Chico Buarque: the daring life of Brazil’s bossa nova Bob Dylan
“Joy is an act of resistance” is a line written by American poet Toi Derricotte and, despite being recently hijacked by Idles, fits quite nicely when looking at Brazilian bossa nova master Chico Buarque. A prolific artist hailing from Rio de Janeiro, Buarque spent much of his recording career fleeing from the wrath of Brazil’s military dictatorship.
During his childhood, as the son of noted Brazilian sociologist Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda, Chico spent most of his time travelling around Brazil – and briefly to Italy. Being a world traveller at such a young age must have had an impression on the young musician, soaking up cultural influences wherever he went. His childhood was also characterised by a love for bossa nova records, particularly by Tom Jobim and João Gilberto.
Bossa nova rose in prominence in Rio during the 1950s as a slower style of samba music. One of Brazil’s finest musical exports, bossa nova soon spread over the world, loved for its characteristic beat and generally optimistic sounds. Chico Buarque aimed to follow in the footsteps of these bossa nova artists, beginning to play musical festivals and television variety shows in the mid-1960s. Upon releasing his self-titled debut album, Buarque became noted for his clever lyricism and catchy bossa nova-influenced sound.
In addition to his songwriting talents, Buarque explored his creativity through poetry and as a playwright. Writing the play Roda Viva in 1968, the writer became the target of Brazil’s military. The government of Brazil had descended into an oppressive military dictatorship after the 1964 US-backed coup d’état brought a violent end to the left-wing government of João Goulart. Artists like Buarque soon became a target for the military regime, so much so that the songwriter fled to Italy in 1970.
Returning to his native Brazil after 18 months, he wrote his first novel, which did not receive the same harsh treatment as Roda Viva. Returning to music, Buarque composed a series of protest songs, usually somewhat veiled, in order to trick military censors. His track ‘Apesar de Você’ (‘In Spite of You’, in English), which protested the military regime, did not initially catch the attention of the military but was eventually banned after selling over 100,000 copies.
In a further attempt to skirt military censorship, Buarque had a brief period of operating under a pseudonym due to the fact that anything he recorded and released as Chico Buarque would immediately be censored. Working under the name ‘Julinho de Adelaide’, an artist complete with a fabricated backstory and discography, Buarque continued to record protest anthems against the military rule, as well as writing the play Calabar, which draws parallels between the Dutch invasion of Brazil and the military dictatorship of the time.
Chico remained a prolific artist and political activist throughout the military rule of Brazil, which ceased in 1985 with the installation of a civilian government, in addition to lending his talents to other worthwhile causes, such as an end to war in Nicaragua. The musician is still lauded as one of Brazil’s most successful and beloved artists to this day, respected nationwide for his commitment to protesting against authoritarianism in his country.