“When I talk about Brazil, I talk about me”

How do you introduce yourself to French readers who don’t know you yet?
I am a Brazilian cartoonist. I have lived in Spain for twenty years, but Brazil is still in me. It was he who shaped me as a human being. When I talk about it, I talk about me. I grew up in this country where in some localities, the state is non-existent, giving way to forces that can sometimes be violent. Brazil is the main theme of my stories. I am inspired by the experiences that I have been able to live there, by those of my relatives. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Niterói (in the state of Rio). But the favela is never far away. I like to work on my characters with as much humanity as possible, I let them guide me.

How did the character of Márcia come to you?
I am very interested in relationships between people. I wanted to tell something about maternal love. I have no children, but in my opinion there is nothing stronger. I wanted to talk about a person ready to do anything to save his daughter or his son, capable of making an extreme decision. My own mother has a very, very strong personality. I think she would not hesitate to adopt this kind of attitude if it was necessary to save me. Márcia works in a hospital. Every day she is confronted with life and death; she is used to losing people, but here she will do everything she can not to lose her daughter.

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I still don’t understand how Bolsonaro could become president of Brazil

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You speak French. What is your connection to our country?
My first contact with French comics was with a French author: Jean-Claude Mézières, while reading Valerian
in Brazilian newspapers. I love Franco-Belgian authors like François Boucq, Edgar P. Jacobs, Jijé, Hergé, Jean-Louis Floch… I’m a fan of the clear line. I often come to France to make dedications, festivals, meet people. And each time I try to learn a few more words.

Read also – Angoulême Comics Festival: “Listen, Jolie Márcia” crowned best album

Your previous album Tungsten was in black and white, this one is bursting with color. Why this choice ?
When I wrote Tungsten, I wanted to use colors that contrast with Salvador de Bahia and plunge us into a thriller dimension. In the case of Márcia, I wanted the reader to have the sensation of an explosion of colors when opening the album, with acid tones. It is also a metaphor. The skin of the characters in purple, green or blue, the green sky… It does not correspond to the real world. This shows the disconnection with reality, with the Brazil of today, especially at the political level. I still don’t understand how Bolsonaro could become president of Brazil. Or how people who have access to information can join anti-vaccine movements.

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I’m working on a documentary about a Brazilian musician who was tortured and murdered by the Argentinian dictatorship

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There are a lot of sounds in your drawings, the comic bears the title of a song, is that an important element?
Listen, Pretty Márcia, it’s a song from Brazilian popular culture. It was played at the beginning of the 19th century in bourgeois circles. It was transmitted orally. Then ended up being recorded. It’s a mixture of erudition and popularity that I like. Regarding the noise, I wanted this album to be inhabited. Because in Brazil, you have no choice. You have to live with the noise. People talk all the time. Silence, in some places, is almost forbidden.

What are you working on now?
I’m on a new project. I’m working on a documentary about a Brazilian musician who was tortured and murdered by the Argentinian dictatorship. I’m in charge of creating the characters and supervising the graphic design. It’s an animated feature film by Fernando Trueba & Javier Mariscal which will be called They shot the piano player. We should finish it this year.

What will this Fauve d’or change for you?
I don’t know what it will change but it means a lot. It seems incredible that this story can speak to readers who do not necessarily know the Brazilian reality. But apparently it is possible. Perhaps because it speaks above all of the humanity of a character; humanity is shared by all. And if this Prize gives me the opportunity to reach more people, then that’s wonderful.

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