Francisco Whitaker Ferreira

Now established as a famous Brazilian activist and politician, Francisco “Chico” Whitaker’s biography could, if laid out in detail, spread over numerous pages: His life spans decades of committed work – from leading the Catholic University Youth of Brazil (1953/54) to advising São Paulo’s governor and heading land reforms to opposing Brazil’s dictatorship and fleeing into exile (1966), from working with international organizations like UNESCO and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America to being elected to São Paulo’s Municipal Chamber as a Workers’ Party member and to co-founding the World Social Forum (2001) and São Paulo's Association for Solidarity in Unemployment, to name just a few.

Born in 1931, Chico was enrolled in the Architecture program of the University of São Paulo. He came to HFBK in 1955 where he studied for one year with Professor Kurt Kranz, according to HFBK’s records in the first-year class (Grundjahr). Even though Chico decided not to pursue a traditional career as an architect, this background was the beacon of his political and intellectual agenda, shaping his world view that is deeply infused with his, Roman Catholic, religious values: the relationship between social justice and urban planning is at the core of his life’s work, advocating, amongst other causes, cities “without turnstiles” and zero fares for public transport.

Right after his degree in architecture and urban planning, Chico went on to research the standard of living of the inhabitants of São Paulo at the Research Institute SAGMACS – The Society for Graphic and Mechanographic Analyses Applied to Social Complexes. He then joined the Planning Office of the State Government of São Paulo and became, in 1963, the director of planning for the Federal Government’s Land Reform Superintendence. He left this function with the military coup in 1964, joining the opposition to the regime. Forced into exile in 1966, Chico lived abroad for 15 years with his wife Stella and their four children. During this time, he worked as a teacher, researcher, and UNESCO consultant in France, and with the UN Economic Commission for Latin America in Chile, where he witnessed the overthrow of president Salvador Allende.

Returning to Brazil in 1981, Chico became a key figure in grassroots movements and was actively engaged with the Workers’ Party (founded in 1980) until 2006; the party being one of Brasil’s largest with the country’s current president stemming from their ranks. Chico co-founded Transparência Brasil, an organization that promotes transparency and social control of public authorities. It should come as little surprise then that he also advised WikiLeaks. He was also a councillor to the Hamburg-based and -initiated World Future Council that campaigns for a healthy planet, peace, and social justice. Chico is an outspoken anti-nuclear activist, raising international awareness about the unnecessary health and environmental risks of nuclear power. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, also, even though unofficially, called the “Alternative Nobel Prize.”