Brazilian Official Says Rock and Roll Leads to Satanism

The film Bohemian Rhapsody showcased the story of legendary rock band Queen with highlights on the lead singer, Freddie Mercury. The historic performance of the band at the Rock Rio Music Festival was a key scene of the film and was moving when they sang their song "Love of my Life" where all of the audiences had sung along with them.

Brazil is the birthplace of some of the most loved genres by many such as forro, samba, and maracatu. It is also a good ground for worldwide music styles and genres including rock music.

Currently, a top official under the administration of the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, is going against the 'rock music' genre.

According to the National Arts Foundation's new leader Dante Mantovani, rock music can entice people to use drugs which later on may influence them to have sex and get abortions. He believes that abortion leads to Satanism.

In Mantovani's video posted on October 30, he had relayed his criticism on rock and roll celebrities such as John Lennon and the late Elvis Presley. Mantovani even said that John Lennon had made a contract with Satan to make him famous and allow him to succeed in his music career. Elvis Presley's had influenced many during the 1950s when his rock and roll music had made everyone dance. Years later, he died of a drug over-dosage.

Just recently, on December 2nd of this year, Mantovani was given the responsibility to lead the Funarte. Funarte is a government office in Brazil responsible to provide incentives and for the promotion of the arts in the country. It was established in the year 1975 under the authority of the Ministry of Culture. The ministry had become an agency under the responsibility of the Ministry of Citizenship.

It is still unknown whether the decisions and authority of Mantovani may affect any Brazilian projects involving the funding for rock and roll music events. Being a government agency with the responsibility of identifying public policy and government funding for events related to the arts, the decision of the agency led by Mantovani can significantly affect these events.

In the previous years, cultural event projects had asked financial assistance from the government amounting to US $14 million through the agency led by Mantovani. This amount had been decreased during Bolsonaro's leadership in the country.

It may be observed that Mantovani prefers the classical style of music genres.

Based on the contents of Mantovani's website, he was born in the year 1984 and he calls himself a 'maestro' with a master's in linguistics. It had also shown there that he studies playing the violin, piano, trumpet, and had directed orchestras and singing groups in the different regions of Brazil.

In his uploaded video, he is blaming the 'rock and roll' genre in the destruction of the morality of American families during the 1960s. He even theorized that the CIA may have issued LSD to the attendees of the Woodstock Festival in 1969. According to Mantovani, the festival had gathered a whole lot of people where they took drugs.