Alliance of International Production Houses

How can we discuss Blackness and questions of race based on personal experiences? In IS THIS A BLACK? four performers talk about what it means to be a Black person and artist in Brazil today, while shedding light on racism as a structuring practice in Brazil. They not only investigate their collective self; they also encourage the audience to reflect on their own positions. Asking questions becomes a compelling means in an intense evening that looks for answers. The performers consult contemporary Black writers, scholars, and intellectuals, like Fred Moten, Achille Mbembe, bell hooks, Grada Kilomba, Frantz Fanon, Sueli Cordeiro, and Aimé Cesaire. EQuemÉGosta? play with the limits of autobiographical narratives and fiction, as well as humor and conventions, ultimately transforming the stage into a place of resisting silence.

IS THIS A BLACK? is the first performance by the group EQuemÉGosta? which was founded at the School of Communication and Arts (EAD/ECA) of the University of São Paulo in 2016. The collective consists of people who are active in dance, theater, and the visual arts. IS THIS A BLACK? premiered in São Paulo in 2018 and has been touring all over the world since.