The Palmares Cultural Foundation (FCP) of the Ministry of Culture swore in, this Thursday (27), the new president of the entity, João Jorge Rodrigues, cultural producer and militant of the black movement in Brazil, appointed on March 21. The inauguration date was chosen because it is Freedom Day in South Africa, established in 1994, when democratic elections took place in the South African nation, marking the end of more than 300 years of colonialism and racial segregation ( apartheid) in that country. The ceremony, held at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasília, was attended by mothers of saints from religions with African roots, indigenous peoples, authorities, family members and representatives of Afro groups who danced, prayed and sang. At the ceremony, Brazilian indigenous leader Marcos Terena recalled the struggles during the military dictatorship and the visit he made, alongside black leaders, to the Quilombo dos Palmares Memorial Park, in Serra da Barriga, in Alagoas, as a way to combat racism . By highlighting the strength of the foundation’s name, Terena also pointed out that the Ministry of Culture effectively contributes to the rescue of ancestry and cultural identity. “It is the wealth of new values that only the Ministry of Culture will be able to produce, with strength, emotion and heart, as this morning.” When hosting the inauguration ceremony, the Secretary of Trade Promotion, Science, Technology, Education and Culture of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Laudemar Gonçalves, said that he intends, each time, to show the diversity of the Brazilian people to the world. “The appreciation of our African roots and the preservation of our Afro-Brazilian ancestry are not an accessory commitment of Brazil. In a country that has suffered and still suffers from the perverse effects of the false myth of racial democracy, defending the cultural tradition of the black Brazilian people is an unavoidable act of resistance that justifies the powerful name of the Palmares Cultural Foundation. João Jorge Rodrigues takes office as president of the Palmares Foundation. The Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, participates in the event. Photo: Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/ Agência Brasil The Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, after being celebrated as the interpreter of the song Pharaoh Divindade do Egypt, by the Afro block group Olodum, said, in her speech, that taking over the foundation marks the resumption of the appreciation of the institution and the commitment of the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with the protection and promotion of Afro-Brazilian culture. “Swearing in João Jorge is responding to what happened in the previous administration, the disrespect for the legacy of the Afro people, the lack of awareness our ancestors experienced”, classified the minister. “Being the executioner of the underprivileged is the worst cowardice that can be practiced by racist people”, said the minister. Margareth Menezes repudiated speeches by João Jorge’s predecessor, the former president of the foundation, Sérgio Camargo. “It is disgusting to remember that a black person had the nerve to say that slavery was good for our people. Ignorance, lack of respect, humanity, lack of conscience, the perversity that slavery revealed, becomes more painful when a black person has the sadism to say those words. New president In his inauguration speech, the foundation’s president, João Jorge, exalted the names of black activists and, in particular, the women who fought for blackness. Thrilled, João Jorge recalled the persecutions suffered against the entity, since always and paid homage to the employees of the house. “We are rebuilding and with the hard and intense work of a small team. A team of officials who resisted oppression, arbitration and moral persecution.” The new president promised to continue to defend the entity, from the name Palmares, as a reference to the Quilombismo movement, to the return of the ax symbol of the orixá Xangô to the entity’s logo, which took place this Wednesday. The president of Palmares emphasized that fighting is necessary. “In many countries, they say they are democratic, they talk about opportunities, but in reality, the poor population, the black population, women, the indigenous population, those of other sexual orientations know very well that [as oportunidades] do not exist”. For João Jorge, the moment is for the foundation to be reborn, based on financial investment in public policies and support for projects in the area. He concluded with an overview of the first months of President Lula’s government. “Palmares is not mine, it is ours. It’s from the Brazilian people. We are going to do Palmares again.” “The Brazilian State has opened up to our people. In four months, a law against religious intolerance, special attention to Cais do Valongo and Little Africa. In 4 months, a partnership for a program to combat racism in the United States and a presence in China for an audio visual program that can help us a lot. In 4 months, a Palmares Foundation reinventing itself.” Biography João Jorge Rodrigues is the founder and director of the Afro carnival block Olodum, from Salvador, Bahia, which celebrated its 44th anniversary on Tuesday (25). The new president of the foundation is a militant of the black movement in Brazil. Lawyer João Jorge, graduated in Law from the Catholic University of Salvador (2001) and with a Master’s in Law from the University of Brasília (2005), has a marked performance in the area of Constitutional Law, in topics such as human rights, citizenship for people of African descent, communication and culture black João Jorge was a member of the Board of Trustees of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) until 2016, when the board was dissolved. Recently, João was chosen as a consultant member of the National Commission for the Truth of Black Slavery, created in 2016 by the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) to carry out a historical rescue of the Brazilian slavery period and to discuss ways of repairing black people.
Agência Brasil
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