seem brutal! This is what Lampião has shown: the other cheek may be turned, and the money-lenders chased out, but the forces of evil will go unmatched until we follow the full example of Christ, the one who declared: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)

I apologize, Father, for both my vitriol and the consistency of these letters. The Captain speaks to me often, but my past is not one he will understand. Perhaps, by now, you cannot either, but as the man who raised me, you deserve at least this.

With love, respect, and prayers for a better tomorrow,
Raimundo

Terra e Conceição Aparecida! Vive o Nordeste!

[Smyg]

THE BRAZILIAN REVOLUTION

A Comedy in Three Acts

by A. Pereira



Presented by the Brazilian People's Theatre Company

PLOT SUMMARY:

ACT I:
Using a dual narration, Act I follows the lives of the 17th century Afro-Brazilian maroon leader Zumbi dos Palmares and the 18th century working class revolutionary Joaquim José da Silva Xavier ("Tiradentes"), providing brief snapshots, beginning with Zumbi's teenage capture and later escape back to Palmares and Tiradentes' youthful service as a cattle driver, miner, tooth-puller and soldier, ending with their shared executions.

ACT II:
Set during an indefinite period of the Brazilian Civil War, an unnamed and unreliable narrator - likely based on the author himself - follows a bloody clash between a idealistic student turned Integralist fighter, and an aged Socialist militant. Across the duration of a day, they encounter each other three times in street combat, growing wearier each time, apparently ending in the realisation that the true enemy is not their fellow Brazilian.

ACT III:
Act III acts as a futurist, utopian image of a distant future. On Mars, the planeta vermelho, Brazilian-origin explorers enter a forgotten colony-city, hidden beneath a glass dome and seeping its resources from the Martian canals. They encounter rampant unemployment, unemployment, hunger, disease, eugenics, sexual inequality, and other such injustices of times past, and set out to encourage the lost settlers to seek a better future.

EXCERPT FROM ACT I

Show

ACT I

SCENE 5

SETTING: We are on split scene, with rainforest foilage on the left (ZUMBI'S jungle hideout) and an urban city plaza on the right (Rio de Janeiro). The centre of each half holds a wooden scaffold, draped in the royal banners of the House of Braganza, with a chopping block on the left and a gallows on the right. Portuguese colonial SOLDIERS flank the set.

AT RISE: A colonial MAGISTRATE, wearing an oversized ruff collar and a poorly dusted white wig, enters. He nearly trips over the body of a fallen Palmarista WARRIOR, at the foot of the leftmost scaffold, slain during ZUMBI'S last stand. The SOLDIERS giggle visibly.

MAGISTRATE
(Shaking off the embarrassment, crosses himself)
Truly, the Lord is good, saving me from the filthy Negroes' tricks, even the postmortem ones. Get that pagan out of here.

(Two SOLDIERS begin to carry the WARRIOR off stage. As they pick him up, a copper Crucifix pendant becomes visible, hanging from his chest. One of the SOLDIERS yank it off, and puts it in a well-filled pocket.)

MAGISTRATE
(Awkwardly looks away from the WARRIOR and the SOLDIERS)
Now then. Scribe, read the crimes he's been found guilty of.

SCRIBE
(Off)
Excellency, they are, in order of magnitude: Conspiracy to commit murder, high treason against the Crown, heresy against the Divine Right of Kings, and tax fraud.

MAGISTRATE
(Smug)
Any last words, traitor?

ZUMBI
(ZUMBI appear defiant atop the scaffold, on the left)
Behead me, kingsmen!

TIRADENTES
(TIRADENTES appears defiant atop the scaffold, on the right)
Hang me, queensmen!

MAGISTRATE
(Sighing)
Add lesa-majestade to the sheet of convictions, scribe.

SCRIBE
(Off)
Right away, Excellency!

MAGISTRATE
(Visibly annoyed)
Right then. Let's end this charade.

ZUMBI
(ZUMBI raises his fist)
The spirit of the Quilombo will live on!

TIRADENTES
(TIRADENTES raises his fist)
The dream of the Republic will never die!

