Note from BBT: This is what I’m talking about! Social networks have proven to be the key in a rising Afro-Brazilian activism, solidarity and cohesiveness that wasn’t possible as recently as the 1990s. Brazil’s black population have been using this platform to create campaigns, discuss important issues in the community and promote their initiatives. With the attitude of ‘um sobe e puxa o outro’ (‘one goes up and pulls up the other’) taking effect, we are seeing black Brazilians using the force of their numbers to benefit themselves and make changes happen.
A great example of this has been a recent campaign by social influencer Roger Cipó. I’ve known about Cipó for past few years but I’ve known him mainly through his articles and videos, in some of which he has been bold enough to say things that need to be said but that most people simply won’t say. But Cipó isn’t just using hism platform to increase his own popularity, he is using it help other Afro-Brazilians who, due to their talents, longevity, success and contributions, should have larger followings on social networks.
In the past few weeks, I’ve seen Cipó magic touch help well-known Afro-Brazilian performers increase their followings by 50%-100% and more. One example is a week ago when Cipó decided to get into the conversation on the reason why Afro-Pop singer Margareth Menezes, a woman who has been an icon for Afro-Bahian music for more than 30 years, isn’t as popular as her white counterparts. It’s been a topic many have questioned for years. Menezes made headlines when she spoke on this topic herself some months back.
Here is what Cipó had to say to his followers about the issue:
One of the most important questions of 2020 was asked, by @taisdeverdade, to @ivetesangalo
“Why isn’t @margarethmenezes as huge as you, Ivete?”
I know that Taís didn’t refer to the number of followers, but I will use this example for you to think about it. Margareth has less than 300,000 followers while Ivete has over 32.5 million, followed by @claudialeitte with her 22.1 million.
Margareth has been on the music road since 1988, she is one of the main voices in Brazilian music, celebrated in several awards, Grammy nominations, extremely talented and necessary, but the Bahian music industry works hard to make her work invisible.
If there is a Queen in Bahian music, her name is Margareth Menezes, but racism would never allow it, so she is not considered a “giant” like Ivete. That’s why she doesn’t collect the tens of millions of followers that Ivete and Claudia Leitte.
Only racism explains this.
You may ask me; “Ok, Cipó, but why do followers matter so much?”, and I answer that in the era of streaming, the online audience defines the successes, defines what makes a hit, defines power. And it’s also about money. You can’t imagine how much it profits a profile with millions of followers per year.
Do you really think these stars would be on the social networks if it wasn’t a relevant market, too?
The call today is that we change this picture. We want to see @margarethmenezes being treated, respected and celebrated as a giant. She is Queen of the same carat as so many other international divas. She deserves to be valued and known.
Let’s do it! Follow, support, consume Margareth’s work. This is an important action to face racism, too.
Another thing, did you know that tomorrow 12/25, Margareth debuts as the protagonist of a series on @wolo.tv the first audiovisual streaming network focused on Afro-Brazilian culture? That’s right! Go check it out, follow and help to make it happen!
And mobilize the people around you to celebrate the work of our Queen!
Follow Margareth Menezes!
Watch Casa de Vó in @wolo.tv
And mark someone here who needs to know this and share it too!
Merry Christmas!
Be careful, ok?
Some months ago, Cipó was also involved in a fund-raising effort for a medal-winning gymnast who had lost his contract with his training facility after denouncing racist treatment he had received. Again, Cipó’s timing could have been better. Menezes, as he mentioned in his post, recently debuted on a streaming service platform that intends to bring more visibility to Afro-Brazilian actors, artists and projects. It’s pretty amazing to see what he’s doing and great to see so many Afro-Brazilians supporting their own. It’s the only way they’re going to change the game.
Influencer creates campaign to increase followers of black personalities on Instagram
By Juca Guimarães
Roger Cipó states that passing 100 thousand followers is an important milestone against invisibility; five profiles have already entered the action for new followers and the initiative should continue in 2021
The actress Zezeh Barbosa is the owner of 11 important awards for Dramaturgy and outstanding roles in cinema and TV. In 2004, she won the main award at the Festival de Cinema de Brasília (Brasília Film Festival), with the film Bendito é Fruto, where she played the lead role.
Zezeh had less than 15 thousand followers on Instagram until the beginning of December. The total followers of the actress, a graduate from the traditional EAD (Dramatic Art School), from USP (University of São Paulo), spiked and didn’t stop rising because of the campaign of the photographer and digital influence Roger Cipó, who is promoting the profile of black personalities.
The campaign starts from a questioning about why profiles of great black artists from the theater, television and cinema are facing a process of erasure. “Why with such undeniable talent and such a great contribution to culture, do they have less than 100,000, 200,000 or one million followers,” Cipó points out.
The first engagement action was with Raphael Logam, an actor from the series Os Impuros, who already had two Emmy nominations and participated in novelas (soap operas) on Rede Globo TV.
“Logam is young, handsome and has everything to be considered a star, according to the TV universe, but is not because he is black. This also reflects on the number of followers, which should be millions equal to examples of other men in his area,” says Cipó.
In the case of actress Zezeh Barbosa, in a few days she went from 14 thousand to 46 thousand followers. Logam’s profile, in a few hours, went from 96 thousand to 107 thousand followers. Cipó’s mobilization also boosted the profiles of black actors/actresses such Sergio Loroza, Neusa Borges and Mary Sheila.
Neusa Barbosa saw her 9 thousand followers double, Mary Sheila who had less than 5 thousand went to 33 thousand followers and Loroza jumped from 65 thousand to 140 thousand in 24 hours and got a new contract with an advertising agency.
According to Cipó, this is only the first phase and the campaign will follow in 2021 with more black personalities. The idea is to call the attention of the advertising market, which acts on social networks, besides the cinema, TV directors and channels where black personalities have always worked.
“I want to talk about valuing these artists who build Brazilian dramaturgy and are forgotten by the action of racism. They have already made their way, their careers speak for themselves, they are consecrated on the screens of all our families, I just keep asking why these people are not followed and valued on social networks, an important tool not only for visibility, but also as an important channel of advertising, propaganda and communication in general,” stresses Cipó.
Source: Alma Preta
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