Lula Livre
Each time her phone vibrated, my Portuguese teacher rushed to check the new notification on her lock screen. Not yet receiving the news she awaited, we returned to our lesson on subjunctive mood conjugations. “The subjunctive mood, she explained, is used to express a desire, hope, dream, or doubt. For example: Espero que eles libertem Lula,” ( I hope that they free Lula) she smiled at the class.
My professor was referencing the former Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva, colloquially referred to as “Lula”. The beloved politician was illegally imprisoned on April 7th, 2018 on charges of money laundering and corruption. Allegations accused Lula of having accepted bribes from Petrobras, a major oil company with ties to the Odebrecht “Lava Jato” or “Carwash” corruption scandal.
Many Brazilians were outraged, citing media bias and party persecution as the true causes of Lula’s imprisonment. Lula did a lot for Brazilians, gaining the admiration of both his country and the international community. A member of the Workers Party, PT, Lula represented leftist Brazilian politics. His major policies while in office included the Zero Hunger initiative and other campaigns that helped to dramatically reduce poverty throughout Brazil.
But then, Lula was sent to prison, and as Lula’s prison cell slammed shut, so did the Brazilian people slam their doors on the Workers Party (PT).
Enter Jair Bolsonaro
Bolsonaro was able to recognize the right political climate necessary to earn the Brazilian presidency. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s current President, was startling, though the values he campaigned upon mirrored those of the recently elected far-right leaders throughout the international community. His rhetoric was crude and his campaign platform stretched far to the right.
Indeed, Brazilians voted for the extreme right values that Bolsonaro nicely packed in a rhetoric that spews racism, sexism, and homophobia.
Without Lula da Silva in the running for the 2018 elections, the PT was a weak opposition party to Bolsonaro’s emboldened campaign. That isn’t to say that Lula didn’t try to run for president… That’s right, behind bars Lula da Silva pulled a 39% voter intention rate before his candidacy was disqualified.
And yet, Brazilians still voted for Bolsonaro, not Lula da Silva’s worker’s party.
Just last week I was sitting in on a panel of Brazilian scholars that had prepared a reflection on Bolsonaro’s first year in office. One of the panelists offered a painful metaphor to explain the appeal of Bolsonaro to Brazilians.
“I have family back home in Brazil that voted for Bolsonaro,” he winced. “They call him ‘chemotherapy’. To them, Bolsonaro is not ideal, but almost a necessary evil to purge Brazil of cancerous corruption.”
So, as I sat in my Portuguese class last Friday, I wasn’t sure what to make of the historic release of Lula da Silva. We slammed our textbooks shut to watch the livestream of Lula’s first speech outside of prison. Before he even got the chance to speak, he was ambushed by hugs and kisses from the masses of people that had collected outside of his cell. The hashtag #LulaLivre dominated signs, T-shirts, and every other surface in the crowd.
I was in awe, watching the people unite over this man. With the dramatic divisions of Brazilian society exploited and exposed by Bolsonaro, it seemed as if Brazil could take a collective sigh of relief and pause to find unity in their love for Lula and a win over corruption, even if only temporary.
So Lula is back, but the values that got Bolsonaro elected are still intact. Brazilians are still haunted by economic issues. Corruption is alive and well. There’s a lack of faith and support for the established parties in Brazil, which is troublesome because a united opposition party is essential to countering Bolsonaro in 2022.
As Lula promises to continue his “luta” (fight) against corruption, there are still many other issues plaguing Brazilian society that he must address first. But for now, we’ll stick to celebrating #LulaLivre and practicing our subjunctive mood; hoping for a better tomorrow and dreaming of a better Brazil.
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