The governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema (Novo), was involved in a controversy with the heirs of the band Legião Urbana after using the music What country is this during the launch of its pre-candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic. The work, made up of Renato Russo and one of the group’s biggest hits, was played at the event and also released on Zema’s social networks, which motivated an extrajudicial notification against the party.
The notification was sent by Giuliano Manfredini, son of Renato Russo and responsible for the band’s estate. He accuses unauthorized use of music in an official instagram post of the governor, noting that there was no prior request for the use of the work in a political-partisan environment, according to the newspaper The globe.
Addressed to the New Party headquarters in Minas Gerais, the notification requires Zema and the party to refrain from using music What country is this In any future publications or events, both on Instagram and other platforms.
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Zema rescues old interview by Renato Russo
The governor’s response came a few hours after the notification was made public. Already in the early hours of Tuesday, 19, Zema published a video of Renato Russo in which the singer appears ironicly, defending values such as “tradition, family and property” and describing himself as “a born capitalist”.
In the caption, Zema wrote: “I agree 100% with Renato Russo: A country must preserve its traditions, family is the basis of everything, capitalism is the best system of government to generate wealth and take people out of poverty. Live Legion!”
The song What country is thislaunched in 1987, became one of Brazil’s social and political hymns, marked by verses that question corruption, inequality and lack of perspectives.
