{"id":6663,"date":"2026-10-30T06:49:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T09:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.djamilaribeiro.com.br\/djamila-ribeiro-celebra-reeleicao-de-lula-e-destaca-importancia-da-mobilizacao-social\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T09:06:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T12:06:51","slug":"djamila-ribeiro-lula-reelection-grassroots-mobilization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.djamilaribeiro.com.br\/en\/djamila-ribeiro-lula-reelection-grassroots-mobilization\/","title":{"rendered":"Djamila Ribeiro Celebrates Lula\u2019s Reelection and Highlights the Importance of Grassroots Mobilization"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Brazilian philosopher values everyday activism and warns that electoral victory does not end the fight against racism and authoritarianism<\/em><\/p>\n

Djamila Ribeiro celebrated President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva\u2019s reelection in an Instagram post earlier this week, while stressing that social mobilization must continue beyond the election.<\/p>\n

Lula, of the Workers\u2019 Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores – PT), won the October 25 runoff with 64.2 million votes, or 51.79% of valid votes. Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party (Partido Liberal – PL) and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, received 48.21%.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGiven the strength an authoritarian political project showed in the first round, President Lula\u2019s come-from-behind victory brought joy, relief, and the possibility of staying in dialogue with the government,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Reflecting on the win, Ribeiro paid tribute to several generations of activists: those who have been mobilizing since Lula\u2019s first election in 2002, those who took part in political struggles during Dilma Rousseff\u2019s administrations, and young people who became politically active during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWork that often goes unseen and unrecognized, yet sustains hope in the hardest of times,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The author also pointed to the challenges that remain after the election. In her view, victory at the polls should neither halt political participation nor weaken the initiatives built by civil society.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHow can we turn mobilization into a lasting commitment? How can we strengthen the bonds and initiatives that keep the struggle for a less unequal society alive?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Ghosts of Brazil\u2019s Colonial Past<\/strong><\/p>\n

Her reflections return to the theme of her column \u201cOs fantasmas que o Brasil se recusa a enterrar\u201d<\/a><\/em> (\u201cThe Ghosts Brazil Refuses to Bury\u201d), published in Folha de S.Paulo<\/em>, one of Brazil\u2019s leading newspapers, on October 22, three days before the runoff.<\/p>\n

In the piece, Ribeiro draws on the metaphor of the ghost, developed by Grada Kilomba in Plantation Memories<\/em>, to explain how Brazil\u2019s colonial past remains present in Brazilian society.<\/p>\n

Ribeiro points out that slavery was abolished without reparations for the enslaved population. Likewise, the end of the military dictatorship was not accompanied by adequate accountability for the regime\u2019s agents. These unresolved issues help explain why racism, misogyny, and authoritarianism persist in institutions and in everyday social life.<\/p>\n

In the column, the philosopher argues that defeating an authoritarian candidacy does not eliminate the conditions that allow authoritarianism to advance. Confronting those structures requires public policies that tackle inequality and advance education, historical memory, and reparations.<\/p>\n

In her post on Lula\u2019s reelection, Ribeiro ties that task to valuing social organizations and the people who sustain political engagement even outside election seasons.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCarrying out the funeral rites that Brazil has put off for so long also means caring for these collective efforts and creating the conditions for them to flourish,\u201d she said, adding: \u201cMay the joy of this moment give us the strength to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Um post compartilhado por Djamila Ribeiro (@djamilaribeiro1)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n