INTERVIEW WITH CARLOS BENEDITO:

THE AFRO-CENTRAL TRAJECTORY OF A BLACK ACTIVIST AND INTELLECTUAL

Abstract

This interview represents a historical milestone in the life and career of Professor Carlos Benedito da Silva Rodrigues, also known as Professor Carlão or Carlos Rastafari, a professor, intellectual, activist, cultural producer, father, husband, friend, and son. Initially, the driving force behind this work was the objective of understanding the dynamics of the Black Movement in Brazil, from its decentralization to other states, such as Maranhão. In pursuit of this objective, we conducted an interview with a leading figure in the Black Movement in the city of São Luís, Professor Carlos Benedito. Throughout the interview, the chronological sequence of events within the social movement intersects with the life trajectory of this developing Black intellectual. The interview is structured in three parts, initially highlighting his arduous journey as a student and worker, which would lead to his teaching career. The second part emphasizes his participation as an activist in the vibrant Black Movement of the 1970s, encompassing Black collective clubs and emphasizing the issue of race. And finally, upon arriving and settling in the city of São Luís, Maranhão, he consolidated his teaching career at the Federal University of Maranhão, serving as a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and in the Bachelor's Degree in African and Afro-Brazilian Studies, in addition to contributing to and becoming a reference in the areas of reggae, Afro-Maranhense culture, and affirmative action.