Terreiros do Riso: alegria como fundamento ético em manifestações afro-brasileiras

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the constitution of Black Comicality within the Brazilian context, framing it as a constellation of scenic, political, affective, and spiritual performances emerging from the historical, social, and aesthetic experiences of Black populations. From an Afro-referenced perspective, the research demonstrates that Black Comicality transcends mere humorous language grounded in Eurocentric laughter; instead, it constitutes a field of knowledge articulating memory, ancestry, corporeality, and resistance. The investigation is anchored in the philosophy of ancestrality, NagôYoruba epistemologies, and the contributions of Black thinkers, masters, and artists. It further analyzes the author’s own comical figure, Glória, in dialogue with Mateus from Cavalo Marinho and Reisado Congo traditions, as well as the knowledge embedded in Afro-Brazilian cultural expressions and Indigenous epistemologies. Methodologically, the study is organized around escrevivências, drawing from field observations, records of festivities, and interviews with artists deeply connected to Black cultures and practices of joy. The research examines how gestures, chants, laughter, masks, and collective narratives configure specific modes of producing social critique and challenging stereotypes. By mapping these elements, the study demonstrates that Terreiros do Riso operate through joy as an ethical grounding, activating communal memories and affirming an ethics of non-forgetting. Additionally, this research introduces the term Artist of Laughter to designate practitioners whose work is rooted in the principles of Black Comicality. The dissertation concludes that Black Comicality establishes an aesthetic-political field that reaffirms the creative power of Black populations and their sovereign ways of shaping the world.