September 7 – cutting dependence and refounding Brazil -

September 7 – Cut dependency and refound Brazil

07/09/2023

Brazil 200 • Authors • Geopolitics

By LEONARDO BOFF*

Brazil has always been dependent, a minor partner in big global business. Given this fact, we must think about what kind of Independence we have and what Independence we seek

September 7th is our “Independence” day. Since it was occupied by foreign powers, the country's territory was made a colony, founded on cruel slave labor and Empresa Brasil was created here in the service of the colonizers.

The State did not emerge as the result of a social contract with the population. It came from outside, imposed from above. Its function was to provide the dominating powers with natural goods. This continues to this day because what we export are commodities, soybeans, corn, fruits, ores and other natural goods in the same logic as the colony.

Brazil has always been dependent, a minor partner in big global business. Given this fact, we must think about what kind of Independence we have and what Independence we seek. Our challenge is to break with dependence and make every effort to “refound” Brazil.

In this sense, after years of discussion with the grassroots and with Darcy Ribeiro, I wrote “Brazil: complete the refoundation or prolong dependence” (Vozes 2018).

In the beautiful words of political scientist Luiz Gonzaga de Souza Lima, who thought his whole life about The refounding of Brazil: towards a biocentric society: “To refound is to build a social organization that seeks and promotes happiness, joy, solidarity, the common good, bonds and commitment to everyone’s lives.”

By refounding itself, Brazil leaves behind the ties that keep it dependent on those powers that are taking humanity towards the abyss.

Here we can escape this risk and make a new attempt at civilization, in the joy of living together in our common home. It is our great viable utopia.

*Leonardo Boff, He is a theologian, philosopher and writer. Author, among other books, of Brazil: conclude the refoundation or prolong the dependency? (Vozes).
https://amzn.to/44Qwdyo

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