A construção das personagens negras e o imaginário social em Dramas para negros e Prólogo para brancos, de Abdias Nascimento

Abstract

The present research proposes a critical analysis of the representation of Black characters in Brazilian dramatic literature, focusing on the work Dramas for Blacks and a Prologue for Whites, organized by Abdias Nascimento. Arising from a personal concern related to racial identity and the erasure of Black references in my own trajectory, this study examines how the Teatro Experimental do Negro (TEN) disrupted the colonial and racist social imaginary, specifically regarding its influence on the creation of black characters in Brazilian theater. The study weaves theoretical concepts from authors such as Cornelius Castoriadis (1982) and Bronislaw Baczko (1985) with perspectives from Black intellectuals and artists, including Toni Morrison (2019), Frantz Fanon (2008), Sueli Carneiro (2023), Cuti (2010) and Abdias Nascimento (2004) himself. The research argues that black theater, particularly as developed by the Teatro Experimental do Negro (TEN), emerges as a tool of aesthetic, political, and spiritual resistance, promoting a symbolic reconfiguration of black identity. Thus, this work seeks to highlight how TEN established itself as a space for confronting stereotypes and valuing Afro-Brazilian ancestry. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]