ZUMBI and TIRADENTES
(In unison)
Long live the people of Brazil!

MAGISTRATE
(Snorting)
Oh shut up!

(CURTAINS)

(END OF ACT)

REVIEWS

A Classe Operária
"... although we're by no means not inclined towards maintaining a culto de personalidade, it cannot be denied that the importance of the dialectal analysis of our Comrade Pereira pales in comparison to his skills as a playwright. The play, which will be touring all major cities and also will be shown in a simplified form in the countryside, is a must-see. Don't tell us you did not leave the theatre smiling a little!"

Progreso Social
"Although the progressive message put forward in The Brazilian Revolution is a strong one, and the comedy aspects hit home in most scenes, perhaps the PCB have somewhat overspent on the production of the play. The props and sets used in Act III alone, especially during the Ode ao Rouxinol ("Solidariedade" is admittedly a strong, if brief, musical number), must have cost a fortune, and..."

Folha do Ouvidor
"Disregarding the clear, and wholly intended, political slant, Mr. Pereira does prove himself a fairly good man of the theatre. Although he is neither a Shakespeare or even a Dickens, he borrows tropes wildly both from then and a plethora of modern writers, especially those of contemporary Soviet Russian ficção científica (such as Bogdanov's 1908 Red Star, Tolstoy's 1923 Aelita, and Obruchev's 1924 Plutonia), with..."

Jornal do Commercio
"... but still amusing at times, the Communist leader's would-be magnus opus delivers punch after punch both against the Ação Integralista Brasileira and in the direction of far more upstanding citizens, whose contributions towards society are wholly ignored. All quite hit-or-miss, of course. We must admit that the historical references were often clever, but the twisted narrative turns all that a bit hollow."

O Globo
"This play is trash. If you enjoyed it, you're likely trash too. Perhaps even of the lumpesinato kind. From the revisionist and poor storytelling of the first Act to the the nostalgic tomfoolery of the second Act, it's all quite a bore, but it was during the third Act that it truly became too much to bear. I didn't laugh at a single joke. Mr. Pereira, please stick to the political sort of clowns, and avoid the theatrical such."

[Flaming Bolshevik]

A young boy of the age of 14 writes in his journal.

Father, i know you are away on a big ship somewhere and may never see this but i write in the hope that one day when i look back on these days i will be able to find comfort in the fact that i survived. Mama lost her job and we were evicted from our home because we could not afford the rent any longer. We lived in little shacks and gathered what food we could to keep ourselves alive. We were freezing one day and Mama got really sick so i went to the pharmacy to steal some medicine when this man dressed in a uniform saw me and asked what i was doing. Mama told me to not talk to strangers but this man was very kind and gave me his chocolate! I told him about Mama and how we were living and he invited us to come stay at this "Community Center". We took Mama and when we arrived a doctor gave her some medicine and within a couple of hours she was feeling much better. The man who introduced himself as "Miguel" played football with me and made sure i was first in line at the food line! He showed me all his cool patches and medals he's earned. Apparently he served in the Army during the Rebellion! We talked for hours about Brazil and the AIB and he told me I'd fit in in the youth wing and i can wear that uniform with the patch of Brazil and this thing called a "Sigma". He said i was very intelligent for my age and handed me a book called "A Novo Ordem". It was written by the founder of the AIB, Plinio Salgado himself. I have begun to read it and Miguel is helping me understand it better. I miss you father, but i know you are serving our country on those big battleships and i know you will make us all proud. I love you.
-Victor

[Snacks]

On fliers posted at multiple universities:

Free to Attend!
Lecture and Round-table Discussion on Crime and Incarceration in the Brazilian State

Topics include the Recife Prison Riot, extrajudicial killings, the latest developments and theory in prison reform abroad, and recent legislation on crime and the prison system.

Free materials include recent BLOC congress announcements, editorials from party officers on subjects from the party platform on policing and prison reform to its position on the upcoming presidential elections, and information to campaign for BLOC-endorsed candidates.

