In the heart of Brazil lives an animal so elusive few have ever seen it in the wild. It’s an armadillo. Some kinds of armadillo are no bigger than an orange but this rare one is the size of a pig – this is the giant armadillo. Natural World: Hotel Armadillo, BBC 2017
There are so few of them that images like these are truly rare. ibid.
I’m in Brazil: sex is everywhere. But are people as open-minded as they make out? In a surprisingly prejudiced nation there is a light side we know about and a dark side we don’t: where selling sex is the only way to survive. Welcome to a dangerous world where nothing is as it seems. Stacey Dooley, Sex in Strange Places: Brazil, BBC 2016
Rio has been voted sexiest place on an LGBT travel site. It’s estimated there are over a million trans-women in Brazil; the vast majority are sex workers. ibid.
Brazil: A country where plastic fantastic is totally normal and no-one raises an eyebrow … This country has more plastic surgeons per capita than just about anywhere else in the world … Of the 2.5 million cosmetic procedures carried out every year a growing number are done on the working poor. Sex, Knives & Liposuction s1e3, W 2018
Manaus: We are on a drug trafficking route. Today, our city is a murder capital. Killer Ratings I: The Accusation, opening commentary, dude, Netflix 2019
And it was here that the Wallace case took place. ibid. woman
The Wallace case was exceptional. Many do not believe that what happened was even possible. Such outrageous events. So momentous. ibid. dude
I started a crime show [Canal Livre]. ibid. Souza
He started to become defender of the people … Wallace fought against drug trafficking and criminals. ibid. director
The police themselves tipped us off. And we sent a crew to report. ibid.
A big fight started between the puppet and Gil … Wallace thought it was hilarious. ibid.
In his first election he won the most votes in Manaus. ibid.
Wallace presented himself as a saviour. He was going to solve all the issues. ibid. dude
They always got there first because the representative ordered the killings: Representative Wallace. ibid. journalist
Due to the volume of facts to be investigated, we had the idea of creating a group which was called Task Force. Killer Ratings II: The Investigation
According to his testimony, he had been killing for Wallace Souza. More than a dozen killings. But Representative Wallace Souza stated he did not know Moah. ibid. Task Force dude
Among those who worked for him there were former cops who had been expelled from the force for criminal activities. ibid. dude
They started to kill rival drug dealers and to film the scene, creating a buzz. ibid.
When the story hit the news, many people, mainly those living in poor neighbourhoods where Wallace was popular, thought that he was being persecuted. Killer Ratings III: Conspiracy, woman
Moah had revealed in his statement that Raphael Souza, Wallace’s son, was a key person in the criminal organisation. ibid. Task Force dude
The evidence we gathered confirmed all of the statements we had collected. ibid. rozzer
I’m sure my son and I are innocent. Killer Ratings IV: The Son, Wallace to press
The Task Force was ready to take the next step in the investigation. We would arrest the security guards that worked on Wallace’s TV show. ibid. Task Force dude
The Task Force dragged my father’s name through the mud. Killer Ratings V: In God’s Hands, son
Wallace faces several accusations including witness intimidation, as well as forming a criminal organization and drug trafficking. ibid. television news
I declare the impeachment of Wallace Souza. ibid. speaker of house
The press is simply destroying our family. ibid. wife into press microphone
Police have received several anonymous tip-offs on the whereabouts of Wallace Souza. Killer Ratings VI: Judgement, television news
Judge Mirza Telma today heard five witnesses for the prosecution. Among them, two people who witnessed the death of Cacula. ibid.
It was a long and complex case. I had to decide if there was enough evidence to prove Wallace Souza was the author of this crime. ibid. judge
I came to the conclusion that there was enough evidence for all the defendants including Wallace to be sent for trial by a jury. Killer Ratings VII: The Terror, judge
I talked. I gave hours of testimony. ibid. Wallace’s co-worker Gisele Vaz
As I carried on working, as the years went by, I started noticing something was wrong. They would arrive at someone’s house without a warrant and simply force their way in. ‘There are drugs here.’ Often they didn’t find anything and they’d say, ‘Bring it from the car.’ ibid.
I saw many innocent people go to jail. ibid.
I sentence Raphael to nine years in prison for the murder of Cleomir Bernardino. ibid. judge
At the end of the ’80s and beginning of the ’90s kidnapping came into fashion in Rio de Janeiro. Captive II: Cola Kidnap, Brazil, kidnapper, Netflix 2016
This was the final stretch of the location where we would intercept Corinne Coffin’s car. ibid.
All these armed men jumped out of the car. ibid. Corinne
Lucio said to me that we’re going to ask for ten million dollars. ibid.
After 48 days, Ronaldo and his team are reported to have received an additional $500,000 for the release of Paulo Aury and Jose Ze Maria. ibid. caption
‘If that crook Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stays free, he’ll lead the country into a civil war!’ The Edge of Democracy, protester, Netflix 2019
A country where more slaves died than were born … Where every rebellion was brutally crushed. ibid.
When I was born you couldn’t vote for president. The military dictatorship was completing its 20th year. ibid.
‘We all know that around the world workers never got anything without struggle, without perseverance, and without fighting until the end.’ ibid. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
I voted for Lula with the hope that he would ethically reform the political system. And here he was repeating practices that he had always criticised and forming alliances with Brazil’s old oligarchy. But at the same time I was seeing twenty million people leaving poverty. ibid.
October 31 2010: ‘They just announced that Dilma was elected president!’ ibid. Lula
He was leaving office with an 87% approval rating. ibid.
The foundation of democracy itself will begin to crack. ibid.
The people who were ever more isolated from power: far from public pressure the political class perpetuated an age-old system of corruption. ibid.
She challenged the bankers, reducing the interest rate. But contrary to her expectation, the economy starts to slow down and the protests have a damaging effect on the government. ibid.
Once the businessmen start talking, politicians of several parties begin to be arrested including members of the Workers Party. ibid.
The spectacle of Lula being taken by force by police creates an impression of guilt. ibid.
From this point on, the country divided into two irreconcilable parts. ibid.
Our destiny was being decided behind closed doors. ibid.
‘Our mistake was not realising that right-wing supremacy was growing.’ ibid. Dilma
It’s also the story of a broken country we’re inheriting. ibid.
‘The proceedings against the president are now authorised’. ibid. Impeachment declaration
‘Prevent Lula’s Arrest! Defeat the Coup!’ ibid. protesters
Generals closed the congress, occupied the TV stations, and everyone knows what happened. ibid.
6 months later Bolsonaro is elected president. ibid. caption
Judge Serio Moro is named Bolsonaro’s Justice Minister. Lula remains in prison. ibid.
Sao Paulo has a more fundamental problem: it is running out of water … Protests have erupted in the streets … ‘We’ve already seen water riots.’ Horizon: Chris Packham, 7.7 Billion People and Counting, BBC 2020