This is the illusionist in which I, Helen Salzman, interrupt my planned episode because

there's breaking news. As in news of everything being broken. This episode isn't about current

events, but is somewhat inspired by them because the specifics change, but the chaos is

perennial. Also, it seems. Content note, there are descriptions of torture around about

half way three on with the show.

Today we've got three political epinems. Our glass voice, chapter one, Kakaraco.

In Brazil, a photo Kakaraco is a slang term for a protest vote.

Actually, Kakaraco means a useless object or an old, worn out thing. Sometimes a trinket,

but that's not what the term is referring to. It's an epinem. Although Kakaraco was named

after the word because of her supposed resemblance to rubbish when she was born. It's just unfair

to judge anyone on their appearance at birth. There's everything to play for after that.

Kakaraco lived most of her life in Rio de Janeiro, but it was São Paulo that put her into

the political lexicon. In 1959, she was seconded there for a few months. During that period,

city council elections were being held. The 3.7 million citizens at the time were very

disenchanted with their corrupt politicians and the mess the city was in. Prices had been

soaring. There were food shortages. The roads were a mess. Sewers were overflowing. Imagine

don't need to imagine it's happening. Despite there being a whopping 540 candidates

to choose from for the 45 council seats, people decided to add one more. Kakaraco became

the right in candidate of choice. The way the voting worked was that members of the

electorate each had an envelope in which to put the ballot paper of their chosen candidate.

That year it was quite a popular move to put a black bean in the envelope to protest the

shortage of beans, albeit by further depriving oneself of the bean. But an even more popular

...