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8 AfroBrazilian Women We Love Right Now

HONORING GLOBAL BLACK GIRL MAGIC FOR BRAZIL'S BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS MONTH

TAÍS ARAÚJO IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (2018) | PHOTO BY ALEXANDRE SCHNEIDER/GETTY IMAGES

BY SILVIA NASCIMENTO · NOVEMBER 26, 2020

This month, Brazilians have been celebrating “Black Consciousness”—the equivalent of Black History Month. On November 20, 1695, Zumbi dos Palmares, an African slave in Brazil, was murdered and his death became a freedom symbol in the Blackest nation outside of Africa. (Black and mixed-race people account for about 57% of Brazil’s population, according to reports.)

The spirit of Zumbi lives on, as many Brazilians use November as a time of reflection, encouragement and, of course, celebration. At ESSENCE, we asked Silvia Nascimento (@silviahnas), a São Paulo based journalist and founder of Mundo Negro, the first news portal for the Afro-Brazilian community, for a list of Black Brazilian women we should know in arts and culture.

 

For Nascimento, honoring the existence and resistance of Black Brazilian women who move their economy with their strength, competence and resilience, is paramount in uplifting global Black girl magic. Like Angela Davis said, “When Black women move, the entire structure of society moves.”

See below for her pick of eight Black Brazilian women who should be on our radar.

01

MC Soffia

The 16-year-old rapper started writing songs at the age of four, exuding love for her Blackness and being, for many girls, a role model she never had. MC Soffia’s talent is so great that she performed at the opening of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and BET nominated her as an international breakthrough artist in 2018. This year, the artist is committed to the Preteenha Rainha (Little Black Queen) project to give visibility to Black teenagers who want to be independent artists. Instagram: @mcsoffia

MC SOFFIA | PHOTO: A D A Z STUDIO

02

Zezé Motta

Zezé Motta is living legend. She’s one of the first generation of Black Brazilian actors who had notable visibility on big and small screens. She’s collected many awards for her performances in soap operas and films. Even at 76, she’s still in demand as an artist. When she’s interviewed about her work or life, she loves talking about love, passion and beauty—especially her own as a dark skinned woman. Yes, Zezé tell them! Instagram: @zezemotta

ZEZÉ MOTTA | PHOTO: THAIS VANDANEZI

03

Luana Xavier

Luana Xavier is sincerity without a filter. Actress, TV presenter and practitioner of Candomblé (Brazilian religion of African origin), Luana went viral when opened up about the loneliness of many Black women and confessed that, at 31, she never had a romantic relationship. We will always be grateful for that moment of authentic realness. Instagram: @luaxavier

LUANA XAVIER | PHOTO: ERNESTO XAVIER

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04

Taís Araújo

Viola Davis’ “Brazilian sister” is the biggest celebrity in Brazil and one of our most talented actresses. Earlier this month, she brought Brazilians to tears when she played the murdered Black city councilwoman Marielle Franco in a TV special directed by her husband, Lázaro Ramos. But we weren’t crying for long as she continues opening up about her personal life during quarantine, sharing the realities of parenting and how she’s keeping her hair manageable (check out her turban tutorial). Instagram: @taisdeverdade

TAÍS ARAÚJO PHOTO: BRUNO CASTANHEIRA

05

Ludmilla

When singer Ludmilla performed “Favela Chegou” at 2019’s Rock in Rio, Brazilians went wild for the artist whose music talks about relationships, sexuality and female empowerment. Earlier this year, fans celebrated her even more when Ludmilla became the first Black Latin American to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify with her song “Onda diferente” (featuring Snoop Dogg). But that’s not all that’s bringing her joy: Ludmilla’s happy in love with her wife Bruna Gonçalves. Seeing the two dancing Brazilian funk on Instagram is simply contagious. Instagram: @ludmilla

LUDMILLA

06

Camilla de Luccas

The young influencer made many people laugh during the quarantine. She represents young, independent women—connecting with them through funny videos. Camilla knows that in a racist country like Brazil, making content that doesn’t talk about these racial issues is a way of showing our plurality. This year, her videos have hit a nerve—namely for Camilla’s fun style and self-esteem—and she has more than doubled her followers on her social networks. Instagram: @camilladelucas

CAMILLA DE LUCCAS

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07

Iza

This talent from Rio de Janeiro is a part of a new generation of Brazilian Popular Music artists. Iza sings, dances and performs on TV shows, including The Voice Brazil. With an eye on growing her audience outside of Latin America, she partnered with Ciara and Major Lazer (“Evapora”) and Timbaland (“Bend The Knee” with Bruno Martini). As Iza’s star rises, she’s still an accessible diva always interacting with her nearly 14 million fans on social media. Instagram: @iza

IZA | PHOTO: ALEX SANTANA

08

Giovana Heliodoro

A humorous historian, Giovanna is an inspiration in many ways. Communicator, feminist and producer of the festival “Trans Viva!,” she uses her social networks to raise awareness about the lives of Brazilian trans women. Her content manages to mix serious reflections with comedic joy. She still presents her followers with history lessons, like a video of her talking about the first Black president of Brazil Nilson Peçanha. (But we also wanted a class on how to have so many amazing looks and hair.) Instagram: @transpreta

GIOVANA HELIODORO | PHOTO: PAULA MORAES