SNI document on Stuart, 1971 Zuleika Angel Jones (June 5, 1921 – April 14, 1976), better known as Zuzu Angel, was a Brazilian-American

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

, who became famous for opposing the

Brazilian military dictatorship The military dictatorship in Brazil ( pt, ditadura militar) was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against President João Goulart. The Brazilian dict ...

after the

forced disappearance An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...

of her son, Stuart. She was also the mother of journalist Hildegard Angel. In 2014, the

National Truth Commission In Brazil, the National Truth Commission ( pt, Comissão Nacional da Verdade) investigated human rights violations of the period of 1946–1988 - in particular by the authoritarian military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from April 1, 1964 t ...

created to gather and review information about crimes committed during the years of the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

and U.S. government-backed

, a former agent of the military repression named Cláudio Antônio Guerra, confirmed the participation of agents of the security apparatus in the death of Angel.

Life and career

Zuzu Angel was born on June 5, 1921, in

Curvelo Curvelo is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is located in the geodesic centre of Minas Gerais, 170 km north of the capital, Belo Horizonte, and connected to the capital by highways MG 135 and BR 040. Its estimated popu ...

, Brazil. While still a child, she moved to

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

, later living in

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

. Bahian culture and colors significantly influenced the style of Angel's creations. In 1947, she went to live in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, then Brazil's capital city. In the 1950s, Angel began her work as a seamstress, usually making clothing for close relatives. At the start of the 1970s, she opened up a store in

Ipanema Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the popularity of the bossa nova jazz song, "The Girl from Ipane ...

, at the same time beginning to exhibit her clothes on American catwalks. In her fashion expositions, she always harnessed the joy and richness of the colours of Brazilian culture, making a name for herself in the fashion world of her time. Angel married an American salesman, Norman Angel Jones, and on January 11, 1946, they had a son, Stuart.

Forced disappearance of Stuart Angel

200px, Stuart Angel Stuart Angel was an undergraduate student at

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro or University of Brazil (UFRJ; pt, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or ') is a public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the ...

's School of Economics when he joined the left-wing

urban guerrilla An urban guerrilla is someone who fights a government using unconventional warfare or domestic terrorism in an urban environment. Theory and history The urban guerrilla phenomenon is essentially one of industrialised society, resting both ...

group

Revolutionary Movement 8th October 8th October Revolutionary Movement (''Movimento Revolucionário 8 de Outubro'', MR8) was a Marxist political organization that took part in armed struggle against the Military dictatorship in Brazil. It was formed in 1964 among college students i ...

(''Movimento Revolucionário 8 de Outubro'' – MR-8)."Stuart Edgar Angel Jones"
. Tortura Nunca Mais. Retrieved July 15, 2013. He was known by his fellow guerrillas by the codenames "Paulo" and "Henrique"."Stuart Edgar Angel Jones"
. Eremias Delizoicov. Retrieved July 15, 2013. He married fellow militant Sônia Maria Morais Angel Jones, who later died in the custody of the military dictatorship's political police. Stuart was arrested in the neighborhood of Grajaú, Rio de Janeiro, near Av. 28 de Setembro, around 9 a.m. on June 14, 1971, by officers of the Air Force Information Center (''Centro de Informações da Aeronáutica'' – CISA). He was then taken under custody to CISA headquarters, where he was reportedly tortured. According to political prisoner Alex Polari, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, Stuart was then tied to the back of a jeep with his mouth glued to the vehicle's

exhaust pipe An exhaust system is used to guide reaction exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system ...

and dragged through the courtyard of the Air Force base, resulting in his death by asphyxiation and

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

poisoning."Zuzu Angel"
. UOL Educação. Retrieved July 15, 2013. His body was never found.

Aftermath

Alex Polari wrote a letter to Zuzu Angel explaining the circumstances of her son's death. Based on Polari's letter and other evidence, Angel reported the murder to

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

, who revealed the case during a speech at the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. Angel also handed to then

Secretary of State of the United States The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

, a letter she wrote herself, a translation of Polari's letter, and a copy of the twentieth volume of the book ''History of the Brazilian Republic'' by Hélio Silva, in which Stuart's death is discussed. According to Silva, among the reactions of the regime to the protests of the American-Brazilian community were the removal and subsequent retirement of Brigadier João Paulo Burnier, who Polari accused of being responsible for Stuart's death, and the dismissal of then Minister of the Air Force, Márcio de Sousa Melo.

