Introduction
The colonial project, beyond its physical domination, has deeply infiltrated culture and knowledge [3], imposing a single story [4] as the universal truth while marginalising local epistemologies. Decolonising these spaces requires centring the knowledge and perspectives of those silenced by colonialism. This involves not only recognizing but also promoting alternative epistemologies that challenge the dominance of the eurocentric thought [5].
The transfeminist researcher Viviane Vergueiro refers to this colonial system that privileges cisgender identities as the ‘cis-tem’ — a structure deeply rooted in white cis-heteronormativity [6]. As a cisgender researcher, I approach this work with the understanding that my positionality grants me certain privileges that shape my worldview. My engagement with the rich body of trans knowledge [7] has prompted reflection on these privileges and how they shape dominant narratives.
By highlighting the works of Pêdra Costa, Renata Carvalho and Leila Daianis, this article demonstrates how their counter-narratives are challenging oppressive structures, fostering global dialogues and creating spaces of emancipation within the trans, travesti and gender-diverse diasporas in Europe.
Pêdra Costa: Spirituality, Alchemy and Embodied Knowledge
Pêdra Costa (they/she) is a Brazilian multidisciplinary artist, tarot reader, and visual and urban anthropologist based in Berlin since 2010. Pêdra’s work defies traditional academic structures, prioritising embodied and spiritual knowledge often devalued within colonial frameworks. Pêdra’s performances transform personal and collective trauma into empowerment, a process she describes as alchemy. This makes her art a key site of decolonial resistance, challenging the dominance of Western academic systems.
She emphasises the essential role of spirituality in her decolonial practice, stating: “Having an anti-colonial stance in the world without spiritual practice becomes empty. It becomes a European professor talking about decoloniality.” Pêdra is particularly critical of Eurocentric academic systems, arguing that they often devalue non-traditional knowledge, especially the practical wisdom gained through lived experience. She notes, “Academic knowledge is as colonial as the colonial project itself. It empties things of their soul, heart, and the pulse of life.”
In contrast, Pêdra highlights the importance of grounding knowledge in the body and spirit, positioning experiential learning as key to understanding and overcoming systems of oppression: “I really believe in incorporation, in grounding… a type of knowledge you don’t learn from books.”
In her performances ( see de_colon_isation and Solange, tô aberta!), Pêdra transforms her personal experiences into artistic narratives, expanding the traditional concept of knowledge. “Art offers possibilities for constructing knowledge that may have already existed but was not yet organised,” she explains. For Pêdra, art is also an alchemical process that turns violence and trauma into something meaningful. Reflecting on the feminist notion that “the body is political,” she adds:
“If my body is political, then my autobiography is artistic.”
Renata Carvalho: Her “Transpology” and “Manifesto Transpofágico”
Renata Carvalho (she/her) is a Brazilian actress, playwright, theatre director and transpologist (trans anthropologist). Renata has presented her play ‘Manifesto Transpofágico’ in more than 12 countries. The piece challenges the social constructs affecting travestis (an original gender, a third gender most present in Latin America) and the common imagery shaped by stereotypical and transphobic narratives.
Renata speaks about the importance of theatre as a tool for transformation and pedagogical struggle: “Theatre has always been a source of salvation for me. Now, I’m using it to save others. I believe that the ‘Manifesto Transpofágico’ is the play my younger trans self needed. If I had seen it during my adolescence, it would have saved my life.”
She emphasises this transformative power of theatre, noting how her play ‘Manifesto Transpofágico’ has prompted many parents to better understand and support their trans children. This reflects how performance can act as both a personal and collective pedagogical tool, challenging deep-rooted social prejudices.
