Day 2: Memorialising African Slavery in Brazil on Film

Part of the History on Film: Slavery & the African Diaspora from a Global perspective workshop.

17:00-17:15: Introduction

17:15-18:30:

Film: A Present Past: Afro-Brazilian Memories in Rio de Janeiro by Hebe Mattos and Martha Abreu (2012, 43 minutes)

A Present Past highlights the strong oral tradition of slave descendants from the former plantations of the Souza Breves family, in the South of the State of Rio de Janeiro. It rescues vivid details about the illegal trade of slaves and the experiences of slaves and freed ancestors.

18:30-19:00:

Film: Ebony Goddess: Queen of Ilê Aiyê by Carolina Moraes-Liu (2012, 20 minutes)

Ebony Goddess: Queen of Ilê Aiyê follows three women competing to be the carnival queen of Ilê Aiyê, a prominent and controversial Afro-Brazilian group with an allblack membership. The selection is based on Afro-centric notions of beauty, in counterpoint to prevailing standards of beauty in Brazil, a country famous for slim supermodels and plastic surgery. Contestants for the title of Ebony Goddess dress in flowing African-style garments, gracefully performing traditional Afro-Brazilian dances to songs praising the beauty of black women.

19:00-20:00: Discussion

Chair: Shihan de Silva (Institute of Commonwealth Studies)
Hebe Mattos (University Federal Fluminense/Brazil)
Camillia Cowling (University of Edinburgh)
Matthias Röhrig Assunção (University of Essex)