Violence against women is primarily a socially produced issue of gender-hierarchy cultural values. This study aimed to unveil the meanings assigned to sexual violence against women in the forró lyrics by adolescent boys living on the outskirts of Fortaleza, Ceará State, Brazil. Our point of departure was ethnomusicology, the theory of which contends that studies of regional songs and their performances transcend the geographic space in which they are performed, to the extent that they reflect universally disseminated practices in the legitimation of violence. The study was conducted in state public schools in the Bom Jardim neighborhood on the outskirts of Fortaleza. This neighborhood has the highest rates of violence against women in the city. Focus groups were conducted with six to eight participants each, debating three forró songs whose lyrics referred to sexual violence. The results showed that the lyrics reproduce and influence patriarchal ideologies among Northeast Brazilian youth. Quotes by the boys reveal the discourse of “reverse rape”, which seeks to condone sexual violence through the reversal of gender roles, ignoring socially constructed asymmetries. Forró proves to be a gender arena in which gladiators compete to flaunt notions of manhood, sexuality, and gender relations, replicating the dominant sexism in contemporary Brazilian society and contributing to the perpetuation of violence against women.
Keywords:
Culture; Music; Violence Against Women; Gender and Health; Ethnology