The Art as a power in activism and the redefinition of the identity of black women

Abstract

Black women in Brazil and on different continents face daily intersectional challenges of gender, race and class, as well as structural prejudices related to racism and sexism, which require the expansion of expressive resources that strengthen their struggles and resistance. Art and culture have proven to be powerful weapons for this, both in the sense of promoting activism in feminism and anti-racism, as well as in strengthening the identities of these women, who have been affected by systematic and generational oppressions arising from colonialism, slavery, and whiteness. This article aims, through a brief bibliographical and documentary research, with a qualitative approach, to analyze the therapeutic and strengthening role of art and culture in relation to the subjectivities and collectivities of black women, relating artistic expressions, especially those demarcated by writing, whether musical, literary, dramatic, or autobiographical, based on an illustrative analysis of female personalities of reference in art and culture over the last decades, such as Nina Simone, Conceição Evaristo, Viola Davis, and Chimamanda Adichie. The study suggested, based on the brief theoretical and biographical dialogue of these artists, that art and culture are powerful resources for the emotional development and strengthening of black women's identities, facilitating their empowerment, as well as for driving feminist and anti-racist social movements. It suggests the need to develop further research that addresses this topic, investigating art as a therapeutic resource, a powerful resignifier of identities and a strengthener of female activism in contemporary times.