Tia Má

Maira Cristina Dias Azevedo, known by her stage name Tia Ma, is a Brazilian journalist, comedian, writer and speaker from Bahia who is regarded as a reference in the fight for racial equality in Brazilian comedy. She began her journalism career in Salvador and gained wide attention online for mixing serious social issues with humor. In 2017 she created the stand-up comedy special Tia Ma com a Lingua Solta, billed as the first stand-up comedy special headlined by a Black woman in Brazil, directed by Elisio Lopes Junior and co-directed by Ricardo Fagundes. It premiered at the Teatro Jorge Amado in Salvador on March 25, 2017, and then toured Brazilian state capitals throughout the year, telling humorous stories and reflecting on racism, empowerment and Black hair politics. She also performs a related stage format called De Cara com Tia Ma, which blends stand-up comedy with a talk-show structure, and was honored with the Premio Abdias do Nascimento in 2014 for her journalism.