Inspiring Women: Elza Soares

Eighty years of a history marked by poverty, racism and violence, but also by the undeniable talent and strength of a woman who, despite everything, survived. Our inspiring woman today is Elza Soares, elected the? Brazilian singer of the millennium? by the BBC London in 1999.

Elza Soares's trajectory

Elza da Conceição Soares was born in the Moça Bonita favela, in Rio de Janeiro, in 1937. The daughter of a washerwoman and a worker, she was forced by her father to marry at only 12 years old. The following year, she gave birth to her first child. Was it precisely in order to be able to buy medicine for the newborn that Elza decided to participate in Ary Barroso's program on Radio Tupi? even though your family is against it.

At the time, the 38-pound girl who wore pin-patched clothes and had a very humble way of speaking made the presenter startle. Sarcastically, Barroso asked what planet she had come from, eliciting laughter in the audience. "From planet Hunger," Elza replied, showing that she had not been born to quietly accept what life seemed to want to impose on her.

The voice and talent of the little singer impressed the presenter, making him declare that "a star had just been born at that time". Despite earning some money from participation, Elza Soares's son could not resist.

The tragedies, unfortunately, did not stop there: when she was only 15 years old, Elza lost her second child. In all, did the couple have seven children? and that's how the singer found herself alone with five children when she became a widow at 21. At this time she began to work as a cleaning lady and a maid, as her husband had previously forbidden her to work abroad.

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In addition to the death of her two sons, Elza suffered the trauma of having her daughter Dilma kidnapped. The girl stayed with a couple, who received a certain amount to take care of her while Elza worked, until one day they disappeared into the world with the child. Mother and daughter only met many years later, when Dilma was an adult.

The voice that survived the violence

Despite all the difficulties, Elza Soares had never given up on singing. With her unmistakably hoarse voice, she could make short presentations on radio and television. As she was beginning to be recognized on the samba scene, Elza met the celebrated national football player Garrincha, who was still married at the time.

With the divorce of the player, Elza was massacred by the media and became a target across the country, who blamed her for the fact that Garrincha abandoned his wife and daughters? although he had already had three wives and was not so close to his children from previous marriages. Elza received death threats, had her house targeted by eggs and tomatoes and was called a? Slut? and "witch".

Did the cursing even come from Garrincha's own friends, who were annoyed that the singer didn't want him to drink? On several occasions, after being married, Elza even roamed the city's bars asking that no one give her husband alcohol.

Although Elza tried to protect Garrincha from alcoholism, his fight was not enough to prevent the drunk player from colliding with a truck. The accident left the singer and her daughter Sara unharmed, but her mother, Dona Josefa, died when she was thrown out of the vehicle.

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The nightmare Elza lived with Garrincha didn't end there. Even married and with a son, the player was extremely jealous and violent, and hit her several verses, including breaking his teeth on one occasion.

In 1982, Elza and Garrincha divorced after 16 years of marriage. The following year, the former player died of cirrhosis, leaving her very shaken. As if all the suffering had not been enough, Elza and Garrincha's son died in a car accident in 1986, just 9 years old.

Let me sing. Let me sing till the end?

Although depressed and attempting suicide, the singer, with her talent that had already traveled the world, saw her career continue. So in 1999 she was chosen by the London BBC as? The Brazilian singer of the millennium? ? a more than deserved recognition by those who ask them to? let them sing to the end? in the song “Woman of the End of the World”, from the album of the same name of 2015, the first with unreleased songs.

It was also on this album that Elza Soares seems to have been able to voice her revolt against the violence she suffered through the song Maria da Vila Matilda. and its iconic verse? Will you regret raising your hand to me ?. No wonder the album, which also criticizes racism, became a reference for the feminist struggle in the country.

With the repercussion,? The Woman of the End of the World? won the Latin Grammy Award for best MPB album, the APCA Trophy of the Paulista Association of Art Critics and the Brazilian Music Award, among several other nominations and achievements.

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And when Elza Soares said she wanted to sing to the end, she wasn't speaking out: "God Is Woman", the singer's next album, which will be filled with messages of female empowerment and homage to African origins, is being released. scheduled for May this year.

What can we learn from Elza Soares

Elza Soares's survival story is a sequence of inspiring lessons. These are some that we chose to highlight thinking about International Women's Day:

1. Strong women are also subject to abusive relationships.

It is not uncommon to see criticism of openly feminist women who find themselves involved in an abusive relationship. As the story of Elza Soares shows us, we are all subject to it, however strong we may be. To this day, the singer claims that Garrincha was a great love, perhaps the greatest of her life. Therefore, instead of questioning the strength or empowerment of the victims, our role is to support them and combat the action of the perpetrators.

2. Our voice can't be quiet

Elza Soares could not scream as she was assaulted by the media, society and her husband, but that did not silence her voice forever. Today, nearing the age of 81, the singer is steadfast in her purpose of singing the appreciation of women, sexual freedom, and respect for ethnicities, even though her health hardly allows her anymore.

For years, the singer has suffered a very serious back problem caused by a fall from the stage and surgery, which prevents her from wearing the 15 he loved so much. Even if she has to appear seated and her breath is no longer the same, Elza continues to convey her message.

Read also: 10 feminist songs for you to hear and empower

3. We must prioritize the union between women

No one would say that Elza Soares is not a legitimate feminist, right? However, she herself had doubts about being a representative of this movement. In an interview with the Huffington Post in 2015, when asked about considering herself a feminist, the singer stated: “I don't know what I consider myself [laughs]. I am a woman. Feminist or not, I'm a woman. Woman screaming, fighting, seeking for the best to happen. Ever.?

Unfortunately, the word? Feminist? still cause fear in many people? including women who have had a fighting history and are examples to all of us. In these cases, instead of creating even more disunity, how about thinking that not all women have had a chance to understand what feminism means?

Just as Elza Soares has been harshly criticized and threatened, many of us continue to go through similar situations. The women who came before us broke new ground, but we still need to achieve much more. Together, this task will be less painful.

Aiza Ntibakure et Christopher Cargnello | Performance Artistique Live | IF Abidjan 2017 (May 2024)