The Role of Aquilombamento in the Visibility of Black Brazilian Personalities such as Nair Theodoro de Araújo
Aquilombamento. Nair Theodoro de Araújo. Resistance.
This research aims to reflect on the invisibility and erasure of Black Brazilian personalities, as well as to consider the educational experiences of the Black movement as a strategy for formation and emancipation. In this sense, by dialoguing with the trajectory of resistance and transgression of the declaimer, actress, bookseller, and Black woman Nair Theodoro de Araújo, a question arises: Why has this Black woman still been part of the great gallery of forgotten Black Brazilian personalities, whose stories are erased and silenced? It is essential to consider the concept of aquilombamento, which refers to the creation of spaces of resistance and autonomy by the Black population, inspired by historical quilombos. Contemporary aquilombamento ranges from community self-organization initiatives to cultural and educational movements that seek to promote the appreciation of Black identity and culture. In this context, the concept of aquilombamento proposed by the author Beatriz Nascimento will be investigated, who highlighted the importance of these resistance practices in the fight against structural racism. Therefore, this work aims not only to rescue and highlight the notoriety of Nair Araújo, as she was known, and her active contribution to the Associação Cultural do Negro, founded by journalist José Correia Leite in 1954, in the city of São Paulo, but also to explore how her story fits into the broader context of aquilombamento and the ongoing struggle for recognition and justice for the Black Brazilian community.