When do you stop trying to change your country and start building a life somewhere else?
Timothy Allen catches up with Raphaël Lima, the creator of Ideias Radicais and co-founder of Settee, during the Free Cities Conference in Próspera. Since their last conversation in Lisbon in 2023, Raphaël has run for office in Brazil, become a Christian and moved to Paraguay.
For years, he encouraged people to vote with their feet. Now he has done it himself. He talks openly about depression, the pressure to enter politics and why losing an election came as a relief. But Javier Milei’s example in Argentina still gives him hope that political change is possible. The question is where to put your time, energy and life.
Through Settee, Raphaël now helps people find countries that better suit their businesses, families and values. He explains why he chose Paraguay, what attracts entrepreneurs there and where its infrastructure falls short. Timothy asks whether it really is the opportunity it sounds like, and they compare the different lives someone might build in Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil.
The conversation returns to something deeper than choosing a favourable tax rate: finding people who share your values, building communities and creating a culture that can preserve freedom across generations.
In this conversation:
- Why Raphaël left Brazil after years of libertarian activism
- Running for office, depression and the relief of losing
- What Javier Milei changed about his view of political possibilities
- Christianity, identity and belonging beyond nationality
- Moving from spreading ideas to helping people relocate
- Paraguay’s appeal for entrepreneurs, alongside its practical problems
- Europe, political persuasion and the limits of winning arguments
- Homeschooling families and communities built around shared values
- Free Cities, jurisdictional competition and new possibilities in Latin America
- Why a culture of freedom matters as much as its legal framework
Enjoy the conversation.
VIDEO Version HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQH2u2yl9lI
Timestamps (audio version, includes Timothy’s episode introduction):
- 0:00:30 - Introduction: catching up with Raphaël Lima
- 0:03:36 - Free Cities news: CESPAD’s critique of Próspera
- 0:09:51 - Start of conversation: YouTube, language and changing priorities
- 0:12:45 - From opposing political participation to running for office
- 0:15:33 - Milei, Brazil and where to put your efforts
- 0:17:29 - Depression and the decision to enter politics
- 0:21:17 - Losing an election and finding a different path
- 0:23:29 - Christianity and libertarianism
- 0:24:28 - Identity, nationality and finding your people
- 0:28:24 - An English-speaking audience and the work of Settee
- 0:29:37 - Why Raphaël chose Paraguay
- 0:35:29 - What the rest of the world is missing about Paraguay
- 0:39:56 - Paraguay’s problems and the freedom to solve them
- 0:40:32 - Europe, the right and the role of the state
- 0:46:51 - Charlie Kirk, persuasion and political action
- 0:51:26 - Activism, legislation and Brazil’s export processing zones
- 0:54:23 - Reaching people through stories
- 0:57:27 - Homeschooling families and the decision to leave
- 1:00:58 - Ipê City and the possibilities within Brazil
- 1:03:06 - Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile or Brazil: what kind of life do you want?
- 1:06:51 - Free Cities, investment and energy demand in Paraguay
- 1:12:39 - Changing tax systems and new alternatives in Latin America
- 1:15:16 - Freedom as a culture, not just a legal framework
- 1:16:31 - Closing thoughts and how to support the show
Guest: Raphaël Lima on X | Ideias Radicais on YouTube | Settee
Mentioned in Timothy’s introduction: CESPAD: “Soberanía fragmentada: el modelo libertario de Próspera y sus dinámicas en Honduras” by Lucía Vijil Saybe (Spanish).
The Free Cities Podcast is the official podcast of the Free Cities Foundation, hosted by Timothy Allen. New episodes every Friday. Long-form, in-person conversations with the builders, investors, residents, and thinkers shaping the future of Free Cities, charter cities, special economic zones, network states, private cities, and governance innovation worldwide.
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