Zuzu Angel
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It has been suggested that Stuart Angel be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2010. |
| Zuzu Angel | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5, 1921 Curvelo, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Died | April 5, 1976 (aged 54) Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro |
| Cause of death | Car crash (possibly murdered) |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Spouse | Norman Angel Jones |
| Children | Stuart Angel Jones Hildegard Angel |
Zuleika Angel Jones, better known as Zuzu Angel (June 5, 1921 – April 14, 1976), was a Brazilian-American fashion designer, who became famous for opposing the Brazilian military dictatorship after the forced disappearance of her son Stuart. Zuzu was also mother of journalist Hildegard Angel.
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[edit] Biography
As a child, Zuzu moved to Belo Horizonte, later living in Bahia. Bahian culture and colors significantly influenced the style of Zuzu's creations. In 1947, she went to live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's cultural capital.
In the 1950s, Zuzu began her work as a seamstress, usually making clothing for close relatives. At the start of the 1970s, she opened up a store in Ipanema, at the same time beginning to exhibit her clothes on American runways. In her fashion expositions, she always harnessed the joy and richness of the colors of Brazilian culture, making a name for herself in the fashion world of her time.
In the 1970s, her son Stuart, an activist against the military regime, was taken prisoner and killed by agents of the DOI-CODI. From then on, Zuzu would enter into a private war against the dictatorship for the recovery of her son's body, involving the Embassy of the United States, the native country of her former husband and Stuart's father. The battle ended with Zuzu's death in 1976 in a car crash. Stuart's body was never found. His mother's death was investigated by the Comissão de Mortos e Desaparecidos Políticos ("commission on political missing and presumed dead"), under process number 237/96, and the Brazilian government later admitted that the State was involved in her death.[1]
[edit] Cultural references
In homage to Zuzu Angel, and other mothers who were unable to bury their children, Chico Buarque wrote the song "Angélica" in 1977.
The Tunnel Dois Irmãos, which connects Gávea to São Conrado, the same place where Zuzu's car crashed, was named after her.
In 2006, a film based on Zuzu Angel's life was released in Brazil. The title character was played by Patrícia Pillar.
[edit] References
- ^ (Portuguese) Direito à Memória. Secretaria Especial de Direitos Humanos da Presidência da República. 2007. http://www.presidencia.gov.br/estrutura_presidencia/sedh/.arquivos/livrodireitomemoriaeverdadeid.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-28