Death

Zuzu Angel was killed in a car crash on April 14, 1976. The suddenness of her death raised suspicions of further government involvement; the case was investigated by the Comissão de Mortos e Desaparecidos Políticos (Commission on Political Deaths and Disappearances), under process number 237/96, who found many reasons to doubt the official version of events. In 2014, the involvement of agents of the military repression regime in Brazil in her death was confirmed. A former agent named Cláudio Antônio Guerra, wrote the book

Memories of a Dirty War Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

, in which he details several crimes in which he participated and he also revealed details about historical events of that time, among them the Riocentro May Day Attack, the death of Zuzu Angel and others. Cláudio Antônio Guerra, who was director of the

Department of Political and Social Order The Department of Political and Social Order () or DOPS was a political police organ of the Brazilian government, notably used by the ''Estado Novo'' of Getúlio Vargas and the military dictatorship established in 1964. The DOPS was established in ...

, known as

DOPS The Department of Political and Social Order () or DOPS was a political police organ of the Brazilian government, notably used by the ''Estado Novo'' of Getúlio Vargas and the military dictatorship established in 1964. The DOPS was established in ...

, a department notorious for the involvement in torture, extrajudicial killings and

, pointed out to the presence at the scene of the accident at the moment it occurred of army Colonel Freddie Perdigão, a repression agent and known torturer. In a photo taken at the scene of the accident that killed the stylist, Freddie Perdigão is seen standing close to the car as if a passer-by. The photo had been taken on April 14, 1976 and was published by the press on the day of disaster but Perdigão had not been identified in the photo until Guerra identified him to the members of the Commission.

Homages and cultural references

Stuart Angel is the patron of Juventude Revolucionária 8 de Outubro, MR-8's youth branch. MR-8 is now a faction of the

Brazilian Democratic Movement The Brazilian Democratic Movement ( pt, Movimento Democrático Brasileiro, MDB) is a Brazilian political party. It is considered a " big tent party" and it is one of the parties with the greatest representation throughout the national territory, ...

. Stuart's probable death by asphyxiation and carbon monoxide poisoning was referred in the lyrics of the song "Cálice", written by

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...

and

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...

. In homage to Zuzu Angel, and other mothers who were unable to bury their children, Buarque wrote the song "Angélica" in 1977. In 2006, the events surrounding Stuart's death were dramatised in the film ''

Zuzu Angel SNI document on Stuart, 1971 Zuleika Angel Jones (June 5, 1921 – April 14, 1976), better known as Zuzu Angel, was a Brazilian-American fashion designer, who became famous for opposing the Brazilian military dictatorship after the forced d ...

'', directed by

Sérgio Rezende Sérgio Rezende (born April 9, 1951) is a Brazilian filmmaker. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, and is best known for directing several biographical films, such as ''Lamarca'', ''Mauá - O Imperador e o Rei'', and ''Zuzu Angel'', about guerrilla l ...

. The movie, in which Daniel de Oliveira plays Stuart, is about Zuzu's struggle to find out the truth of her son's death.Leite, Paulo Moreira.. ''

O Estado de S. Paulo ''O Estado de S. Paulo'' (; ), also known as ''Estadão'' (; ), is a daily newspaper published in São Paulo, Brazil. It is the third largest newspaper in Brazil, and its format changed from broadsheet to berliner on October 17, 2021. It has t ...

''. August 17, 2006. Archived fro
the original
on June 14, 2007. The Tunnel Dois Irmãos, which connects

Gávea Gávea is an affluent residential neighborhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It borders São Conrado, Leblon, Lagoa and Jardim Botânico neighborhoods and is famous for its high concentration of artists. PUC ...

São Conrado São Conrado (Portuguese: /sɐ̃w̃ kõˈʁadu/) is a neighborhood in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is nestled in between the neighborhoods of Barra da Tijuca to the southwest and Leblon to the northeast. The neighborh ...

, the same place where Zuzu's car crashed, was renamed after her. In 2015, Angel was commemorated on her 94th birthday with a Google Doodle featuring a motif adapted from the prints she used in her designs.
Google Doodle, June 5, 2015.

References

External links

Zuzu o Anjo
at Bolsa Demulher
Zuzu Angel Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angel, Zuzu 1921 births 1976 deaths People from Minas Gerais Brazilian fashion designers Military dictatorship in Brazil Brazilian expatriates in the United States Dead and missing in the fight against the military dictatorship in Brazil (1964–1985)