Her Transpology (trans anthropology) is a methodological and epistemological approach that Renata introduced for studying the lived experiences and historical trajectories of travestis. Part of this study is her attempt to reconstruct trans history in Brazil which led her to created the Travesteca, a thematic library with over 200 books focused on trans issues, academic articles, and intersectional subjects like Black feminism, “I started collecting academic articles, academic papers, and what I have today, I call a Travesteca.” In her research, she analyses how the media, religion, and social norms have pathologized and hypersexualized trans* identities. Renata says:
“Just as art has contributed to marking certain dissident bodies, we, the artists of 2024, also need to take responsibility for unmarking these bodies. My transpology follows this approach.”
Another power element of Renata Carvalho’s ‘Transpology’ is her strategic use of neologisms to subvert language. Renata explains: “How can we fight something without knowing what it is? I started creating things that didn’t exist or did not have a name. Transpologist, Transpology, Traviarcado, Trancestrality, Transfake, Transpophagic… this play with language is also part of my research.”
Leila Daianis: Integrating Activism and Art for Trans Rights in Italy
Leila Daianis (she/her) is a Brazilian Activist, Actress and President of the ‘Libellula Association’ who has lived in Italy since the 1980s. Her work merges art and activism, creating vital spaces for trans migrants to access resources and build community. In 1997, Leila founded the ”Libellula Association”, which offers for trans people essential services such as legal aid, gender transition support, and resources for social inclusion.
At ‘Libellula’, Leila created a safe space where trans people, particularly migrants, can access resources and community support. “Sometimes I see that people, especially in the diaspora, don’t have freedom. They spend their whole lives constrained to living a life within themselves,” Leila explains, describing her motivation in creating an association specifically for dealing with trans and migration issues:
“This is the work I am doing, trying to give these people the possibility, at least, to try to build a life that is dignified… any one of us, we all want to have a peaceful life.”
More recently, Leila has been involved in the Project “Transição”, a collaboration between the ‘Brazilian Consulate in Rome’ and the ‘Libellula Association’. This project aims to combat gender violence, and provide essential information for trans people arriving in Italy, to clarify the challenges they will encounter, offering crucial insights into legal rights and available resources.
According to Leila, these partnerships will ensure that trans migrants receive accurate information and support, facilitating a smoother transition and better protection against exploitation and violence. The project is divided into three stages. One of which includes a theatrical performance of Antigone, starring Renata Carvalho. The performance will highlight the broader issue of trans invisibility in the diaspora.
Leila believes that theatre offers the space to transform both personal and collective narratives: “I believe that life is theatre…This project we are working on now is called ‘Antigone: A Story of Transition’, because everything is a transition.” For Leila, theatre is a transformative tool for social change:
“I chose to do theatre, but to do political theatre, social theatre. A theatre where people feel aware of who they are.”
Colonial Legacies
Pêdra Costa describes the colonial project as a “project of violence,” she connects the legacy of colonialism to a broad spectrum of intersecting oppressions. These structures of violence are inherent to the colonial framework, extending beyond political or physical conquest to infiltrate every aspect of society, especially targeting marginalised identities.
“I don’t see it as life itself. I see it as a project, and within this project exists a range of violence: patriarchy, sexism, misogyny, transphobia, queerphobia, social class, racism, fatphobia, and ageism. These are various types of violence that affect our subjectivities.” (Pêdra Costa)
Some notorious examples of how coloniality permeates modern social structures in Brazil are the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985) and the “Tarântula” police operation carried out in São Paulo in 1987, which criminalised and brutally targeted trans women and travestis [8].
Fernanda Farias de Albuquerque, who fled to Italy during this period, described the violence of those years in her autobiography Princesa: “The walls were covered with posters: ‘Kill a transsexual every night, clean up São Paulo.’ The sidewalks became battlefields” [9].
During our interview, Leila Daianis reflected on the Dictatorship period, “A taxi driver in São Paulo couldn’t let a travesti into the car, or they risked losing their licence and everything. So they would beg, ‘please, no,’ because the police were always stopping taxis, buses, everything. It was a difficult time, especially in the early 1970s.”
