A Conversation with ... Hugo Canuto
- Title
- A Conversation with ... Hugo Canuto
- Abstract
-
The interview “A Conversation with … Hugo Canuto” features a discussion between Ute Fendler and Adebanjo Baderin with Brazilian comic artist Hugo Canuto, who visited the University of Bayreuth in mid-May 2025 to participate in the workshop “From Oblivion to Memory: Transatlantic Memorial Echoes.”
During the conversation, Hugo Canuto reflects on the role of comics and visual storytelling in preserving cultural memory and reimagining historical narratives. Drawing on Afro-Brazilian mythology, history, and popular culture, he explains how the graphic novel medium allows him to revisit marginalized histories and highlight connections between Africa and the Afro-diasporic world. Canuto also discusses his creative process, emphasizing the importance of visual symbolism, mythology, and narrative experimentation in his work.
Find out more about the project "Black Atlantic Revisted" at the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence hier: https://www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de/en/1_2-Research/Research-Projects/Arts-and-Aesthetics/Black-Atlantic-revisited/May-Exhibition/index.html - YouTube playlist
- A Conversation with ...
- Date
- March 2, 2026
- Language
- English
- Transcript
- Well, good afternoon. It's a real pleasure to have you here with us in Void. It's a excellence cluster Africa multiple. Welcome to BIO. And we have a chance to talk with you today about your fantastic artwork. Maybe we can just show it a little bit or fum and gto the stories of the oishas that we will talk about and much more. So maybe to start with um could you introduce yourself a bit and talk tell us more about your your career? >> Sure the trajectory. First of all, I want to thank you for the invitation and the interview uh in the Bhart University. Uh I'm a comic book author, visual artists and and screenwriter. Uh I started uh 11 years ago. My original area is is from the architecture. But uh comic book had always been a passion in my life. Since I was a kid, I was fascinated for OT's for OT's pictures and and and colors and stories of uh of sci sci-fi or fantasy or superheroes. it's uh shaped my imagination uh and I always wished to make my work as an artist at least as a comic book artist uh connects with our culture in Brazil connects with our culture in Baya my hometown. I would like to bring uh some characteristics, some uh aesthetical or narratives uh from my my culture to my artwork has a book out. Then uh a few years ago, seven, eight years ago, I started the the Tales of the Rishious uh uh comic book series. And that was a path uh where I found an expression to represent all this this uh aspirations of representation. uh at the same moment that I brought a new universe that despite part of Brazilian culture uh it's part of the black Brazilian heritage at the same time it's under a massive uh attack from some uh from from the uh >> religious, radical uh uh some some some groups uh that at certain moments started to uh demonize that this culture. They started to say that this heritage, the philosophy, the perspective of life that comes from this this uh uh uh uh heritage uh it's something wrong or bad. So I tried to make my artwork be a tool for uh uh change in our collective imagination in Brazil uh this kind of uh of thinking a way of thinking this kind of concept misconception and improve uh reconnection improve uh uh ass a search for interest and a search for uh authors that want to know more about the universe of the rishas of the kandl and all this philosophical and spiritual world. >> Sounds very interesting and I mean like a very large scope. So it's not just not just about comic books, >> but it's very much linked to, as you said, cultural heritage, >> uh, African descendant, philosophy, that all comes into the storytelling of your books. >> Yes. and and also history. For example, uh despite the fact that we have laws in Brazil that uh demands that schools uh produces material for kids and teenagers uh telling about African history, >> the empire of Y, the Suna Empire or Ethiopia or Egypt uh It still is hard for teachers and they told me I have a lot of connection with teachers because they use they apply our comic books for for classes on theaters or card games. Uh >> they use the arts for for for classes. Uh so it's hard to make this this link between talk about the orishas or talk about African heritage in in the in the classroom >> because of preconceptions because of resistance from the students. uh sometimes they come they come and and they uh where where where uh they they they learn it at home that this this heritage is is bad or is wrong because of religious uh uh issues. So, uh, many teachers, uh, they insert our comic books into those classes to start a way to talk about African heritage. the the the the situation is so uh hard in Brazil that I had some testimonials from teachers that told me that even the books of George Maddo that he was one of our biggest writers sometimes at school people avoid to to approach >> okay >> because of this kind of of mindset. So it's it's a it's a very uh it's a it'surgent uh issue that we have in Brazil. >> And I think that somehow I produced a tool that can be >> uh useful for this kind of space. But I think it might also be very attractive for a young public and that's why it's also useful in schools because it looks a bit as if it were inspired by I mean more superhero models that kids know everywhere in the world. I mean almost everywhere I guess >> um by American US American >> comic books right like the Avengers and others. So I guess this is some something where they can connect with easily but then with a maybe you can show this as well but with a very different uh character setting character design. >> Um >> indeed >> so I guess this makes it also easier for the