CPOY

CPOY 76 Documentary Gold: Golgotha

Golgotha: In Hebrew, "The Place of the Skull". In the Bible, the hill where Jesus was crucified. In the Roman Empire, the most cruel penalty. In Israel, the main pilgrimage point. Contemporary Brazil brings this dual meaning of Golgotha: a territory where is a death machine, but also the place of sacrifice, resurrection and redefinition of meanings. Researchers predict that by 2032, the majority of the Brazilian population will be converted to Evangelical Christianity. At the same time, an ultra conservative, populist, right-wing wave, led by President Jair Bolsonaro, is washing over the country. I propose telling this story from the perspective of individuals that seem to have little in common, aside from sharing their faith. However, their dreams, ambition, and desire for life and opportunity both explains and complexifies the understanding of what it means to be Evangelical in contemporary Brazil. The project tries to understand the different faces of evangelization in the country, trying to find the gaps in between the biblical and the tupiniquim, the Jesus green and yellow from the Brazilian Flag and the creative contradictions it brings. It looks at the place where the people put their faith, sometimes their money and many others their anguishes and ambitions.

Caption
Slide 4 of 12
October 24, 2019
Members from the church Assembleia de Deus - Vitória em Cristo (Assembly of God - Victory in Christ) raise their hands during a worship service at the headquarters of the megachurch. This is one of the biggest megachurches in the city, which attracts thousands of members everyday. It is located in the Penha neighborhood, in the north zone of Rio. Penha is known for its conflicts between drug dealers and police and for the favelas in its surrounding. The church plays an important role in mediating the conflicts because they have free access to both sides. It is also an important exit and option for lower class Brazilians who live in impoverished places without access to education, health care and sewage. The megachurch is run by Silas Malafaia, a conservative pastor and one of the biggest supporters of the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
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