00:00In this context we have another special guest, Nina Fidelis, a journalist and
00:04executive director of Brasil de Fato, who specializes in social theories and
00:09knowledge production through the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in
00:14collaboration with the Florestan Fernandes National School. Her writing
00:18explores geopolitics, imperialism and narrative struggles from the perspective
00:23of the working class and the peoples of the Global South. Very welcome Nina,
00:28welcome to From the South, thank you very much for your time. Thank you, my
00:34pleasure. Nina, how would you describe the political landscape in Brazil just a few
00:38days away from front of elections? Actually we are living so tense days, these
00:48last days and maybe the last months, because it's a lot at stake, not only from
00:53Brazil but for all the Latin America and the world. So we know
00:58the responsibility, the social and popular movements, our organizations, are
01:03awareness of what is at stake and what this dispute, this presidential dispute, it
01:12will demand from them. So we are tense, but I heard a sentence last week from Valerio
01:19Arcari, it's a huge Marxist and politician in Brazil, that says that how we win or lose, it's a big
01:30manner, it's very important because I think we are creating organic movements, people are
01:35taking the streets and maybe we can politize better this election period and not to reduce it, reduce it to
01:44only vote,
01:45but to know what we are discussing, the future of the country, the future of the continent and the life
01:54of people.
01:55And maybe we can hire our main flags from the left-wing in Brazil and not only Brazil. But I
02:06think it's important to
02:07amplifying the discussion about how is the left, what we are discussing on the election period and maybe create more
02:17consciousness and awareness, political awareness.
02:20Also in a society that is practically split in the middle, how would you describe the impact that is having
02:27the
02:27constant threat of foreign interference and also what's the role that big tech companies are having in the
02:33midst of this electoral process? We're speaking about, for example, AI companies such as Meta and also OpenAI.
02:44Actually, we know as Latin Americans that US always interfere in our democratic process. So in a way that the
02:55big techs, it's the extension of this kind of interferences. So we are living that. We also lived already in
03:042018 with a
03:06huge pressure on the big techs. And now and today we are living this on daily because we know that
03:15the far right
03:16has more resources. They pay more for this big techs. And the sentence that the who pays rules, it's true
03:25in capitalism.
03:26So we are facing that. But I think the left wing are appropriating better how to use social media to
03:35interfere
03:35and to counter interfere, to build counter narratives about the fake news and try to push people to be more
03:45aware,
03:46to do more research. But we know that it's not a field by our own. We don't rule this kind
03:53of field, but we need to
03:55understand how to use it better. And I think we are the left wing is learning more. And now, after
04:03the first round,
04:04I think we all get a little tension, more tense than we hoped. And I think that they are pushing
04:13people to do
04:14this appropriation. But it's of course, it's a huge interference. And also because Brazil tried to create a law that
04:23regulates big techs and we couldn't afford it because of the pressure of the big techs and how they manipulate
04:30and have some kind of association with a lot of deputies in here in Brazil. So I think it's a
04:38fight on the field
04:40that we will need to face it. And I hope that we can arrange more, learn more and face this
04:47kind of methodology
04:49thing that big techs impose to us.
04:53And from a geopolitical perspective, what is the impact that these elections are going
04:58potentially to have in Latin America?
05:03Could you repeat the question? Because I didn't hear you well.
05:08Yes, of course. From a geopolitical perspective, what's the impact that these elections
05:13are going to have in Latin America?
05:18Well, I think with President Lula, President Lula puts Brazil in a very important role in Latin America.
05:27We are a big, big, huge country. And I think Lula stands firm in defending our sovereignty,
05:37and not only in Brazil, but the sovereignty of all of the countries in Latin America.
05:43So I think because he's standing firm against the terrorists, for example, that Trump tried to
05:50replicate on Brazil, it shows that it's possible to face, to fight against this kind of interference.
05:59And I know that Latin America lived the moments so similar.
06:06So when the Condor operation happened in Latin America, Brazil, and a lot of other countries in Latin America
06:13suffered the same with dictatorships and violence and a lot of that we know history.
06:20So I think this kind of wave is similar. When it starts in some country, it spreads on other countries.
06:28So I think we need to count on Brazil and other countries to stand firm.
06:34And even if we lose this kind of these elections, I think we will have people on streets to face
06:40the far right,
06:42not only in Brazil, but Latin America. So I think it's a huge responsibility.
06:45And I think we need to count on each other to understand better how far right operates.
06:54Thank you. Thank you, Nina, very much for your analysis.
06:56Now, today, for Tell Us Today English for us. Thank you very much.
07:02Thank you. Bye-bye.
07:03Bye-bye.
