Elas estão por toda parte: a representatividade feminina no movimento cultural da Congada, do município de Itumbiara, Goiás, (1991-2023)

Abstract

The congada is a popular cultural event. It is also recognized as intangible cultural heritage and exists in different regions of the Brazilian territory. It is a festival marked by Afro Brazilian identity, which mixes meanings and involves faith, devotion, tradition and resistance. In this celebration, women were present at all times, however the spaces occupied by them were not always evident. The city of Itumbiara, Goiás, is home to several congadas, including Congo Beira Mar, the object of study in this research, which focuses on emphasizing knowledge and practices, as well as highlighting the importance of women and the role that they play in the group, for the maintenance and perpetuation of this cultural, festive and religious manifestation. To this end, bibliographic reviews and field research were carried out, through oral history, in addition to photographic and audiovisual records, through which it is recognized that Congo Beira Mar was activated by Dona Cecília. She experienced the tradition with her father and, some time after his death, decided to continue the family tradition. This continues today and, even though it is not a female congada suit, the group has a large number of women who participate and take action in all areas of the movement. All this made it possible to conclude that, in Congo Beira Mar, female representation is evident, from its activation to the present.