Educational Media Reviews Online

As a term, “viramundo” does not yet appear in common Portuguese dictionaries. A non-governmental organization of the same name in the Rocinha community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, defines the word as “a Brazilian neologism that means we want and encourage everybody to change the world.” This is certainly a sentiment that is consistent with the politics of Gilberto Gil, the main subject of the film. Gil rose to fame in the 1960s as a Brazilian singer and guitarist, first playing bossa nova and traditional Brazilian fare, before expanding into a wider musical palette. Perhaps his greatest honor was serving as Brazil’s Minister of Culture from 2003 through 2008, the first the time the position was held by someone of African descent. Viramundo is constructed of a series of conversations Gil had with cultural leaders or notable performers, interspersed with extensive performance footage, much of it informal and refreshingly unpolished. The film follows both Gil’s return to life as a full-time musician after his career in politics, and his investigation of the effects of his political efforts (thus serving as a sort of cultural ambassador). The core of his political mission was to provide access to information through technology for the benefit of general education and cultural purposes. He examines the results by undertaking a tour of the southern hemisphere, which launches from the annual Carnival in Brazil, moves through various territories in Australia, visits Johannesburg in South Africa, before returning to Brazil where the film concludes in the state of Amazonas.

Throughout, the film progresses somewhat aimlessly. It is an effective travelogue, and Gil’s own message is communicated throughout, but the objective of what is documented by the film does not come across. Ultimately, what evidence exactly was Gil in search for on this journey? Does he find it? That is never overtly stated, and the narrative is weaker for that omission. It is not as self-evident as the director must have assumed, despite the presentations of numerous cultural exchanges. One can infer that Gil travels to some of the more remote places – especially in Australia – to witness their cultural activities, and their efforts to preserve cultural identity. He is truly living the socio-political message of his music of the past forty-five years.

The conversations with performers best reveal how indigenous cultures were lost due to the acts of colonials and missionaries. Some of the stories are quite heartbreaking involving deliberate separation of families, the obliteration of native languages, and the concurrent destruction of nature.

Similarly, many of the performances are quite moving. Alas, there does not appear to be a formal soundtrack of complete performances. (There is a related album contemporaneous to this documentary, The South African Meeting of Viramundo: Gilberto Gil and Vusi Mahlasela, released by Dreampixies in 2013.) It is a shame that majority of these collaborations will not appear anywhere else. Some of the collaborative performances are very effective (Shellie Morris being a highlight), while others are painfully forced and awkward (i.e. a hip hop jam with Aborigine youth). There is excellent documentation of instrument types and the materials of their manufacturing. Especially when Gil visits an Aborigine group where viewers witness the process for making instruments out of reeds and leaves. There is also some effective, though limited, footage of indigenous dance.

Much is made of Peter Garrett’s appearance in this movie in the documentary’s promotional material. Best known internationally as the former front man for the rock band Midnight Oil, he, too, has moved into politics serving as Australia’s Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth. However, he is in the movie for less than three minutes, does not perform with Gil, and the bulk of his appearance is small talk. There is only about a minute of actual meaningful discourse, but the exchange is clumsy and forced. Gil’s conversations with Shellie Morris are far more informative and affecting.

While not an easy movie to recommend, due to its plodding pace and meandering conversations, the performances alone and the candid footage of Gil as a musician and a politician are worthy enough for this film to have a place at academic libraries supporting ethnomusicology or Jazz Studies programs. It could also have a place at institutions with programs in anthropology, ethnicity, race, global studies, or internationalization. But, as a documentary of a musical journey it lacks a clear purpose.