Fifty years after punk exploded in the UK, the movement is thriving in Brazil, fuelled by anger at unemployment, urban violence, police brutality and deprivation. Bands like Repressão Social, formed in a Rio favela over 30 years ago, channel the daily struggles of life on the margins into raw, defiant music.
Rodrigo Cilirio, founder and bassist of Repressão Social, describes punk as his way of coping with the relentless stress of living in a violent community. 'This is what we are exposed to,' he said after a recent gun battle near his home. 'Punks go through what everyone goes through: bullets flying and a life of stress … every single day.'
Academics attribute the global south’s embrace of punk to its flexible do-it-yourself ethos. Kevin Dunn, author of Global Punk, notes that the movement has adapted to local traditions, from Colombian indigenous instruments to Mexican influences in California. In Latin America, police militarisation, gender-based violence, corruption and far-right politics provide a constant backdrop for protest.
Vic Morphine, vocalist of Repressão Social, said she was drawn to punk by indignation at social injustice and violence against women. 'We feel angry – and we have reason to be angry,' she said, calling punk a way of expressing that rage. The band’s lyrics tackle police violence, poverty and homelessness, reflecting the harsh realities of Brazil’s working-class fringes.
