Ratanabá
Brazilian conspiracy theory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ratanabá is a conspiracy theory about a lost city in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest allegedly built by extraterrestrial beings.[2][3] The theory originated with Urandir Fernandes de Oliveira, who claims contact with extraterrestrials, and was spread by gossip pages like Choquei and former Brazilian Culture Secretary Mário Frias.[4]
The story has been debunked as false[5][6] but became a viral meme on Brazilian social media.[7] Archeologists have dismissed the claims, with BBC Brasil reporting the legend "makes no sense" scientifically.[8] The Intercept described it as "pure Bolsonarist lysergia" emerging shortly after the murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira.[9]
History
The conspiracy was initiated by businessman Urandir Fernandes de Oliveira, a self-proclaimed paranormal figure who promotes flat Earth and anti-vaccine conspiracy theories while claiming contact with extraterrestrial beings.[5][10][11] These activities occur in areas under legal dispute.[a] Before Ratanabá, Urandir gained media attention in 2000 after creating the "Projeto Portal" in Corguinho, attracting followers by claiming extraterrestrial contact.[12] He was arrested for fraud and ideological falsehood related to illegal land sales for a proposed alien reception city.[13] In 2010, Urandir appeared on RecordTV's Domingo Espetacular claiming contact with "ET Bilu",[14] which became an Internet meme.[15] The alleged alien was also satirized on Band TV's comedy show Custe o Que Custar.[16]
The Ratanabá city theory was also promoted by writer Isah Pavão, author of a self-published book on the subject and conspiracy videos on YouTube. Oliveira and Pavão claim the city dates back to the Ordovician period, among other pseudoscientific and implausible assertions.[9][17][8][18]
On 10 June 2022, Choquei — a popular Twitter and Instagram page known for publishing unverified, distorted or false information[19] — shared the Ratanabá theory with its followers.[20] The topic quickly became a top Twitter trend and saw a spike in Google searches.[21] Influencer Dani Russo also helped spread the rumor.[22] Due to Choquei's millions of followers, many believed the unfounded Ratanabá theory. Geography professor Emanuel Daflon criticized the page for spreading misinformation:[20]
The Ratanabá conspiracy theory is everywhere. A student just asked me if it was true. And the main spreader of this lie is CHOQUEI.
— Emanuel Daflon[20]
That same day, Choquei issued a public retraction and deleted all posts about Ratanabá.[20] However, the page continued to be mocked through memes on Twitter.[20] The conspiracy continued spreading nonetheless. Actor and politician Mário Frias, then Culture Secretary of the Bolsonaro administration who had known Urandir since 2020,[17] promoted the theory on 14 June 2022[4] — the same week the murder of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips dominated headlines. Frias faced criticism for amplifying both the conspiracy and moral panic about Brazilian sovereignty in the Amazon.[9][17][3]
Due to threats to historical heritage caused by the spread of fake news and misinformation — particularly false connections made between the conspiracy and Forte Príncipe da Beira[8][23] — Brazil's National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage declared these theories false and emphasized that archaeological information about the Fort is publicly available.[1]
See also
Notes
- "Born in rural São Paulo, he claimed to communicate with [ET] Bilu since age 13, but only revealed this in 2009 - the same year part of Oliveira's farm was expropriated by presidential decree to become a quilombola territory. His company also circulated documents refuting flat Earth theories and anti-vaccine rhetoric."[4]