The Brazilian trans, travesti and gender-diverse diaspora, particularly in Europe, emerged partly as a response to that period. In our interview, Renata Carvalho reflected on the formation of the diaspora: “The diaspora is the escape, the departure from Brazil, fleeing violence, loneliness, fear, or some other reason. They dream of a better life in Europe, where police don’t kill travestis in the streets.”
Prostitution has historically provided a space of affirmation and survival for many travestis, a reality Renata emphasises: “Our ‘trancestrality’ (trans ancestrality) goes through prostitution, and it always will. There’s no problem in being a prostitute. The problem is when prostitution is compulsory, when you’re forced into it as the only solution.”
Despite the sexual diaspora still being predominant in Europe, Renata says a new diaspora is emerging, which is the academic and artistic, “this diaspora comes to bring emancipation” she highlights. Many Brazilian trans individuals are pursuing academic studies and art residencies in Europe, “this also expands the job market, the social layers, because it also places us in other spaces.”
“We are now transporting intellectuality.” (Renata Carvalho)
The Resistance of the Social Movements
Pêdra Costa commented on the increasing representation of dissident bodies in mainstream spaces, noting, “Nowadays, there is a very important movement taking place… Black people, Indigenous people, Trans people, and people from the Global South are increasingly present in mainstream art spaces.” As an example, Pêdra highlights that the Brazilian artist Tadáskía’s presentation at MoMA is not an isolated achievement, but rather part of a broader historical struggle for recognition and inclusion — See the documentary ‘Jovanna Baby: The Journey of the Travestis and Trans Movement in Brazil’:
“All the work done by social movements in the past is now being materialised at the present.” (Pêdra Costa)
However, Pêdra remains critical of the challenges these people face, as they are still navigating the legacies of colonialism in those spaces. “What I really want to see is her (Tádáskia) as the director of the museum. I want her as the director of MoMA, with an incredible team she selects to curate and carry out specific work.”
Navigating Europe
Renata recounts her experiences after presenting the “Manifesto Transpofágico” around Europe. She affirms that especially the travesti identity is still widely misunderstood and subject to subtle prejudices. “It’s hard for them (Europeans) to accept a South American travesti explaining things to them, being didactic, having something to teach when they don’t know,” she explains:
“In Europe, prejudice is more silent, more concealed. It’s more ‘civilised’”
Leila Daianis shares a similar sentiment, noting how Italian systems, even within LGBT organisations, have marginalised her as a trans migrant. “Before they’re transphobic, they’re xenophobic,” she says, highlighting how indifference has been the most painful form of exclusion in Italy. “That’s why I never stopped doing theatre. I will always do theatre,” Leila asserts.
“Once I realised that theatre’s power wasn’t just personal but collective. I wanted to use it as a tool for collective transformation. This fight is also a pedagogical one…Theatre as a tool for struggle and pedagogical awareness helps us navigate transphobia and provides ways to be heard,” (Renata Carvalho).
On the other hand, Pêdra underlines the idea that colonialism and its legacy are not easy to eradicate, even with continuous efforts, “I am aware that no matter how much I work, whether it’s in the arts, in everyday life, in academia, wherever it may be, even in my love life, I don’t think I will be able to dismantle this project within or outside of myself. But this certainty won’t stop me from continuing to do the work…Because it’s my life process. It’s what I follow. It’s what I pursue. I persist.”
She sees her artistic practice as a process of ‘insistence’ rather than resistance, an ongoing effort to challenge oppressive systems despite knowing that the work is far from complete.
Pêdra is also critical of how art has been commodified under capitalist frameworks, which often absorb and commercialise social movements and identities. Despite this, she stresses the importance of collective action: “I wish for communities and art to become more collectively strengthened and less individualistic.” For her, confronting today’s sophisticated ‘far-right’ political systems requires guilds and collectives working together in solidarity.
