“Night of Black Beauty” reframes the logic of traditional contests

It was on the slopes of Curuzu, in the Liberdade neighborhood, that the first afro block of Salvador’s Carnival appeared, back in 1974. Motivated by the struggles against colonialism in Africa and inspired by North American movements, such as Black Power and Black Panthers, Antônio Carlos dos Santos Vovô and other residents decided to create a block formed only by blacks.

Preserve and expand the values ​​of African culture in Brazil. This is the motto of the block, which also served as inspiration for the emergence of the Black Beauty Night of Ilê Aiyê, the biggest beauty contest and exaltation of black women in the country. This year’s edition took place last night (8) and had Gleiciele Teixeira, 22, elected as the Goddess of Ebony 2020.

Like the Afro block, the chosen one also grew up on the famous slope of Curuzu, in the Liberdade neighborhood. “More than a title, it means self-affirmation, ancestry and identity. It is the struggle to gain more space and show our beauty, which is still undervalued”, says the chosen one, who works as a model and dancer.

The focus of the award is not only on valuing the ethnicity of the participants, but on all Afro-descendants. “We always emphasize the importance of education in the lives of these women. Along with the contest, the Queen’s responsibility was born to set an example as a woman citizen aware of her rights and her role in the fight for a fairer society”, explains Antônio Carlos Vovô, president of the entity.

The 41st edition of the award addressed themes that unfortunately are still massively present in the history of black women: unemployment and femicide. Journalist Maíra Azevedo, known as Tia Má, winner of the 2019 CLAUDIA Award in the Social Influencer category, was one of those responsible for conducting this part of the event.

The night was rocked by the rhythm of the host band Band’Aiyê, Daniela Mercury, Nara Couto and the show “Encontro de Poder”, with Graça Onasilê, Marcia Short, Preta Rara and Patricia Gomes. In addition, the actor Ícaro Silva also made a presentation in which he paid tribute to the singer Beyoncé.

Most Beautiful of the Beautiful

For intimates, Ilê is affectionately called the “Most Beautiful of the Beautiful”. The foundation of the block was on account of the ialorixá Mother Hilda Dias do Santos and their children: Grandpa, Hildete and Vivaldo. Mother Hilda, who died in 2009 at the age of 86, was responsible for leading the religious ceremony before the Ilê parade. In addition, the ialorixá created a Literacy School, in 1988, for children in the community.

Famous Bahian artists also drank from the block fountain to build their career values. Gilberto Gil🇧🇷 Margareth Menezes and Carlinhos Brown are some of them.