Things That Matter

Here’s Why So Many Brazilians Are Protesting One Of The Presidential Candidates

By October 1, 2018 at 10:21 pm

Women from across Brazil took to the streets on Sept. 29 to protest far-right presidential candidate, Jair Bolsonaro. With the vote coming on Sunday, women are protesting against what they say are his misogynistic, homophobic and racist views. The protests, a reflection of the #EleNao (#NotHim) movement that has gathered steam on social media, happened in countless cities nationwide, including Sao Paulo and Brasilia. The protests came the same day that Bolsonaro left from a Sao Paulo hospital where he received treatment after being stabbed during a campaign rally on Sept. 6.

The protesters are using the hashtag #NotHim as the rallying cry to prevent Bolsonaro from taking office in the October election.

Bolsonaro is currently leading polls with around 32 percent of support among voters polled, but also has the highest rejection rate of any candidate. Bolsonaro, a Rio de Janeiro congressman since 1991, has made misogynistic comments in the past, as well as controversial statements on issues relating to race, sexuality and Brazil’s military government. According to Al Jazeera, In 2014, Bolsonaro told fellow congresswomen Maria do Rosario: “I would never rape you because you do not deserve it.”

An estimated 150,000 people turned up at one march.

Organizers say that 150,000 people — mostly women — participated in the march in São Paulo that took over Largo da Batata, a major street in the west of the city. Bolsonaro’s rejection rate among women is 50 percent, according to the latest polling by the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics (IBOPE), and 33 percent among men. Protesters in the streets spoke about the fear and bigotry that Bolsonoro has brought to the political aisle.

“We’re saying to those people who are undecided: Not him,” Selia Figueiredo, a banker in São Paulo told ABC News, who said she worried for her rights as a gay woman if Bolsonaro were to win. They can vote “for anyone else, but not him.”

Bolsonaro’s candidacy has attracted international attention because of the rise of populism in many countries.

Bolsonaro’s campaign has focused on culture-war issues and “traditional” family values that some say would make life harder for minorities. He hasn’t changed his rhetoric during the campaign and has kept up his praise of Brazil’s military. He has also vowed to give police permission to shoot first and ask questions later.

Brazil is in the middle of a moment of intense and unusual turmoil after a tumultuous few years. It has suffered a deep recession and the impeachment of its first female president. Many see this political uproar in Brazil as an example of political extremism and populism similarly to Brexit in the United Kingdom.

Some say Bolsonaro has drawn support from those in Brazil that are tired of the left.

The male-female split in Brazil now can be compared to the divisions in the United States in 2016 when Donald Trump was running. For Brazil, this polarizing moment in politics has brought urgency to what is shaping up to be a pivotal election.

“This is a strong societal reaction to a candidate that is a threat to the entire Brazilian population,” Ivan Valente, a congressman for the left-wing Socialism and Liberty Party told the LA Times. “And it’s because of all of these women coming together to fight for their rights that we have a chance at avoiding taking several steps backward by electing Bolsonaro.”


READ: Protestors Forced Ted Cruz Out Of A Restaurant Demanding To Know His Thoughts On Brett Kavanaugh

Share this story with all of your friends by tapping that little share button below!

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

Tags:

This Brazilian Mother And Daughter Share A Rare Beauty Mark In The Form Of White Locks

Fierce

This Brazilian Mother And Daughter Share A Rare Beauty Mark In The Form Of White Locks

By January 20, 2021 at 3:29 pm
BY  | January 20, 2021 AT 3:29 pm

It’s not every day that we get to see beauty this rare or so brightly celebrated.

Two-year-old Mayah and her daughter Talyta Youssef Aziz Vieira both share a rare genetic condition that means they have a white forelock that makes them look like X-men’s Rogue. Now, their unique traits are going viral and being celebrated on social media.

The mother and daughter pair both have white streaks in their hair due to a genetic condition called Piebaldism.

Talyta, who is from Jericoacoara, Brazil gave birth to daughter Mayah in 2018. According to Daily Mail, the mother was not at all surprised to find out that the two shared the rare trait that gives them two different hair colors. According to Talyta, the genetic condition was passed on to her grandfather, mother, aunt, and cousins, all of whom were born with piebaldism. The genetic condition is characterized by the absence of cells called melanocytes in particular regions of the skin and hair.

