The radical constitution as/in a "samba-enredo" to Macabéa: a parade through the echoing cry inside Brazil’s open wound

Abstract

This work is structured as a carnival parade over the theory of the Radical Constitution (Chueiri, 2024), through a (re)reading of A hora da estrela (Lispector, 2020) and through listening to artists who sing about Brazil, making Macabéa, previously abandoned by the Law, now the muse of carnival. The plot begins with her body stretched out on the ground. Time is then suspended so that we can deal with her story. She bursts from the asphalt like an "ugly flower." Afterwards, she transforms herself into Ponciá Vicêncio (Evaristo, 2003), learning how to "scream." Although initially her scream proves ineffective, the blood that flows from her transforms her into the Red Flower of Mulungu (Evaristo, 2023). And here is the final section. It is demonstrated, then, that the tactic must be radical, just like the samba-enredo that proposes to unveil the paths of the Radical Constitution. It is necessary to freeze time in order to feel, to analyze the roots of the ills, and finally to point out ways not only to guarantee the right to scream, but to guarantee that the people know how to scream and that their noise is heard. In short, Macabéa is reborn as a being of rights and so embodies the constituent power necessary for new flowers (and new worlds) to also break forth from the asphalt of the avenue.