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BRAZIL - Dilma, a Woman of Deep Convictions

Ilka Oliva Corado

Friday 16 September 2016, posted by Ilka Oliva Corado

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The photograph of a young Brazilian guerrilla, almost a child, before a military court that tortured and imprisoned her for three years, went around the world the day Dilma Vana da Silva Rousseff became the first woman president of Brazil.

That image of a brave teenager, of deep and sincere look, sitting on the bench of the accused for defending the sovereignty of his people and fighting against a dictatorship, which precisely came into being also by a coup in 1964, went beyond the boundaries of time and reached all corners of the world. And it speaks to the integrity of someone the people name, as in the favelas and slums, plainly and simply, Dilma; because she’s ours, she’s one of us -privilege of few presidents to be sheltered that way by the most vulnerable and at the same time more loyal.

And so, through that photograph the world learned with a single image who Dilma was, and what she represented in Brazil and Latin America for women, the masses, the favelas, the patriarchy, sexism and misogyny. What she represented for classism, racism, the military leadership, the Brazilian oligarchy and the US raging greed.

A woman president in a racist, discriminatory, misogynistic and classist Brazil -a straight blow to traitors and abusers. But not just any woman, not one made of porcelain, a mannequin, someone out touch with reality, with her country and gender. I’m talking about a capable woman, honest, consistent with her ideology and the need of the people. A woman of convictions which can’t be postponed. It could not be otherwise, the presidency of Brazil was yearning for Dilma; sheer love of the favelas and Latin American slums. A woman who has fought all his life and has demonstrated with her very existence that the personal is political.

Dilma, from the perspective of genre made de favelas visible as well as the Brazilian woman from the slum; the black, the poor, the one lacking opportunities, and the abused. And instead of patriarchal blows, she gave her a pencil and a notebook, a desk, a job, food; she made her dream again.

To the marginalized youth instead of social cleansing, of unfairly imprisoning them, she opened the horizons so that they could feel in the depths of their being the enormous strength of the desires for fulfillment -supported by a government system which provided opportunities for advacement.

To the neglected childhood she filled their dawns with smiles and with nourishment their hunger for knowledge. Instead of their tears of misery she gave them the joy of playing in freedom. The government of Dilma, continuing with the progress that Lula had brought about during his government, showed that an inclusive system is possible, and that the patterns can be changed. And she did it from the genre, from her essence as a woman, from the fecund voice of her ancestors. She did it from the strength of the slaves ancestors who never gave up fighting for freedom.

She did so from the blackness of an Amazonian Brazil, dazzlingly beautiful with its multiple ethnicities.

As president, Dilma changed the face of misery, gave voice to the oppressed and restored their confidence, joy and longing. Not in vain the people have taken to the streets in great numbers, defending their president and the policies of inclusion -a triumph of the governments of Lula and Dilma.

The traitorous Coup and her dismissal come from the patriarchy, machismo and misogyny. They come from the white and oligarchic business leadership. Come from the submission and effrontery of a handful of bandits, opulent in their immunity and who conspired with the United States.

The Coup comes in retaliation to the morality of a woman who never in the face of betrayal, oppression and the shamelessness of the disloyal got intimidated. It comes as a bill to pay for defending her people, for not accepting to nest bank accounts with stolen money. For not accepting to play on the traitor’s side. For not accepting to align herself to the US orders.

It comes for her audacity to have included Brazil in the BRICS -that was never to be forgiven by the United States, who hates the freedom of the peoples. And incidentally it was done by a woman! It is for this reason that the coup is insidious, like all coups, and was born, like all coups, of the oligarchy, the white class, the servile, and the fascists, those who from the beginning of all ages have always been cowards.

It comes for having revolutionized the health system, the educational system, for having created parks and schools instead of prisons and detention centers. For providing with scholarships the athletes from the slums, rather than sending the paramilitary to execute social cleansing.

The Coup against Dilma comes as a result of her integrity, for being true to herword, her loyalty to his people, and her sociocultural and gender equality policies

Dilma could have made mistakes as any of the progressive presidents of the continent, and also at some point had to take risky decisions due to their level of complexity. It’s not that easy to govern the most important country in Latin America, for all that Brazil represents in terms of the Amazon and oil; for Petrobras and BRICS.

Dilma could not have done everything perfect, because she’s human and has the right to be wrong. And we must take into account that most of the time she ruled having the oligarchy against her, and the US as the main enemy. But something very different is the betrayal and that, she never did it to her own people.

And if that were not enough because the patriarchy, sexism and misogyny don’t care about ideologies, the ultra-left, which Dilma had it as an enemy (as Cristina did), devalued her for being a woman, because it could not stand on his macho zeal that a woman had the courage and integrity, the intelligence and ability which they lack. Dilma, unfortunately has also had to watch her back from those who preach and present themselves as the true and original, but who have never done anything for the good of the people.

They are like the ultra-right: deeply egotistical. Those are the same of the ultra-left who are now trying to put the people against her, so that they don’t take to the streets and leave her alone, this will make them feel as the victors and celebrate the Coup as a personal achievement.

The Coup in Brazil comes as a punishment to Dilma for her daring, for what she represents as genre and a as president trying to change the system in a patriarchal Latin America; sexist, misogynist, racist, classist, with no identity and no historical memory.

The Coup against Dilma is also against all Latin American women, with this they mean that we have no right to change the patterns, that our role is to have children, clean the house and sexually please the husband as often as he wants and as he pleases; submissively.

It also comes as a punishment to the masses, to African descendants, the favelas, to the LGBTI community, by this they mean that there are no human rights for us, that we have no right to look up, to dream, because our millenary role is to be the beast of burden for ever and ever exploited. And that our right to love ends when the misogyny of the Church and religions, the stereotypes and homophobia make their appearance.

There is no need to read volumes and volumes of books on Latin American history to understand the reasons for the Coup, it is enough to see the photograph of Dilma, the teenager, upstanding, brave and consistent -that single image shows us the Dilma of today, and the Brazil before and after Lula and Dilma. And if the Brazilian people need some extraordinary incentive to overflow the streets and defend her and the policies of her government, that image is enough to understand that she has fought since 1964 when the Coup took place and experienced firsthand the torture in 1970, when the military detained her. Other than that, is there any other reason to defend her? There isn’t, Dilma has always been there, now is the turn of the people to be with her and for her. Just like that, because love should be repaid with love.

I reaffirm my full support and my love for my president Dilma, and my homeland Brazil.


@ilkaolivacorado
contacto[AT]cronicasdeunainquilina.com
Crónicas de una Inquilina

Translated by Marvin Najarro

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