Negra Jhô: "Since I was a child, I dreamed of being a respected Black woman"

By Ricardo Nêggo Tom - There has been much talk about female empowerment in recent years. The term is related to a collective awareness on the part of women, in the sense of combating the sexism imposed by society and fighting for gender equality. However, when we talk about Black women, this fight for equality and respect requires even more resistance. In this case, the concept of African womanism, created by the American educator Clenora Hudson, functions as an empowerment ideology aimed at Afro-descendant women and based solely on African culture and Afrocentrism, focusing on the struggles, experiences, needs, and desires of these women. 

Historian Melina de Lima, who appeared on the program "Um Tom de Resistência" on TV 247 (watch below), explains that "African womanism understands the violence suffered by Black people primarily through the lens of race. Color, hair, biotype, and ethnic traits. It's a movement that understands that our race comes first. Even though there are gender differences, Black women are much closer to Black men than to white women. This is necessary for us to understand the pain of racism and to see ourselves within the social pyramid. This is somewhat different from Black feminism, which is exclusively related to gender issues, specifically those of Black women, observing intersectionality and all the pluralism involved in the process."

Granddaughter of Lélia Gonzalez, also a historian and one of the founders of the Unified Black Movement and a leading figure in feminist and racial activism in Brazil, Melina points out that the concept of African womanism also encompasses other aspects. "There's also the issue of Pan-Africanism, Afrocentricity, matriarchy, the importance of Black women as mothers and pillars of our community and our struggle. It also addresses the need for unity among African peoples and pride in our Afrocentrism. In Brazil, there are few debates about the concept of African womanism, and Black feminism is only now gaining more traction. I often say that my grandmother began to receive this recognition and has been remembered again in recent years. She passed away in 1994, 28 years ago, and it's only been two or three years since her name regained strength within the feminist movement. In the Black movement, she has always been seen as a force and a necessity. Feminism, for example, needed Angela Davis, a great Black American feminist, to speak about Lélia Gonzalez for white Brazilian women to begin to recognize her. It's that 'mongrel dog' syndrome, where we value more what comes from outside. And the very..." Angela Davis recommended that women read Lélia Gonzalez and see themselves reflected in this Black Brazilian woman who valued and theorized the struggle of all women.

The expressive force of Negra Jhô, a multi-talented artist from Bahia who, through her work, rescues and exalts African culture, undoubtedly incorporates the concepts of African womanism and Black feminism as defined by Lélia Gonzalez. Awarded an honorary doctorate by the Order of Chaplains of Brazil for her work promoting Black culture, art, and religiosity, she believes that “this award was a step towards strengthening our ancestry and our values. We (Black people) deserve this award and other awards that will come our way. Remembering what Lélia Gonzalez, Mãe Stella, and Makota Valdina represented, I deserve this award. It is an award that came about because of my ancestral journey and my religiosity. Together we can always do more. I felt very happy and I know that this award represented many Black women and men, because when we achieve this representation, we have to applaud and believe that together we will be stronger. In this journey of culture, religiosity, brotherhood, and family, we must keep walking and not close the door. It should remain ajar, because other awards will come. Not only for me, but for the entire Black community.”

Negra Jhô's work is a cry for empowerment of African culture, focusing on the self-esteem of Black women. She is one of the biggest names in Brazil in the art of braids, twists, and turbans. Daughter of Ogum and Iansã, Negra Jhô embodies the role of a warrior woman, a dream that, according to her, comes from the time when she was a child who was undervalued in her own family. “I started working on my values ​​and self-esteem when I was still a child. I was discriminated against at home by my family, my neighbors, and my friends, who called me 'ugly girl with nappy hair,' 'big nose,' they never valued me as a great warrior, a great queen. And I took those negative comments from them and transformed them into noble qualities. I started by taking care of my sisters' and neighbors' hair in my backyard, where I worked on our self-esteem through our clothes, our attire, our makeup, telling them that we can wear whatever color we want and style our hair however we want. I always sought to cultivate what was inside me because, since I was a child, I dreamed of being a respected Black woman. When I was little, I already told myself that one day I would dress differently so that people could find me in the crowd.”

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