Tribute to Nathália Urban

By Hugo Albuquerque – Sep 26, 2024

The devastating news of the tragedy that befell our comrade and collaborator Nathália Urban, 36, has stunned us. In inglorious times marked by climate crisis and wars, Brazilian journalism has lost one of its most courageous, audacious, and productive voices—with such a sudden, premature, and unjust departure. To honor Nathália’s memory, we dedicate this article to her, which is not an obituary but a tribute to her work.

In Jacobina magazine, Nathália contributed not only with numerous articles and interviews—many of which were reprinted in Spanish and English—but also by hosting various episodes of the TV Jacobina project, which included memorable interviews with Juca Kfouri, Ladislau Dowbor, Txaí Suruí, Frei Beto, and others, sharing the panel with the editors of this publication, myself, Hugo Albuquerque, and Cauê Seignemartin Ameni. Her authentic internationalism, never losing the anti-imperialist perspective from the Global South, and an unrelenting quest for truth produced this beautiful material.

Apart from numerous appearances on channels like Opera Mundi and Revista Fórum, Nathália had a regular presence on TV 247 and Bom Dia 247, the channel’s morning news program. She additionally participated in Veias Abertas, which focuses on Latin American politics, and in Globalistas, discussing international politics alongside journalist Brian Mier, and Mais à Esquerda with Carlos Hortmann.

In 247, she shined on several occasions, such as the interview with President Lula and former Minister Celso Amorim, who described her as a “fiery young woman.” She made thousands of people feel embraced for years with her affectionate catchphrase “good morning, good afternoon, and good night,” reaching people all over the world, across all time zones. President Lula released a note of condolence on her passing, stating, “Nathália leaves a void in media and debate in Brazil, as well as in the fight for a fairer world.”

Nathália’s life was an audacious journey, marked by the early loss of her mother and later the passing of her grandmother, who had supported her in pursuing journalism. This journey included studies at the Federal University of Paraíba, PUC São Paulo, and the Catholic University of Santos. Nathália found her place in the world in Scotland after a brief stint in London. She lived there for a decade, engaging in the struggle for Scotland’s national liberation.

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In Scotland, Nathália produced, advocated, and became part of the local struggles, undeniably part of a constellation of other battles for national liberation surrounding England and, by extension, the entire world. A pioneer not only in the Industrial Revolution and, consequently, in capitalism, England invented modern colonization on the island of Great Britain, which includes not only the exploitation of its working class but also that of the nationalities surrounding it.

The atrocities committed against Scottish, Welsh, and Irish peoples foreshadowed what the British Empire would project onto the world when it established “the empire on which the sun never sets.” This provided a top-notch perspective for Nathália, who transformed into a staunch and deep-rooted anti-imperialist capable of uniting different worlds, as when she wrote about the connections between the Irish struggle and Che.

In recent times, in addition to her connections with the struggles of the United Kingdom and Latin America, Nathália has been dedicated, almost uninterruptedly, to the Palestinian cause—turning her social media profiles into true machines for disseminating reports of the crimes committed by “Israel.” This earned her a good dose of attacks and persecution, but that did not make her budge from her committed and courageous stance. However, it was not easy to face so much pain.

Nathália followed the good tradition of socialist journalism, whose patron was Karl Marx himself. It combines critical rigor with the pursuit of concrete truth that allows no concessions to the exploitation of human beings, nor can it turn a blind eye to the difference between the oppressed and the oppressors. This legacy of struggle is what motivates the existence of projects like this Jacobina magazine, and that is why we were immensely honored by her presence here.

We can elaborate extensively on how the media and social media users have preyed on Nathália’s passing. But what matters—and what stands out—is how she is loved by the public she had captivated all these years as a journalist for urgent causes, an exemplary comrade, a loyal friend, and an unwavering and charismatic fighter through tough battles, including personal ones, as a Latina immigrant from the periphery in the homeland of capitalism.

Nathália’s departure teaches us important lessons about the need to expand measures of mutual care among activists and pay special attention to women activists and immigrants. We are living through catastrophic times that demand a heightened sense of listening and mutual support. These are not normal times. The challenges are immense and the risks tremendous: none of this can be ignored or treated as less important.

We could mourn the early loss, but we prefer to celebrate the life and work of Nathália Urban. Instead of crying over the fact that those whom the gods love die young, even more tragically and for reasons not yet clarified, we prefer to recite some verses from the poet of the Bolshevik Revolution, Mayakovsky, in Love:

Maybe one day
Through a path in the zoo
She will also arrive.

She who also loved animals.
She will enter smiling just as she is
In the photo on the table.

She is so beautiful.
She is so beautiful
That for sure
They will resurrect her.
The thirties will triumph
Over the heart that is already shattered
Through pettiness.

Hugo Albuquerque is the publisher of Jacobina Magazine and editor of Autonomia Literária. He is a lawyer with a Master’s in Law from PUC São Paulo.

(Jacobina)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/SF