Poetic agencies: Street culture and resistance in the SLAM scene

Authors

Vicente de Paulo Sousa (ed)
Vale do Acaraú State University, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7521-6576

Keywords:

Brazilian literature, Ceará, Poetry, Popular culture, Cultural diversity

Synopsis

It is not easy to survive in Brazil when you are poor, black, peripheral, gay, in short, when you are somehow seen as “excludable” by society. Even more difficult when two or more of these characteristics come together. But with talent, the difficulties are transformed into inspiration by several young poets who make up this work, organized by Vicente de Paulo Sousa, whose academic career is intrinsically linked to slam poetry, which raised the voices of dozens of young people from the outskirts of Ceará. This time, Vicente does not analyze or describe slam culture, but rather, gives space for poets to express themselves, recording some of their most interesting creations, which, paraphrasing Belchior, bring more than words, but razors, which cut and hurt directly into the flesh of those who still retain some empathy in the midst of a society that is increasingly indifferent to suffering that not only hurts bodies, but also souls.

Chapters

  • Revolution
    Adílio Kevin Aguiar
  • AK Trovão
    Adílio Kevin Aguiar
  • New Age
    Adílio Kevin Aguiar
  • Last stop
    Adílio Kevin Aguiar
  • My Northeast
    Antônio Wisley Nascimento Oliveira
  • little princess victory
    Antônio Wisley Nascimento Oliveira
  • Sobral poetry
    Antônio Wisley Nascimento Oliveira
  • Letter to the good citizen
    Rafael Farias
  • Why do you write create?
    Rafael Farias
  • Socrates listened to the child
    Rafael Farias
  • The theory of trickery poetry for Einstein
    Rafael Farias
  • Save Brazil
    Débora Caroline
  • How much is black life worth?
    Débora Caroline
  • The woman
    Débora Caroline
  • She just wants to scream
    Débora Caroline
  • I am privileged
    Marcela Sena
  • Not recommended to society
    Marcela Sena
  • Justice
    Marcela Sena
  • Ancestry
    Marcela Sena
  • Sertão
    Virgínia Oliveira
  • Permanent death
    Virgínia Oliveira
  • Woman of B
    Virgínia Oliveira
  • I am
    Virgínia Oliveira
  • The unreadable madness of being me
    Claudiana Pereira
  • The poem is in the eyes of the reader
    Claudiana Pereira
  • Confused mind of a collapsing generation
    Claudiana Pereira
  • What is the knife that cuts you?
    Claudiana Pereira
  • Fire at the racists!
    Vick Carvalho
  • Matriarchy
    Vick Carvalho
  • Marginal Scream
    Vick Carvalho
  • Daughter of Aries
    Vick Carvalho
  • The artist's poetry
    Rêh
  • For the scrotum male
    Rêh
  • Real life cuts
    Rêh
  • This is not poetry
    Rômulo Pahaliah
  • Fagot father and solo mother
    Rômulo Pahaliah
  • That land
    Rômulo Pahaliah
  • White-faced ox
    Rômulo Pahaliah
  • They blinded the eye of Horus
    Guetho
  • Heart of my brothers
    Guetho
  • Future vision
    Guetho
  • Time Machine
    Guetho
  • Resist to exist
    Thais Gadelha
  • In the end only love is the only true revolution
    Thais Gadelha
  • The witches are returning
    Thais Gadelha
  • Will they listen to me or hate me?
    Josh
  • It's the end of times!
    Josh
  • Earthly ebriety
    Akwa Ra Mon
  • wandering crown
    Akwa Ra Mon
  • Sereya
    Akwa Ra Mon
  • Nostalgya transýndya
    Akwa Ra Mon
  • Silence
    Malika
  • Myth
    Malika
  • End
    Malika
  • Transvestite
    Malika
  • When I encounter uncertainty
    Maya Rosa
  • Transresurrection
    Maya Rosa
  • Curumynha girl
    Maya Rosa
  • Light years from here
    Maya Rosa

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Author Biographies

Vicente de Paulo Sousa, Vale do Acaraú State University, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte

Vicente de Paulo Sousa is a Social Scientist and Master in Cultural Geography from the Vale do Acaraú State University-UEVA. He is currently a member of Coletivo Fora da Métrica, which organizes the Slam da Quentura and the Slam CE. Researcher of the street cultural scene, more precisely the Rap Battles and Slams in the city of Sobral. Videomaker, records images and poetic affections of peripheral culture. One of the organizers of the book Spoken poetry invades the scene in Sobral: poetry slam in the interior of Ceará, released in 2019, by the publishers Desalinho / Ganesha Cartonera.

