Gentileza

Jos Datrino, known as prophet Gentileza (11 April

1917 28 May 1996) was a Brazilian urban personality,
kind of a preacher, which became known from 1980 by
making quirky inscriptions under an overpass in Rio de
Janeiro, where he walked in a white robe and long beard.
Gentileza gera gentileza (Kindness begets kindness)
is his most famous phrase.[1]

home for four years. There, Jos Datrino instilled in people the real meaning of the words Thankful and Kindness
(respec. Agradecido and Gentileza). He was a comforter
volunteer, who helped the victims families with his words
of goodness. From that day on, he came to be called Jos
Agradecido, or Profeta Gentileza.[2]
Contradicting the folk tale, Gentileza always reasserted:
I am Dad of ve children, three feminine and two masculine, I did not lose anyone in the circus re!"[4]

Early life

After leaving the place that was termed Paraso Gentileza, the prophet began his journey as a stroller character. From 1970 toured throughout all the city. He was
seen in the streets, squares, ferries crossing between Rio
de Janeiro and Niteri, on the trains and busses, making
his preaching and bringing words of love, kindness and
respect for others and nature to all who crossed his path.
To those called him mad, he would reply: - I am mad to
love you and crazy to save you.[2]

Born in Cafelndia, So Paulo, on April 11, with eleven

brothers, Datrino had a childhood of hard work in which
he dealt directly with the land and with animals. To
help the family, he pulled a wagon selling rewood in the
neighborhood.[2]

The eld taught Jos Datrino to tame asses for transporting cargo. Later, as the prophet Gentileza, he said of himself "breaker of men asses who did not have enlightenment However, an article authored by Professor Luiza Petersen
".[2]
and journalist writer Marcelo Camara, who knew Datrino
[5]
From childhood Jos Datrino was possessor of atypical (Jornal do Brazil newspaper of 02.21.2010 and rebutted
by
another
article
published
in
the
Jornal
do Brazil
behavior. By the age of thirteen, started having premo[6]
newspaper
he
says,
despite
speaking
in
gentleness
as
nitions about his mission on earth in which he believed
a
mantra,
was
aggressive,
outspoken
moralist
and
[...]
one day, after raising a family, children and possessions,
would leave everything for the sake of his mission. This ranted, oended and threatened to beat up bystanders to
behavior caused concern in his parents, who came to sus- the point of sometimes be necessary to call the police to
pect that the child was suering from some sort of mad- calm him. The main victims were women in miniskirts
or tight pants, short hair, who wore makeup, high heels
ness, coming to seek help in spiritual healers.[2]
and adornments [...] The majority of the population, especially women and children, ed from him. The image
created of him after his death, according to the authors,
2 Expanded description
does not correspond to the memories of those who lived
with him during the years 1960 and 1970.

2.1

The Prophet Gentileza arises

On December 17, 1961, in the town of Niteri, there was

a major re at the circus "Gran Circus Norte-Americano"
called Gran Circus Norte-Americano Tragedy considered
one of the largest circus fatalities around the world.[3]
This re killed more than 500 people, mostly children.
On the eve of Christmas, six days after the event, Jos
woke up claiming to have heard astral voices, in his
own words, that commanded him to leave the material
world and devote himself only to the spiritual world. The
Prophet took one of his trucks and went to the re scene,
where today is the Niteri Military Medical Services. He
planted a garden and a vegetable garden on the ashes of
the Niteri circus, a place that was once the scene of so
much joy, but also of great sadness. That place was his

2.2 The Wall Paintings

From 1980, he picked 56 yover pilasters in Rio de
Janeiro, ranging from Cemitrio do Caju to Novo Rio Bus
Station, a distance of roughly 1.5 km. He then lled the
yover pilasters with inscriptions in yellow-green proposing his criticism of the world and his alternative to the
unease of civilization.
During the Eco '92, the Prophet Gentileza placed himself
strategically in the place through which passed the countries representatives and incited them to live the kindness
and enforce it throughout the Earth.
1

2.3

After his death

In May 28, 1996, at age 79, he died in Mirandpolis, his

family town, where he was buried.
Over the years, the wall paintings were damaged by taggers, vandalized, and later covered with gray paint. The
elimination of the inscriptions was criticized and subsequently with help from Rio de Janeiro city government,
the project Rio com Gentileza was created, with the goal
of restoring the pilasters wall paintings. They began to be
restored in January 1999. In May 2000, the restoration
was completed and the carioca urban heritage inscriptions
were preserved.
At the end of the year 2000 is published by EdUFF
(Publisher of Universidade Federal Fluminense) the book
Brazil: Time Gentileza, authored by Professor Leonardo
Guelman. The work introduces the reader into the universe of Prophet Gentileza through his path, the stylization of its objects, his unique calligraphy and all 56 panels created by him, bringing facts related to the project
Rio com Gentileza, describing the stages of the writings
restoration process. The book is richly illustrated with numerous photographs, mostly of the prophet and his trinkets and panels. Besides pictures of the prophet himself
working alongside some of pilasters, there are pictures of
the writings before, during and after the restoration process.
In 2001, the prophet has been honored by Samba School
GRES Acadmicos do Grande Rio.[7]
In Conselheiro Lafaiete, remote town in Minas Gerais,
there is a broad work done by NGO AMAR that continues the work of Prophet Gentileza. Workshops were
developed with youngsters in the city where it was possible to pass on the mosaic techniques. Moreover, a large
wall in the neighborhood So Joo received a lovely mosaic application. And So Pedro square in the neighborhood Albinoplis was all decorated after the example of
Prophet Gentileza.

