Brazilians on Bolsonaro's first year: 'If you disagree, you're seen as a traitor'

Six prominent voices from the arts, media, diplomacy and the Amazon give their views on the far-right president’s opening 12 months

by Tom Phillips, Dom Phillips and Jonathan Watts

Wed 1 Jan 2020 04.00 EST

It has been a year since a pro-gun, anti-indigenous far-right former army captain took power in Brazil and began sending shockwaves through the country’s government and society.

In those 12 months, Jair Bolsonaro – who is openly homophobic and allied to Brazil’s hardline religious right – has declared war on film-makers, journalists and the environment; put a conspiracy theorist in charge of the foreign service; and greenlit a new era of police repression and rainforest destruction.

Here, six prominent Brazilian voices from the arts, media, diplomacy and the Amazon offer their thoughts on Bolsonaro’s dramatic first year as president.

Djamila Ribeiro, feminist philosopher, publisher and activist

“It has been such a tough year – above all when it comes to public security. We feel really afraid of the intensifying repression of the black population and the increasing militarisation of the favelas. The number of black people being murdered in poor communities has increased, as has the number of indigenous leaders being killed.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/01/brazil-jair-bolsonaro-first-year-voices