It was a Sunday, May 1, 1994. As a Formula 1 fan, I was hooked on the small screen watching the Imola Grand Prix. He was still at the start of the race when Ayrton Senna left the track at the Tamburello corner, in an accident that would take his life. Since my birth, in 1980, I have never seen mourning of that magnitude in Brazil. There were days, weeks, months of mourning the death of our great idol.
One of Senna’s trademarks was his pride in being Brazilian. Whenever he could, there he was with the Brazilian flag. I remember that at that time, nobody cared who Senna had voted for in the previous elections, or who he would vote for in the following elections. Ayrton Senna was from Brazil, from all over Brazil.
A few months later, the Brazilian soccer team, coached by Carlos Alberto Parreira (I never knew who he was voting for), won the fourth title at the World Cup. I remember the penalties saved by Taffarel, I remember Romário’s goals, and nobody cared, at the time, if Taffarel was on the right or left, if Romário voted for A or B.
When Baggio missed that last penalty, I remember Senna’s music starting to play, and I imagine that I wasn’t the only Brazilian to cry with emotion. After 24 years, Brazil was once again world champion, and there was no more perfect tribute than that: celebrating with Senna’s music. I remember that the players raised a banner in honor of Senna. I remember that Romário, when disembarking in Brazil, waved a flag from the plane’s window.
It’s been 27 years since that memorable 1994. And unfortunately, a lot has changed for the worse. Using our national symbol, for example, became an ideological demarcation. How many fathers and mothers stop buying the Brazilian soccer team jersey for fear that their sons and daughters will be called names in the street or mistaken for voters for Maria or João.
It is obvious that I am not advocating here that people be politically neutral or that they are ashamed to express their positions. On the contrary: perhaps never in our recent history is it so necessary for Brazilians to show that they do not accept authoritarian rulers, that they do not accept contempt for science, that they do not accept corruption normalized through parliamentary amendments. But it is also important to rescue the good side of Brazil.
Exactly for this reason, what happened this weekend at the Brazilian Formula 1 Grand Prix was so remarkable. It took an English driver, perhaps the greatest sportsman of our time, to remind us how good it is to be proud of Brazil. In honoring Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton took us back in time. And it showed us that that pride still exists, it’s just hidden by the shame we have on a daily basis from the actions of our rulers.
No real Brazilian is proud to be one of the world champions of the coronavirus. We pride ourselves on being world champions in surfing.
No real Brazilian is proud to have a Covid-19 mortality five times higher than the world average. We are proud to be five-time world football champions.
No real Brazilian is proud of our politicians’ homophobic jokes. We are proud of the talent of humorists like Paulo Gustavo.
No real Brazilian is proud of cracks or the bribe of vaccines. We are proud of national scientists who work miracles with few resources.
No real Brazilian is proud that our politicians have their videos banned from social media. We are proud of Anitta’s clips or Felipe Neto’s videos.
No real Brazilian is proud of the way indigenous peoples have been treated these days. We are proud of the box office of the movie “Marighella”.
It is high time for us to be proud of Brazil again. But for that, we need some changes. TIC Tac. TIC Tac. TIC Tac.
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Chad-98Weaver, a distinguished author at NewsBulletin247, excels in the craft of article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a penchant for storytelling, Chad delivers informative and engaging content that resonates with readers across various subjects. His contributions are a testament to his dedication and expertise in the field of journalism.
