Artists start campaign to plant 100 cedar trees in MS after the death of ‘the most famous tree in Brazil’

Artists from Mato Grosso do Sul come together in a campaign, which seeks to plant 100 cedar trees, after death of a tree of this species, considered the most famous in Brazil for being immortalized in the song of Zacarias Mourão. Report was presented by a botanist, on the 24th, in Cushion256 km from Campo Grande.

According to Moacir Lacerda, cultural activist and one of the founders of Grupo Acaba, the intention is for planting to be carried out in all municipalities in the State. “This is a proposal to perpetuate Zacarias Mourão and the environment itself, through the planting of 100 cedar seedlings. It’s something that can be done at home in the city of Mato Grosso do Sul,” he told the Midiamax newspaper.

According to Lacerda, names like Geraldo Espíndola, Zedu, Rodrigo Teixeira, Claudia Finotti, Manoel Lacerda, Lígia Mourão, Gilson Espíndola, Aurélio Miranda, Tostão, Guarany, João Pedro Pompeu, Sylvia Cesco, Américo Calheiros, Ruberval Cunha and Rubenio Marcelo are among the names of those who support the initiative.

“We are supportive of this campaign and, of course, because of what it symbolizes culturally and historically, and also because of the act itself of sowing greenery and nature, so we all have to support the initiative. Furthermore, we can never forget the history of the composition Pé de Cedro and everything it represents for art and culture and for our State”, said the poet, writer and general secretary of ASL (Academia Sul-Mato-Grossense de Letras), Rubenio Marcelo.

Cedar tree was planted 85 years ago

“I miss you, cedar tree, the time when I planted you.” The feat of Zacarias Mourão, which later became a song and projected onto the national scene, making the tree famous throughout the country, has been immortalized in time.

From planting, when the singer and songwriter Zechariah I was still a child, around 85 years have passed. Years later, due to the success of the song, performed by several other artists, the music resonated and also made the cedar tree become a cultural symbol of Coxim.

In 2006, however, lightning struck the tree during a storm, when it lost part of its structure. At the time, ties were made with steel cables, ensuring support, however, the tree was affected by natural pests.

Around it, following an initiative by local artists and cultural producers, tree seeds were planted in several locations, including close to the tree, in Praça Zacarias Mourão. Currently, two healthy cedar trees also make up the site, on the corner of Herculano Pena and João Pessoa streets, close to the Taquari River.

Report confirms death

Report confirmed the death of the cedar tree. The document was presented at a meeting of the Joint Work and Monitoring Committee of actions related to the phytosanitary situation of the cedar tree.

The document states that “there is a risk of falling branches that could cause material damage or serious physical injuries to those who frequent the site”. Therefore, it is necessary to “remove the tree, avoiding the risk of falling, as a form of safety for passersby and visitors to the square”.

The Jornal Midiamax report contacted Imasul (Environmental Institute of Mato Grosso do Sul), questioning details of the report and the measures to be taken and is awaiting a response.

Who was Zacarias Mourão

Zacarias dos Santos Mourão, known as Zacarias Mourão, was born on March 15, 1928 in the city of Coxim, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. He spent his childhood in church, where he became an altar boy alongside Father Chico, who nicknamed him Tió , name of a naughty bird. At the age of 15, the boy decided to become a priest and moved to Campo Grande, where he attended two years of seminary, but realized that he had no vocation for the priesthood and decided to put aside his cassock.

In the capital, Zacarias joined the Air Force and then, at the age of 21, he went to study in Petrópolis/RJ, but life there was not to his liking. The boy spent most of his time locked in a room, writing about Coxim. He decided to live in São Paulo, where he joined the DER (Department of Roads and Highways); responsible for construction, maintenance of road surveillance; as a machine operator. He had a career until he left as a Federal Highway Police Officer.

In 1959, at the age of 31, Zacarias returned to the city of Mato Grosso do Sul, visited the cedar tree he had planted as a child, talked to Father Chico and returned to the capital of São Paulo with the lyrics of the song, about the tree, already written. That was when he asked Goiá, another composer, to set to music the song that would mark his career.

During the period in which he worked in the Filming Department, the composer continued working with artistic productions and studied journalism at Cásper Líbero.

Zacarias radio broadcaster, producer, businessman, record label director and composer began to emerge at this time, on the radio, when he won a poetry contest on Rádio Bandeirantes and was given a program to do.

Zacarias Mourão also received several awards at the Country Music Festival on Rádio Record in São Paulo. In addition to being a composer, Zacarias Mourão was also a radio broadcaster, having worked at Bandeirantes, Excelsior and also Nacional. At Bandeirantes, by the way, he was also country artistic director and, with this role, he discovered several new talents in country music. Zacarias was also artistic director and producer of several record labels, such as Polygram (now Universal), Chantecler (now Warner Music) and RCA (now BMG).

In addition to running the radio program, he was a contributor to magazines in São Paulo, such as “Melodias” and “Moda e Viola”, in which he wrote the column “Venenos do Zacarias”, where he portrayed, with humor, the artistic world of the time.

His compositions were recorded by renowned performers, such as Primas Miranda, Tião Carreiro and Pardinho, Irmãs Galvão, Tibagi and Miltinho, Zilo and Zalo, among others.

Zacarias returned to Mato Grosso do Sul in 1981, and took up residence in Campo Grande, where he worked in the Legislative Assembly, without, however, abandoning the artistic world. He also participated as a judge on the program “Minha Terra Nossa Gente”, which aired on TV Campo Grande, in addition to the program “Porteira Velha” which he presented on Rádio Cultura.

He constantly fought for the appreciation of regional artists. He became the owner of ZN Produções.

Zacarias Mourão’s life was interrupted in the early hours of a Tuesday, on May 23, 1989. The composer, aged 61 at the time, suffered an attack in the house he lived in, located in Jardim TV Morena, in Campo Grande. He received a stab wound to the heart and was rescued, but he succumbed to his injuries and died during emergency surgery at Santa Casa. The murder, to this day, has not been solved.

And, with the tragic death of Zacarias Mourão, the dream of creating a public square in the place of the cedar tree became an even greater challenge for friends and family. A bust was erected at the site in honor of the composer, which began the construction of the public space he always dreamed of.