Zé Pelintra: A Coração da Malandragem

The OU Center for Studies in Democracy and Culture

brazilian culture

Zé Pelintra

The uplifting side
of malandragem.

One good dictionary defines a malandro as: a scoundrel; a good-for-nothing; a rascal; a crooked character; a lackadaisical person; a womanizer.

This is, and is not, Zé Pelintra. Yes, Zé Pelintra is a malandro, but the dictionary falls short...

A photo lacks the totality of the context in which it was made. Even when freshly taken, it is an incomplete selection from a wider scene. With the passing of time, and with distance, details fade in our memory and the photograph we made becomes simply the record of a place and time that we only imagine once existed. No photograph tells the whole truth. A photo lacks the totality of the context in which it was made. Even when freshly taken, it is an incomplete selection from a wider scene. With the passing of time, and with distance, details fade in our memory and the photograph we made becomes simply the record of a place and time that we imagine once existed...

Sayings of Zé Pelintra

Malandragem is a state of spirit and a way of life.
Life is like a wheel: who's on top today tomorrow will be on the bottom.
Humility is the greatest virtue of the malandro.
The malandro doesn't have fear of anything, not even of the devil.
The malandro is not marked by appearance, but by attitude.
The street is the malandro's home, and the world is his backyard.
Who has nothing, has nothing to lose.
The malandro is a master of improvisation.
The malandro doesn't have friends, he has accomplices.
The malandro is like a cat, he always lands on his feet.
The malandro is a barroom philosopher.
The malandro is an artist at living.
The malandro is a poet of the streets.
The malandro knows that life is short, and therefore lives intensely.
The malandro doesn't need a diploma, he has the wisdom of the street.
The malandro is a master in the art of changing himself.
The malandro is a born survivor.
The malandro doesn't have a boss, he has partners.
The malandro doesn't have a schedule, he lives on his own time.
The malandro is the master in the art of camouflaging himself.
The malandro is like a snake, he always know when to attack.
The malandro is a specialist in dealing with people.
The malandro is a master in the art of convincing.
The malandro isn’t lazy, he uses strategy.
The malandro is a mystery for those that don't know him.
The malandro is a real life person.
The malandro is a myth that never dies.
The malandro is a hero of popular culture.
The malandro is a legendary figure that continues inspiring generations.
The malandro is a cultural phenomena that transcends time and space.
The malandro is an unending fountain of wisdom and inspiration.

Offerings to Zé Pelintra at his main shrine in Rio Rio.

When we follow news of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, it is easy to think of the people in the tragic scenes as simply inhabitants of a place that is distant and unrelated to us, a place of faceless "victims" of a horrible event. In fact, they are people just like us. Yes, they dress differntly, they speak a different language, and they eat different food than we do, but they are people like us: they have the same hopes, the same dreams, and we all share the smae common humanity.