Social Activist Launches Political Party and Expects the Market to Promote Black People

09/25/2017 - 10h46

In August, activists and artists connected to the black cause filed an official request at the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to register the creation of a political party named Frente Favela Brasil.

The petitioners will have to wait for the TSE to analyze the documents - they will also need to collect the signatures of more than 180,000 voters. "It will be quite easy to obtain the signatures," says businessman and social activist Celso Athayde, 54, the creator of the project.

Twenty years ago Athayde founded Cufa (Central Union of Slums), which is active in 412 cities.

In addition to Cufa, a decentralized network supported by companies and entities such as Fedex, Unesco and the Ford Foundation, Athayde created Favela Holding, the project's corporate branch. Favela Holding includes 21 companies in activity directed to the slum market.

The creation of the Frente Favela Brasil party is an ambitious step, which gives the Cufa and Holding projects a political extension. "So far black people and slums are either a small annex of some party or completely out of the game, selling hot dogs; we want to participate," says Athayde.

He wants the new party to enter the game on its own legs in the 2020 elections.

"The plan I am proposing for next year is to present the candidates to the Legislative branch in all the country's states through other political parties. The idea is to create a slum or black caucus. And later we will bring all these candidates to the same party in 2020."

Translated by THOMAS MUELLO

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	Ricardo Borges - 20.set.2017/Folhapress
	Businessman and social activist Celso Athayde, the creator of Frente Favela Brasil