‘Protagonism is not ceded, it is conquered’: In panel, various successful Afro-Brazilian women discuss challenges black women face in Brazilian society

flavia oliveira alexandra loras iza tais arac3bajo nathalia santos e a ministra
flavia oliveira alexandra loras iza tais arac3bajo nathalia santos e a ministra
Flavia Oliveira, Alexandra Loras, Iza, Tais Araújo, Nathalia Santos e a ministra
Flavia Oliveira, Alexandra Loras, Iza, Tais Araújo, Nathalia Santos and Luislinda Valois participated in a panel on the various challenges black women face in Brazilian society

Note from BW of BrazilThe word protagonism is defined as “the state, character, or activity of a protagonist” or “the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work”. Yet regardless of which context you use it, Afro-Brazilian women have long been denied this leading role in Brazil. This is quite obvious in areas such as TV and film, but even in the home, where they are often the heads of the household while they are not usually envisioned as the prototype of what a woman and mother is supposed to be. Even in her role as a maid, cook or caregiver of her employer’s family, well-known stereotypes, she is never seen as  the “lady of the house”. But in recent years, more and more Afro-Brazilian women have been stepping forward to demand their rightful place and a recent debate, a number of women featured in past posts, presented yet another example of this activism. 

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Taís Araújo discusses prejudice against black women.’Protagonismo is not ceded, it is conquered,’ said the actress

‘Protagonism is not ceded, it is conquered’, says Taís Araújo in a debate about black women

Courtesy of Portal do Zacarias

Actress Taís Araújo, singer Iza, YouTuber Nathalia Santos, former French consul Alexandra Loras and Minister Luislinda Dias de Valois participated in one of the most anticipated talks of “Elas por Elas (women by women)”. In a panel mediated by the O Globo columnist Flávia Oliveira, they discussed the various challenges that black women face in Brazilian society.

Despite mentioning advances in the entertainment world, the actress Taís Araújo recalled that the struggle for gender equity and the end of racial prejudice depends on constant activism and positioning.

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Over the past few decades, actress actress Taís Araújo has been one of the few Afro-Brazilian women to appear regularly on the cover of popular magazines

“Protagonism is not ceded, it is conquered; no one wants to share the leading role, men don’t want to. And we mulheres negras (black women) have more barriers ahead,” said the actress, who said she refused to represent all the black women in the country. “While only I am doing the magazine covers, it’s a unique story. And it doesn’t get you anywhere. We have already seen that everyone is enriched with diversity: the contents are richer, the people become more creative.”

A cantora Iza também participou do debate
Singer Iza also participated in the debate

Alexandra Loras made a point of remembering the barriers that black women find in the labor market.

“We suffer from the impostor syndrome. An homem branco (white man) with 30% of the competence for the position comes thinking he’s incredible. A mulher negra with 95 percent of the competence arrives thinking she can’t  “said the speaker, who said she had been through it when she studied at SciencePo, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions.

“Prejudice in double dose: women and black”: actress participated in the table

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Taís Araújo and YouTuber Nathalia Santos, from the channel Como assim, cega? (How’s that, blind woman?) (Photo: Adriana Lorete)

YouTuber Nathalia Santos, who writes about the challenges of being black and blind, recalled that the internet can be an important tool for transformation.

“I think it’s very important that we consume our peers. We have mechanisms to search our history, meet people like us, so that we can speak properly. We need to feel represented and know for whom to represent.”

In the same tone, singer Iza recalled how the internet was important for her own consciousness:

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From left to right: the mediator and columnist Flavia Oliveira, Alexandra Loras, former consul of France in São Paulo, singer Iza, actress Taís Araújo, YouTuber Nathalia Santos, from the channel Como assim, cega and Minister Luislinda Dias de Valois (Photo: Adriana Lorete)

“I’ve always been very insecure about my talent. I just decided to be a singer at age 24 because I felt alone. I didn’t see myself in the toys I bought, in the novelas (soap operas) I watched. We have to hug ourselves today. It was on the internet that I decided to stop straightening my hair, because I saw other girls going through the same process. That’s where I saw that I should sing even if I didn’t have a stage for myself,” she confessed.

Source: Portal do Zacarias

About Marques Travae 3747 Articles
Marques Travae. For more on the creator and editor of BLACK WOMEN OF BRAZIL, see the interview here.

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