Occupied Ministry of Culture in Rio is a focal point of resistance amid a wave of setbacks.

By Tracy Segal, for Brasil 247

In a deluge of news about the social setbacks of an illegitimate government and bombshell audios revealing the sewers of old politics, the focus of resistance of Ocupa MinC RJ emerges on the horizon as a bunker of salvation in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The courtyard of the Gustavo Capanema Palace is an explosion of life and joy, politics is done with lightness, and frequenting this space has brought hope in the current situation without ceasing to exert real pressure on the government.

The Capanema Occupation, which has been ongoing for 17 days, is not only a political act of resistance but also an event in itself. It's necessary to equalize differences under one roof. Actress Isabel Gomide, who has been living in the occupation since day one, emphasizes the plurality and its consequences: "The exercise with multiple voices is about learning to listen; you have to be generous. You can't be co-opted by any one voice, and you can't close yourself off either. The process isn't easy, but it's enriching."

The Occupation is a microcosm of a utopian democracy; all decisions are collective, deliberated through consensus in "planetary" meetings every morning. The term "planetary" arose from the complaint of the director and professor Marcus Galiña regarding these nomenclatures that smell of the last century.

The experience of the members of the Fora do Eixo/Mídia Ninja network of collectives was fundamental to the practical organization of the Occupation, due to their previous experience with collective housing. What is unprecedented for them in this occupation is the diversity of ages and having people with the need for an external life. In the Fora do Eixo housing experience, everyone has exclusive dedication, in addition to generally being young people in their twenties. The lack of hierarchy generates a structure where the plenary, in this case planetary, is in charge. The planetary meetings are long and require patience, and as Felipe Altenberg from Fora do Eixo/Mídia Ninja said, consensus is fundamental: "If you submit a collective construction to a vote, you crush it. Because the hallway conversation starts to turn into talk of exchanging votes, and that becomes the national Congress." It's an occupation that has quickly reached a high level of structural management: "This is also linked to the expertise these people have in managing cultural spaces. It's an occupation with a high percentage of registered businesses. We are now entering a phase of deepening politicization and conceptual debates. The convergence of disparate forces within this occupation has generated a powerful force."

Upon arriving at the building's entrance on the evening of Monday, May 30th, the "security guard" was Godot the clown (Vitor Ferreira) with his red CUT cap. A former metalworker and activist for 30 years, he was taking the ID and names of everyone entering the building. "There's a concentration of many here. A commune. The Paris Commune is here."

Bruno Falci, a film historian and PT (Workers' Party) activist for over 10 years, reinforces the discourse of diversity and listening: "This has been one of the best experiences in politics I've had. Here we think beyond our own positions. Here, all movements are embraced: women, social equality, agrarian development, the Comptroller General's Office, the oil workers' union. I hope to take this listening experience beyond here."

The multiplicity of voices unites in the battle cry "Out with Temer!", for the restoration and advancement of democracy and against political, economic, cultural, and social regression. This voice shook the foundations of the interim government, being responsible for Temer's first retreat, with the return of the Ministry of Culture, in an attempt to silence the artists. During the occupation, they don't refer to Michel Temer as interim, but as illegitimate. To call him interim would already be to give some legitimacy to a coup government.

"In my country, I have faith, because it is governed by a woman!" (chant repeated at the events, author unknown)

The emergence of a female force within the Occupation is evident. The public plenary session "We Are Many Voices," held on May 30th, was organized and mediated primarily by women. The female voice has resonated strongly against the shameless misogyny of a government composed solely of white men. Professor and cultural manager Ivana Bentes, dismissed today (June 2nd) from her position as Secretary of Citizenship and Cultural Diversity of the Brazilian Ministry of Culture during the 2016 coup, was present at this public plenary session that united the Occupy MinC RJ with O Povo sem Medo (a union of more than 30 left-wing organizations) and the Frente Brasil Popular (a union of more than 50 left-wing organizations). She denounced that the coup targeted marginalized groups. Ivana argued that cultural policies, along with income redistribution policies, are responsible for changing mindsets.

The way out is through a united left with a diversity of voices.

Inside the Ocupa MinC. Under the protection of the Modernists.

The announcement of the end of the Ministry of Culture generated an immediate and widespread reaction throughout the country. Here in Rio de Janeiro, the idea of ​​occupying the Palace emerged, while in Curitiba they were already planning the invasion of the IPHAN building; in less than ten days, all Brazilian states had an occupied public building. The first precaution was to occupy the Portinari Room, which would guarantee the safety of the occupants in case of a forced eviction. The artists share the space with priceless works such as the famous Oscar Niemeyer carpet or the mural War and Peace by Portinari. "Here we have the guarantee that no one will come with violence; the works are precious," said the ballerina Andréa Chiesorini.
The Portinari room houses the kitchen facilities and a group of people who stay overnight, while another group camps in tents on the mezzanine. The organization is divided into working groups with responsibilities organized in security, infrastructure, legal, programming, and communication.

The activity is non-stop; there's no idleness in the occupation. Activities are happening simultaneously throughout the space: rehearsals, classes, workshops, and members of the organization circulating. Everyone is welcome to use the space and to perform. The cultural management is entirely democratic, and this spontaneous curation has brought a high-quality cultural program (praised even by the illegitimate Minister of Culture), including shows by famous and unknown artists, performances, plays, poetry readings, clowning, and other events. The political force driving these presentations brings a transformative power to the artistic scene of Rio de Janeiro. Joy is a characteristic that emanates from the occupation. Joy is revolutionary.

Left celebrating on the front lines

Actress Cristina Flores sees the party as a place for sharing; the party is not an adjective: "We are the inclusive ones and they are the exclusive ones. Our response cannot reinforce or legitimize what we perceive as wrong. The response must be what we want to establish in the world: a powerful, living body, a playful body. I cannot act like a Cunha against another Cunha," she affirms.
Back in the 1960s, the term "festive left" emerged, or simply "festive," as the playwright Nelson Rodrigues used in his chronicles to refer to the bohemian leftists, with their melancholy dissolved in alcohol, swaying between the tables of Antonio's bar in Leblon, a stronghold of intellectuals of the time. During this period, the "real" left disdained the "festive left" formed by intellectuals who shouted against the dictatorship at parties, raising their glasses without abandoning joy, without somber seriousness, without taking up arms.
Today, joy proves to be revolutionary.

The left merges, the party becomes guerrilla warfare, joy becomes a far-reaching weapon.

#OccupyMincRJ
#It'sNotJustAboutTheMinistry
#OutWithTemer
#OutWithCunha
#OccupyMinc
#OccupyEverything

*Tracy Segal, 44, a graduate student in theater theory at Unirio, is an actress, playwright, and journalist.