The Historical Context of Tropicália
Before proceeding with the examination of sonic relations and resistance related to Tropicália, I will first provide a short history of the Brazilian political context into which it was born. In response to perceived “leftist” tendencies of the democratically elected Goulart government, in 1964 the administration was toppled. Initiating the two decade period of the dictatorship, the coup was led by the military and joined by civilian leaders. As the latter half of the 1960s progressed, the dictatorship increased its stranglehold on Brazilians, their freedom of expression, and their safety. Fueled by Institutional Act #1, thousands of Brazilians lost their civil liberties, were imprisoned, tortured, murdered, and forced into exile. By 1967, Institutional Act #2 suspended political parties and strengthened the president’s executive powers and hold on power for the regime.
In response, Brazilians took to the streets through coordinated strikes, public manifestations, and public demonstrations such as the March of the 100,000 in Rio that capped a period of unrest with dozens of protests in different Brazilian cities (Skidmore 2010). In response, the right-wing junta pushed back even harder. By the close of 1968, the military regime accelerated its brutal authoritarianism with Institutional Act #5. This act gave the government enormous powers, including suspending the constitution, dissolving the congress and state legislatures, as well as enforcing rigorous censorship. At the same time, leftist groups engaged in armed struggle – luta armada – using guerrilla techniques including the kidnapping of U.S. Ambassador Charles Burke Elbrick in 1969 (some argue with an eye to establishing a new left of center government). It was not until two decades later that Brazil incrementally returned to democratic rule beginning with indirect election (1985) and a new constitution (1988).
In the midst of this struggle, music became politicized by artists and audiences. Of all politically engaged artists, the Tropicálistas offered a dynamic new type of resistance, combining sounds, music, dress, and performance style (Dunn 1996).[4] Two artists spearheaded the movement: Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, both well-known musicians who also hosted a television program. Although the movement is strongly associated with Veloso and Gil, it also included artists such as Gal Costa, Geraldo Vandré, Chico Buarque, José Carlos Capinam, Torquato Neto, Tom Zé, Nara Leão, Rogério Duprat, and the band Os Mutantes.
In its short lifespan, this tremendous period of productivity gave birth to innovative resistance in response to the military regime’s prohibition of public assembly, abridgement of freedom of speech, and state-sponsored kidnapping and torture of citizens bold enough to criticize their nation’s loss of democratic freedoms. The military regime responded to any and all protests with force by marshalling the powers of the state. Shortly after Institutional Act #5 was enacted, Tropicálistas Gil, Veloso, and others were denounced, imprisoned, held without charge, put under house arrest, and ultimately forced into exile. As such, the Tropicália had a brief but vibrant duration in 1967-1968 that was abruptly cut short once many Tropicálistas were jailed, exiled, or forced into what the junta termed “psychiatric care.” Although Tropicália’s influence would continue to inspire resistance to the military regime, the movement as a public force came to a sudden end due to the government’s new powers to brutally silence any opposition.