After participating in the presentation of the newest book by Brazilian actor and writer Gregório Duvivier, in Lisbon, Ricardo Araújo Pereira highlighted the importance of cultural exchanges between Brazil and Portugal and criticized the growth of xenophobic discourses in the country.
For the Portuguese comedian, Portugal’s history and social formation make this type of behavior even more contradictory, especially in a context in which the circulation of people and cultures has always been part of the country’s identity.
“Racism is stupid everywhere. In Portugal, especially, taking into account who we are, the miscegenation that exists here, our history, here it is especially idiotic, if that is possible”, he stated, in conversation with the DN/DN Brazil at the Palácio Galveias Library, where the event took place.
The comedian also drew attention to the role of humor, culture and direct contact in reducing prejudice, pointing out that many rejections arise especially from lack of knowledge. “From the moment people get to know each other, this difference becomes blurred and the strangeness disappears and becomes richness,” he said.
Throughout the book launch event – entitled to Tongue Flower – the comedian also recalled experiences shared with Duvivier on stage, marked precisely by the meeting between Brazilians and Portuguese and the linguistic differences that emerge from this interaction. “The show consists of two parts, in which we first speak and then the lights in the room come on and the audience begins to tell their linguistic adventures”, he explained.
Among the examples, he highlighted situations in which common expressions in Portugal take on another meaning in Brazil – and vice versa. “A Brazilian lady told us: ‘a Portuguese friend of mine always told me you’re going to move house’, which in Portugal means it’s confirmed that you’re going to move, but to Brazilian ears it sounds like you’re going to move every day,” he said.
For Ricardo Araújo Pereira, this type of exchange, often mediated by humor, helps to transform estrangement into rapprochement and highlights the cultural potential of this meeting between the two countries. “We can understand the Brazilian accent well because of soap operas, for example. [A cultura] does a lot to bring people together”, he stated, recalling the lasting impact of these cultural products on the relationship between Brazil and Portugal.
Check out the full report on Radar DN Brasil this Friday, March 20th.
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