Note from BW of Brazil: It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by already, but then it’s always difficult to measure the time when tragedies happen. I still vividly remember when I got the news that Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver had been murdered in a brutally precise, execution style drive by shooting. I still remember seeing the bullet holes and the shattered glass the bullets left in the car. It’s one of those moments where you just kinda sit there with your mouth open in shock. Then, as you finally absorb what you just witnessed, the questions: Why? Who?
In the months after Marielle’s murder, it became quite apparent that Marielle’s murder was a political hit to silence her due to the stances she took and her activism. Now, just a few days ago, and few days before the one-year anniversary of her murder, it seems the ongoing investigation has found the culprits responsible for driving the car from where the bullets came as well as the shooter of the fatal shots. Now what remains is to discover who ordered such a violent murder. It goes without saying, we will be following these proceedings. But for now, I want to share how people not only across Brazil, but around the world, are celebrating her memory. In the programming below, you will see countries such the Italy, Spain, Germany, the United States and many others scheduling events.
After Marielle’s murder last year, I kept wondering why it was that the date March 14th remained in my memory. As I am one to often remember dates, March 14th kept nagging at me and it just wasn’t clicking as to what other importance this date held. It was several months later when a journalist friend of mine in Rio showed me the flyer of an upcoming event featuring images of Marielle, Abdias do Nascimento and Carolina de Jesus with the date of the event being March 14th that it hit me. Do Nascimento and Carolina shared this day as their birthdays. And if records hold correct, they were born not only on the same date, but also the same year! So, as it turns out, today, we are celebrating the lives of three important black Brazilians! Below is a summary of some of the events scheduled today in not only Brazil, but across the world. Marielle: PRESENT!!!
The death of Marielle Franco completes one year on this Thursday (14); check the mobilization agenda
Political acts taking place in at least 14 countries; the one that ordered the crime is still unknown
By Anelize Moreira
Who gave the order to kill Marielle? The question remains unanswered, one year after the execution of councilwoman Marielle Franco (PSOL) and the driver Anderson Gomes on March 14, 2018, in Rio de Janeiro. Despite the arrest of retired police officer Ronnie Lessa and former military police officer Elcio Vieira de Queiroz on the 12th, the person responsible for ordering the crime is still unknown.
In order to collect answers about the case and justice for thousands of crimes occurring in the peripheries, mainly against blacks and the poor, political acts will be carried out in several countries. A reference in the defense of the rights of this population, Marielle was defined in social networks as a “Black woman, raised in Maré creator and a defender of Human Rights.”
Dozens of Brazilian capitals have already held demonstrations throughout the week. In São Paulo, the act “Justiça para Marielle – vidas negras e periféricas importam” (Justice for Marielle – black and peripheral lives matters) happens on Thursday (14) and starts at 5pm in Praça Oswaldo Cruz. A public lecture on the legacy of Marielle led by Jupiara Castro of the Núcleo de Consciência Negra (Black Consciousness Center) and state deputy Erica Malunguinho (PSOL) is scheduled.
The artists confirmed for the act of the capital of São Paulo are the group Clarianas, Sarau das Pretas, Coletivo Negro, Cabaré Feminista, Bloco do Fuá and Luana Hansen. The walk to the Presidential building on Avenida Paulista should be conducted by the Ilú Obá de Min. group.
Check the schedule of acts scheduled for this Thursday:
Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Amanhecer por Marielle e Anderson (Dawn by Marielle and Anderson) – RJ, 6am
Justice Festival For Marielle and Anderson: 03/14, 8am
Zona Oeste (West Zone) for Marielle Franco, Praça do Ringue, Santa Cruz, 10am
Celebração Marielle Semente (Marielle Seed Celebration), 1pm
Aula Magna: Eu Sou Porque Nós Somos (I Am Because We Are), Praça Cinelândia, 2 pm
Carolina, Abdias e Marielle: Vidas, Ancestralidade e Continuação (Carolina, Abdias and Marielle: Lives, Ancestry and Continuation), Centro de Artes da Maré, 3 pm
Festival Justiça Por Marielle e Anderson (Justice Festival For Marielle and Anderson), Cinelândia, 4pm
Tomorrow (15)
March against the black genocide! SOMOS Marielle Franco! (WE ARE Marielle Franco!), Alerj, 5pm
Cabo Frio (RJ)
Pela memória e justiça de Marielle! (For the memory and justice of Marielle!), Praça Porto Rocha, 5pm
Campos (RJ)
Table: One year after the death of Marielle Franco – who killed Marielle ?, Federal Fluminense Institute (IFF Campos), 6:30 p.m.
