Arquivo de ‘Artigos’

What we’re facing in Brazil is an educational catastrophe The New York TimesJan. 25, 2021 by Vanessa BarbaraContributing Opinion Op-ed Writer SÃO PAULO, Brazil — For almost 10 months now, around 35 million Brazilian children have been out of school. When schools were closed in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, I thought we only had […]

Brazil’s president is in denial The New York TimesDec. 8, 2020 by Vanessa BarbaraContributing Opinion Op-ed Writer SÃO PAULO, Brazil — My country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has still not recognized Joe Biden as the winner of America’s presidential election. In his silence, he stands alongside other world leaders such as President Vladimir Putin of Russia, […]

Welcome to the wonderful, threatened world of Brazil’s “quilo” restaurants The New York TimesOct. 25, 2020 by Vanessa BarbaraContributing Opinion Op-ed Writer SÃO PAULO, Brazil — The Swedes gave the world the concept of “smorgasbord,” a celebratory buffet meal featuring a variety of hot and cold dishes. But it was the Brazilians who elevated this […]

After watching the president for so many days, I finally understood that happiness is a matter of choice. The New York TimesSep. 10, 2020 by Vanessa BarbaraContributing Opinion Op-ed Writer SÃO PAULO, Brazil — On Aug. 29, my country crossed the threshold of 120,000 people killed by Covid-19. With around 900 new deaths a day, […]

I was too busy cooking and cleaning and caring for my daughter The New York TimesAug. 11, 2020 by Vanessa BarbaraContributing Opinion Op-ed Writer SÃO PAULO, Brazil — I have a subscription to a monthly magazine called Piauí. In July, I spent so many days without opening the front door that I could only wonder […]

New York Review of Books (Daily)Jun. 10, 2020 by Vanessa Barbara SÃO PAULO—“So what? I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?” So said Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, on April 28 when a reporter pointed out that the country’s toll from Covid-19 had just surpassed China’s—reaching the grim milestone of 5,000 deaths. By the […]

Hospitals are on the brink of collapse, cemeteries are burying people in mass graves, and still, we refuse to take this virus seriously The New York TimesJun. 8, 2020 by Vanessa BarbaraContributing Opinion Op-ed Writer SÃO PAULO, Brazil — It’s been almost three months since my toddler left the apartment. We’ve been enduring as best […]

We live in a time of more questions than answers. Beware anyone who thinks otherwise, especially presidents. The New York TimesApr. 14, 2020 by Vanessa BarbaraContributing Opinion Op-ed Writer SÃO PAULO, Brazil — My first symptoms started on a Monday morning, March 23. I was just getting over a random disease that my daughter had […]

This running series of brief dispatches by New York Review writers will document the coronavirus outbreak with regular updates from around the world. —The Editors The New York Review of Books (Daily)by Vanessa BarbaraMarch 20, 2020 SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL—Over the last week, a powerful virus has been circulating among the toddlers in my daughter’s public nursery school. […]

Security forces have always been unaccountable for their actions in the favelas. But under Bolsonaro, things have gotten even worse. The New York TimesMar. 16, 2020 by Vanessa BarbaraContributing Opinion Op-ed Writer SÃO PAULO, Brazil — It was around 5 a.m. on an average Tuesday. I was sitting on the sofa eating toast when I received […]