Comic documentary about the history of prohibitionism in Brazil to be released in September
According to the cartoonist, Diamba - History of Prohibitionism in Brazil is an anti-racist manifesto ready to fuel the debate on marijuana legalization
By Bruno Vargas
Diamba - History of Prohibitionism in Brazil. This is the title of the comic documentary created by musician, filmmaker, and cartoonist Daniel Paiva and produced by Brasa Editora - Brazilian Comics.
In 2020, Daniel published Beto and Dé and other Cannabis Comics, a collection of comic strips and comics where "Two young people, smoking on the couch, talk about the daily life of marijuana users," according to him. Now, in the book Diamba, the cartoonist intends to address the cannabis theme in a more serious way.
"It is an anti-racist manifesto capable of fueling the debate on marijuana legalization, showing the reality of the war on drugs in Brazil," comments the cartoonist. In addition, the documentary exposes historical wounds, prompting the reader to reflect on the prohibition of an ancient plant with medicinal values proven by science.
Until September 6, the book is available for pre-sale with a 20% discount on the Brasa Editora website. The official launch will take place at the Curitiba/PR Comics Biennial, between September 7 and 10, and at the Cannabis Expo Brazil, on the 15th, 16th, and 17th of the same month.
Fictional character; real stories
The book contains various historical accounts, ranging from the first records of cannabis use in Ancient China, through the great navigations, slavery, to the current drug decriminalization discussions. To do this, based on a true story, Daniel created a fictional character, the central figure of the documentary.
"I invented a character, who doesn't even have a name, because, to me, he represents several young black people from Brazilian peripheries. The book starts with this guy getting in trouble with the police for wearing a cap with a marijuana leaf. He is arrested, ends up close to his cellmate, and that's how his story unfolds," the cartoonist explains.
Furthermore, through flashbacks, Diamba - History of Prohibitionism in Brazil presents real cases, such as the arrest of singer Gilberto Gil and the band Planet Hemp. Or the surreal Summer of the Can, which occurred in 1987, when a ship dumped over 15,000 cans with 22 tons of high-quality marijuana on the Brazilian coast.
Free Boldinho
Daniel began his journey as an activist long before writing the book Beto and Dé and other Cannabis Comics. "I always understood the importance of political activism. I participated in marijuana marches with only 30 people, when there were more journalists than activists," the cartoonist recalls.
In 2020, less than a month after its release, Daniel received an extramarital notification alleging that his character Boldinho - a parody of Cebolinha from Turma da Mônica - was a discredit to the original work. After the incident, the cartoonist had to withdraw his book from circulation for a while and now manually cuts out the pages about Boldinho. This was a very important factor in the decision to write Diamba - the History of Prohibitionism in Brazil.