'Sabiá' (Thrush) Award

Emotionally delivering the inaugural 'Sabiá' Award from CLAREC to Márcia Tiburi at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.

Márcia Tiburi showing her 'Sabiá' award near Freire's statue at the Faculty

The day after our event, enjoying a coffee with lovely people at Fitzwilliam College.

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I suggested to Alexandre da Trindade that the Cambridge Brazilian Society (CUBS) create an award to honour Brazilians abroad who are helping to build a fairer Brazil while visiting our university. I came up with the name 'The Sabiá (Thrush) Award,' and the first recipient was Márcia Tiburi during the event The Role of Education in the Fake News Era.

The event explored the unsettling times we are living as Latin Americans abroad, confronting the rise of the extreme right, fuelled by unprecedented levels of fake news that disrupt elections and daily life. This award celebrates individuals like Márcia, who bravely fight against these dark forces in Brazil and beyond. Márcia, now in self-exile in France after receiving death threats in Brazil, is an embodiment of resilience and courage.

Inspired by the song Sabiá by Tom Jobim and Chico Buarque, written during the dark times of Brazil's military dictatorship, the award symbolises both the pain of exile and the hope for a brighter future. It is a hymn to those forced to leave their homelands, yet carry the spirit of their country with them.

I could hardly contain my emotions as I presented this award to the remarkable Márcia. We are grateful for individuals like her and Jean Wyllys, who stand at the forefront of the struggle against the extreme right in Brazil. We long for the day they can safely return to their homes and loved ones when the situation improves.

You can watch it here:

And the full event here: