Iracema, Meine Liebe

Iracema is the title of one of the most beautiful romances in Brazilian literature, written by José de Alencar in 1865. Regarded by many as a poem in prosaic form, it tells the story of the relationship between Iracema and Martim, a Tabajara indigenous woman and a Portuguese colonist respectively. In its allegorization of the colonization of Americas by the Portuguese and other European conquerors, Iracema narrates the history of the Brazilian colonial state of Ceará. Born from the love of nature and innocence (portrayed by Iracema), and culture and knowledge (portrayed by Martim), their son Moacir is the fruit of the miscegenation of the native race with the European race, and the first true Brazilian in Ceará. At the same time, the title is an anagram of the word ‘America.’ Inspired by Alencar’s use of rhythm and the power of language in telling this history, my photographic series looks at the young ‘Iracemas’ in the suburbs of today’s Brazil. In their living areas, many of them succumb to aggressive or sensual contacts, their survival being marked by socio-cultural and economic barriers. While such situations are forbidden, they are widely practiced and the aggressors rarely found or charged. Lack of morals or ethical considerations pushes these young girls into addiction, as a means to evade the hard realities they need to confront.