In the second episode of the latest Beyond Beauty season, Grace Neutral is invited to Favela do Sapo by the Okereke sisters, who open our eyes to more than just the area’s crime statistics. We discover a strong sense of community as we meet a gang of young black women challenging racial discrimination — redefining the city’s beauty ideals through the Afro Hair Movement and reclaiming their cultural identity. “Right now we are looking to find our identity as black women, so we get inspiration from our history, things we find out about our culture,” Tracie Okereke explains. By exploring this past, the girls and their peers are shaping their present and future, through style, music, and culture. These worlds collide in an underground party they host in the heart of their favela. “We are reclaiming what’s ours. This is our thing, it’s our music,” Tracie begins, “we want people to relate to the favela, for the people to mix, to realize how much they have in common,” Tasha adds. As Hick Duarte documents the emerging energy inside Favela do Sapo, these party photos mean more than #aboutlastnight: they are about tomorrow.
Credits
Photography Hick Duarte