Note from BW of Brazil: Most of us connected to aspects of black culture are familiar with the art form known as Slam Poetry. The art has been gaining steam among black Brazilians over the years and though initially taking off in cities such as São Paulo, and Rio, Slam has officially arrived in the city known as the center of the country’s African Culture. A little over a year ago, we brought you news about Luz Ribeiro, the country’s SLAM national champion, that would go on to represent Brazil in the world championship in France. To make it to the top, the São Paulo native out-slammed other artists from other parts of the country such as Rio, Minas Gerais, the nation’s capital and also Bahia. One of those poets was Fabiana Lima (featured below and here) who came in second place! Now that SLAM is blowing up in Salvador, we most def need to keep our eyes on what the baianos do with it because without a doubt, it’s gonna be hot!
Slams move the peripheries of Salvador (BA)
In rhymes, social problems are brought to the public by youth in a creative and powerful way
By Elen Carvalho
In the peripheries of Salvador, the poetry battles of are moments of creation and cultural and political resistance. Popularized as Slams since the 1990s, these disputes go back to griots, civil rights movements and black American demands, contemporary literary performances, and Hip Hop. The potential of these spaces lies in the dialogue between differences, in the exchange of knowledge, in the irreverence and free expression of each participant. Slam da Onça, Slam da Raça and Slam das Minas are some examples that take place in the capital of Bahia.
Fabiana Lima
Sarau da Onça, a collective that promotes cultural activities in the neighborhood of Sussuarana, has been performing Slam da Onça since 2014. Producer Brenda Gomes explains that the desire to organize Slam came when members of Sarau participated in an edition in São Paulo. “We realized that we still did not have this process and we decided to do the first edition, then we did the second and it was happening. The community has participated more and more, because it is a new proposal of poetry. It’s a nice space, to feel the poetry of people,” she says.
In March of this year happened the first Slam das Mines (girl’s slam) – Bahia. A female poetry battle idealized by Dricca Silva, Fabiana Lima, Jaqueline Nascimento and Ludmila Laísa that takes place in Cabula neighborhood. The winner of this first edition was Amanda Rosa. She reflects on the recurrent themes of the poems written in these get togethers: “Black youth, LGBTs have been increasingly inserted in this space. And what else poetry has put on the agenda are themes like racism, the importance of feminism. Because the poetry that is done is the marginal poetry, that will work the elements of the reality of these populations.”
Slam Das Minas – Rio de Janeiro – Final
According to Amanda Rosa, “this has been a space where women have managed to be at the forefront of the process. Including being through the Slams, they have managed to insert themselves into rap. Through this place, youth have begun to organize and participate in collectives. They begin to see social problems.”
Slam das Minas SP poesia Manifesto – São Paulo
In the same vein, Brenda Gomes states that “the battle of poetry, as well as the battle of rhyme, as well as the battle of break and all these peripheral movements are fundamental in the constitution of our society. We perceive the schools increasingly closed for this type of culture. And without these movements, we would not be able to penetrate the minds of the young people, we would not be able to arouse an interest for this conquest of rights.”
Editing: Jamile Araújo
Source: Brasil de Fato
Really good article!!
I love this growing movement!