Gilberto Gil and the activism for the environment
The singer had always been a strong voice for protection of ecosystems by bringing light to the urgency of ecological issues.
By Instituto Gilberto Gil
Text: Roni Filgueiras, jornalista e pesquisadora
Gilberto Gil grava o DVD Fé na Festa (2010-02-10)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Marmundo / Sea world
O mar do mundo sujou / The sea of the world is dirty
Manda o mundo se limpar / Tell the world to get clean
O mar do mundo secou / The sea of the world had dried
Manda o mundo se molhar / Tell the world to get wet
O mar do mundo entornou / The sea of the world spilled
Manda o mundo se fechar / Tell the world to get closed
O mar do mundo acabou / The sea of the world is finished
Manda o mundo se acabar / Tell the world to be finished
O mar do mundo ficou / The sea of the world turned
Um mar imundo demais / A way too dirty sea
Se a barra mundo pesou / Whether the world feelings got harder
O mundo sabe o que faz / The world knows what it is doing
The verses of “Marmundo,” a song in the album Fé na Festa, released in 2010, are a poetic reflection on Gilberto Gil’s involvement with the environment. Born in Salvador and raised in small town Ituaçu, in Bahia backlands, where the landscape and its traditional music were joined in a unique plaster, which molded the senses and the soul of a young Gil. The aridity and dryness around also forged the soul of repente [Brazilian spoken poetry], Cordel literature, the armorial movement, with all of those that voiced their affections for that landscape: Ariano Suassuna, Graciliano Ramos, Mestre Vitalino, João do Pife. As Gil stated to journalist Pedro Landim:
“They are the most visceral rhythms, paired to the environment I lived in as a boy, in the scrubland. It seems like this northeastern thing had impregnated in my soul.”
Gilberto Gil com camisa da Fundação OndAzulInstituto Gilberto Gil
OndAzul Movement
Just like everything else in Gilberto Gil’s trajectory, art matches political action. It is mixed in the daily life, from artistic creations to effective actions. That was the case with the creation of OndAzul Movement, in 1989, which gave origin to the OndAzul Foundation.
The project was an effort of the singer, along with Green Party [PV, in the Portuguese acronym] politicians Alfredo Sirkis and Juca Ferreira, of which Gil had been president between 1990 and 2002 and which currently carries out projects in the socio-environmental area.
On the website, the now-called OndaAzul Institute, it states its mission as: “To assist in the preservation of oceans, rivers, and springs, looking for solutions that may potencialize the recovery of environment for the future generations.”
A diet revolution
The future and its trends conveyed in new technologies and ecologic urgencies have always been a matter of interest for Gil. For instance, like when he first discovered macrobiotic diet, while still in prison, in the late 1960s, reading an article on the diet of Yoko Ono and John Lennon, in O Cruzeiro magazine. The next week, at his request, his family brought him the book Zen Macrobiotics: The Art of Rejuvenation and Longevity, by George Ohsawa. This influenced his way of living from that moment on, even leaving a definite mark on the culinary of his daughter, nutritionist and chef Bela Gil.
Gilberto Gil e Flora Gil com Tomio Kikuchi (1999)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Meeting with Tomio Kikuchi
A reference in macrobiotics in Brazil, the educator and thinker had influenced Gilberto Gil's and his wife's Flora diet.
Gilberto Gil, a esposa Flora Gil e o professor, pensador e estrategista japonês Tomio Kikuchi no restaurante Satori, no bairro da Liberdade, São Paulo (2016)Instituto Gilberto Gil
When Tomio Kikuchi, regarded as the father of macrobiotics in Brazil, died in 2019, at 94 years old, Gilberto Gil said: “May the great master Kikuchi rest in peace, responsible for spreading wellness through nourishment and who taught to me and my family so much. I will miss him deeply.”
Gilberto Gil e Bela Gil durante gravação do programa Bela Cozinha Verão (2015-11-07)Instituto Gilberto Gil
In an interview to IstoÉ magazine, Gil recalls he introduced macrobiotics diet to songwriter João Gilberto, back when João lived in New York with his wife, Miúcha. After visiting a nearby restaurant, both of them eagerly went to get hot dogs from a fast-food place.
Gilberto Gil e Bela Gil durante gravação do programa Bela Cozinha Verão (2015-11-07)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Culinary and family ties
The musician was a key factor in the gastronomic choices of his daughter, chef Bela Gil. In the picture, they are shooting the Bela Cozinha TV show, hosted by the nutritionist on GNT channel.
Gilberto Gil em cerimônia de posse como vereador em Salvador Foto 2 (1989)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Commitment to the green
The advocacy for the environment was one of the major agendas of politician Gilberto Gil between the years of 1980 and 1990, while he was serving as a councilman in the Salvador City Council.
