This afternoon (16/12), Fiocruz will award the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to singer and songwriter Milton Nascimento, one of the biggest names in Brazilian Popular Music. The ceremony will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the auditorium of Fiocruz Minas, in Belo Horizonte (Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715, Barro Preto), and the artist will be represented by his band’s conductor, Wilson Lopes. The tribute, unanimously approved by Fiocruz's Deliberative Council, acknowledges the importance of Milton's work as an instrument of resistance, social criticism and the formation of identities spanning over six decades of artistic career.

“Milton Nascimento's artistic legacy is undeniable and his work is in tune with the mission of our institution. Right from the beginning of his career, 'Bituca' used his singing and his musicality as instruments of awareness, social transformation and democratic resistance,” explained Mario Moreira, president of Fiocruz. “It is with great pride that we pay tribute to one of the greatest idols of Brazilian music, whose career has been marked by excellence and who has also been recognized abroad. The celebration gains an even more special meaning as it takes place in Minas Gerais, the land where he grew up and where the legendary Clube da Esquina was born”.

Since the beginning of his career, Milton has used music as a way of socially exposing and confronting injustice, especially during Brazil’s military dictatorship, when he circumvented censorship by using experimental sounds, metaphors and poetic resources. His musical production, marked by intense political force, spirituality and the defense of human rights, contributed to social movements and inspired generations.

His songs have become symbols of strife, such as Milagre dos Peixes (1974), in which he transformed the impossibility of having his lyrics approved by censorship into artistic expression, using vocalizations, screams and falsetto to communicate what words no longer could; Maria, Maria (1978) exalted the appreciation of women, especially black women, and ended up as an anthem for courage and resistance; Missa dos Quilombos (1981) celebrates the strength and spirituality of the black and poor peoples of the Earth; and Coração de Estudante (1983), a symbol of the “Diretas Já” and the democratic movements in Brazil, widely associated with the struggle for social justice and human rights. In works such as San Vicente (1999), Milton reaffirmed his Latin American outlook, combining various musical influences and historical and political references to Latin American identities.

Another central axis of the artist's career is his relationship with indigenous peoples. Since the 1970s, Milton has built deep ties with different indigenous communities that gave rise to the Txai project, launched in 1991, after a period of living with the forest peoples in Acre, especially the Ashaninka. This relationship grew over the decades and, in 2010, Milton was baptized by the Guarani Kaiowá in Mato Grosso do Sul, reaffirming his commitment to defending the territories, rights and physical and cultural survival of the original peoples.

Career

Milton Nascimento was born on October 26, 1942, in Rio de Janeiro. Motherless as a baby, he lived in Juiz de Fora (MG) and then in Três Pontas, where he grew up with his adoptive parents, Lília and Josino Campos, who encouraged his musical training from an early age. He got his first guitar at 13 and joined his friend Wagner Tiso at age 15 to form the vocal group Luar de Prata, followed by the group W's Boys, which performed at dances in the region.

In the early 1960s, he moved to Belo Horizonte (in Minas Gerais), where he joined the movement that would give rise to the historic Clube da Esquina, alongside Lô Borges, Beto Guedes, Márcio Borges and Fernando Brant, a formation that revolutionized the sound of Brazilian music and launched Minas Gerais onto the international stage. In 1967, Milton achieved national recognition when he placed three songs in TV Globo's International Song Festival, including Travessia which won second place and was an important milestone in his career. His international presence increased during this period, with the recording of Courage in the United States in 1968. His career comprises an astonishing 47 albums, appeared in 13 films, won four Grammys and formed partnerships with big national and international names.

Source: Agência Fiocruz de Notícias (AFN).