Abstract
In the following chapter, we will tell the story of some of the interviews we carried out during our research. In doing so, we have chosen those excerpts that we consider to be more significant or emblematic. Each interview took, on average, half an hour, although some lasted more than an hour (and in some cases, we spent an entire afternoon talking to one or other of the women). Their speech has not been altered, so as to keep as close as possible to their own voice. Here, we present the interviews directly, without any evaluation or analysis based on our theoretical framework. The conclusions we reached based on the data collected will be presented in Chaps. 4 and 5.
“I speak my truth.”
“Dona Cássia, Piri-Piri (State of Piauí), July 2009”
To talk like this with a stranger,
who listens well and soon goes far away, has a second advantage: it is as though I were talking
to myself. Stop and think: whatever is bad within people, they always distort and rationalize
to rid themselves of it. Would that be
why people talk so much?
“Guimarães” Rosa
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Notes
- 1.
Translator’s note: Coronelismo refers to a peculiarly Brazilian form of patronage politics in which informal, extra-democratic local strong men hold the actual political power and trade favors, jobs, etc. for votes. Coronel (coronéis, in the plural) refers to the strongman himself.
- 2.
Delmiro Gouveia was murdered, according to legend, and even Brazilian novelist Graciliano Ramos (Ramos 1965), at the behest of English businessmen who did not want to lose their monopoly in the Brazilian market.
- 3.
For more of the research of Cícero Péricles, see http://www.bancodocidadao.com.br/noticias/?vCod=212.
- 4.
At this point in time, the yellow BF card was also called the Citizen’s Card, a name which was later changed.
- 5.
The names of all the women were changed to protect their privacy. Translator’s note: All the women’s names are preceded by the honorific “Dona.”
- 6.
Translator’s note: Quilombo is the name that was given during the colonial period in Brazil to communities of runaway slaves. They were analogous to the palenques in Spanish-speaking Latin America.
- 7.
At that point, the Pro-Youth program had not yet started.
- 8.
Translator’s note: Mandachuvas, or rainmakers, is the name of local power brokers.
- 9.
Translator’s note: The goal of the program was to bring electric power to isolated houses or communities.
- 10.
Translator’s note: Cachaça is the most popular distilled alcohol in Brazil which is made from fermented sugarcane juice.
- 11.
The Jequitinhonha Valley suffered from considerable emigration by the men who went to work in the cane fields of the state of São Paulo or other places. This constituted a serious social and psychological drain on the women and children who stayed behind, without fathers and husbands for many months of the year.
- 12.
Translator’s note: A tiny piece of land destined for subsistence farming.
- 13.
Translator’s note: Biscoitos de polvilho are very light and airy donut-shaped crackers made of water, milk, oil, and cassava flour.
- 14.
Translator’s note: Mistura indicates the food that goes along with the ever-present rice and beans. Normally is some protein (meat, egg, fish, etc.).
- 15.
Translator’s note: A garimpeiro is a gold miner, most of whom work in subhuman conditions. Their situation was brought to international awareness thanks to the photojournalistic work of Sebastião Salgado.
- 16.
Translator’s note: He was so poor that all he ate as a child was beans.
- 17.
After serving two terms of office, the highly popular President Lula da Silva could not run for a third term in office. His chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff, ran on their common Workers’ Party ticket and won the election in a runoff against a center-right candidate.
References
Ramos, Graciliano. Barren Lives. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1965.
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Pinzani, A., Rego, W.L. (2019). The Interviews. In: Money, Autonomy and Citizenship. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01361-5_3
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