The Journey

Folha Espírita – January 1976

Report by Marlene Rossi S. Nobre

In her telenovela, Ivani Ribeiro reveals the mysteries of life and “death.” Some characters will now work from “the other side.”

We sought Ivani Ribeiro’s explanations to clarify matters for thousands of readers, eager to understand the reasons behind the change, since everyone had been awaiting with great expectation a soap opera based on the book And Life Goes On…

The Journey — a serialized production that TV Tupi, Channel 4 in São Paulo, has been broadcasting nationwide at 7:45 p.m., featuring acclaimed actors such as Eva Wilma, Altair Lima, Tony Ramos, Rolando Boldrin, Francisco Di Franco, among many others — is entirely grounded in Spiritist themes, but it is not a television adaptation of the aforementioned novel received by Chico Xavier. Ivani Ribeiro herself, with her unmistakable voice and natural warmth, recounts all the obstacles that preceded the realization of The Journey.

“For about 20 years now, I have believed in and professed the Spiritist Doctrine, and for 15 years I have known Chico Xavier, having read a large portion of his books. I always expressed to Chico my desire to bring his works to television. In particular, I devoted myself to adapting the book And Life Goes On…, which I completed more than two years ago, but I had to overcome countless obstacles to achieve this goal.”

Chico Xavier Wanted the Soap Opera

“Two years ago, when I took the synopsis to Orlando Negrão at Tupi, he argued that he could not accommodate it because the time slot had very low ratings. It was necessary to work more to strengthen it. That was when I launched Women of Sand, which, thanks to God, was a great success, followed shortly thereafter by The Innocents, allowing the definitive consolidation of the time slot. Finally, I was cleared to bring And Life Goes On…. That was when I faced an insurmountable obstacle. Carlos Zara and I went to Chico Xavier with the synopsis of the book, which he already knew in part, as we had shown it to him on a previous occasion.”

“We then learned that the copyright was held by the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB). Chico gave us a beautiful letter of introduction to the president of the FEB, stating that if the decision were his, he would have no doubt — he would choose the soap opera. Zara went to Rio. The president received him very kindly, but unfortunately he could do nothing for us, because the Federation had already granted the rights for the production of a film based on the same book. You can imagine,” Ivani concludes, “our disappointment.”

Discover the Secrets of The Journey

Competent and Careful Advisory Support

“There was no alternative but to move forward with an original work. The Journey is entirely my own creation. Every day, before writing the episodes, I read The Gospel According to Spiritism, and everything unfolds with ease. To remain faithful to Spiritist truth, we sought the guidance of a scholar and great authority on Spiritism, Professor Herculano Pires. We hold a weekly meeting with him, and I can tell you that the lines spoken by one of the characters — the doctor, portrayed by Rolando Boldrin — when related to the Spiritist Doctrine, are all written by the professor, an unquestionable authority on the subject.”

The Other Side of Life

I ask Ivani how the storyline will unfold, as audiences are becoming increasingly captivated by The Journey.

“Ah, now in January, we will see ‘the other side of life.’ Several characters who have died, or who have made ‘the journey,’ will appear in the spiritual world, and others, such as the mentor, portrayed by Cláudio Correia e Castro, will become familiar to the audience. Alexandre, Diná’s brother, is the obsessive spirit who brings unrest to several people. Diná, César, Jordão, and some more evolved Spirits will attempt to dissuade him from his purposes of vengeance.”

We bid farewell to Ivani Ribeiro, thanking her for her pioneering work. Undoubtedly, this great novelist will go down in the history of Brazilian television with this Spiritist-themed serial, the first to be broadcast nationwide across Brazil. It brings to mind Wanda Marlene dos Santos, who faced so many difficulties but succeeded in bringing Two Thousand Years Ago (Lívia) and Fifty Years Later to television via TV Itacolomi in Belo Horizonte.

Two women — a double victory for feminism in its most legitimate sense. Television fittingly celebrates its 25th anniversary. Ivani Ribeiro teaches it a language more in tune with our century. We sincerely hope that the fruits of this endeavor will multiply.