From the Hood to the World: May Ayim

PORTUGUESE

Da quebrada pro mundo! From the Hood to the World!
A column that amplifies the voices and narratives of the periphery by Alexandre Ribeiro.

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May Ayim
Identity, racism, and belonging in a Germany that often doesn’t embrace bodies like ours.

Today, I want to share about May Ayim, an Afro-German poet whose words are deeply important to me. She addressed themes of identity, racism, and belonging in a Germany that often doesn’t embrace bodies like ours.

Her poem "grenzenlos und unverschämt" (limitless and unashamed) touches on the issue of living without fear of being who we are, even when the world around us tries to erase us.

You can read the full poem here.

May Ayim’s work impacts me because, as an immigrant, I experience the tension of being between worlds and cultures. Her courage to claim space to exist, without apologizing, inspires me every day to keep fighting and creating, despite the challenges.

We need these references to remind us that our place is wherever we choose to be, and that art is a powerful tool of resistance.

From now on, I will be here in this newsletter, bringing reading suggestions and reflections that move me, and I hope they will resonate with you too. The journey of literature is one of the richest ways to connect with our roots and empower ourselves for the future.

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I am Alexandre Ribeiro, an award-winning writer and founder of the school“Da Quebrada Pro Mundo”, a project that was born in the heart of the periphery but now reaches the world, always with the goal of amplifying our voices and narratives.

I also lead CUFA Germany, bringing a bit of the power of the Central Única das Favelas to the diaspora here in Europe.

My work is about resisting, inspiring, and expanding the horizons of people from the periphery who, like me, live between borders.

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