His concerns towards the environment also spread to songs and political activism. His marriage to the environmental agenda even earned him a sound out from president Fernando Henrique Cardoso on his willing to take over Ministry of Environment.
Campanha de Gilberto Gil para vereador de Salvador (1988-09-03)Instituto Gilberto Gil
When elected councilman in Salvador, running for PMDB [Brazilian Democratic Movement Party], in 1988, with 11,111 votes, his agenda focused on the creation of the Commission for Protection of the Environment, which he presided. Around the same time, he got engaged in the advisory councils of the Fundação Mata Virgem and Fundação Alerta Brasil Pantanal.
His work as head of OndAzul and his engagement with other players, such as the Mata Atlântica Foundation and the Socioambiental Institute, earned him an invitation to be a part of the working group of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, known as Rio 92, which gathered, in Rio de Janeiro, several heads of state to discuss global environmental issues.
Gilberto Gil entre Erian Ozório, coordenadora do Projeto Mangue Vivo, e o ambientalista Alfredo Sirkis em Magé (2008-01-01)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Mangue Vivo Project
During a trip to the city of Magé, Rio de Janeiro, to visit the project for conservation of mangrove swamp carried out by OndAzul Foundation, along with journalist Alfredo Sirkis and economist Antonia Erian Ozório.
Gilberto Gil entre Benedito José da Silva, Alfredo Sirkis, Adeimantus da Silva, e outros responsáveis pelo Projeto Mangue Vivo em Magé (2008-01-01)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Voluntários da Fundação OndAzulInstituto Gilberto Gil
Solidarity wave
A meeting with volunteers and other members of OndAzul Foundation.
Gilberto Gil com membros da Fundação OndAzulInstituto Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil e Elba Ramalho fazem show em evento da Fundação OndAzulInstituto Gilberto Gil
Support from friends
Gilberto Gil and singer Elba Ramalho at an OndAzul Foundation event.
Gilberto Gil e Elba Ramalho fazem show em evento da Fundação OndAzulInstituto Gilberto Gil
Show de Gilberto Gil contra a fome no mundo, como Embaixador da Boa Vontade da FAO (2012-07-22)Instituto Gilberto Gil
An international voice
Activism on matters such as nutrition, art, culture, and politics earned Gilberto Gil an invitation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to be an ambassador.
Show de Gilberto Gil como Embaixador da Boa Vontade da FAO, contra a fome (2012-07-22)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Taking up the challenge, Gil made a commitment to fight starvation in the world, targeting an attempt to “wake awareness of the powerful men, it is all about solidarity,” said Gil in a press conference in Rome, during the ceremony of the Word Food Day, on October 2001.
When he became minister of Culture during Lula’s administration, Gil balanced the hard task of being a public administrator and a singer. Ever since then, he has been taking his activism and stands on environmental issues for different audiences in Brazil and the world: be it in concerts, TV shows, interviews, lectures in universities, seminars, conferences, and even in his old weekly article for newspaper Jornal do Brasil.
Gilberto Gil saúda os Filhos de Gandhy ao lado de Flora Gil e Fausto Franco, no carnaval baiano de 2020 (2020-02-24)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Art and nature, a good match
Since 2005, Camarote Expresso 2222, one of the hot spots in Salvador’s Carnaval, where the Gil family welcomes thousands of guests during the festival, assembles its structure each year in partnership with companies that employ recycled materials.
Exhibit credits
Text and research: Roni Filgueiras
Editing: Chris Fuscaldo
Assembly: Patrícia Sá Rêgo
Copyediting: Laura Zandonadi
General credits
Editing and curation: Chris Fuscaldo / Garota FM
Musical content research: Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo, Laura Zandonadi and Ricardo Schott
Ministry of Culture content research: Carla Peixoto, Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo
Captions: Anna Durão, Carla Peixoto, Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo, Daniel Malafaia, Fernanda Pimentel, Gilberto Porcidonio, Kamille Viola, Laura Zandonadi, Lucas Vieira, Luciana Azevedo, Patrícia Sá Rêgo, Pedro Felitte, Ricardo Schott, Roni Filgueiras e Tito Guedes
Data editing: Isabela Marinho and Marco Konopacki
Gege Produções Review: Cristina Doria
Acknowledgements Gege Produções, Gilberto Gil, Flora Gil, Gilda Mattoso, Fafá Giordano, Maria Gil, Meny Lopes, Nelci Frangipani, Cristina Doria, Daniella Bartolini e todos os autores das fotos e personagens da história
All media: Instituto Gilberto Gil
*Every effort has been made to credit the images, audios and videos and correctly tell the story about the episodes narrated in the exhibitions. If you find errors and/or omissions, please contact us by email atendimentogil@gege.com.br
