Sun. Samba. Carnival. Brazil is famous for its dancing and fabulous feathered carnival costumes, and for the sculpted beach bodies evidential of the country-wide boom in plastic surgery and the eponymous wax.
Yet it is also a conservative and patriarchal society. Every 15 seconds a woman suffers domestic violence. Gay marriage is rarely discussed and women are intended to be sexually attractive but never active. Abortion is legal only in cases of rape or if the pregnancy endangers the life of the woman—women who are found guilty of otherwise procuring abortions face jail. The country is the eighth largest economy in the world, but the gap between rich and poor is severe.
These are among the issues which enrage the burgeoning riot grrl (RG) movement, inspired by ’90s US bands such as Bikini Kill, but with a definite Brazilian flavour, with bands such as Dominatrix from Sao Paulo, and Bulimia, Kaos Klitoriano and Punk Rock não é só pro seu namorado (Punk Rock isn’t only for your boyfriend) from Brasilia. The two towns are still home to most Brazilian RG bands, festivals and zines, although RG is spreading to the north-east, and beginning to appear in the south.
The RG movement, although it spawned from the punk community in an attempt to challenge the status of girls, has necessarily evolved into a wider cause, embracing diverse feminist, gender, class, ethical, political and other issues. Aware of abortion rights or domestic violence, these groups do more than just protest or write academic essays. They make music, paintings, photographs, zines (such as True Lies; Dois Corpos; Maria sogna tutti le notti; Bendita Zine; Portal Quitéria; Colectivo Feminista) out of their disapproval, inviting everyone to do the same.
One of the main reasons why RG is so special is its capacity for combining art and activism: “Given that the majority of the population is extremely poor, problems here [Brazil] go beyond feminism, but don’t exclude feminist causes,” says Nandee, a young feminist from Porto Alegre. “It is through education and debate that we build an egalitarian society. We have to work with those who do not have access to information, in workshops, for example.”
Flávia Biggs, from Sorocaba, SP, and in the band Biggs, agrees: “Brazilian women’s groups reach the population outside academic and artistic worlds, mainly through projects of social action, which are an active and powerful reality.”
Who’s making the music?
Brazil has its own version of Ladyfest, brought about by Elisa, of the band Dominatrix, which started out in 2000. Ladyfest Brasil takes place at Sao Paulo, including bands mostly from the region as well as bands from another provinces, plus workshops, film and art exhibitions. It is, still, the main RG event in the country. However, other bands and followers of the scene organise smaller festivals in their local towns.
In December last year, the first Banheiro Unisex (part of Projeto Riot Brasil – born at an online forum) took place in Porto Alegre. As the first ever RG event in the extreme south, it attracted a small but diverse group of interested girls and boys, who, after warm discussions, organised a party with DJs from local feminist bands.
In the south region as well, in Florianopolis, capital of Santa Catarina, an interesting group has been acting out their feminism. Named Gafe (from the Portuguese for “group of feminist action”) they meet regularly to organise public action, including workshops about women’s health. Rock’n’Roll Camp for Girls is also coming to Brazil, brought by Flávia Biggs, who participated three times in Portland’s edition and decided to organise a Brazilian version in Sao Paulo. She also runs a project called Guitarra pra meninas (guitars for girls), in which she teaches girls how to play the instrumen, for free. Flavia is a sociologist, plays in the band Biggs, was part of Dominatrix for many years, and in the mean time, she also finds time to write, teach English and act out her ideas.
So what’s the next step for RG Brazil?
“We need to move. We need more girl groups, to record labels to spread in order to show these bands.” explains Brazilian feminist Marina. “We also need more zine fests and stuff . . . not only parties. It all would help us to grow the RG spirit within and around us. And, for communication to happen, so that we can make use of all girls’ potential, we must use the media (not only showing their bodies), to spread the word.”
Photos of Dominatrix, Fantasmina and Las Dierces by Naiara Zanuzzo.