Introduction

This study discusses selected memories of Marielle Franco from the perspective of the concept of dangerous memory (Johann Baptist Metz). Franco was a Brazilian human-rights activist and city councilor of Rio de Janeiro who was assassinated on March 14, 2018. Today she is considered an international symbol in the fight for human, women, and LGBTQ+ rights. This work aims to show what meanings people in her surroundings attributed to her life and how they have transformed following her murder. It argues that the memory of Franco transmitted by people who closely interacted with her represents a decolonial dangerous memory of individual and collective self-empowerment of Black women, LGBTQ+ people, and favelados. The introductory chapter serves to familiarize readers with Franco’s story and the ambiguous reactions to her assassination. It shows that Franco was remembered as a martyr of God’s kingdom to assert her legacy and to defend her memory against attempts of criminalization. Building on this framing, the study is designed as a contribution to constructive political theology. It analyzes memories of Franco’s life, her surroundings, and the events in the aftermath of her assassination, all of which made visible the everyday oppression and resistance of those who live on Rio de Janeiro’s margins.