Thursday, January 24, 2008
A very popular Brazilian singer said a no-no in a print interview: Anti-Semitic carnival
The Jewish community in Brazil is up in arms after renowned Brazilian singer, Nana Caymmi, made blatantly ant-Semitic remarks during a recent interview. Caymmi is one of Brazil’s most popular singers, and daughter to Dorival Caymmi, one of the country’s foremost composers.
In an interview with British publication Queen Magazine, Caymmi was asked about her son’s long battle with drug addiction. The singer stated that "it is pure hell. You cannot imagine the drama I live with. I constantly ask myself why I need suffer so. I am not Jewish, I did not crucify Jesus."...
An apology was quick in coming:
The singer’s contrition was viewed with marked suspicion amongst the Brazilian Jewish community...
..."Without meaning too, Caymmi expressed a very common philosophy among Catholic-raised Brazilians," said Aharon, a Ministry of Education employee who recently visited Brazil and remains in close contact with the country’s musicians. She, like Brazil’s Jewish community, remains unmoved by Caymmi’s apology...
Here's a lesson:
"It is important to keep in mind that anti-racism legislation has been enacted in Brazil since 1988, which makes prejudiced remarks like Caymmi's punishable by time in prison, so I am not surprised that she recanted," said Aharon.
Once the government gets involved in speech, it poisons everything. You can't even issue an apology without suspicion.
