"Quando um preto fala" : experiência negra, cultura nordestina e África na canção de Chico César

Abstract

The present research aimed to understand how the singer and songwriter Chico César employs in his musical production from the 1990s, meanings that express political and social dimensions linked to the black experience. In order to achieve such understanding, a detailed survey of the artist's works released in the 1990s and his biography was carried out. A mapping of the themes/meanings present in the surveyed work, related to social and political aspects of black life. And an analytical process aimed at identifying which resources and forms were used to compose the themes/meanings identified in the songs that served as the basis for the study. The research work made use of content analysis, considering lyrics and sound aspects in dealing with the analyzed material. At the end of the investigation, 15 songs were identified with themes that reference black people in social, cultural, and political terms. In the examined repertoire, 7 compositions were also found that centrally address black culture present in the Northeast. We also perceive the articulation of Africa and black characters in the construction of narratives and female figures highlighted in some lyrics. With the identification of themes, analysis categories were composed. These support a reflection and discussion on how in the songs, which correspond to the scope of the research, their respective themes and meanings are developed. We conclude, with the work, that in the analyzed songbook, practices, structures, and social/political conditions experienced by black men and women in Brazil are evidenced through the resources of the song form.