Lima Duarte Draws Backlash for Racist Remark at APCA Awards

Overview

• At the APCA awards in São Paulo, the 96-year-old actor recounted refusing to visit a red‑light street because “only Black women” worked there, which drew visible discomfort in the room.
• Choreographer Carmen Luz answered from the stage with a call for Black women to stand and celebrate their presence.
• Actress Shirley Cruz and director Grace Passô used their speeches to affirm the dignity and recognition of Black women in Brazilian culture.
• In a later note, Lima Duarte said the line described a hard childhood memory and called it a “portrait of a time” and a “form of protest.”
• The awards body, the Associação Paulista de Críticos da Arte, had not issued a public statement in the coverage to date, raising questions about institutional responses to racist remarks.