When life becomes a word

Dororidade and escrevivência in Cartas para minha avó, by Djamila Ribeiro

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the book Cartas para minha avó (2021), by Djamila Ribeiro, based on the concepts of Dororidade and escrevivência. Initially, we discuss how Dororidade – a term proposed by Vilma Piedade (2017) – manifests itself in the bonds of affection and sharing of pain between Djamila and other black women, strengthening support networks that are fundamental to her trajectory. Next, we reflect on the process of escrevivência, as outlined by Conceição Evaristo (2020), as an instrument that allows the author to understand and narrate experiences marked by everyday racism. The work, written in epistolary form, presents autobiographical accounts in which the narrator-author “talks” to her grandmother, who has already passed away, moving between the present and the past to resignify events from her childhood and adult life. The research was carried out through a bibliographic study, using theoretical contributions from Vilma Piedade (2017), Conceição Evaristo (2020) and Djamila Ribeiro (2018). At the end of the analysis, we found that escrevivência and Dororidade are present in the narrative, supporting and empowering the development of the black women portrayed in the book. The experiences that become writing allow the narrator-author to face the adversities imposed by the racist structure of society and understand that sharing and memory are paths to reexistence.