The National Forum of Women in Hip Hop, produced by the National Front of Women in Hip Hop, is back to its face-to-face format after the Covid-19 pandemic. The event takes place from March 10th to 12th, in Brasília, and brings together members, leaders and women of Hip Hop Culture from all over Brazil.
The meeting has existed since 2010 and is in its 8th face-to-face edition. The last two meetings were held online. In this edition, debates, workshops, cultural presentations, lectures, conversation circles, exhibitions, pocket shows, among other initiatives are planned. According to the organization of the Forum, in two days there were 145 registrations and for logistical reasons they have already been closed.
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In this edition, the forum deals with the theme “gender, race and afrotourism”. Priority will be discussed on tourism made by black women and how this impacts on the artistic career of Hip Hop cultural agents. Participants will have the opportunity to visit tourist monuments in the District Federal, and not only, will also visit the outskirts of the capital with a tour guide specialized in itineraries that prioritize the black history of the city.
“When we talk about tourism in the DF, many people only think about the axis, the north and south wings and the master plan. We have a type of tourism that happens in Ceilândia and Planaltina. It is produced and managed by black people”, says the first female rapper in the Federal District, Vera Verônika, who is also the representative of the National Front in the country’s capital.
Another novelty at the event will be the launch of a mapping of women in Hip Hop in the DF and surrounding areas. “The expectation is that the mapping will be launched in July, at the Latinidades Festival, in printed and online versions so that we can show what these women are doing, who they are, in which region they produce culture and afrotourism, how they manage their projects and what happens in the regions that are present. It is essential that women can access their rights and get out of invisibility”, says Vera.
There are many expectations with holding the National Forum in Brasilia, but the biggest one, according to Vera Verônika, is to present the demands of women in Hip Hop, which have been repressed for a long time. “We have a letter to deliver to the authorities with claims that permeate various themes such as femicide, gender equity, access to public policies and public notices”, she says.
Hip Hop Salva
“Perhaps if I hadn’t known about rap in the 90’s, I wouldn’t be today being the state representative of the DF of the National Front of Hip Hop Women. Rap saved my life. Today, a considerable number of young people from all social classes have access to information, but at a time when we didn’t even know that one day we would have access to cell phones, computers and this globalization would happen, and that crime and drug addiction were what took over, rap for this generation was liberating “, emphasizes Vera.
She completes by saying that singing and telling through rap lyrics what is happening in society and especially with women is what motivates her not to give up on a musical style that still brings many stigmas and prejudices, but that musically dominates the world.
Member of the National Front and cultural agent of the DF, Ravena do Carmo, points out that in recent times many changes have occurred in the Hip Hop culture scene in the country, as female rap has been seen in the media and on music platforms, but there is still a lot what to move forward.
“Women produce with great quality and at the same time with several limitations such as double and triple shifts, maternity and other challenges. These impediments, as well as the music market, become a dropout factor. Even so, they insist, because rap is also a space for women. Even if often, machismo and other forms of violence still prevail. These themes have been a constant agenda, we will never be silenced”, she points out.
Ravena states that “rap is the collective voice that echoes. It’s impossible not to remember the song by Sabotagem, ‘Rap is commitment’. Commitment to the hood, to our history, memory and struggles. Hip Hop culture found me in childhood. I am a fan of this musical style, which is more than a way of producing music, but also produces complaints, love and politics”.
Both Ravena and Vera recognize that the hip hopper woman is not only the one who dances, sings, graffiti, thinks and writes, but that throughout these fifty years of world culture she has even contributed in caring for the children so that her companions follow a career, and this function is also a protagonist, but undervalued.
In 2023, the Hip-Hop Movement in Brazil turns 50 years old. “In this fiftieth anniversary year, it is important to emphasize that behind the stages, exhibitions, bookstores, championships and battles there are many female hands. Mostly, black women who are essential for the development of culture”, concludes Ravena.
What does the visual identity of the Forum say?
To create the identity of the 8th edition of the Forum, graffiti artists Caren Henrique, Iasmin Kali, Taynara and Yra, decided to bring together elements of the Cerrado in graffiti. Art connects Caliandra, the yellow Ipê, the lizard, the sky that is so famous in the capital and the Maned Wolf, an endangered animal typical of the predominant biome in the Federal District.
The wolf, in addition to characterizing the territory, represents the woman’s bond with her instinctive nature. The female figure holding a microphone and wearing LP earrings and sneakers represents the women of Hip Hop, who despite so many barriers remain makers of culture whether in graffiti, break, rap, DJing, poetry, cultural production or in caring for families. The world, symbolically positioned on the forehead, represents future possibilities.
8th of the National Forum of Women in Hip Hop
March 10, 11 and 12
Sesc Presidente Dutra, Setor Comercial Sul, Brasilia
Check out the full schedule on the event page.
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Source: BdF Distrito Federal
Editing: Flavia Quirino
