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 and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The Mbundu of Ndongo ...

from Brazil.

Biography

He was born into a family of ex-

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

s in the state of

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

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

gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) 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 ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

and father of 7, he found refuge in the dark

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

culture of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

amid a lively world of

pimp Procuring, pimping, 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" ...

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves 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-pe ...

s, deviants and

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

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 people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

. 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 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 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, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

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 ...

,'' having been influenced by the 1930s film by

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

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 and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, capoeira music, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The ...

, 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'' A drunken João once resisted arrest by a 24-man platoon, leaving seven of the agents badly wounded, two with broken arms and two with split livers. The rest of the team opted to let him sleep it off rather than shooting him. João Francisco dos Santos consequently became a living myth that supported and represented the values and lives of such outcasts of society as well as a

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

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 (clothing), drag performer and capoeirista from Brazil. Biography He was born into a family of ex-slavery, slaves in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Hav ...

'', directed by Brazilian director

Karim Aïnouz Karim Aïnouz (; ; born 17 January 1966) is a Brazilian film director and visual artist. He is best known for his film '' The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão.'' Career Karim Aïnouz was born to a Brazilian mother and an Algerian father, in ...

and was released in 2002.

Lázaro Ramos Luís Lázaro Sacramento de Araújo Ramos (born 1 November 1978) is a 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 ...

plays the titular lead.

Cultural impact

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

References

External links

*
Official film website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sata, Madame 1900 births 1976 deaths People from Pernambuco Brazilian drag queens Brazilian gay entertainers Brazilian gay sportsmen Brazilian capoeira practitioners Afro-Brazilian sportspeople Afro-Brazilian LGBTQ people LGBTQ capoeira practitioners Deaths from cancer in Rio de Janeiro (state) Deaths from lung cancer in Brazil 20th-century Brazilian sportsmen 20th-century Brazilian LGBTQ people