Censorship! That's what this is all about, folks!

By Denise Assis, for the Journalists for Democracy 

To hide, to conceal, to hide, to alter, to mask, to defraud, TO CENSOR! THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT, PEOPLE! What's so difficult about calling by its name what already has a name? Why don't I see the correct term for the hidden object in the information in the headlines? What Bolsonaro is doing with the numbers of infections and deaths from the coronavirus pandemic is called censorship.

Whether out of trauma, shyness, or political expediency in trying to maintain appearances about what can no longer be concealed, I don't see colleagues, epidemiologists, doctors, or authorities addressing this issue by its true name: Censorship.

Censorship isn't only exercised through a decree in effect. Censorship is the act of trying to silence anyone about any issue that bothers governments or institutions. And it only failed because the media exercised its right to inform (while there's still room for it), because Bolsonaro and his accomplices misunderstood the workings of the public administration. They forgot that municipalities and states could freely share the data. And when I say "freely," I'm not trying to diminish the force of the term "censorship," because that's what happened. But I'm clarifying and pointing out where and why it failed. The mere attempt itself, I repeat, even without a decree in effect, without official authorization, goes by this little name that has been so avoided in recent days: CENSORSHIP.

I can smell it from afar. I lived from childhood to adulthood under the yoke of the dictatorship. I didn't need to research it – but in the name of factual accuracy – I recall here a topic already addressed in a previous article, at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak – the meningitis epidemic that the military of yesteryear tried to hide, and which was so thoroughly discussed throughout the previous week. I am retrieving a precise account from the Regional Council of Medicine of the State of São Paulo (CREMESP) of the episode.

"Despite the situation, the lethality rate, which from 1970 to 1972 ranged between 12% and 14% of cases, declined sharply from 1973 onwards, reaching its lowest value (7%) in 1974. The highest number of deaths was observed in 1975, when 411 were recorded, an average of 1,15 per day. The lethality of meningitis tends to decrease precisely during epidemic periods, due to early diagnosis and the timely introduction of treatment."

The change of president, with the entry of General Ernesto Geisel in 1974, facilitated a shift in the authorities' attitude. In July 1974, the National Commission for Meningitis Control was created, tasked with outlining the epidemiological surveillance policy. The number of cases registered in January 1975 was six times greater than in the same month of 1974. Ironically, meningitis, which began with the contamination of soldiers in military posts, seemed unwilling to give the regime any respite.

In March 1975, a basic operational plan was drawn up to ensure the vaccination of 10 million people in just four days. The operational part of the campaign was the responsibility of the army. The scheme adopted during the campaign did not allow for any proof of vaccination to be given to those vaccinated, nor for the number of people vaccinated to be recorded.

But it wasn't just meningitis they tried to hide. Censorship at that time (the 1970s/1980s) spread throughout all areas of society. We have a duty to remember that today, when the existence of inflation during the dictatorship is denied, it is because of the purges carried out by then-Minister Delfim Neto, under the guidance of the government (but with its complete approval), on products that, due to poor performance in a particular harvest, pushed inflation figures upwards. In collusion with the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV), responsible for calculating the index, at the time in total complicity with the dictator in power, the "delinquent" vegetable or food was removed from the calculation, making it more "publicizable".

And it was then, during a particular harvest, that tomatoes and avocados were two major culprits in the rise of the inflation rate. This moment (or so it was said at the time) is said to have inspired the song by the talented and politically engaged Gilberto Gil, to compose his marvelous "Refazenda". The young people who today visit his work and sing it carefree don't know, but they should know that in "Refazenda, you teach me how to make lace, and I'll teach you how to CENSOR". Forgive me, Gil, for altering your work, but it's for a good cause. To redeem myself, here I reproduce "Refazenda" in its entirety: Avocado tree, we will accept your act/We too are from the woods like the duck and the lion/We will wait, we will play in the stream/Until your love, your heart, brings us fruits/Avocado tree, your retreat is precisely/The meaning of the word 'early'. Until time brings you your avocado/Tomatoes will dawn and papayas will dusk/Avocado tree, you know what I'm referring to...