“The radical, committed to human liberation, does not become the prisoner of a “circle of certainty” within which reality is also imprisoned.”
– Paulo Freire
Tropicalia, or Tropicalismo, was a Brazilian artistic movement that flourished briefly in the late 1960s. Although a number of creative disciplines were involved - the visual arts, poetry, dance, theater, fashion, etc.,. - the movement became best known for its music, which includes the work of founders Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, as well as Gal Costa, Jorge Ben, and the rock band Os Mutantes (“The Mutants”). Considering the time period in which it was produced, it’s easy to categorize the music of Tropicalia as psychedelic; however, this is a reductive interpretation. Tropicalia is, simply put, something else altogether…
The Tropicalistas shared a belief that the old way of doing things, both culturally and politically, was inadequate. Inspired by the Brazilian poet Oswald de Andrade’s Manifesto Antropofago (Cannibal Manifesto), the artists and musicians associated with Tropicalia sought to create a new Brazilian culture—a Brazil that, in the words of Caetano Veloso, would be “exotic not only to tourists but to Brazilians as well" (2002).
Andrade’s manifesto, written in 1928, was rooted in the concept of cultural cannibalism—the idea of appropriating (i.e. cannibalizing) the output of other cultures to subvert the overriding European influence that defined post-colonial Brazil. This blending of seemingly disparate influences permeates the Tropicalia “sound”—an imaginative synthesis of traditional Brazilian music (bossa nova, samba, regional music), African rhythms, avante garde musique concrete (tape loops, sound collages), funk, soul, and…of course…rock and roll (Dunn, 2001).
"Panis et Circenses" ("Bread and Circuses") by Os Mutantes
Although the movement only lasted a few years, it’s surprising that Tropicalia existed at all. In March of 1964, democratically elected president Joao Goulart, a moderate leftist who attempted to nationalize the country’s oil refineries, was ousted from power in a coup d’etat led by members of the Brazilian military; extra-constitutional “Institutional Acts” were then passed limiting the role of the judicial and legislative branches, creating an authoritative system of government that, to court American favor (and dollars), only masqueraded as democratic.
Initially, authorities were unresponsive to the work of Tropicalia artists. This toleration existed, in part, due to the unique relationship between music and politics in Brazil; music had been promoted by the state for decades, with samba and bossa nova among its most valuable cultural exports. Throughout the 1960s, even after the military regime took over, much of the popular music of the time was political, and it was presented to the public in the form of televised, state sponsored music festivals. These festivals were wildly popular (think "American Idol"), and audiences rallied around their favorite performers - both pop stars and protest singers alike.
"At these events, one could encounter the more or less conscious allusion that this was where the problems of national affirmation, social justice, and advances in modernization were to be resolved...the conversations and hostilities between the groups would focus as much on an artist's political attitude and fidelity to national characteristics as on his harmonic or rhythmic daring." - Caetano Veloso (2002)
The first Tropicalia performances at these festivals were largely dismissed as kitsch, not just by government officials but by traditional left-wing nationalists and folk artists as well. The movement began to receive more scrutiny, however, as its key figures staged more confrontational live performances and became more openly critical of the regime.
In June 1968, many of the Tropicalistas joined other Brazilian artists and student protestors in the “March of One Hundred Thousand,” a public denouncement of government censorship and repression. The government responded with violent suppression. In addition, in December 1968, authorities passed Institutional Act Number Five, which imposed strict censorship of the media, closed national and state assemblies, and suspended the political rights, including habeas corpus, of its citizenry.
Give me a kiss my loveThey are waiting for us
The automobiles are in flames
Demolish the shelves, the bookcases,
The statues, window panes, dishes, books, yes
Caetano Veloso,
From the song “E proibido proibir” (“It’s forbidden to forbid”)
The government crackdown had dire consequences for many Brazilians. From 1964-1985, the military regime committed a number of human rights violations: extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearances, and the unlawful detainment of citizens. In the first few months of the dictatorship alone, approximately 50,000 citizens were detained, with 10,000 going into exile ("Human Rights Watch," 2009). The human rights organization Torture Never Again estimates that at least 300 people disappeared or were assassinated by the Brazilian government (Seguera, 2004). Brazil would remain under military rule until 1985.
As for the Tropicalistas, both Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, whose songs regularly featured lyrics that were critical of the military regime, were imprisoned for two months in 1968. Following their release, the two men were exiled to England by the government and would not be allowed to return until 1972. Like many of their peers, they continued making music, but the movement they founded was no longer active (Dunn, 2001).
A resurgence of interest in Tropicalia has occurred in recent years, led by musicians such as the late Kurt Cobain, Beck, and David Byrne (ex-Talking Heads) among others. Os Mutantes recently reformed, playing a handful of dates in the U.S. and releasing their first album, Haih or Amortecedor, in late 2009. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil remain active, both musically and politically; from 2003 to 2008, Gil served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and he was a Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations until recently. The music of Tropicalia is an inspiration. It speaks to the boundless possibility of art - the rare sort produced by individuals who are willing to take risks, not just creatively but in every facet of existence.
The BBC aired an excellent documentary on Tropicália in 2007. Click here to watch.
References:
Dunn, C (2001). Brutality garden: Tropicália and the emergence of a Brazilian counterculture.
Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina.
Freire, P. (1996). Pedagogy of the oppressed. (M.B Ramos, trans.). New York: Continuum
(original work published 1970).
Human Rights Watch (2009, April 14). Brazil: Prosecute dictatorship-era abuses: Landmark international decision provides powerful push for accountability.
Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/04/14/brazil-prosecute-dictatorship-era-abuses
Sequera, V. (2004, March 11). Brazil: Records on suppression destroyed. Guardian Unlimited.
Retrieved from http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/brazil/1649.html
Veloso, C (2002). Tropical truth: A story of music and revolution in Brazil. New York: Alfred Knopf.
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