The Role of Cisgenderness
Renata believes that transphobia is a systemic issue that must be addressed through self-awareness, education, and empathy. For her, cisgender individuals need to recognize their privileges and engage in the fight against transphobia. She explains:
“I believe transphobia was created by cisgender people, so they need to have an ethical commitment in the fight against transphobia. I need to acknowledge that I am transphobic before I can be anti-transphobic.”
Pêdra Costa adds to this by noting how difficult it is for people who have never experienced systemic oppression to understand the struggles of those who live with rejection and daily violence. However, she encourages cisgender individuals to do something simple, asking how they can contribute meaningfully to the struggle: “How can I be involved here? Is there a possibility to be involved, or not? What are the limits? I think it is very difficult for someone who has always had access to opportunities to understand what a life of rejection, closed doors, and daily violence is like.”
“We need ‘cis allies’, we need ‘cis-conscious’ people so that we can coexist. Because we don’t need to love each other, but we need to coexist, and we need each other to live in harmony and social respectability”, (Renata Carvalho).
Final considerations
Pêdra Costa, Renata Carvalho, and Leila Daianis’ works converge in the transformative and collective power of art as a practice of decolonial resistance.
Each of them emphasises the power of community, whether through Renata’s efforts to use theatre as a collective tool, Leila’s creation of support networks for trans migrants with the ‘Libellula Association’ or Pêdra’s artistic process of ‘alchemy’ in transforming collective trauma into empowerment. Their commitment to collective action highlights how personal transformation and community liberation are inseparable.
By transgressing the “cis-tem”, they are not only subverting the colonial narratives that have historically marginalised them but also creating new spaces of empowerment and emancipation for trans, travestis and gender-diverse people, especially in the diasporas.
As a final remark, I understand that my insights – as a cisgender researcher – into the struggles faced by the trans* communities are very limited. I hope this article serves as a platform for their powerful decolonial resistance to be recognized and engaged with on a global scale.
References
1. Vergueiro, Viviane. Por Inflexões Decoloniais de Corpos e Identidades de Gênero Inconformes: Uma Análise Autoetnográfica da Cisgeneridade como Normatividade. Dissertação de Mestrado. Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, 2015, p. 191.
2. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” in Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader, ed. Patrick Williams and Laura Chrisman (New York: Columbia University Press, 1988); Jota Mombaça. “Pode um cu mestiço falar?” Medium. Last modified August 10, 2017.
3. Quijano, Aníbal. Colonialidade do poder, eurocentrismo e América Latina. In: A Colonialidade do saber. Eurocentrismo e Ciências sociais – Perspectivas latino-americanas. Buenos Aires: CLACSO, 2005.
4. Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The Danger of a Single Story.” YouTube video, 18:49. Posted by TED, October 7, 2009. https://youtu.be/D9Ihs241zeg.
5. Passos, Maria Clara Araújo dos. O currículo frente à insurgência decolonial: constituindo outros lugares de fala. Cadernos de Gênero e Tecnologia 12, no. 39 (2019): 196-209. https://doi.org/10.3895/cgt.v12n39.9465.
6. Vergueiro, Por Inflexões Decoloniais de Corpos e Identidades de Gênero Inconformes: Uma Análise Autoetnográfica da Cisgeneridade como Normatividade, p.15
7. See the works of Amara Moira, Bruna Benevides, Céu Cavalcanti, Jaqueline Gomes de Jesus, Jota Mombaça, Leticia Nascimento, Maria Clara Araújo, Viviane Vergueiro.
8. Cavalcanti, C., Barbosa, R.B. & Bicalho, P.P.G. (2018). Os Tentáculos da Tarântula: Abjeção e necropolítica em operações policiais a travestis no Brasil pós-redemocratização. Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão, 38(n.spe.2), 175-191. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-3703000212043
9. Jannelli, Maurizio, Farias de Albuquerque, Fernanda, Princesa, Roma, Sensibili alle foglie, 1994.
