60 years since the 1964 coup in Brazil | Interview with Rafael Vaz da Motta Brandão

Abstract

Rafael Vaz da Motta Brandão, a professor at UERJ, addresses the 60th anniversary of the 1964 coup, emphasizing advances and challenges in research and memory about the dictatorship period. Since the National Truth Commission (CNV), the notion of victims has been expanded to include vulnerable groups such as black people, indigenous people and workers, in addition to investigating the complicity of companies with the regime, exemplified by the “Volkswagen case”. Brandão criticizes the lack of accessibility to archives related to the dictatorship, especially military ones, and calls for more transparency and accountability. He also assesses the situation of Transitional Justice in Brazil as limited, compared to other Latin American countries, but highlights positive initiatives, such as the transformation of places of repression into spaces of memory. In teaching History, he emphasizes the importance of critical approaches that demystify narratives that glorify the dictatorship. The "Traces of Truth" exhibition is cited as an example of success, promoting reflections on the past and democracy, by involving students and communities in meaningful discussions about human rights and the history of Brazil.