The Revolutionary Black Women of Saubara

The shrieking sliced through the cloudy night and drowned out the music blasting from a speaker nearby. It was 9 p.m. in Saubara, a town of about 12,000 people in Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia. Although the party wouldn’t officially start until 3 a.m., crowds were already outside waiting in anticipation. It was July 2nd, the last day of celebrations marking Bahia’s independence from Portugal in 1823.

Caretas do Mingau, now grouped together and standing in front of them. We arrived at the house of the oldest on top of their heads covered with white cloths thin enough to show a haunting outline, yet render their faces invisible. Porridge was the easiest to make and the quickest to transport. It was also a daily staple of life.

The state of Bahia won its independence from Portugal in July of 1823, a full two months before Brazil. The women of Saubara began to commemorate their operation annually, leading to the party which has continued to this day. As profound and radical as their actions were, very little is known of the Caretas do Mingau—the sisterhood’s after-midnight walk is largely enjoyed by locals as a communal event.

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The Revoluntary Black Women of SaubaraThe shrieking sliced through the cloudy night and drowned out the music blasting from a speaker nearby. It was 9 p.m. in Saubara, a town of about 12,000 people in Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia. Although the party wouldn’t officially start until 3 a.m., crowds were already outside waiting in anticipation. It was July 2nd, the last day of celebrations marking Bahia’s independence from Portugal in 1823. The festivities began the day before with samba and beer followed by street parties and fireworks at night. Today, however, the partygoers had come to see the women in white, who were shrieking and dashing through the streets in pairs, eagerly awaiting the late hour. “Olha o mingau! Look at the porridge!” the women repeated, between intermittent screams. Their yells were high-pitched and eerie, out of place in this picturesque town known for its fisherwomen, rendeiras (lacemakers) and basket weavers. The shrieking women in white, whose festa would start when most ended, are Saubara’s “Caretas do Mingau” (Masks of Porridge) and theirs is a history of subversive resistance, cunning, and heroism. It started—as many revolutions do—when a group of black women came up with a plan of action.
Source: Jezebel - 🏆 153. / 63 Read more »