2.4

The prophet Gentileza in the arts

Gentileza was honored by the music composer

Gonzaguinha, in the 1980s, and also by singer
Marisa Monte in the 1990s. Both songs take the
name Gentileza.
The Gonzaguinhas song depicts a homage to the
prophet, as seen in the excerpt: Feito louco / Pelas
ruas / Com sua f / Gentileza / O profeta / E as
palavras / Calmamente / Semeando / O amor /
vida / Aos humanos.
The Marisa Montes song, in its turn, beyond encouraging the values preached by the prophet (in the
passage Ns que passamos apressados / Pelas ruas
da cidade / Merecemos ler as letras / E as palavras
de Gentileza), portrays the damage incurred against

BELIEFS

the wall paintings, as in the excerpt: Apagaram

tudo / Pintaram tudo de cinza / S cou no muro
/ Tristeza e tinta fresca..
In the year 2000, in the town of Mirandpolis (SP),
where the prophet is buried, was established the
rst NGO of the town:"Gera Gentileza Gentileza,
founded by relatives and friends who admired the
Prophet life philosophy. The NGO, beyond reminding the person Jos Datrino (Gentileza Prophet), in
its name, had the mission to spread education and
culture throughout the region. Several events have
been made, such as: monthly itinerant soirees, Coral
Meetings, Culture Afternoons for Kids in the town
Grove, Participation in School Events and an annual
event called Gentileza Gera Gentileza, with music, theater, poetry and dance, among others.
In 2009, the prophet was interpreted in a special appearance by the actor Paulo Jos, in the soap opera
Caminho das ndias, aired by Rede Globo from January to September 2009.

3 Beliefs
Gentileza denounced the world, ruled by the devil
capital which sells anything and destroys everything. He saw in the destroyed circus a metaphor
of the circomundo that will also be destroyed. But
avertised the kindness that is the remedy for all
the evils. God is Kindness because he is Beauty,
Perfection, Goodness, Wealth, Nature, our Creator
Father. A refrain always came back, especially in
the 56 pilasters with inscriptions at the entrance of
Novo Rio bus station in Caju: Gentileza generates
kindness, love. He invited everyone to be kind and
grateful. Advertised an antidote to the brutality of
our system of relationships and under the popular
and religious speech, a new paradigm of civilization
urgent in all mankind.
There was a man sent to Rio by God. His name was
Jos da Trino, called the Prophet Kindness (19171996). For over twenty years he circulated throughout the city in its white coat lled with appliqus and
a banner, preaching in the streets and placing himself in the boats between Rio and Niteri tirelessly
announcing: Kindness generates Kindness. Only
with Kindness, he said, we overcome the violence
that stems from the devil-capital. He painted his
kindness teachings on 56 pilasters of the Caju overpass at the entrance the Rio de Janeiro city, restored
under the supervision of Prof.. Leonardo Guelman
who dedicated it a strict academic work, together
with a beautiful video and CD-ROM titled: Universo Gentileza: a gnese de um mito contemporneo.

3
See also

References

[1] Eliane Brum, Gentileza Gera Gentileza, article in Revista

poca from October 05, 2009 [in line]
[2] O profeta Gentileza, site www.riocomgentileza.com.br,
based in the book Brasil Tempo de Gentileza from
Leonardo Guelman
[3] Revista Brasileira de Histria - A cidade como sentimento: histria e memria de um acontecimento
na sociedade contempornea - o incndio do Gran
Circus Norte-Americano em Niteri, 1961.
Scielo.br. doi:10.1590/S0102-01882007000100003. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
[4] GUELMAN, Leonardo. O missionrio saltimbanco,
Revista de Histria da Biblioteca Nacional. Rio de Janeiro:
ano 6, n 63, dez. 2010, p. 28-30.
[5] Jornal do Brasil - Digital Pages. Jb.digitalpages.com.br.
Retrieved 2012-12-26.
[6] Jornal do Brasil. Jornal do Brasil - Capa - Sempre
tempo do poeta Gentileza. Jbonline.terra.com.br. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
[7] A Escola | Grande Rio.
Academicosdogranderio.com.br. Retrieved 2012-12-26.

External links
Article published in SciELO format PDF (Portuguese)
Rio with Gentileza (Portuguese)
[]
Song of Marisa Monte about the inscriptions removal (Portuguese)
pt:Mirandpolis; Mirandpolis Town where Gentileza is buried

6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1

Text

Gentileza Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentileza?oldid=722510192 Contributors: Deb, Hack, Grafen, Hmains, Chris the speller,
Magioladitis, Waacstats, Lmarinho, Niceguyedc, Wnt, Mabalu, Addbot, Yobot, Joli Tambour, FrescoBot, Gulbenk, EmausBot, GoingBatty,
Snotbot, BG19bot, Marcocapelle, Hmainsbot1, KasparBot and Anonymous: 4

6.2

Images

6.3

Content license

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