Afro-Brazilian filmmaker and activist, Éthel Oliveira. Photo Credit: Andréa Capella.

By Jaimee A. Swift

Afro-Brazilian filmmaker, activist, and producer, Éthel Oliveira is on a mission to ensure that the life of the late Marielle Franco and the resistance and resiliency of Black people in Brazil are documented.

Éthel Oliveira, 43, wants the world to know about the leadership, legacy, and life of Marielle Franco, the late Afro-Brazilian activist, politician, and human rights defender, and about the many Black women in Brazil who have risen to organize, resist, and fight for justice in her name. Moreover, Oliveira wants the world to know that despite the chronic white-washing of Brazil and the attempted erasure of the country’s Black population, the power and politics of Black people in Brazil has always been there––and it is here to stay.

A filmmaker, activist, producer, journalist, and director, Oliveira, who is from the periphery of Rio de Janeiro, is dedicated to sharing and uplifting the beauty and the resilience of Black people in Brazil. Working in cinema and visual communication, Oliveira focuses on the intersections of film, social justice, education, and representation, as her films emphasize the importance of African history, with a particular focus on Black women in Brazil and across the African Diaspora. In 2019, Oliveira co-directed the documentary “Seeds”, which showcased the campaigns of six Black women who decided to enter politics after the death of Franco. She also co-produced, “Marielle’s Legacy Will Not Die”, a film directed by Leonard Cortana, a Ph.D. student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Most recently, Oliveira and other Afro-Brazilian filmmakers and media professionals wrote and signed a letter rejecting and repudiating a fictional series about Marielle Franco that would be directed by White Brazilian producers and directors. Tired of the erasure of Black Brazilians by White people and rejecting the stereotypes and restrictive categories they limit Black people to in film, media, and in society, Oliveira is on the frontlines of a movement to ensure that the radical imaginations, possibilities, history, politics, leadership, and more of Black people in Brazil are seen, heard, known, and never forgotten.

Oliveira spoke with Black Women Radicals about her activism; why film is important to capture and document moments of Black life and resistance in Brazil; and why the world should know about Marielle Franco.

May you please talk about your work and your activism in Rio de Janeiro?

Éthel Oliveira (EO): My work and my activism are things that are completely connected. I work with visual and diverse areas in visual communication. I produce, direct, edit, and more. I also participate in sharing, distributing, and showcasing various films through a film club. The club shows different stories about people from the periphery and from the favelas. These films are intended to connect us and others to our stories and it shows the realities of Blacks from the periphery, Indigenous people, trans people, and more. This way of communication, of visual communication and production, truly impacts people’s imaginations around the world and serves as a tool for education. The work and activism I do is such an important part of who I am and my formation.”

“Here in Rio, for example, last year I created an exhibit for 20 Black women. I organized an exhibit and film club and the film that I screened for them was about when Audre Lorde was in Berlin. To organize this for other Black women and for others to see a film about Audre Lorde outside of her in photographs was very important to me. To see Audre Lorde dancing, smiling, and teaching was important because it showed her movement and the film gave us even more admiration for Black women leaders. The film also led us to have a conversation about translations, images, and characters of Black people in the Diaspora.”

“It is my job to show the glory of Black people and to present the culture, philosophy, and the personalities of the Diaspora and I show this through film.”

“For example, during the discussion we were talking about the film, Black Panther. How do we translate and connect to these characters in Black Panther here in Brazil? What we usually see in the media are white people and cariocas––we do not usually see us. So, the film club comes from these perspectives and how we Black people are represented here. For example in 2017, I did a project with my friends who are activists in a collective in Pernambuco and we spent about a week in a quilombo community. We presented African films and had conversations on images about Africa and images of Black culture in the African Diaspora. In 2019, we worked with a group of young people to discuss these conversations as well. It is my job to present to the world the glory and beauty of Black people. It is my job to show the glory of Black people and to present the culture, philosophy, and the personalities of the Diaspora and I show this through film. This is my activism in Pernambuco and Rio as well. We need to know our history because so many do not know it because the history [of Brazil] is often representative of White people and it is not about us and who we are. To educate about [Black people] and our history is a thing I am very proud of and take pride in. We need to see our images. We need to see us and that is why I produce and show these films.”

Why is it important to have a film about the life and activism of Marielle Franco?

EO: “We need to memorialize Marielle because she was a transnational figure who fought against racism and for the rights of Black women, lesbians, and for intersectional rights. It is important we have a figure [like her] who was at the center of this. Marielle Franco’s friend and chief of staff, Renata de Souza used the term political femicide to describe what happened to Marielle. Marielle was the deputy of the state of Rio de Janeiro and what happened to her had a huge impact on us in Rio, especially on Black women. We were in shock and in a trance for many hours. While we were still in shock, we also knew that we had to fight for Marielle. It is important to note that her murder happened in the center of Rio and very close to the periphery of the city. Her murder is a part of a structural system to silence Black people and Black women. However, the people will always have her memory and her fight in the frontlines of our resistance. As a councilwoman, her activism was centered on securing human rights for everyone and while we cannot see Marielle, her spirit is manifested in other women. It is very important to promote this image of her. So the film with Leonard is about the future of Marielle being here with us in spite of her death. In showing how people are honoring her legacy, we hope that other people can see the film and know about her leadership and continue to honor her. In the film, we interview and speak with Black women who decided to run for office in honor of her in 2018. It was a necessity to show this because throughout the history of Brazil, you usually see white male politicians. You do not see Black women in politics and there are too many films and commentary about white men in politics.”

“We need to memorialize Marielle because she was a transnational figure who fought against racism and for the rights of Black women, lesbians, and for intersectional rights.”

“We have a culture fixated on documenting [white people]. Black people also participate and are active in politics but there are not many images of this. It is important we have these images because we need recognition, too. For example, there is so much mobilization going on around racial quotas at Brazilian universities. This mobilization for racial quotas is so important but a film does not exist about it. At this political moment, we need something to memorialize so that people can return to this moment to learn about racial quotas but from various perspectives. We need this but a film does not exist. Where is a film about Benedita da Silva? She was the first governor of Brazil and she is a Black woman but a film does not exist about her. Is there a film about Lélia Gonzalez, who was also a deputy in Rio de Janeiro? No, a film does not exist about her either. So, this film is very important because we can have a place of resistance and also access to our politics. It gives us insight to the possibilities of politics because if not, we will only see the possibilities of politics of white people. It is important to see our various movements, moments, and our aesthetics and they all need to be documented.”

“[The film is also] important because here in Brazil, we learn so little about the work of Black women. We learn so little about Jurema Werneck, and so little Sueli Carneiro––Black women in politics who are super important and whose work is fundamental to ours. Here in Brazil, we have a culture of television and the television is very White. Do you know Globo TV in Brazil? Every day out the year and for all the years it has been in existence, it has been invested in promoting stories and images of White colonialism in Brazil. It seems to only promote Black people in poverty and in slavery. It is important we have this film and other films because our history, our valor, and our lives need to be represented properly. Do you know how much TV has an impact on you when all you see is white personalities, people, and programs on TV every day and every year? You also see so many Evangelicals on TV and it has a very profound impact on the social construction of Brazil.”

For more information about Éthel Oliveira, please read here.

Meet Éthel Oliveira: The Afro-Brazilian Filmmaker and Activist Who Is Working To Keep Marielle Franco’s Legacy and the Politics of Black People in Brazil Alive