Adílio Kevin Aguiar

Yes, I'm Adílio Aguiar, better known as “Adílio Kevin”. My nickname is “Ak”. I'm 18 years old, I live in the city of Massapê-CE, I'm a Slamer poet and MC. I'm running away from this artistic world that I think is cool and awesome. My contact with poetry and Slams was recently, when I identified with it and decided to take part and show my experience, art, revolt and my indignation and release everything in the verses, speaking, where I take advantage of my moment to demonstrate this. And that's about it! Come with us, the trick is to resist and persist! Let's go, family! Tamujunt!

MC Barnabé

My name is Antônio Wisley Nascimento Oliveira, but in the street culture scene I'm known as MC Barnabé. I live on the outskirts of the city of Sobral, where I participate in cultural actions linked to the Hip Hop movement. I work as an MC in Batalha do TN and in the organization of Batalha do Park, and I am part of the Social Hunger Movement, whose actions are aimed at including the peripheral population of my neighborhood in cultural activities. I was champion of several editions of different rap battles in the city. In 2019, I was the winner of the Batalha do Triunfo, held in Sobral, whose selective guaranteed a place to represent the city in the state selective in Fortaleza. I also participate in the editions of the slams, mainly reciting, sometimes, at the Slam da Quentura. I have some poetry published on my social networks, and a song, “Princesinha Vitória”, on YouTube. In 2018, I participated in the composition and recording of the video Cypher Resistência, together with other rappers from Batalha do TN.

Vetin

Rafael Farias (Vetin), marginal poet and slammer from the city of Sobral and member of the Coletivo Ocupa Ibiapina, from the city of Ibiapina–CE. One of the organizers of Sarau Resistencia JV. My poetry is the routine that I inspire and that inspires me to immortalize everything around me in lines.

Débora Caroline

Débora Caroline, 21 years old, slammer from Coletivo Mandacaru, in Massapê, member of the NGO Criando Laços, in Massapê. Bisexual woman, human rights activist and researcher, Psychology student and monitor of the LGBTQIA+ Health Care Research and Extension project. I find myself making peripheral art, sometimes a musician and always restless like fresh coffee on Monday. I'm from Manaus (Municipality of Amazonas) and have lived in Ceará for over 8 years. I was introduced to art from a very young age because of my grandparents, but I went through the process of recognizing myself as an artist, and that didn't take long. The slam showed me and has been showing me the potential, strength and resistance of being a peripheral artist. And it is on this path that I follow with art, transforming and overflowing each trajectory as a poet and psychology student.

Marcela Sena

Yae? My name is Marcela Sena, a poet for two years and slammer from the city of Sobral, actively participating in the Slam da Quentura, Slam das Cumadi and Slam das Poc’s. She is also part of the group As Manas, made up only of women. I have been working as a solo DJ and with the group A Coletyva since February 2020. Daughter of Maria da Conceição, from Sobral who to this day works in the same profession, a doctor's assistant, and a black man from Maranhão, Marcelo, who works in the sun Under the sun, master builder is his profession. It's the three of us always and I thank them for being who I am today.

Virgínia Oliveira

Virgínia Oliveira, I'm 26 years old, actress, photographer, director, writer and many other things, comes from the central hinterland, Morada Nova, but lives wandering around corners, currently living in Sobral and Fortaleza. I am a person with a disability and I believe it is important to reinforce this so that plural bodies can be normalized in society and, especially, in the art world.

Claudiana Pereira

Claudiana Pereira is a writer and artist who lives in Sobral, Ceará. At age 12, she started writing and drawing, a way to entertain herself after her mother's death. She found in blank pages a way to ease the pain of loss. She tells her journey through bitter moments in life and finds a way to take delicacies from them. She recited one of her poems at Batalha da Margem, an event where there was an open stage in 2019, with the following reflection “which knife cuts you? “. Today she uses several means to express herself: poetry, drawings, photography, crafts and low-cost entrepreneurship. She aims to publish her poetry and be able to make a living from her art.

Vick Carvalho

Vick Carvalho, an Aryan, from Ceará, English teacher, “Body Positivity” activist, LGBTQIA+ activist,” slammaster of Slam Mandacaru de CE. I don't like warm things, love for me is like coffee: strong and hot! When writing crosses me, I become POETRY! I started playing with words from an early age, I was and am completely passionate about literature. As I grew up and became the woman I am today, I had to go through very difficult experiences, these scars made me connect with the marginalized poor. I occupy spaces in my city bringing poetry to the community. Spreading this art for me is NECESSARY!

