The song “Diário de Um Detento”, by Racionais MC’s, tells the story of an imprisoned man and his experiences. The first-person narrative begins on October 1st, but it is on the second day that it reaches its peak. After all, on that date we remember the Carandiru Massacre, which took place on October 2, 1992, in the former São Paulo House of Detention, in the North Zone of the capital.
October 1st, the date before the massacre
Featured on the album “Sobrevivendo no Inferno” (1997), “Diário de um Detento” deals with the Carandiru prison riot. The rap song by the group Racionais MC’s, written by Mano Brown and Jocenir, is always remembered on October 1, the date that marks another year since the massacre.
The military action was motivated by a fight between prisoners in Pavilion 9 of the penitentiary, but soon spread to what we know as one of the bloodiest days in São Paulo. The event brought to light discussions about the inadequacy of the Brazilian prison system, which has failed to fulfill its role of social rehabilitation.
How is Carandiru today?
Years after the massacre, the São Paulo House of Detention was transformed into the Youth Park. With a library, a free circus, courts and a skateboard rink, the site is now a leisure space for everyone – but it still houses the history of the date that took the lives of 111 inmates.
Now that you know the sad story behind the song, when you hear “Diary of a Prisoner” again or stroll through Parque da Juventude, you’ll remember one of the biggest tragedies in São Paulo.
