Economist and professor at the University of Brasília Mário Lisboa Theodoro died this Thursday afternoon (26), aged 69, in the federal capital. 
PhD in Economic Sciences from Université Paris I – Sorbonne, he contributed to Brazilian social thought and the formulation of public policies aimed at social equality, mainly in relation to racial issues, the world of work and democratic construction.
Author of The unequal society: racism and whiteness in the formation of BrazilProfessor Theodoro leaves behind analyzes that guide public debate and the production of knowledge in the country.
The wake will be held in chapel 10 of the Campo da Esperança Cemetery in Brasília, from 2pm to 4pm this Friday, February 27, 2026.
Notes of regret
Several entities in the country mourned the teacher’s death. The Postgraduate Program in Human Rights and Citizenship at UnB highlighted the economist’s critical reflection.
“His public commitment leaves a lasting mark on the national debate on development, racism and human rights, affirming the centrality of the racial issue in understanding Brazilian social and economic formation.”
A former employee of the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea), Theodoro will be remembered for his remarkable career in the public sector, in research and teaching, according to the institution. Theodoro held the position of director of Cooperation and Development between 2007 and 2011.
Amnesty International Brazil, where Professor Thoedoro was a member of the assembly, highlighted his contribution to the construction of Brazilian social thought.
“Recognized as one of the greatest thinkers on the racial issue of our time, he affirmed, in his intellectual production and institutional practice, the centrality of the racial issue in understanding Brazilian social and economic formation.”
Bahia’s Secretary of Justice and Human Rights, Felipe Freitas, highlighted Theodoro’s career, marked by courage and technical rigor.
“In Brasília, I had the honor of working with him at the Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality of the Presidency of the Republic, where we built the national system for promoting racial equality and other important actions to combat racism in the country.”
Music
The teacher will also be remembered for his cultural trajectory. In 2019, Theodoro was one of the winners of the 11th edition of the Rádio Nacional FM Music Festival in Brasília. The song Northeastern Train was the most voted by the public on the internet.
“The music talks a little about things and people from the Northeast. And, mainly, about this idea of a region that is a bit of a paradox of Brazil. The Northeast, perhaps, is the region that best defines Brazil with its difficulties and its joys, with its strong art”, said Professor Theodoro at the time.