Brasília (DF)
365 days without Marielle [DF], distribution of Rua Marielle Franco plates, Zumbi dos Palmares Square, 12pm
Releases of the book UPP: a redução da favela a três letras, Foyer do plenário do CLDF, 5pm
Solemn session in Memory of Marielle Franco, Plenário do CLDF, 7 pm
Campo Grande (MS)
Por que mataram Marielle Franco?, Concha Acústica, 6pm
João Pessoa (PB)
Festival Marielle Vive, Parque da Lagoa, 9:30am
Natal (RN)
Marielle, presente! Her legacy is more alive than ever., DECOM/UFRN Auditorium, 1 pm
14M – For justice and for the memory of Marielle Franco, Calçadão do Midway. 5 pm
São Bernardo (SP)
Ato Marielle Vive, Praça da Matriz, 2pm
Aracaju (SE)
14M Aracaju – Marielle Vive!, Câmara dos Vereadores de Aracaju, 4pm
Solemn sitting in memory of Marielle Franco, Legislative Chamber of the Federal District, 5 pm
Fortaleza (CE)
Amanhecer por Marielle, Praça da Justiça, 4pm
Ato Marielle Lives!, Gentilândia Square, 5pm
Marielle, presente! Three letters to a single voice, Auditório Valnir Chagas FACED – UFC, 7pm
Belo Horizonte (MG)
Marielle Franco Week UFMG, UFMG – Federal University of Minas Gerais, 5pm (March 11-15)
Marielle, lives! Um ano de Saudade e Lutas!, Praça Sete De Setembro, 5:30pm
São Paulo (SP)
Justiça para Marielle: vidas negras e periféricas importam!(Justice for Marielle: Black and Peripheral lives matter!) 14M, Av. Paulista praça Oswaldo Cruz, 5pm
Marielle Vive, Nós Também! (Marielle Lives, So Do We!) Pelo direito à vida das mulheres!, Estrada do M’Boi Mirim, 6pm
Bauru (SP)
Justice for Marielle! Who killed and who gave the order to kill?, in front of the Câmara Municipal, 5pm
Porto Alegre (RS)
Feminist March! Justice for Marielle: 1 year without a response, Esquina Democrática, 6pm
Pelotas (RS)
A Year Without Marielle Franco, Chafariz do Calçadão, 5:30 p.m.
Manaus (AM)
Symposium and Public lecture – Marielle became a seed – act in memory of Marielle Franco, Casa das Artes, 3pm
International:
Buenos Aires, Argentina
14M: Florecer por Marielle Franco, Obelisco, 6pm
Paris, France
Marche pour Marielle Franco, Place de l’Opéra, 2pm (10am, Brasília time)
Berlim, Germany
Marielles Vermächtnis, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, 4pm (12pm, Brasília time)
Celebrating the Life of Marielle Franco, Afropolitan Berlin, 7pm (3pm Brasília time)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Justice for Marielle Franco, Dam, 4pm (12pm, Brasília time)
Genève, Switzerland
Rassemblement en mémoire de Marielle Franco, Place des Nations, 6:00 p.m. (2pm Brasília time)
Bern, Switzerland
Kundgebung zum Gedenken an Marielle Franco, Waisenhausplatz, 6pm (2pm Brasília time)
Bologna, Italy
Marielle presente! – Giustizia per Marielle Franco, Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, 6pm (2pm Brasília time)
Madrid, Spain
Justice for Marielle, Brazilian Embassy in Madrid, 6:30 p.m.
Melbourne, Australia
Solidarity: The Legacy of Marielle Franco, State Library of Victoria, 7:00 p.m.
London, United Kingdom
Vigil in memory of Marielle Franco, Embassy of Brazil in London, 6:00 p.m.
New York, USA
Honoring Marielle Franco-with Marcia Tiburi and Adjoa Jones, NYU Institute for Public Knowledge, 6:00 p.m. (5pm Brasília time)
Boston, Mass., USA
Marielle Present at Boston, Harvard University Robinson Hall, 7:00 p.m.
Los Angeles, California, USA
Round-table: Structural Racism and Marielle Franco’s Legacy, UCLA, 8:00 p.m.
Oakland, California, USA
Rally in Honor of Marielle Franco, Oscar Grant Plaza, 10:30 p.m.
Montreal, Canada
Marielle, presente! Anderson Present !, Place des Arts, 4:00 p.m.
Ottawa, Canada
Remembering Marielle Franco & Anderson Gomes, Prime Minister’s Office, Elgin & Wellington, 5:00 p.m.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Un año sin Marielle Franco (A year without Marielle Franco), Facultad de humanidades, 5:30 p.m.
03/16
New York, USA
Marielle Franco – The Legacy of a Powerful Woman, The People’s Forum, 1pm
Day 16: March of the Marielles in Boston, Community Church of Boston, 3:00 p.m.