Rêh

I'm Rêh, a marginal artist, from the streets of Sobral, I'm 24 years old, I'm a Sagittarius, I'm always there in the middle of the fire, the flame. Today I am a poet, I practice juggling, more specifically, the Devil Stick. I started getting involved with the art of juggling between 2014/2015. As for poetry, I believe that I was born with it, I grew up with it, I feel that it has always been with me. I've always liked writing, since I was little, I liked poems, my refuge on difficult days was to turn everything into poetry, and keep it for myself. My first poetry recited, although quite embarrassed, was at the Slam da Quentura, a pioneering slam in Ceará, where I am very grateful for the existence and resistance of this movement, I am grateful for Hanz Alves (who was in the first edition, helped make it happen), which unfortunately is not here in this article, but is among us, hello Victor Hannover, you were necessary for my life, and for the lives of many people. Coming back to me, I am always there in cultural movements, whether to support, help, participate, or just enjoy. I'm a street wanderer, I keep losing myself and finding myself, always looking to be a better being, but not for anyone, but for myself.

Rômulo Pahaliah

I'm Rômulo Pahaliah, born and raised in the favelas of Fortaleza (CE). I am an actor, singer, composer and marginal poet, organizer of soirées and poetry events in Fortal City, creator of Slam Entrelinhas, lover of poetry, theater and all forms of expression, as I am a peripheral artist.
It's the f***ing alley

Guetho

Guetho is a rapper and poet. His career began in 2010 in rhyme battles and, later, he participated in slams, becoming champion in several editions. His best-known poetry is 'Visão do Futuro', he is currently one of the organizers of Slam Entrelinhas. He was part of several rap groups, which produced him musically. In poetry, he started at Slam Gentil and then he never stopped writing, having his poetry published in other states and cities, even on well-known poetry pages. He often wrote talking about the future, because for him it is something so fascinating and frustrating at the same time, this makes him a poet.

Thay Gadelha

My name is Maria Thais, but people know me as Thay Gadelha. I am 20 years old, born and raised on the outskirts of Sobral, Ceará, which is where I found art, which is the path I follow today and use as one of the tools of struggle and resistance against all forms of oppression. Today I am a poet, slammer, percussionist and cultural producer. I am the organizer of Slam das Cumadi, the first spoken poetry competition for women in the state of Ceará. I am part of the Coletivo Fora da Métrica, which collaborates with the construction of Slam da Quentura, Slam das Poc’s and Slam Ceará and I am also a member of the Siri’Ricas block, a carnival street block.

Josh

What's up family? My name is Josh, I’m 21 years old and I’m from ‘Solbrabo’. I started in the arts through a theater school in the city, whose name is 4 Portas na Mesa, and with that I initially had a love for the stage, for the vocation of people listening to me, truly feeling me. I come from an affected periphery, where culture was not established with vigor, and my search for art emerged within the periphery. I come from a family with very different ideas about life than the one I have in mind, but that is no longer an issue. My attachment to rhyme battle circles and even poetic attacks came to me as a solution to all my desires, it is me for myself, with my voice, with my troubles and my daily struggle, transcribed on paper and echoed in my voice. I started with a strong start in poetic disputes, but today I no longer take the dispute into account, my focus is on being heard and telling the world to hear what I have to say, now my texts contain much more than six or seven minutes, so no I fit into the disputes. I'm grateful for the space and whenever I can I make use of it. The artist who doesn't change is a lukewarm artist who urgently needs to boil a little

Akwa Ra Mon

I renamed myself Akwa Ra Mon, making the final bridge of the openings in and, Yndýgena natyva de mangue de Fortalezas esquecydas, ressygnyfycando vyda em terras solares, reencontro en Sobral, where me refaço Travesty em todo minha mulherydade. Artesã em constant resgate, Crya da vyrada das dawns, da ebryedade recomeço de día, de berço crystão em ressygnyfycação, das rounds of Poesyas, Batalhas de Ryma e movymentos de Vogue nas transcendences. Seamstress, Painter and Tattoo Artist of spiral strokes in ancestral rediscovery. I am developing the attempt to constantly remind that this is alive, written in memorable letters, where Pyndorama is reborn from the cynzas of a colonial Brazil that never embraced us. Que seja transpassy.

Malika

Malika, 24 years of Aquarian life, performer, producer, non-binary, professor, makeup artist, slammer and other things more out of necessity or concern. There is a lot going on inside me that I fear the need to express myself in art and in various fields, my body and mind in constant change is to the extent of everything that I cannot say in words, it can barely be.

Maya Rosa

My name is Maya Rosa, non-binary trans, poet, contemporary dancer and slammer. I was born and raised in the city of Massapê, and it was there that I found Slam dinner, from the poetry rounds starring Slam Mandacaru. This process of self-confidence seeks to express myself through poetry as a way to rescue myself and reencounter myself, and this is the artistic aspect in which you mold me into what I am.

Poetic Agencies book cover

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Published

December 1, 2020

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