Tecendo outros caminhos: o protagonismo das mulheres negras em Ponciá Vicêncio, de Conceição Evaristo

Abstract

This dissertation was born out of discomfort caused by stereotypes directed at black women that reinforce racism. With this, we observe black women, female characters in the novel Ponciá Vicêncio, by Conceição Evaristo, namely: Ponciá Vicêncio, Maria Vicêncio, Nêngua Kainda and Biliza, specifically, with the aim of shedding light beyond the stereotypes, wounds and pains of the slave past, contrasting them with phenomena and dynamics that singularize and complexify the human. Furthermore, we emphasize the change of focus without eliminating criticism and denunciation, and we seek to strengthen and recognize black women for other singularities such as: silences, dreams, affections, art, among other feelings, attitudes and characteristics more related to human beings. The construction of this dissertation started from a bibliographic, exploratory and comparative research, investigating the critical fortune of Conceição Evaristo. In addition, there was a study focused on issues related to the context of black Brazilian people and literature, at which time we identified contributions and opportunities for black people, especially with regard to the valorization of the voices of black women, in different areas, provided by the writer Evaristo and other black mobilizations. We highlight excerpts from the novel that represent the counterpositions of stereotypes of black women, as well as literary characteristics of black literature, still called Afro and/or Brazilian Black, as it is under construction, supported, especially, by studies by Duarte (2011), Mosquera (2017), Salgueiro (2020), among others. Through the novel, we focus on aspects that counter the stereotypes of black women and identify important elements that identify the history of black people, such as the tradition of orality, reflected in the form of music, song and dance, as forms of resistance. Furthermore, we highlight Banzo, representing resistance, while providing contact with ancestry, in search of protection and knowledge, symbolized by the silences, absences and emptiness of the protagonist.