Conceição Evaristo

Maria da Conceição Evaristo de Brito (born 29 November 1946 in Minas Gerais, Brazil) is a Portuguese-language writer.

Quotes

interview in Fourteen female voices from Brazil by Elzbieta Szoka (2002)

• For me, writing is a form of liberation, a way of creating order for myself and creating disorder.

• Mysticism is very important for me. However, it is not a contemplative relationship of a passive human being in the presence of a divinity. It is a dynamic relationship of complicity between the human and the orixás [Afro-Brazilian deities].

• (Q: What does it mean for you to be a woman in Brazil?) CE: I would add to this question "What does it mean to be a black woman who who is poor?" "Being a woman in Brazil," you'd have to think about more than the gender category. You need to think, "What is it that distinguishes certain women?"...In order to answer your question, a person needs to think about, "What does it mean to be a wealthy woman in Brazil?" "What does it mean to be a poor woman in Brazil?" "What does it mean to be a black woman? Or an Indian woman?" There are still all of these issues. It's necessary not to limit ourselves just to the gender issue.

• I think that these phenomena merely change names. I don't think that globalization is actually such a new thing. Globalization represents new forms of imperialism. There was slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism, post-colonialism, and now we talk about globalization. During all of these periods, some situations were very clearly defined: the haves and the have-nots; those who give orders and those who obey. The power of globalization now may be more dynamic and more severe than in the past. It may affect more people at the same time, but, in my opinion, there aren't many differences in terms of consequences. I think that certain countries and certain people, because they were victims of imperialism, are going to be victims of globalization. And in the same way that those people and those countries created alternative forms of struggle and defense, I also think that, today, the same peoples and countries will look for alternative forms of struggle and defense. It's possible that a significant effect won't occur, but I think that people are trying to break free and to respond.

External links

• Facebook page
• GoodReads page
• O portal da literatura Afro-Brasileira (in Portuguese)