“We are heirs to a historic struggle”, said Luiza Bairros.
THE black intellectual, who passed away in 2016, has her trajectory revisited in the exhibition Luiza Bairros: Lentes e Vozopened this Monday (24), at Fundação Palmares, in Brasília.
“The exhibition was born as a ‘feminagem’”, says curator Martha Rosa, from the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia.
“The exhibition provides an overview of the life and work of Luiza Bairros, through records of her work in the black movement, a chronology of her life, with photos, highlighting her participation in the formulation of public policies, her work in social movement institutions, among others”.
She also highlights that it is symbolic that the exhibition is launched on the eve of the second National March of Black Women, remembering that Luiza was one of the greatest organizers of the March and has always been a central reference for black feminism.
At the exhibition, people will even see records about the participation of the former minister in the Secretariat for Policies for the Promotion of Racial Equality in Brazil between 2011 and 2014.
THE The exhibition also features pieces produced by artists from different cities in the country, expressing their views on Luiza Bairros.
Luiza’s niece, Fernanda Bairros, was at the opening of the exhibition and stated that she is not only the intellectual’s niece, but “the fruit of the political project built” by her. Fernanda recalled that her aunt dedicated her entire life to the cause of combating racism and sexism.
The president of Fundação Palmares, João Jorge, highlighted the legacy left by Luiza and her role in institutional politics.
“All the women who are in politics today are descendants of Luiza Bairros, Lélia Gonzales, Beatriz Nascimento, all who came before,” he stated.
Present at the event, the Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, recalled that she met Luiza during her work at Fundação Palmares, a place that was, for many years, a reference for black artists to have the opportunity to carry out work on a national scale.
“This exhibition opens up the possibility for new generations to get closer and get to know [a Luiza]. Making this movement the day before the Black Women’s March is a very important point of strength”, added the minister.
Friendship and longing
A long-time friend of Luiza Bairros, philosopher Sueli Carneiro highlighted how much she misses the activist.
“We are here because we loved and love Luiza, her legacy and her story. I miss my friend, I miss her intelligence, I miss my companion, especially in such a terrible time as we are living in. Never has a powerful mind and a powerful reflection like Luiza’s been missed so much as in such a difficult time that we are going through, in which fascism stalks us all the time”, declared Sueli.
Sueli thanked Martha Rosa for being curated and highlighted that the exhibition is not just a remembrance of Luiza, but a way of keeping the intellectual’s legacy, intelligence, bravery and courage alive.
“May this exhibition be a channel for this historic struggle, fought by Luiza and by each one of us who are here, to reach more and more Brazilians, of all races and ethnicities, from all over the country. As Luiza said, and we defend, we do not have a black movement project for black people. We have a black project for Brazil”, concluded curator Martha Rosa.
