Telenovelas that tell my life

 Just like Venezuela, Brazil is also a telenovela!

Bringing this topic to a more personal side, I myself have a telenovela for each important moment in my life. “Da cor do pecado” doesn’t just remind me of Preta and Paco; It reminds me of sitting on the living room floor, while my aunts made carpet on the tearing machine while we watched the rerun of the Telenovela in the afternoon, on Rede Globo's show called “Vale a pena ver de novo”.

When I remember “Avenida Brasil”, Carminha’s trickery is not the first thing that comes to mind, but rather watching the trailer for the telenovela on a mini television in my room and my mother saying “Liloca isn’t going to watch that.” - and, spoiler: I watched it!

And talking about “Caminho das Indias”, that Indian song plays deep inside me as I remember the image of my 7-year-old self dancing in front of the television. In the same way, the reprise of “Alma Gêmea” in “Vale a pena ver de novo” brings loud and clear the song by Fábio Junior (which was the theme of the telenovela) and I remember it exactly how Fernanda, my friend, and I At school, sang together during the break of the class .

And another telenovela that was a hit during school breaks was “Cheias de Charme”. Before, the girls fought over who was Blossom, Bubbles e ButterCup, but, after the telenovela, what we really wanted was to know who Penha, Cida and Rosário were. From the Globo screens, the musical successes of “Empreguetes” became a rage throughout Brazil and, of course, I was not left out of this trend.

But what really won my heart was “Salve Jorge”. Perhaps because it bears the name of my warrior saint, the telenovela that told the story of Morena and Theo was remembered. It was still 2012, I was only 10 years old, but I remember each plot clearly and how much I cried when the character Jéssica died.

And to complete my memories, I miss sitting on the sofa next to my mother, laughing a lot at the jokes experienced by Candinho, in “Êta mundo bom!”. The adventures of the country boy and his donkey, Policarpo, were unforgettable, but, without a doubt, what I will never forget is how important this story on the small screen was for me to unite with my mother.

Did you see it? Brazil is also a telenovela. And the stories told in them are interconnected with mine, my neighbors, my family, my city and an entire country.

In other words, telenovelas have become a cultural product of Brazil, functioning as an instrument of identity for the nation with the potential to, at the same time, reflect and be a reflection of the reality of the Brazilian people. The whole family gathers in front of the television to watch Rede Globo's dramas throughout the night. The family dramas exposed in these narratives are also felt and vivid by these viewers. And this influence does not end when the television turns off, it persists in real experiences, especially among those who see TV as the only way to access culture.