MQC Special with Amara Moira and Júlia da Silva Moreira: between languages, words, and possible worlds

by Natália Fornari

Amara and Júlia, there in the classic Janas circle, between tongues and language - that’s how I begin this text, thinking of the immense joy it was to welcome the two writers into the Janainas’ house in Berlin, on Sunday (12), from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., to talk about their books, their stories, and life itself.

It was a special edition of Mulheres que Contam (Women Who Tell), filled with dear people, literature lovers, friends, and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community, who brought color to our space and filled it with conversation, affection, and curiosity.

With E se eu fosse Puta and Neca (by Amara) and Acho que Vamos Todas para o Céu (by Júlia), we wandered through stories, desires, motivations, and a living language. Bajubá (or Pajubá) - a vibrant language created and reinvented by Brazilian travestis - emerged as a symbol of the power of words and imagination.

Amara gifted us by reading excerpts and reciting poetry in Bajubá, while Júlia introduced us to Luana, the central character of her book, guiding us from a carnival to a mirror, delicately tracing the boundaries between memory, desire, and existence.

Júlia lives with us here in Germany; Amara came from Brazil. And talking about languages and language itself always becomes a theme that brings us closer — expanding how we feel and think. During the conversation, it was impossible not to reflect on questions that cross both their writings (and ours too): What are the possibilities of language — this thing that creates, hides, transforms through time? How does a story take shape, become alive, and resonate across past, present, and future?

Being with both of them that Sunday was a tremendous privilege: we opened a space of memory’s branching paths and world-making, an intersection of times and possibilities. We spoke of literature and politics, cultural translation, and the strength of narratives that escape pre-written scripts – those that claim space in a present that reinvents itself, challenging patriarchy and revealing other ways of living.

Among the highlights of the gathering were the community’s questions, joy, and reactions to each reading: Amara captivating the audience with her poem “Alice” in Bajubá; Júlia leading us through Luana’s journey, from Carnival to the mirror; films, references, exchanges, and laughter filling the short - yet intense - hours before distances between continents once again stretched between us.

It was an immense joy to share this space and see our house filled with stories, languages, and beauty. With hearts full of gratitude, we leave here our warmest thank you, dear Amara Moira and Júlia da Silva Moreira, for this MQC that lit new lanterns for us to think and feel the world anew.

MQC coordination: Adriana Santos and Talita Lincoln

Fotos: Lívia Rangel