Modes of (R)existence in Brazilian Traditional Cultures: Ancestry and Queerness in the Subversive Performance of the Carimbó Cobra Venenosa

Abstract

Abstract: Based on collaborative research on the Carimbó Cobra Venenosa group, this article discusses how traditional expressions are shaped by LGBTQIA+ performers and how perceptions of the LGBTQIA+ community are potentially altered when feminist and queer artists perform traditional folk genres. Carimbó is a form of music, dance, and sociability typical of the state of Pará (Amazonia, Northern Brazil). Although it has historically been a source of Black and popular subaltern resistance, it has also been structured by sexist, binary, and heteronormative perspectives. Cobra Venenosa is a carimbó group that invests in a subversive performance in which LGBTQIA+ activism is key. Cobra's aesthetic and political choices are characteristic of contemporary performative arts and artivism. However, the ensemble claims to be pau e corda —a vernacular category referring to carimbó traditional styles. Cobra's insistence on simultaneously occupying these two places challenges the limits of traditional carimbó from within. This article contributes to the visibility of feminist and queer experiences in the universe of traditional cultures, revealing the presence of distinct values, practices, subjects, and conflicts. It dialogues with feminist, queer, intersectional, and decolonial studies, and points to potential theoretical and analytical gains resulting from the study of nonconformant cases.