José Fonseca Fernandes
Eleven years in prison in almost 40 years of life give Bruno Furtado an age that does not fit into documents. But it is they – the roles – that mark his story, already translated into the documentary “Complô”, which premieres today, the 20th, in cinemas in more than a dozen cities across the country.
The production, written by João Miller Guerra, has already been awarded an Honorable Mention, in the latest edition of Doclisboa, projecting a condition little known, or even unknown in Portugal: that of “orphan of the State”.
This is what Bruno’s existence revolves around, this week’s guest on O Tal Podcast.
José Fonseca Fernandes
Born at the Hospital de Santa Maria, in Lisbon, Ghoya, as he is also referred to, never saw his right to be Portuguese recognized.
Pushed by successive administrative ‘traps’ to the margins of the exercise of citizenship, the rapper and political activist knows well the impossibilities of an undocumented existence.
“They call into question the legitimacy of my document because I was born in Santa Maria [no hospital] and I’m Cape Verdean. It’s as if he were a fake guy, as if he didn’t exist”, he says.
‘Invisible’ in the rights system, and hypervisible in the territory of crimes, Bruno began his journey of institutionalization early.
“People can put whatever labels they want, but if we are in an educational center we are children. We did something that justifies being there, that’s fine, but we arrive and we have monitors who are not prepared to deal with the situation.”
Bluntly, Ghoya recalls, in this conversation with Georgina Angélica and Paula Cardoso, the child abandonment he experienced and witnessed when he was institutionalized, and sees it as a source of structural inequalities.
José Fonseca Fernandes
Now a father of three, the rapper emphasizes that defenseless people, such as children, must be cared for and protected.
His conscience keeps him away from his children for now. “They’re in England, with their mother. I want to go visit them, but I can’t”, laments Bruno, exposing one of the effects of the lack of documents. “It’s such a big plot that they don’t even care if you leave [do país]. Then, you’re walking in and they say: ‘No, sorry, you’re not even Portuguese”.
The practice stands out in the documentary, which, like Ghoya’s songs, denounces the paths and detours that are traced between State excess and deficit.
“This desire that the police feel to invade our bodies and brutalize us in such a violent way comes from habit. They do this to us from a young age”, notes the activist, highlighting that he has nothing against the agents.
José Fonseca Fernandes
“We see the police as a body that protects us, that must defend us. What bothers me is not that there are one or 10 bad police officers. It’s that not even the good ones are ready to combat this, and protect themselves. There is an inversion of values here.”
Critical of himself, Bruno Furtado shares, in this conversation with Georgina Angélica and Paula Cardoso, the processes of dehumanization that occur in and outside prisons.
“There is a kind of pathological denial [em Portugal]. We have cities, neighborhoods and streets of Arab and African descent. And now, as if we were having an identity crisis, we say: we have nothing to do with you.”
Listen to the full episode here.
José Fonseca Fernandes
Tal Podcast is a weekly podcast dedicated to interpersonal relationships and human affection. Through in-depth conversations with notable guests, the podcast reveals an original narrative and opens the doors to an international community of reflection and interest.
A pioneer in black and Afro-descendant culture in Portugal, it is a space where all lives fit, emotionally linked by experiences of trial and stories of humanization.
In long unscripted conversations, Georgina Angélica and Paula Cardoso present special guests, in new episodes, every Thursday on the Expresso, SIC and SIC Notícias websites or any podcast platform.
Tiago Pereira Santos with Nuno Fox
Georgina Angelica is a specialist in Education and Social Intervention. She works as an educator, trainer and speaker, with more than 20 years of experience in Portugal, England and Angola.
Paula Cardoso is the founder of the network Afrolink and author of the children’s book series ‘Força Africana’. She is also the presenter of the TV program “Rumos”, broadcast on RTP África.
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