Questões de Inglês - Reading/Writing

Brazilian protest songs: “Peace without a voice is no peace but fear”

I was born a year after the military coup in Brazil. The dictatorship that followed lasted from

1964 until 1985 - all my childhood and teenage years. But until I was 13 or 14 years old, I had

no clue of what was going on in my country. I lived in a small town and my parents were not

involved in politics. We listened to the radio, watched the news on TV and had a subscription to

[5]  a national newspaper, but all the media were completely censored at that time. The fact that the

newspaper was sometimes printed with a blank space or a cake recipe in the middle of the news

never really caught my attention. It was always like that and I didn’t know any better.

I had my first glimpse of what it really meant to have a military government and what kind

of things were going on through songs. There was a song that I liked a lot, O bêbado e a

[10]  equilibrista, although the lyrics didn’t make much sense to me: “My Brazil… / that dreams of the

return / of Henfil’s brother / and so many people that left / on rocket fins”. Henfil was a famous

cartoonist, but who was his brother? Who were the people who left? What were they singing

about? This was in 1979 and I was 13.

Thanks to this song by João Bosco and Aldir Blanc (sung by Elis Regina) and the questions I

[15]  started to ask, I heard for the first time about all the artists, journalists and activists that had

been persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and exiled. Many had disappeared or been killed by the

military regime. This song became an anthem for the amnesty of political prisoners and activists

in exile, which was announced later in that same year.

In fact, due to the extreme censorship during the period of military dictatorship in Brazil, songs

[20]  were one of the few ways to send political messages. Despite the tight surveillance of the censors,

they flourished, giving a voice to the resistance movement. Like Para não dizer que não falei das

flores, by Geraldo Vandré, which was interpreted as a call for armed struggle.

Words and phrases with double meanings were used to escape censorship and persecution. The

greatest master in this art was Chico Buarque de Holanda. His clever lyrics were often approved

[25]  by the censors, who would only later realise what the songs were really about. But then, of

course, it was too late. That was the case with Apesar de você, which was censored only after it

had already become an anthem on the streets. At first sight, it appears to be a samba about a

lover’s quarrel. Actually, it was a sharp critique of the authoritarian regime and an act of direct

defiance aimed at the dictators.

[30]  With the advent of democracy and the new freedom of expression in the late 1980s, protest

songs played less of a role in Brazil for a while, but in the 1990s they once again became a

powerful channel to voice social discontent. One of bands active in this period was O Rappa, with

the song A paz que eu não quero. The fight against social inequality, urban and police violence

and racial discrimination are the most common themes. Nowadays, the lyrics are explicit and the

messages are clear.

Mariângela Guimarães rnw.nl 

Leia o texto a seguir para responder à questão

The Yearly International Buy Nothing Day

The end of November many countries worldwide experience the International Buy Nothing Day/No Shop Day. Buy Nothing Day is especially a day of protest by all of those who find that they have enough, and want to voice their opposition to the incessant trend towards 'always more.' Buy Nothing Day is particularly celebrated in countries that have a very high level of consumption.
The initiative for the Buy Nothing Day was taken in 1992, in Canada, by Ted Dave, who was working in the advertising world. By doing this, he wanted to perform an act against the constant appeal to overconsume, which advertisements pour out on us. His motto was: Enough is enough! Since then the idea of the Buy Nothing Day has been adopted by increasingly more countries. This year there will be activities in at least thirteen countries.
 

Participate by not participating!

The easiest way to become involved in the Buy Nothing Day is: Stay at home! Give yourself and your wallet a day of rest by not shopping. Some countries have special posters to put in your windows. Those who want to participate in this campaign in a more active way - and that is definitely much more fun - can contact the coordinating group in their own country.
Omslag, Workshop for Sustainable Development - The Netherlands

Disponível em: http://www.koopniets.nl/buynothingday.htm Acesso em: 28 out. 2012. (Adaptado).

Glossário:
to voice: verbalizar
trend: tendência
pour out: despejar
motto: lema