Madame Satã was the artistic name of João Francisco dos Santos (1900–1976), a drag performer and

capoeirista Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th centu ...

from Brazil.

Biography

He was born into a family of ex-

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

s in the state of

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...

, Brazil. Having been convicted of murder, spending 27 years in prison, being a former

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

and father of 7, he found refuge in the dark

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

culture of Rio de Janeiro amid a lively world of

pimp Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

s, deviants and

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

composers. João is most commemorated as a figure who fought to redefine himself while battling the stigmas of being a son of former black slaves, illiterate and

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

. João is quoted for once saying "I was born an

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

, that's how I'll live." In between his drag performances, his days as a

hustler Hustler or hustlers may also refer to: Professions * Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a: ** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks ** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs ** Male prostitute ** Pimp ** Business man, more gener ...

and his convictions of murder, his image as the legendary

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

performance artist Madame Satã meaning ''

Madam Satan ''Madam Satan'' or ''Madame Satan'' is a 1930 American pre-Code musical comedy film in black and white with Multicolor sequences. It was produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starred Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Lillian Roth, and Rolan ...

'' having been influenced by the 1930s film by

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

about a woman disguising herself as a notorious temptress to win back her errant husband. João's infamous character represented an expression of resistance in this post abolitionist era in Brazil where black people, prostitutes, drug users and addicts and other 'deviant' outcasts were deemed useless to society. He was a skilled street fighter trained in the style of

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...

, and his battles against the police forces were legendary. He routinely fought barehanded against quartets of policemen armed with wooden clubs.Nestor Capoeira, ''Capoeira: Roots of the Dance-fight-game'' Also, it's said he once faced a 24-man platoon and battled them to a stalemate, forcing them to fly away after leaving seven of them badly wounded, two with broken arms and two with split livers. Thus, João Francisco dos Santos became a living myth that supported and represented the values and lives of such outcasts of society becoming himself a

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

ary icon for the marginalized socially.

Film adaptation

João Francisco dos Santos's story was told in the film ''

Madame Satã Madame Satã was the artistic name of João Francisco dos Santos (1900–1976), a drag performer and capoeirista from Brazil. Biography He was born into a family of ex- slaves in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Having been convicted of mu ...

'', directed by Brazilian director

Karim Aïnouz Karim Aïnouz (born 17 January 1966) is a Brazilian film director and visual artist. Career Karim Aïnouz was born to a Brazilian mother and an Algerian father. He is a film director, screenwriter and visual artist. Aïnouz's feature debut, ' ...

and was released in 2002.

Lázaro Ramos Luís Lázaro Sacramento Ramos (born November 1, 1978) is a prolific Brazilian actor, television presenter, director, writer, and voice actor. He started his acting career with the Flock of Olodum Theater group, in Salvador, and is best known f ...

plays the titular lead.

Cultural impact

* Madame, a decades-old goth nightclub in São Paulo, was named after Madame Sata

References

External links

*
Official film website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sata, Madame Brazilian LGBT entertainers Brazilian capoeira practitioners 1900 births 1976 deaths People from Pernambuco Gay entertainers LGBT capoeira practitioners 20th-century LGBT people