Hosted by the Workers and Peasants Bloc with accomplished representatives invited from the Socialist Revolutionary Party, Social Democrats, and Brazilian Communist Party

[acecipher]

Luiz paced frantically in the Social Democracy Work Center in Rio de Janiero. His friend and fellow activist, Hugo, should have been here half an hour ago with the draft.

He had hoped that further delays had not caused yet more headaches with this election effort--there were always some hiccups between the more moderate members of the SDP and the allies de Sousa Costa had picked for the party: the rambunctious (if electorally principled) Communists and the strong youth movement. He sighed, and stepped aside. The filing deadline was only a few hours away. He turned his back at the door to slowly stare at the clock with grim resignation.

With bombastic pomp, Hugo chose that moment to burst through the door. "Luiz! Fernando has done it! And you said he never would, but no, you were wrong to give up on him so easily! He worked it out in the end! The electoral ticket is good to go!"

Luiz sighed. Of course, things would just be easier if he could just give up. But now was not the time. He sighed, and pulled up to a typewriter. "Alright, I'll begin draftingt an announcement, and send it to all branches to circulate widely."

A WORKING MAN'S TICKET--A WORKING MAN'S PRESIDENCY

Friends, Workers, Comrades:

Are you tired of the status quo? Are you tired of the rich getting richer off the backs of the poor, and when the going gets rough, the poor being left on the street?

Are you tired of seeing the bosses dictate terms with impunity? With being able to control the workplace with an iron fist, and without being able to organize to fight against their dictatorial control?

Are you afraid of the hand of the rich and powerful, being guided by military and police control, whether it be used to imprison our brothers and sisters unjustly or to stifle political dissent?

Are you against an electoral system that only serves its own interests and those of the powerful men who back it? Whose chief contributions are to suppress the power of the most active political parties fighting for worker's protections? When they fight against several of the measures which are made to improve your every day quality of life?

If you are one who is seeking change, progress, and a way forwards for Brazil, if you would want a President who cares more about feeding the needy rather than keeping the rich in their mansions, then the de Sousa Costa / de Olivera ticket is the one for you. The Social Democratic Party's head, along with a veteran organizer from the Worker's and Peasant's Block, are seeking to bring you the leadership needed for the common man in these trying, troubling times.

Do not despair for the future of Brazil--the future is ours, and it is a bright one! We shall lead ourselves forwards, onwards, and higher, progress a clarion call to the Brazilian! Let the Working Man lose his shackles--let him be free to produce as he sees fit!

de Sousa Costa & de Olivera: United to build the Brazil of tomorrow!

[Red John]

Distributed across Northeastern Brazil...

"...he[Lampiao], and his disgusting men, forced themselves upon a soldiers wife and forced him to watch. And then they killed him."
"Lampião ransacked our village and demanded "contributions" from the merchants- my father included. Our stocks were plundered and everything he and his thieves couldn't carry, was handed out to other villagers."
"...and life was hard after his gang left. The police were dead, and winter was quickly approaching. I lost two of my toes to frostbite, digging graves for the poor fuckers that were killed."
"Lampião lined up the widowed women, those married to the dead officers, and ordered his men to rape them. After- [pause]..after they were finished, he[Lampião] took a knife and personally cut out their tongues."

Citizens of Brazil! These are personal accounts - accounts verified by ourselves - of the brutal acts of terror that Lampião, the petty bandit who rapes and plunders, has committed. For too long has he and his gang been allowed to run amok, disturbing the peace and ruining countless lives. No more! Our proud and brave military will now officially begin instituting a training program for all eligible men - and women - who meet our requirements. Lampião is a coward- this cowardly and pathetic man relies on trickery, deceit and surprise to win battles. He has never faced a true military force- nor a force trained personally by our fair troops.

Are you tired of this man raiding your lands and wish to protect your mothers, your daughters, your sisters- from his hedonistic band of scum?
Are you unable to sit back and watch as your fellow countrymen are slaughtered like cattle?

Then prepare! People of Brazil, we have not forgotten you- revenge will be exacted for Lampião's crimes!