kids to connect with easier for the teachers to to to give those lessons. >> Sure. Many kids for example in myo uh the kids who reads they they they love it >> they know it's not the the same uh uh visual composition that we have in the holy space of the tail. Sure it's not because we are dealing in the fictional way of a comic but they love it. They love the the to see and read the the traditional oral tales of the richas in comics because they can show for their friends >> that's are are normally they show for colleagues at school and say okay this this is shangu this is and they can make some different connections with people. Yeah, >> you just mentioned Changu. I think this will be maybe a good point of connection also with the question that Banjo prepared for you. >> Thank you very much and thank you and welcome once again to Vet. Uh we are happy to have you around and thank you for the lecture yesterday and for what you've been doing. Um I have a couple of questions for you. Um now um yesterday when you were giving us the lecture you told us that you were inspired by um some some things inspired you to work. One of the things you said inspired you is the Afrobrazilian mythology. >> Yes. >> And you said you are also inspired by Euroban narratives. >> Yes. >> And you are inspired by oral tradition. >> Yes. >> Uh could you please uh tell us more about how these things inspired you? >> For sure. for sure. Uh when I started to to produce of durishas, the first thing I did I asked permission for yorisha for mother Stella of a show. She was a great priestess in in in Baya and I show I showed to her the uh the arts I was doing and I explained the the things that came the inspirations that came uh in a very natural way. I didn't plan this project, you know, it started as arts and they became comic books wasn't oh I'm going to do this and I'm going to put in the internet of things happened in a very natural way. I was living in S. Paulo at that time and I was in a moment of my life of deep change in a philosophical and spiritual path only not only as an artist but inside of myself and when it started it came in a moment of change deep change then I went there and I had this little conversation with her she said okay do it and when it's ready bring it to So uh I went out and one week later I found the paper about auba class from professor de uh and then I joined the class of ruba to start to understand the aruba culture and how it's influenced uh the construction of the society in Salvador this this because in the university I never saw anything about Africa otherwise Egypt in school neither. I searched by myself because I was interested in the story of for example Ethiopia because I was a when I was teenager like to love Bob Marley and these things. So uh uh uh I went to to study Aruba culture and he was very important my my work because he became my partner, my consultant, my mentor. For example, all the parts of the story that has the presence of the Euroba language. Uh he was consulted uh it's one of the first comic books in Brazil. I think it's the first comic book in Brazil that has the the the presence of the Euroba because until the 50s or the 40s in Bay in Salvador people used to speak Yoruba in the streets. It's a overall language. uh it it it got lost on time but it why I did it because it's impossible to talk about an Africa heritage without explain the language and fortunately we can see a strong evolution the last years but if you think about 10 years ago uh the idea that Brazilians had about African countries about the continent was a h the concept was still uh an undefin undefined place somehow uh far away from modernity full of stereotypes. I think that now years later many people has more knowledge and more conscious about the sophistication and and and historical heritage and the political systems of all those different countries in Africa. So, one of my ideas was bring uh the iton, the aura narratives, translated for the comic books uh uh uh popular language. So I had to adapt a noral traditional uh ori or about chang uh for a first person narrative when they speak they have a discussions uh they show their thoughts they show the how I was supposed to do this that was part of the time I spent trying to understand this how how how how could make it authentic. And I had I I I went to read some Yoruba outs for example Daniela the thousand diamonds. >> It's an excellent book the story of the hunter. >> Okay. Uh and one of the most important dura the theatrical director >> that was pioneer in bringing a traditional uh tales about Shango theas to the theater >> so all those references were necessary to understand how I was going to give this uh voice >> and and it wasn't easy because can you think they wrote it in Yoruba then in English there I was trying to understand in Portuguese and I that's why I spent two years doing the first book because I had to find some uh sense on it that expressed authenticity >> uh uh or try to uh at the same time when I write about Chang or about Toya or about the main characters of the stories they have the oris the or show the characteristics. So the servant has reference references for me in different parts of the book >> and even in the text in the in the dialogues you will find some more keys inserted >> some descriptions of them how they fight how they love it they behavior they they personalities in the in the in the book in in in fragments that came from >> and there is another layer that belongs to the Bay culture. For example, there is a moments the stories when Oun says that in now in this town all uh all the uh all the citizens are my my children. And it comes from a Brazilian song from a singer named Jeronimu that he says in this town everybody all the citizen are children of o. >> So I I I get around all these different fragments and and part of my research and that resulted in the