Will Brazil ever free itself from the shackles of corruption? – by Felix Sjögren –
©Raphael Nogueira / Unsplash
Corruption has been ravaging Brazil for the last six decades, and the recent scandal Operation Car Wash is the biggest one yet. Current President Jair Bolsonaro was hailed as an anti-corruption candidate, but now he too has been accused of corruption. So, what is Brazil supposed to do? Brazilian author Luiza Sauma‘s Flesh and Bone and Water tells the story of a boy by the name of André. He falls in love with Luana, the daughter of the family’s empregada, as is the portugese word for maid used in the novel, and subsequently flees after tearing the family apart.
The corruption scandals in Brazil seemingly follow one after another, and are so intricate they are almost impossible to separate. Particularly convoluted is the so-called Operation Car Wash, in which presidents, senators, members of the lower legislative house, state governors, CEOs and other businessmen have been implicated. The investigation began in 2014 and was, until very recently, ongoing. The operation, named after a petrol station used for money laundering, has uncovered a major network of corruption involving the state-owned oil
27
Utblick 02 / 20
The book’s dialogue illustrates a rigid disdain for politics and politicians among the Brazilian people, regardless of their class. Set in the ‘80s, it shows that corruption has been festering in Brazil for decades: from the military dictatorship
starting in the ‘60s, to President José Sarney in the ’80s and ’90s, to the more recent presidents Lula da Silva, who faced prison, and Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached. And most recent, of course, is Jair Bolsonaro. This begs the question: will Brazil ever free itself from the shackles of corruption?
