From Legião Urbana 's "Que País É Esse?" in 1987, to Gabriel O Pensador 's 1992 song Fernando Collor , and in 2018, Michel Temer 's "Tô Feliz (Matei O Presidente)" , using music to criticize political issues in Brazil is undeniably a practice employed under the premise that art is a form of freedom of expression. However, rumors of an attempted censorship by First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro regarding the song "Micheque" by Detonautas , especially today, the 28th, on National Freedom of Expression Day, raise the question: what are the limits of art and its freedom?
“Hey, Michelle, tell us: is the money that went into your account from Queiroz?”, asks the first line of the song “Micheque”, which, on the 4th, was released with a video that further highlights symbols linked to President Jair Bolsonaro , such as oranges, referring to Flávio Bolsonaro , Fabrício Queiroz , and cattle heads, a nickname adopted by some against the politician regarding his loyal followers.
The release, which according to VEJA magazine , based on a survey by the consulting firm Quaest , saw the nickname replicated approximately 9 million times on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram between August 22nd and September 21st, became the target of criticism from government supporters, as well as fans who stated that the band "shouldn't talk about politics, and just make music," a task, according to vocalist Tico Santa-Cruz on his social media , promptly fulfilled by him and the band, resulting in the controversial track.
“If you came here to say that we’ve been quiet for the past 16 years, writing only love and everyday life songs, don’t waste your time. Since 2002, we’ve also been writing about socio-political criticism. There were 12 during the PT governments, 2 during the brief [Michel] Temer government, and 2 for the non-partisan group so far,” the band wrote in response to criticism in the single’s video.
In addition to the wave of insults on social media, last week a piece of news emerged: according to VEJA , the first lady was "considering" suing and taking down the "Micheque" clip and video, and last Thursday, the 24th, she personally filed a complaint regarding alleged offenses on the Internet that could be considered a crime against honor, reports G1 .
Regarding the possibility of Michelle removing the content from social media, Santa Cruz states on his Twitter that such an act seems to constitute censorship, and in an interview with Chico Alves on UOL , he says regarding the questioning and criticism that the song brings, "She [Michelle] should demand an explanation from the President, so that she stops being the target, not demand it from those who ask."
Today, in response to UOL , the Planalto Palace stated that it will not comment on the possibility of the First Lady suing Detonautas, which led Tico to publicly ask: "Why would that be?" , seemingly reinforcing suspicions that an attempt at censorship is underway in 2020.
The attempt to remove content that expresses political views based on truthful sources and that does not exhibit intolerance—that is, content that does not fall within the definition of hate speech —is unjustified. It disregards the power of art, and especially music, to be such a vital and powerful means of communication. This art form can reach thousands of people with messages that can make audiences fall even more in love with romantic songs, enjoy life with upbeat tracks, and, yes, also exercise the right of all citizens to reflect on the society in which we live through music that praises or criticizes those in power and their actions, allowing us to maintain or reconsider our choices about who we entrust our lives to in the next election.
Check out the music video for "Micheque" by Detonautas below.
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