narrative of Dr. At the same time, I had to do it in a accessible way for those that had never read about anything of that. That's the the biggest part of Brazilians. >> They have never heard about. So that's why the narrative is so simple. The the the plot is simple. They have to go to save a city, fight an army, the wind is the because when you bring uh an unconventional universe with the it's all cultural codes with all it's all own references the narrative must be more accessible to complement it and that's why I think the success of tales of theas came from the mix of bring part of the huge universe of the Europa culture all those names that is still hard for people to pronounce shang or sometimes people uh get confused because and do this in a in a approach that make it more accessible. Uh that that was the way I I I I I took to to find a uh a possibility to to make this comic. Thank you very much for that. >> Okay. Thank you so much for u giving us a breakdown of how you arrived at writing this very important and very interesting uh comic book. Um thank you once again. Um now u with what you've told us so far you went off to understand the Euroban naratlogy and you understand the history of your society and how it relates to Africa. Um and you developed this book called the tales of orisha. Now u before I ask my next question uh the orishas we know in Euroba uh naratlogies are like humans who just took their time just like you did to discover who they really are and when they discovered it they discovered purpose and they gave back to humanity and that is why people started calling them the people that are selected for a special purpose. So that's why we call them Oisha. So now how do you think that this tales of Oisha, how do you think this has impacted the younger generation in Baya, in Salvador, in Brazil generally? Do you think it has helped them connect to their roots? >> I think it's part of a movement that started before me and I'm not even protagonist of it. Not at all. Uh in the same year we released Tales of the Rishas. Marcelo Dallet released Angola Junga, a book, a comic book about uh Palaris, the war in Palaris, a classic of Brazilian literature nowadays. Uh Jefferson Costa and Rafael Kausa launch at Jeremia. It's uh one of the first black characters for kids in Brazil. uh in a in a very important uh uh story about racism. So, it's part of a movement of artists that are trying to uh fight fight for uh represent uh Brazilian culture, black culture, northeastern culture in kind of my region, north northern culture uh for indigenous culture. So, comic books nowadays has different representative uh uh uh artists doing uh contents, producing stories that reflects the complexity, the diversity of Brazilian culture. uh for example uh Ishai she's a Brazilian indigenous from para and she write comic books about her her her reality uh so it's part of a change uh a change of mindsets that happened fortunately from the last eight 10 years and they're still evolving uh in case of I think that our work inspired a lot of young authors uh to create their own narratives inside this perspective to create narratives about the richas. Uh, for example, uh, Daris Baghdad in Salvador, he created a comic book named Kyu about a guy who has a bond with Luna, the Orisha or uh, anyway there are different artists uh, in different medias, not only comics but in music, especially music in Brazil. theater, uh, cinema, uh, inspiring themselves, uh, in the universe of the wishes. So, it's a collective change. It's not an individual one. uh and is a change that can open more and more in the next years the possibilities of the stories that approaches this universe of Kandumblé of Umbanda of Bishas of uh uh Inis Bod different pantheons uh in a way that uh bring to to to to the average uh how how can I say it in English but bring to the average uh uh media the the the mass media the popular culture more of this universe uh the the more of the universe the only point that are always concerned is it has to be done in a careful and respectful way >> because we're not talking about uh painting of daties >> uh like the Greeks or the north that there is no more religion there's no more faith it's it's over there there is only the the stories the myths no it's a living uh uh universe >> uh complex inside the dispute of narratives in Brazil at least that part of the society wants to put it in a level of uh exclusion >> from the cultural spaces. So all the authors who wants to go in this path in this in this way I always give them the advice when when I have the opportunity to be careful be respectful and think about yourself and your connection with this this universe. Okay, >> it's impossible to to work with this universe without a spiritual philosophical deeper connection with this uh uh or be surrounded by people that knows better in a deeper way and try to make it in a responsible way because in in in a in the end of the day we are talking about uh philosophy and spirituality uh and and a cultural heritage. That's fundamental for our Brazilian uh uh construction. >> Construction. Okay. Thank you very much. Um that would take me back to where we started uh when you mentioned Shamboo. Um I looked at these two books. I can see Shu on the first page of on the cover page. Um um and when I looked at your works I discovered that maybe this particular deity plays a very important uh role in your life as a person because it's is so present in all your life. Can you tell us more about >> how you got inspired by this particular Russia? Shangu is the axis of the the the comic book series because my road on the universe of theas started when I was a architect in a in a public development company in Baya and I was part of a group that uh was designated to make a park to project a park in a monument in the in the suburbs of Salvador named it uh the stone of Shangu. This