Late for the revolution or how to survive the counter-revolutionary process: Augusto Boal's exile experience in Portugal

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the first year of the exile of Brazilian playwright Augusto Boal in Portugal, who lived in the country between 1976 and 1978. In view of the vast production on the displacement of Brazilian intellectuals and artists to the country, this article analyzes some particular aspects of the theatrical director's trajectory in Lisbon. Two specific elements will be investigated: the motivations for his displacement and his arrival in the city. First, it is paramount to understand how the Carnation Revolution changed the Portuguese context and nourished in Boal the desire to participate in a revolutionary process that put an end to the Salazar’s dictatorship. In a second moment, it seeks to analyze the networks of sociability that allowed him to move to Lisbon, as well as the examination of the difficulties faced in the initial moment of his arrival regarding his relationship with the Portuguese’s Department of Culture. Due to problems with the Brazilian bureaucracy for the renewal of his passport, Boal arrived in the country two years after the beginning of the revolution. Faced with the uncertainties of the post-revolutionary process, Boal's presence became an object of dispute within the government. The promise of jobs made by the Portuguese State was partially fulfilled and met several obstacles. The article seeks to analyze the categories of engagement and exile to uncover interpretative possibilities and suggest new perspectives on Boal's initial experience during his exile in Lisbon.