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O Atlântico Negro De Angélique Kidjo: Memória E Ancestralidade Em Uma Trilogia Musical Afrodiaspórica

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O Atlântico Negro De Angélique Kidjo: Memória E Ancestralidade Em Uma Trilogia Musical Afrodiaspórica UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DA BAHIA INSTITUTO DE LETRAS PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM LITERATURA E CULTURA O ATLÂNTICO NEGRO DE ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO: MEMÓRIA E ANCESTRALIDADE EM UMA TRILOGIA MUSICAL AFRODIASPÓRICA MARIELSON DE CARVALHO BISPO DA SILVA Salvador 2019 MARIELSON DE CARVALHO BISPO DA SILVA O ATLÂNTICO NEGRO DE ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO: MEMÓRIA E ANCESTRALIDADE EM UMA TRILOGIA MUSICAL AFRODIASPÓRICA Tese apresentada ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Literatura e Cultura, no âmbito da linha Documentos da Memória Cultural, do Instituto de Letras da Universidade Federal da Bahia para obtenção do grau de Doutor em Letras. Aprovada em 15 de março de 2019. Orientador: Prof. Dr. José Henrique Freitas Santos (UFBA) Banca Examinadora: Prof. Dr. Osmundo Santos de Araújo Pinho (UFRB) Profa. Dra. Zelinda dos Santos Barros (UNILAB) Profa. Dra. Mônica Menezes Santos (UFBA) Profa. Dra. Denise Carrascosa França (UFBA) Salvador 2019 DEDICATÓRIA A meu pai, Manoel Natividade, Guará (In memoriam) À Angélique Kidjo AGRADECIMENTOS À minha mãe, Aiméi Carvalho, e ao meu companheiro, Márcio Dias Costa, pelo suporte, cada um de um lado, a me equilibrar emocionalmente durante essa exaustiva pesquisa. Sem eles, eu já teria desistido, frente às várias dificuldades que me cercaram nesse período. Amor que não se mede. A meu orientador, Prof. Dr. Henrique Freitas, pelo acolhimento e paciência, quando eu não conseguia encontrar as rotas menos dolorosas dessa travessia Atlântico adentro. Sem seu incentivo, essas encruzilhadas teóricas não fariam sentido para mim. Aos meus amigos beninenses no Brasil, Gildard Myehouenou, Ferréol Bah e Abraham Omore, que traduziram algumas canções de Angélique Kidjo, do fon para o francês ou português, assim como indicaram pessoas, lugares e instituições que foram imprescindíveis para a minha viagem ao Benim. Aos meus amigos beninenses no Benim, Wenceslas Padonou e Mauriac Delon que, desde a chegada até a partida, foram meus guias, conselheiros, tradutores por 21 dias de intenso contato com a vida cultural, religiosa e social de Cotonou, Uidá, Abomé e Porto-Novo. À família de Gildard: sua mãe, Delphine Kpade, seu pai Richard Myehouenou e seu irmão, Gilchrist Myehouenou, que por diversas vezes me fez me receberam em sua casa, sempre solidários e atenciosos. A meus primos que me receberam em Paris: Ana Cláudia Ramos, Nadjane Carvalho, Daiane Carvalho e Péricles Guimarães. Sem eles, eu não teria feito a pesquisa de campo na cidade com a estrutura necessária. Aos ex-coordenadores do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Literatura e Cultura, Profa. Dra. Raquel Esteves e Prof. Dr. Marcio Muniz, e à atual, Profa. Dra. Alvanita Almeida, pela compreensão e solidariedade em atender às minhas demandas acadêmicas. À Profª Dra. Maria de Fátima Maia Ribeiro pela orientação nos dois primeiros anos da pesquisa e participação na banca do Exame de Qualificação, na qual também participou o Prof. Dr. Félix Ayoh’Omidire, a quem agradeço pelo incentivo. Aos colegas professores da UNEB Cristian Sales, Moisés Alves e Joabson Figueiredo, pelo afeto e pela alegria sempre presentes em momentos de tensão e crise. Ao jornalista Hugo Mansur, por sempre me informar sobre fatos, histórias e fofocas sobre Angélique Kidjo. Ao jornalista Marcos Rodrigues e à Profa. Dra. Fernanda Felisberto, pelas indicações bibliográficas. Ao grupo de pesquisa Rasuras pelo apoio e pelos momentos de debates, à época integrado por colegas do PPGLitCult, como os professores Jorge Augusto, Silvana Carvalho, Vércio Verciah e Josy Eloi, e coordenado pela Profa. Dra. Ana Lúcia Silva Souza. RESUMO A tese analisa a trajetória artística, artivista e intelectual da cantora e compositora Angélique Kidjo (1960, Uidá, Benim), marcada por uma produção musical cujas referências simbólicas e materiais de tradição fon e iorubá se relacionam com as diásporas africanas nas Américas em termos culturais e religiosos. Reconhecida internacionalmente desde a década de 1980, quando se autoexilou na França em decorrência da situação política e econômica no Benim, Angélique Kidjo tem uma atuação importante dentro e fora da África, tornando-se uma das mais expressivas e influentes vozes contra o racismo e o colonialismo em torno da ideia de África construída pelo Ocidente. Através da música, a artista beninense aciona e articula discursos afirmativos de inscrição feminina, negra e africana em mais de 38 anos de carreira. Pretende-se discutir a diáspora africana a partir da trilogia musical que Angélique produziu em um período crucial de mudanças estéticas e temáticas em sua vida artística. Oremi (1998), Black Ivory Soul (2002) e Oyaya (2004) são três álbuns que, respectivamente, encruzilham as músicas afrodiaspóricas e africanas em uma rede atlântica que abrange Estados Unidos, Brasil e Caribe. Ao expandir sua dicção e performance nas Américas e incorporá-las a sua criação pela clave da memória e da ancestralidade, Angélique recria uma experiência que desde cedo a formou no Benim: a música negra norte-americana, afro-brasileira e afro-caribenha. Essas tradições se acentuam na trilogia, como ela mesma descreve, em forma de um link com a diáspora, que mostra o quanto o continente africano contribuiu imensamente para a cultura contemporânea no Ocidente a partir do jazz, do blues, do hip hop, da salsa, do reggae, do samba. As textualidades africanas que a música reinscreve nesse contexto resultam produtos interdiscursivos e midiáticos de alcance global, cujas rotas operadas por músicos, intérpretes e produtores reencenam modalidades de recepção, para além das limitações coloniais. Esse repertório entre as margens do Atlântico transcende fronteiras e nos possibilita entender as próprias estratégias e dinâmicas de constituição de seus fluxos e refluxos. Angélique Kidjo promove com seu projeto musical essa discussão sobre tradução cultural na diáspora africana. Palavras-chave: Angélique Kidjo; África; Diáspora; Música; Memória; Ancestralidade ABSTRACT The thesis analyzes the artistic, artivist and intellectual trajectory of the singer and composer Angélique Kidjo (1960, Ouidah, Benin). This musical production has symbolic references fon and ioruba that cross with the African diasporas in the Americas. Recognized internationally since the 1980s, when she self-exiled herself in France as a result of the political and economic situation in Benin that displeased her, Angélique Kidjo plays an important role both within and outside Africa, becoming one of the most expressive and influential voices against racism and other counter-hegemonic confrontations around the idea of Africa built by the West. Through music, the Beninese artist activates and articulates affirmative speeches of feminine, black and African inscription in more than 38 years of career. It is intended to discuss the African diaspora from the musical trilogy that Angélique produced in a crucial period of his artistic life of aesthetic and thematic changes. Oremi (1998), Black Ivory Soul (2002) and Oyaya (2004) are three albums that respectively dialogue Afro-diasporic and African songs in an Atlantic network that covers the United States, Brazil and the Caribbean. By expanding her diction and performance in the Americas and incorporating her creation into the key of memory and ancestry, Angélique recreates an early experience in Benin: black American, Afro-Brazilian and Afro- Caribbean music. These traditions are accentuated in the trilogy, as she describes herself, in the form of a link with the diaspora, which shows how much the African continent contributed immensely to contemporary culture in the West from jazz, blues, hip hop, salsa, reggae, samba. The African textualities that music reinscribes in this context result in interdiscursive and media products of global reach, whose routes operated by musicians, performers and producers re-enter modes of reception, beyond the colonial limitations. This repertoire between the shores of the Atlantic transcends boundaries and enables us to understand the strategies and dynamics of the constitution of its flows and ebbs. Angélique Kidjo promotes with her musical project this discussion about cultural translation in the African diaspora. Keywords: Angélique Kidjo; Africa; Diaspora; Music; Memory; Ancestry SUMÁRIO Introdução 8 1 Mapeando o Atlântico negro: rotas e raízes afrodiaspóricas 17 2 “No ventre da cobra” - Angélique Kidjo sob o domínio de Dan: memória e ancestralidade 44 2.1 O canto do rouxinol e o sangue dos guerreiros: música e tradição na casa dos Kidjo 46 2.2 Do Beach Club de Cotonou ao Olympia de Paris: o mundo e a música de uma beninense na Europa 81 3 Oremi: Travessia atlântica pela rota do jazz e da América Negra 105 3.1 Angélique Kidjo visita Jimi Hendrix: “I’m a voodoo child” 107 3.2 No jogo do Ifá: um babalaô na regência da trilogia 117 4 “Black Ivory Soul”: Encruzilhadas musicais e ancestrais entre Benim e Brasil: fluxos e refluxos afro-fon-iorubaianos 126 4.1 Houeda, Uidá e Agudá: narrativas baianas, memórias beninenses 129 4.2 Angélique Kidjo, Carlinhos Brown e Gilberto Gil: vozes e tambores cruzados no Atlântico afro-baiano 140 5 “Oyaya”: Atlântico de salsas e congas: música negra e identidade caribenha 151 5.1 Cuba libre e transatlântica: Celia Cruz ensina salsa aos Kidjos 155 5.2 Redemption songs: música e artivismo no mar do Caribe 165 Considerações finais 173 Anexos 176 Referências 180 8 Introdução A pesquisa sobre a vida e a obra de Angélique Kidjo completou 10 anos em 2018. Nesse período, entre o primeiro contato com a sua voz até a finalização desta tese, eu transitei muito pelo território da
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