monument uh it was under attack from uh religious radicals at that time and some social uh uh commun they tried to make the the park. It was a ancient an old uh demand that they had. So at that moment I had the strong contact with that reality of intolerance and violence. And I think that was the beginning of the fire that two years later inspired me to start to make that that that the work unconsciously. Now I can see it this connection but at that moment didn't happen. Also that was the moment that I started to be closer to Kandumbl to know more about Kand not not only has a culture but a spiritual path and this artwork brought me to this way the dugto and and the one of most traditional uh uh keton nations temple and all the relationship I built I built as an artist but also built as uh a a believer uh of part of of of this community. So uh Shango is the one who guides my path in this in this in this uh uh very poetic and and and uh creative way you know because his story is a fascinating story is a story of a man that becames a king and a king that became a dity and it's fascinating and he also uh has connections with other orishas. >> Yeah. >> His three wives uh OA all the three wives had connection with Okun has connection with Ashi. Uh without you can't do anything. So that's what that's how I built the the story of deferic around Shango's trajectory. you know, uh he that's why he's the ais of of and and and the stories about how he became the king of >> that that that's a story that's uh the oral tradition doesn't go inside on detail. So uh one of the most exciting things when you adapt mythological stories or traditional stories in the in the there is there are some spaces in the narrative that the tradition doesn't detail then the art can go inside. You know the art can create or adapt or uh develop some possibilities of of of drama. Uh that's why Shango is so important. >> Yes. And finally on this before I hand over to uh you depicted Shango but you brought about the three wives. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Now I in the story in the traditional mythology it's believed that it wouldn't have succeeded without these three women. So are you trying to pass a message across to us from that? Like are you trying to teach the younger generation something about the relationship between I say patriarchy matriarchy like uh that there's no man that can succeed without agreement with no it's it's it's curious because in Brazil we I never heard about it that he didn't succeed with the wives in Brazil normally we learned that he had three wives and Uh there he first I think it was Obama and then Oya was the later >> but never heard about his famous husband. >> But I guess maybe the point that he wants to make is he also a lot of very strong female >> female. Okay. Many many female. >> Ah okay. Now I got it. >> Extremely strong. >> Yeah. >> Yes. Ah, that's a characteristic of Shango. How he's surrounded by strong women. He's surrounded by strong women. His mother Yat Rosi Yamasi, a great queen of AO in Newand. uh bunny in some uh version it's a a brother or some or his brother is a jaka. Okay. Can I Okay. Uh but some traditions represents bunny has a a sister that take cares of him and then three wives. Ah, somehow Shamu represents this this balance between masculinity and and and and female energy. He's a a man who dances >> in a very sensual way. He represents life, his fire, his party, his celebration, is the food. But at the same time, he's a man who has big uh long hair. uh uh and and earrings. So, Shangu represents the balance between those different fire and water. Uh at least I see by under this perspective how it women are strong in his life and and how women are strong in Kandumblé and in Euroba culture. uh they are protagonist of the stories and I I I tried to represent the stories not about men fixing fixing situations or men doing everything women has a a very important role uh especially uh on king in the king of fire I give protagonism to toi and ashabo there are two daties is uh inside Shango's court, his mother and and his aunt uh and the tale of theas Oshu and Oa are our protagonists in the story. Uh >> thank you very much. >> Okay. >> Okay. I think we came to an end. We have just maybe can get just in one in one sentence. um the fact that you were first an architect but you're also building universes uh with your artwork now. Do you think that there's a link between those kind of work? >> Yes. >> Short answer, please. >> Unfortunately, we're running out of time. >> Architecture gave me the possibilities to plan and execute an idea. >> You know, not only the intuitive inspiration that comes for an artist, but how to make it happen. How to make this page? I need time. I need a process from script sketch p all the pages draw each page day by day for one year. Paint the pages put dialogue. So there is a a process of of creation that architecture gave me gave me some uh methods. >> Yeah. >> I I I feel clearly that my my work process is there is the chaotic intuitive process of creation a lot of art sketches watercolors. Then when I have to make the comic books, the first thing I have to do is organize it in a script, clear up all the the insights and okay, what am I going to do? How many pages? Okay, how long time I need and then execute it. >> Yeah. So this just gives us a very good insight into a very not yeah very complex procedure of work and also a very complex universe that is behind that comes out and is presented in to your artwork that we can only recommend to everybody who's watching this in this video. So thank you very much again for being with us and sharing all your ideas and the inspiration also about your work and hope to have you with us very soon by >> I hope so. I hope so to come back. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.
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