IN THE MAGAZINE

A CHAT WITH FERNANDO GABEIRA

Brazil’s Preeminent Erstwhile Guerrilla and Green Party Totem

INTERVIEW BY ACER BICUDO
PORTRAIT BY MARCUS VERAS



Fernando Gabeira is one of Brazil’s best-known politicians, an author, and an activist revered as a former member of the far-left urban guerrilla group Movimento Revolucionário 8 de Outubro—aka the MR-8. In the mid-1960s, the MR-8 took an armed stance against Brazil’s military dictatorship, and Gabeira helped kidnap a foreign dignitary on behalf of the struggle. He also has an affinity for strolling the beaches of Ipanema in a string bikini and was nearly elected mayor of Rio de Janeiro in late 2008 on behalf of the Green Party he helped found.

Vice: Hello there. What do you think is the greatest challenge facing Brazil today?

Fernando Gabeira: It is to survive the international economic crisis without creating a backlash that could affect both social and environmental conditions. Then there are ecological threats: the deforestation of the Amazon, the degradation of our clean-water resources, pollution in the big cities, the existence of 9 million children without basic sanitation, and the contamination of important industrial areas of the country.

So there’s plenty to do. As a member of the MR-8, were you motivated more by standing against the military dictatorship or by communist ideals?

My motive was to fight the dictatorship in Brazil and to address the absence of essential liberties in the country. I was an existentialist, influenced by the post–World War II French philosophy. I became a Marxist during the armed struggle.

Eventually, you were exiled from Brazil. Did your beliefs change at all during this period?

During my exile, I broke both with Marxism and with the French philosophy as well.

How did you spend your period of banishment? What kind of work did you do?

The largest part of it was spent in Sweden, where I worked for the Portuguese division of Radio Sweden and wrote a film about our exile in Chile and the dangers we faced during Augusto Pinochet’s coup. I also used to drive underground trains, cut grass in cemeteries, and wash dishes in hospitals. Exile is a very diverse experience.

The MR-8 was well known for not meshing with the general far-left network. What was it that made you guys unpopular with other liberals?

The MR-8 was one of the first movements to break away from the Brazilian Communist party. We were students and intellectuals. In the early years, armed organizations mistrusted us because of our intellectualism. When we started doing things that were similar to what they were doing, we got closer and did some work together.

In hindsight, are you proud of the kidnapping of American Ambassador Charles Burke Elbrick?

I am not proud of the kidnapping. As a matter of fact, I am against kidnappings in general and any kind of political violence. I have moved from the position of the kidnapper to the position of the victim.

How so?

I was involved with a group that campaigned for the liberation of Íngrid Betancourt and all the Colombians in the hands of the FARC.

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Comments

Anonymous, on Jun 8, 2009 wrote: hm, is this guy a good guy or a bad guy? I cant tell...
Anonymous, on Jun 5, 2009 wrote: FARC eh? This guy is cool though im not going to pick at that. Its interesting that in Latin America so many politicians made their mark carrying arms at one point.
Anonymous, on Jun 4, 2009 wrote: eh, I think he sounded a little cooler during his whole MR-8 phase
	poozer, on Jun 3, 2009 wrote: politicians everywhere are corrupt. how do you think they became successful politicians. somewhere, somehow, they fucked someone over.
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: too bad this guy was recently caught in corruption scandal using public money to buy private plane tickets for friends and family.That proves that no latter what ALL politicians are corrupt at least in Brazil
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: MR-8 sounds like a serious firecracker or an even crazier firearm.
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: wow, 50 years will defintely change your perspective of things in life.
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: Fernando did more during his exile than I’ve done in the past five years of my life. He should have his own motivational poster series.
	boggle_brains, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: doesnt sound like he reaalllyy wants to go back into politics, more like he is being pressured to do it
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: "drive underground trains, cut grass in cemeteries, and wash dishes in hospitals" what depressing jobs...
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: there is a green party in brazil too? does it have any association with the US party?
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: its good to know that the green party has got someone involved who doesnt mind a little bit of the old kidnapping. gives them a bit more political clout.
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: I want to know what his punishment was for the kidnapping of a US Ambassador!! that couldnt have been good
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: that is a proud moustache in the photo. it makes other moustaches tremble in fear.
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: Marxism is huge in south america. tons of south american countries have had a marxist revolution at some point or another
	Kirby Puckett, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: Being put in exile has to be one of the coolest things that can happen to someone. The exile part would suck but the getting back would be great. And think of the stories. Can’t you hear the girls at the other end of the bar "Isn’t that the guy that just got back from exile?" Napoleon was exiled to Elba and St. Helena. That’s like winning a Pig in the Poke grand prize.
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: String bikini, eh? Thanks for avoiding that photograph. What is a mens string bikini? A thong?
Anonymous, on Jun 2, 2009 wrote: I fell asleep during the subhead, somewhere in between "guerrilla" and "Green Party." What in the name of Christ has happened to this magazine?