TV Globo’s soap opera ‘Pantanal’ is one of the rare opportunities to see the Midwest region on the screen of the country’s most watched broadcaster and in prime time. Something that has not been commented on much is the lack of representation of actors from the region, in addition to the bizarre accent that some actors, mostly from the Southeast, reproduce. As in soap operas set in Bahia, for example, that try to imitate a “universal” Northeastern accent, which does not exist in the region. In the current nine o’clock soap opera there is a grotesque universal redneck accent. Nobody in Mato Grosso do Sul talks like that. We are missing a unique opportunity to see actors from the region on screen (only Almir Sater and his son are very few), reproducing our way of speaking (I am born in the state), in a more genuine way and with more repertoire of the local culture.
In addition to this lack of representation, which had little repercussion in the specialized press, there is another interesting factor: the low participation of black actors and actresses in that Pantanal of the soap opera, which now gains the members of the nucleus of the black family of Zuleika (from the great Aline Borges) to make up for this absence a bit. Indigenous peoples, on the other hand, are mentioned only in the opening song sung by Maria Bethânia, in a state that has the second largest indigenous population in the country and is experiencing a true genocide of this population, without this appearing in prime time.
The surname “Marruá”, of the main character, is a word from Spanish (cimarrón) and French (marron) that mean “quilombo”. The term is of Arawak origin, indigenous people who inhabited regions of Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia. “This word was used to refer to domesticated animals that strayed and became angry and rebellious. of the dehumanization that black people were subjected to at the time of slavery”, highlights the master’s student at the School of Communications and Arts, University of São Paulo (ECA-USP) and researcher Cinthia Gomes, citing an excerpt from the book “Crítica da Razão Negra” , by Achille Mbembe.
In Portuguese, according to the Michaelis Dictionary, “marruá” is a very angry steer or bull or an inexperienced individual, who is easily deceived. The bull that strays from the herd and becomes wild (marruá) is considered a symbol of the Pantanal. The protagonist who carries the surname, however, is very white and never convinced me in the defense of the character.
Corumbá (MS) has about 100 thousand inhabitants, being the largest municipality in extension of the Pantanal and one of the largest in Brazil. Because of this, it is known as the capital of the Pantanal and has among its population 71% of people who identify themselves as black or brown. The Globo soap opera doesn’t even get there, as the recordings take place in Aquidauana (MS), closer to the capital, Campo GrandeWhoever watches ‘Pantanal’ every day doesn’t know that Corumbá has 300 terreiros (mostly Umbanda), 10 samba schools and the biggest carnival in the Midwest. Another popular festival is São João, on June 23, when the floats take the saint to bathe in the Paraguai River and in the terreiros they praise the orixá Xangô. The festival is recognized as a national cultural heritage by IPHAN (Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional).
There is a lot of invisibility and little appreciation of the region’s black culture, as in Brazil as a whole. There, there are areas of quilombola people such as Borroski and Maria Teodora and many riverside families who still live from fishing. Corumbá borders Bolivia and there are many Bolivians in the city. Saltenha, music, indigenous blankets, fairs and customs mix with the way of being of Corumba.
The indigenous people of the region produce a unique handicraft, made with the fiber of the Camalote, an aquatic plant from the Pantanal. Leonida Aires de Souza, aka Dona Eliane, is one of the artisans who lives in Barra do Rio São Lourenço, and leads the Renascer Pantanal, a project that brings together women artisans. A descendant of the Guató Indians, she produces baskets, hats and decorative objects made by the women of the community – and receives tourists who go to Serra do Amolar, one of the most beautiful and untouched places in the Pantanal and which is also not featured in the soap opera. Dona Eliane watches ‘Pantanal’ with her electrical network that was installed only that year and dreams of building a library to have a place where the children of the 23 families that live there can be stimulated to read.
All this cultural diversity is still not addressed by tourism, which only sells the part of nature – which in fact is unique and exuberant. But Corumbá is culture, it’s black and needs to show it to attract more and more people. Bela Oya started to develop cultural tours in the city, in the tours you can visit the terreiros of Dona Cotó and Dona Eunice. “There is a mixture of peoples and a strong black and indigenous influence that are constitutive of the cultural identity of Corumbá, being noticeable in the gastronomy, dance, music, crafts, literature, visual arts and its religious manifestations”, defends Thayná Cambará, creator of the project.
The Pantanal Tourism Foundation, the municipal agency responsible for tourism in Corumbá, was unable to respond to the report which tours are linked to black culture or even if there are incentives for those that already exist. My expectation as a native of Mato Grosso do Sul is that the soap opera is a first step for many people to be able to visit the State, but also to get to know its unique culture, in addition to the incredible landscapes. MS is black and indigenous and needs to be recognized as such!
