Note from BW of Brazil: Sometimes I marvel at how many things that have long been a regular part of the lives of American black folks that have only recently arrived in Brazil. Many African-Americans that travel to Brazil will often come to the conclusion that black people in Brazil are perhaps 50-60 years behind black folk in the US. Perhaps that it isn’t really a fair comparison as we are speaking of two distinctly different countries, cultures and histories which in many ways shouldn’t be compared. What if we made this judgement from the perspective of the other side? For example, I’ve heard and read more times than I care to remember the Brazilian opinion that Americans are far behind Brazil in terms of racial mixture. Talking to an average Brazilian about their racial background is like hearing the ingredients of a fruit salad, a description that most Americans cannot identify with, even though this is slowly changing. But speaking of this specific issue, as many black Brazilians are increasingly debating, some are coming to the conclusion that Brazil’s enormous “melting pot” experiment is not necessarily a path to be followed. Not gonna touch on that today as it’s a regular topic here at BW of Brazil.
Speaking specifically on today’s subject, Brazil’s association with what could be called Stand Up comedy can be traced to sometime in the 1960s with performers such as Chico Anysio and (long-time late-night show host) Jô Soares coming the closest to imitating the American style. In the mid to late 90s, the television program Prêmio Multishow do Bom Humor Brasileiro allowed space for stand-up routines featuring humorists such as Diogo Portugal and Bruno Motta and today, numerous comedians have made names for themselves such as (late night talk show host) Danilo Gentili, Marcela Leal, Fábio Porchat and Cláudio Torres Gonzaga, Rafinha Bastos, Bruno Motta and Diogo Portugal, to name a few. But, once again, in true Brazilian fashion, all of these comics are white. Back in 2013, I remember attending a standup show here in São Paulo with about 8 other people, all of whom told me they had never seen a show featuring a Brazilian comic doing standup.
Coming from the US, I vividly recall watching my father nearly die from laughter watching the legendary Richard Pryor’s routines. I also remember how so many of my friends could just about recite Eddie Murphy’s entire routine from the classic 1983 Delirious show. Released on the VHS tape and later on DVD, Murphy’s jokes became a staple of the black experience as so many of us could identify with his stories. That torch has been passed on to other great comics such as Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle, Cedric the Entertainer, Monique, Steve Harvey and too many more to name here. So, having seen classic black and white clips of comics such as Moms Mabley, you can imagine my surprise at discovering that YouTube personality Tia Má being promoted as Brazil’s first black woman to do a live standup show. Really? Damn! In 2018?!?! Great to hear, but what took so long?!?!
Tia Má com a Língua Solta
Unibes Cultural – São Paulo, SP
Description of the event
The first Brazilian stand up presented by a black woman, Tia Má com a Língua Solta (Tia Má with a loose tongue) brings many stories and reflections from the good humor of the journalist and YouTuber Maíra Azevedo, better known as Tia Má (Aunt Má). With laughter, the show addresses dramas, acceptance, empowerment, among other real situations recurrently experienced by black women.
Known for her sharp tongue on social networks, Tia Má is like a practical handbook for everyday life. With the catchphrase “take off your shoes and put your foot on the floor,” she has been a consultant and a recurring partner on the Globo TV talk show Encontro com Fátima Bernardes for more than two years and was elected one of the most influential black women on the web by Blogueiras Negras.
In addition, the Bahian represents the real-life woman: black, single mother, powerful. She’s that friend counselor who always knows the wrong answer to the right mess. Thus, Tia Má com a Língua Solta addresses self-esteem, beauty, blackness, and relationships with intelligent, humorous quips that promise to crack you up while simultaneously raising your awareness.
Produced by TNM – Todos Negros do Mundo – a successful brand and portal recognized for the production of quality content focused on blackness, with more than 5 million hits in two years – the show will be recorded by the company Iracema Rosa Filmes, experienced creator of TV program formats, this time with the aim of occupying spaces such as comedy channels on cable TV and on Video on demand platforms like Netflix.
* The ticket holder expressly declares accepting that his/her image and audio can be captured and recorded during the event and grants free and definitive, all rights to image and audio for all purposes.
Source: Sympla
Good for her and much success in the future.