UFOP ENTREVISTA: Sinhá Olimpia de Ouro Preto

·30 min·3 clips

Who was Siná Olímpia, the woman who walked Ouro Preto's streets with an empress's sceptre after her great love was forbidden?

The episode begins with host Patrícia Consciente introducing the special Carnival 2026 edition, focusing on Siná Olímpia, who died in 1976. Olímpia was born in 1889 in Santa Rita Durão, Mariana, and spent her later years in Ouro Preto, telling stories and reciting poems while wearing colorful clothes and carrying an empress's sceptre. Her life took a turn after her father forbade her marriage to a pharmacy student from a humble family, leading to his death from a broken heart and her becoming a street figure. Guest Marisabel Vieira Pacheco, a UFOP graduate in Letters and Museology, provides detailed background: Olímpia was the penultimate of 16 children, studied at Freiras College, and moved to Ouro Preto after her parents' death. Marisabel highlights Olímpia's contrast with the military dictatorship era, describing her as a spring-like figure in a gray landscape. The discussion covers Olímpia's celebrity status, attracting attention from artists like Vinícius de Moraes and Rita Lee, and mentions in Times magazine. Marisabel emphasizes Olímpia's role in Ouro Preto's emotional memory and as human heritage. The host notes various productions about Olímpia, including documentaries, plays, songs, and books. Marisabel explains the importance of memory preservation, quoting Professor Fábio on affective memory as resistance. They discuss the 1990 Mangueira samba school tribute, which nationalized Olímpia's story. The 2026 Ouro Preto Carnival theme 'Siná Olímpia, who are you?' is linked to her 50th death anniversary, promoting tourism and celebrating freedom and diversity. In the second part, Marisabel shares her inspiration from a theater monologue and her work with children's heritage education, leading to her book. She describes the publishing process with Masa Edições and illustrator Walter Lara. The book targets children but aims for broad readership, using simple language to connect generations and preserve collective memory. Marisabel hopes for school distribution, similar to another book acquired by Ouro Preto's prefecture. She closes with personal gratitude to UFOP, recalling support from staff and teachers over her years there. The episode ends with promotional details about the book and radio station.

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