Friday, 27th
UNREPORTED WORLD, C4, 7.30pm
If you imagine a Brazilian celebrity you might think of a famous footballer or a dazzling carnival dancer, but the country is producing a new kind of celebrity with the same allure as a dancer and the same following as a footballer: child preachers.
Crowds flock to hear these children speak and are convinced the baby-faced preachers “are in direct contact with God” and can cure the sick. The US is known for its televangelists: older men who howl and reel across the podium; these children are less exuberant but perhaps more unsettling because of their young age. Do they have a genuine religious belief or is an adult prodding them into this as a money-making scheme?
The documentary begins in a church outside Rio where “Monday night is miracle night”. Indeed, these streets are so crammed with churches that the reporter suggests they might need a “novelty” aspect to help them stand out – such as a child preacher.
Entering the church, we meet 11-year old Alani Santos, Brazil’s most famous “mini miracle worker”. You won’t be surprised she is performing – sorry, preaching – in her father’s church. The whole enterprise reeks of money and marketing, all masquerading as miracle and prayer. It’s utterly distasteful, but the utilisation of children makes it even worse.
ARTSNIGHT, BBC2, 11pm
The MP Kwasi Kwarteng, who is an authority on imperialism, hosts this episode which looks at the influence of the British Empire on art, literature and architecture.
He meets the Australian author Peter Carey, twice winner of the Booker Prize, to discuss the early colonial life of his country, and there are contributions from Fowokan, a Jamaican-born “outsider artist”, plus others who’re featuring in the Tate’s Artist and Empire Exhibition.
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