According to Talyta’s Instagram page, the young mother said that in her younger years she attempted to hide the white streaks in her hair.

Soon enough, and fortunately, Talyta came to appreciate the trait. Even better? The mother says her daughter has fully embraced her hair mark and enjoys dressing up as Disney character Cruella de Vil while the two watch 101 Dalmatians together.

According to Daily Mail, Talyta says “Piebaldism runs in our family so we knew there was a high probability that Mayah would also have it… From the moment she was born, Mayah had so many white hairs on the front of her head. My doula posted a picture on social media and days later, we were invited by a photographer to do a photo shoot.”

It didn’t take long for the pictures to go viral online.

“I tried to hide my white hair until my twenties. I’d hide it behind other strands – worried that people would bully me,” Taylta explained “I soon realized though that I was unique and special. I want to set that example for Mayah. People always stop us to say how special she is.”

Fortunately, Mayah will have a chance to see someone who looks like her on the big screen soon.

While Mayah’s features have been compared to Rogue from X-Men and Anna from Frozen, the little girl will get a chance to see Cruella in Disney’s soon to be released feature about the villain.

‘That’s when I thought it would be a lovely idea for us to dress up together as those characters. I want Mayah to have fun memories about the way she looks,” Taylta explained about her images of her daughter on Instagram “I want her to embrace being a superhero. Other people who are different have reached out to us thanking us for helping them accept themselves. It’s so sad that people have hid themselves away. We don’t need to be the same to be beautiful. Everyone has a heart inside to accept and love. We are living in a time of knowledge and transformation. Let’s embrace what makes us different.”

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

Tags:
Beautybeauty marksBrazildaughtersMothers

A Brazilian Photographer Is Documenting Indigenous Tribes In The Amazon

Culture

A Brazilian Photographer Is Documenting Indigenous Tribes In The Amazon

By January 8, 2021 at 2:08 pm
BY  | January 8, 2021 AT 2:08 pm

Indigenous tribes are the most important connection between man and nature. These tribes have lived off the land before modern society and many have never interacted with modern society. Ricardo Stuckert is going through and documenting the indigenous Amazonian tribes in Brazil.

Ricardo Stuckert is photographing indigenous tribespeople in the Brazilian Amazon.

The indigenous community is something sacred that most people agrees should be protected. They are more connected to the land than we are. Their customs and traditions are more ingrained in this world than ours are and it is so important to protect them.

The indigenous community of Brazil has been subjected to horrible attacks and conditions from the Brazilian government.

One of the most widespread attacks against the indigenous Brazilians living in the Amazon has been for the land. President Jair Bolsonaro has tried to take land away from the indigenous communities to allow for logging and mining. A bill he sent to the congress sought to exploit the land for commercial purposes, even legalizing some of the attacks we have seen on indigenous people since President Bolsonaro took power.

Stuckert wants to preserve the indigenous culture and customs through photos.

“I think it is important to disseminate Brazilian culture and show the way that native peoples live today,” Stuckert told DailyMail. “In 1997, I started to photograph the Amazon and had my first contact with the native people of Brazil. Since then, I have tried to show the diversity and plurality of indigenous culture, as well as emphasize the importance of the Indians as guardians of the forest. There are young people who are being born who have never seen or will see an Indian in their lives.”

The photographer believes that using photography is the best way to share culture.

“I think that photography has this power to transpose a culture like this to thousands of people,” Stuckert told DailyMail. “The importance of documentary photojournalism is to undo stigmas and propagate a culture that is being lost. We need to show the importance of indigenous people to the world, for the protection of our forests.”

You can see all of Stuckert’s photos on his Instagram.

Stuckert’s work to documented the indigenous community is giving people an insight into a life many never see. Brazil is home to about 210 million people with around 1 million having indigenous heritage. The diverse indigenous community of Brazil is something important to showcase and that’s what Stuckert is doing.

READ: Indigenous Photographer Diego Huerta’s Photos Of Oaxaca’s Indigenous People Celebrates Their Beauty

Notice any needed corrections? Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com

Tags:
amazonBrazilindigenousphotography