Solano Trindade (July 24, 1908— February 19, 1974) was a Brazilian poet, actor, folklorist, painter, stage director and activist. Trindade was active in the Brazilian Black Movement, having founded or co-founded several popular theater and art initiatives, such as the Teatro Popular Brasileiro (''Brazilian Popular Theater'') company. His poems celebrated his Afro-Brazilian heritage, as well as denouncing racism, poverty and social inequality.

Biography

Trindade was born in Recife. His father, Manuel Abílio Trindade, was a shoemaker who participated in the ''

bumba-meu-boi Toada is a style of Central Amazonian folk music now moving into the mainstream in Brazil. It is a combination of traditional Amazonian rhythms with African and European influence. The genre was made known throughout Brazil after Amazonian grou ...

'' and '' pastoril'' folk dances; his mother, Emerenciana Maria de Jesus Trindade, was a street food seller and factory worker. Trindade worked for a time as a Presbyterian deacon. In 1934 he participated in the first Afro-Brazilian Congress, held in Recife, and two years later, of the second one, held in

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

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. He published his first book in 1936, ''Poemas Negros''. That year he founded two Afro-Brazilian cultural organizations: the Frente Negra Pernambucana (Black Front of Pernambuco) and the Centro Cultural Afro-Brasileiro (Afro-Brazilian Cultural Center). After a brief stay in

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and

Pelotas Pelotas () is a Brazilian city and municipality (''município''), the third most populous in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located 270 km (168 mi) from Porto Alegre, the state's capital city, and 130 km (80.8&nb ...

, Trindade moved to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

in the 1940s. There he met other artists and intellectuals, reuniting at the Café Vermelhinho. He joined the Brazilian Communist Party. In 1944 he published the book ''Poemas para uma vida mais simples'' (Poems for a simpler life). In 1945 he organized, with

Abdias do Nascimento Abdias do Nascimento (March 14, 1914 – May 23, 2011) was a prominent African Brazilian scholar, artist, and politician. Also a poet, dramatist, and Pan-African activist, Nascimento created the Black Experimental Theater (1944) and the Black Ar ...

, the Comitê Democrático Afro-brasileiro (Afro-Brazilian Democratic Committee), associated with Nascimento's Teatro Experimental do Negro. In 1950, together with his wife Margarida Trindade and sociologist Edison Carneiro, he founded the Teatro Popular Brasileiro (TPB), a popular theater group inspired by Brazilian Black and indigenous cultural traditions. Trindade later moved to São Paulo, establishing a second branch to TPB and in 1961, he moved to the city of

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, in Greater São Paulo, organizing several popular art ensembles. Trindade acted in several films, such as '' A Hora e Vez de Augusto Matraga'' by

Roberto Santos Roberto Santos Pinhanez (1928–1987) was a Brazilian film director, known for films like '' Matraga'' (''A Hora e Vez de Augusto Matraga'') and ''The Great Moment'' (''O Grande Momento''). Biography Santos was born in a working-class subur ...

. Trindade died in Rio de Janeiro, in 1974.

Books

* ''Poemas de Uma Vida Simples'', Rio de Janeiro, 1944, * ''Cantares ao Meu Povo'', São Paulo, 1963. * ''Poemas antológicos''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trindade, Solano Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (Brazil) Brazilian communists Brazilian Presbyterians 1974 deaths 1908 births Brazilian poets Afro-Brazilian people Male actors from Recife People from Recife