In six episodes, “O Pulo de Miguel” tells the incredible story of Miguel Carmo, a Brazilian who lived in exile between both sides of the Iron Curtain.
In the early hours of November 5, 1971, Miguel Carmo, from Rio de Janeiro, ignored the dangerous border between Germany to commit an astonishing feat. At 19 years old, the Brazilian, who had already been targeted by the Stasi, the East German secret police, simply jumped over the Berlin Wall. All this without being noticed by the guards, who had permission to shoot anyone who tried to clandestinely cross the Iron Curtain.
But, unlike the most well-known cases, in which the crossing took place from the Eastern, socialist side, to the Western, capitalist side, Miguel took the opposite route. Because he was considered a “subversive” by the East German government, the Brazilian was stranded in West Berlin. He had been expelled from the socialist side of the Wall for having too radical ideas, even though he was also a communist.
The carioca moved to East Germany in 1965, together with his parents, Ana Montenegro and Alberto Carmo. Leaders of the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), they went into exile in East Berlin to escape the Brazilian military dictatorship, which persecuted, among others, communist militants.
In 1964, Miguel, aged 12, had already been detained in Brazil. The East German government, in turn, put him in prison for the first time in 1969, when he was 17 years old, for publicly criticizing the government of the socialist country.
Sent to the other side of the Wall, prevented from seeing his parents, his sister, his friends and his girlfriend, Miguel did his hardest to satisfy his longing. The entire investigation surrounding the Brazilian’s jump and his clashes with the Stasi are contained in a 600-page dossier compiled by the East German secret police, which included photos of the tracks left by Miguel Carmo during his crossing of the Iron Curtain.
“Miguel’s Leap”
The document, obtained exclusively by reporter Fábio Corrêa, is the starting point for DW’s new podcast series, O Pulo de Miguel, along with the 35th anniversary of the Reunification of Germany, celebrated this Friday (03/10).
There are six episodes, one per week. The series will be part of DW Revista, DW’s weekly podcast, available on the website and on the main audio platforms. Episodes are published every Friday and continue until November 7th.
But the story does not stop – nor does it begin – there. The journalist also undertook a trip between Brazil and Germany to meet people who knew Miguel Carmo and who help to try to understand not only the Brazilian’s “achievement”, but also what the world was like during the Cold War, a historical period whose marks remain alive today.
In addition to the Stasi and Germany, military dictatorship and Brazil, O Pulo de Miguel also paints a portrait of the world that came to a boil in the 1960s and 1970s. Rolling Stones, Jorge Amado, Bahia and Minas Gerais are the backdrop of the series of audio reports and which, in essence, is the story of a Brazilian family divided by the Cold War.
The investigative work also includes interviews, biographical accounts, historical documents and even an independent book, published by German Johanna Vogel, in 2011, in Germany, about Miguel, who she officially adopted after the Brazilian committed the clandestine crossing.
The podcast series received financial support from the Holbrooke Grant scholarship, through the German foundation IJP (Internationale Journalisten-Programme), which funds research projects with a transnational perspective.
Originally published by DW on 10/02/2025
By Fábio Corrêa
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/10/05/brasileiro-que-pulou-muro-de-berlim-vira-serie-de-podcast/