Bogota, Colombia
Justicia para Marielle Franco! Bogotá, Colombia,
Plaza de Bolívar, 6 pm (4pm Brasília time)
3/21
Zurich, Switzerland
Dialogue: Activism, resistance and resilience in the spaces of institutional politics with Mônica Francisco, Sihlquai, 125, 6.30 pm (10:30pm Brasília time)
Editing: Aline Carrijo
Event honoring Marielle Franco, Carolina de Jesus and Abdias Nascimento has support of Criola NGO
Regardless of creed, color, political position or social class, every Brazilian citizen should revere the date of March 14, the day of the birth of Carolina Maria de Jesus and Abdias Nascimento, besides being the landmark of the murder of councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes. By state law in Rio de Janeiro, March 14 is Activist Day for the anniversary of Abdias, and Marielle Franco Day of Fight against the Genocide of Black Women.
When IPEAFRO carried out a series of activities last year within the framework of the World Social Forum in Salvador (BA), around the symbolic weight of March 14 and the launch of the new edition of the book O Genocídio do Negro Brasileiro (The Genocide of the Black Brazilian), we received the news of Marielle’s murder. We got emotional for what could not be a mere coincidence. It seemed that this event, on Abdias and Carolina’s birthday, brought a message from the ancestors about life, death, and above all continuity of a secular and current struggle that goes through generations.
We’ve come to 2019. And following the struggle of these three personalities, in partnership with Rede do Maré, Criola, Editora Perspectiva, 21 Dias de Ativismo Contra o Racismo (21 Days of Activism against Racism) and FOPIR, with the support of Itaú Cultural, we will honor Carolina, Abdias and Marielle on March 14 at the Centro de Artes da Maré (CAM or Maré Arts Center). The next day, we closed the action at the Casa com a Música, headquarters of the Sindicato Nacional dos Compositores Musicais (National Syndicate of Music Composers).
PROGRAMMING MARCH 14
Location: Centro de Artes da Maré (CAM)
Address: Rua Bitencourt Sampaio, 181 – Maré, Rio de Janeiro – RJ (access by the lateral lane of Av. Brazil, in the direction of Ilha do Governador, between runways 9 and 10)
Sarai IPEAFRO – Tribute to the Griots of Maré
Hours: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Master of ceremonies – Milsoul Santos
Performance – Caminhos, by Gabriel Lima
Intervention – Os Crias da Maré/ CriAção
Boxing Performance – Fight for Peace, with instructor Roberto Custódio
Poetry recital
Conversation circle with the Griots da Maré – mediation by Tereza Onã
Opening ceremony of the exhibition – Abdias Nascimento, the Art of a Warrior
Hours: 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Master of ceremonies – Angélica Ferrarez
Performance of the poem “Padê de Exu Libertador”, by Abdias Nascimento by Milsoul Santos and Djalma Corrêa
Release of the Marielle Franco book, UPP: A redução da Favela a Três Letras
Release of the new edition of O Quilombismo, by Abdias Nascimento
Release of Carolina, uma biografia e tributo à Carolina (a biography and tribute to Carolina) by the author, Tom Farias
Tribute to the black parliamentarians who continue the work of Marielle: Talíria Petrone, Renata Souza, Dani Monteiro and Mônica Francisco
Delivery of the Sankofa IPEAFRO Trophy to the family of Marielle in her honor
Delivery of the Sankofa IPEAFRO Trophy to Casa das Pretas for the continuation of Marielle’s legacy
Inauguration of the exhibition
Special participation DJ Bieta
PROGRAMMING MARCH 15
Location: Casa com a Música
Address: Rua Joaquim Silva, 67 – Lapa (near the Staircase of Selarón)
Hours: 7pm – 10pm
Sarai IPEAFRO – Abdias of Our Days
Master of ceremonies – Milsoul Santos
Release of books Desakato Lírico, by Cizinho Afreeka and Quilombismo, by Abdias Nascimento
Artistic interventions and chat with the author Cizinho Afreeka
EXHIBITION SEASON – Abdias Nascimento, the Art of a Warrior
Location: Centro de Artes da Maré (CAM)
Address: Rua Bitencourt Sampaio, 181 – Maré, Rio de Janeiro – RJ (access by the lateral lane of Av. Brazil, in the direction of Ilha do Governador, between runways 9 and 10)
Visitation: March 15 to June 14
Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday from 9am to 1pm
SUPPORT
Itaú Cultural.
PARTNERS
Instituto de Pesquisas e Estudos Afro-Brasileiros (IPEAFRO)
Networks of Maré
Criola
Editora Perspectiva
Casa com a Música – Sede do Sindicato Nacional dos Compositores Musicais
21 Dias de Ativismo Contra o Racismo (21 Days of Activism Against Racism)
Fórum Permanente pela Igualdade Racial (FOPIR)
MORE INFO
Dani Moura | danimoura@redesdamare.org.br | +55 21 3104-3276
Julio Menezes Silva | redes@ipeafro.org.br | +55 21 2509.2176
Source: Brasil de Fato, Criola
#MarielleVive
It is so good to know people have not forgot about the tragedy.