A mulher do fim do Mundo: Elza Soares, performance e amefricanidade

Abstract

This monograph aims to investigate how the political-cultural category of Amefricanity (Gonzalez, 2020) can be analyzed as a performed cultural identity in the works of the singer Elza Soares. With this purpose, we will discuss concepts of identity (Hall, 2003), Amefricanity, and how popular culture, specifically samba, serves as a space of disputes and affirmation for the black population. The debate paves the way to understand Amefricanity as a counter-hegemonic assertion of Latin American blacks, primarily manifested through musicality and the body. The analytical research deepened into two music videos by the singer: "A Carne" and "A Mulher do Fim do Mundo," as they are works with strong social criticism and highlight the importance of corporeality, music, and dance in recognizing Elza as a black woman. As a methodological lens, performance studies were utilized, based on authors Diana Taylor (2013) and Leda Maria Martins (2021), to understand how the body is endowed with episteme and how cultural identities can be performed by singers (Soares T., 2020) in media contexts (Gutmann; Cardoso Filho, 2022), such as music videos.