BENEDITA DA SILVA
29 minutes
Director: Eunice Gutman
Country: Brazil
Year: 1991
Language: Portuguese (English subtitles)
Overview:
This film is a profile of the first black woman to be elected city councilor and member of the
Brazilian Parliament from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Bene, as she prefers to be called, has
lived her entire life in the favelas and worked for twenty-five years as a domestic servant before
beginning her public life in 1982, when she won a post as city councilor and was elected a
federal MP in 1986. She now devotes her efforts to fighting the racism and discrimination faced
by Rio's slum dwellers, and comments from community leaders and residents show the love and
respect she has earned.
Pre-Viewing Activities:
· If there is one thing in the world that you could change, what would it be?
· Research information on other important women in Brazil.
· Who is Benedita Da Silva?
Post- Viewing Activities:
· Who is Benedita Da Silva?
· Do racism, discrimination, and inequality still exist in Brazil today?
· What is, "Chapéu Mangueira Black Association?
Class Projects:
· Write an essay comparing slavery that existed in the United States to slavery in
Brazil. Does slavery still exist today in Brazil?
· Write an essay about Benedita Da Silva and mention what she has done in order to
leave a mark and make a difference.
How to Borrow this Video:
The videos owned by the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean
Studies are housed in the Outreach Office of the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. They are lent free of charge. For information on films and reservations, please visit
http://isa.unc.edu/film/films_main.asp.
Suggested Readings:
 Silva, Benedita Da. An Afro-Brazilian Woman's Story of Politics and Love.Food First
Books. Oakland, California: 2006.
 Baer, Werner, The Brazilian Economy: Growth and Development, 2nd edition,
Greenwood, 1983.
 Conniff, Michael L., and Frank D. McCann, Modern Brazil: Elites and Masses in
Historical Perspective, University of Nebraska Press, 1989.