Chiquita B: exploited, used, eternally happy

This work critiques the market manipulation of Latin America, building a chain of interconnections and stereotypes that link Guatemala and Brazil from this marketing machination. A housing scene in a ‘favela’ built with Chiquita banana cardboard boxes is depicted. The logo of this company is based on an image of Carmen Miranda’s iconic Brazilian Belle Epóque character ‘Chiquita Bacana’. The score written initially by Alberto Ribeiro and Joao de Barro was interpreted by Emilinha Borba and not Carmen Miranda. However, the popularity of one profited from this confusion and built upon the image of Carmen Miranda with bananas as an ornament to portray an image of happiness and constant satisfaction of the ‘Banana Republics’ through film. A very particular synthesis of identities connects countries to reconsider the consumption of bananas as a political and historical statement for Latin America.