SOMODÉ
14-21 years old

KEKERÊ

Kekerê in Yoruba means small, and everything that is small can and should grow.

We renamed the group with an African reference so that children, from a very young age, understand and consciously engage in actions that know, recognize and value the importance of different ethnic-racial groups for Brazilian history and culture, especially in the territory they live in. , Morro da Providência, part of "Little Africa".

"It takes an entire village to raise a child" - Yoruba proverb

Kekerê is our commitment to the implementation of practices that value ethnic, religious, gender and people with disabilities, it is our possibility to dive into the references of different cultures, especially black and indigenous.

Our journey is directly related to the anti-racist struggle, with art education as a transforming source.

Conceived by pedagogue Gaby Makena, Kekerê is dedicated to children from 3 to 7 years old.

OPEN HOUSE & FREE PLAY

The Open House project arises from the need to expand our reach of the residents of Morro da Providência.

We believe in the multiple possibilities of learning by playing. It is through play that we encourage creativity, logical reasoning, joy, emotions, sharing, which are fundamental elements for the development of autonomy.

We recognize that children have their own ways of thinking and interacting with the world. They are active subjects from the moment they are born, and we need to educate our gaze so that it is as broad and insightful as possible.

Through the work on orality and movement, children have the opportunity to experience other ways of getting to know each other and with that develop and expand their social interaction.

AFRO DANCE

Afro dance classes with teacher and educator Ernane Ferreira are about construction, dialogue, and listening. Classes always start with African music, in the same way they finish.

We take the opportunity to introduce the terms in Yoruba that are present in everything that surrounds the mythology of the orixás, terms like abebé and what is their function, orixás and other words, We are looking to make the most of early childhood, which is a phase of great absorption of information and build the basis for the individual's relationship in the future.

At all times, we understand the responsibility to deal with this group, we prepare the environment, the symbols, the educational information and we monitor our speeches and behaviors.

We work on the importance of the instrument for the music and the preciousness of the elements. Talking about percussive instruments typical of Afro dance is talking about energy, how to work with it, to control it and to feel these energies.

The Erês group was born out of construction and deconstruction.

"Erês", in Yorubá means playing, is used to describe the children's state of mind and in Tupi-Guarani it qualifies and quantifies even emotions. This change has made us proud for the excellent results in the reframing of our symbols and culture.

This group that serves children and pre-adolescents between 8 and 13 years old, acts directly in the fight against inequalities and cultural and racial valorization, building individuals with self-esteem and solid educational bases.

THE LITTLE STORYTELLERS

This project arises from the need for direct action and support for children working at Casa Amarela who are being neglected by the school due to COVID-19. Its implementation started in October 2020 at Casa Amarela Providência.

The objectives of theses classes are to build together with the children the opportunity to work with different types of texts, images and other research sources, especially to ensure the bridge between the stories of the characters working in Morro da Providência and the participants at Casa Amarela. Through these meetings, we articulate and write the life stories of these people, together with artistic / political / ancestral storytelling. It helps to promote communication, attention, initiative and, mainly, the notion of belonging and racial identity .

The Pequenos Contadores de Histórias project goes in the direction of strengthening the memories of those who have always worked in Providência but their achievements were / are made invisible by the very racist structure that permeates the relationships of official historiography.

To guarantee a better articulation between the educators of the House, the stories of the central characters and the flow between the children and their relationship with their own territory, we will count on the support and participation of the researchers linked to the Other Commons Project, an inter-institutional extension project between UFRJ and IFRJ Campos Realengo, coordinated by Professors Renata Caruso Mecca (UFRJ) and Roberta Pereira Furtado da Rosa (IFRJ).

MUSIC

Music classes began in 2018 in partnership with the Orquestra de Rua group. The educators who develop this work are Juliane Souza, born in Morro da Mangueira, and Gláucia Maciel, born in Morro da Providência. The classes have a central focus on violin and cello instruments, instruments that carry great European influence. However, in the classes at Casa Amarela they are approached in a decolonial and autonomous way, along with music theory and music history.

In 2020, the work received the Art and School Award - Aldir Blanc Cultural Emergency Law 2020 and in 2022, the Orquestra Luna group was founded with the focus of promoting musical practice together with its participants. With that, we had the honor of participating in a project together with UNIRIO and FIOCRUZ, in which we had several workshops and at the end we played together with other projects at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro.

The Afro Dance and ICAB integration project work directly with the preservation of Afro-Brazilian civilizing values and stimulation of memory of Afro dance in children.

AFRO DANCE

The objectives of the project are to create positiveness of the children black skin, building their racial identity, and create a person confident in his characteristics and potential. The process consists in the humanization of the cultural legacies inherited by us, whether from an especially African origin, due to the process of enslavement, but also from the natives who were fundamental in the construction of the pedagogical debate of our miscegenation.

Classes are taught orally just like ancestral teachings. We necessarily think of the black or non-white body for the application of the exercises, considering its anatomy, perception and dynamics that are opposed to the single-minded european body. And always considering that they are bodies and minds in construction.

In practice, the students are educated rhythmically, creating body and mental connection with the rhythm, demystifying their demonization by the hegemonic structures and establishing a bond of protection and valorization of the collective by the drums. We work on as many rhythms as possible to illustrate the vast cultural diversity of dances of African origin, (Maculelê, Maracatú, Samba de roda). We are always working on assembling shows and presentations, so that the living can understand the artistic potential of the black arts and within them can see themselves as protagonists. We connect with our inner energies and direct good wishes to others and to ourselves in our Axé (energy) circle.

INTEGRATION OF AFRO BRAZILIAN CULTURE (ICAB)

The ICAB is an offshoot of the afro dance project, which consists of stimulating Afro dance memories in children, building a path, further strengthening their identity and knowledge about afro dance and popular culture.

We created a support network made up of masters, guardians of culture, cultural living and afro dance professionals, who collaborate with us alternating periodically and sharing their experiences, foundations and practices in the profession of black dances.

The project starts primarily with receiving the older masters. They are bringing the notion of respect and understanding, as they were the ones who made it possible for young people to practice dances nowadays, In fact, these practices are possible today because of the struggles and conquests our masters went through, and also due to the vast knowledge from their journey.

SPORTS

SKATEBOARDING CLASSES

Classes are taught by skaterboarder and teacher Viniscius Martins, born and raised in Morro da Providência. He is training athletes, using the experience of skateboarding as a tool for social transformation.

At the end of August 2022, we opened our first skatepark and also the first skatepark built on top of a favela, thanks to the Santo Skate project, co-created with Professor Martins.

We understand the Santo Skate Park track as a quality for educational and sporting environment. During skateboarding classes, children do not only develop in sports, they also educate themselves, through the guidance of the educator and the entire educational process that involves social relationships in groups.

BOXING CLASSES

Boxing classes started at Casa in 2019. Educator Erivan Feitosa believes in the pillars of corporeity and cooperativism and in a methodology for the emotional, physical and cognitive development of children. Working with boxing is essential to help develop discipline and maintain balance in children's minds, as well as respect and collectivity.

ENGLISH CLASSES

We believe that studying English in childhood stimulates children's cognitive functions, learning another language increasingly stimulates the brain, developing creativity, reasoning and the ability to concentrate.

The possibility of knowing another language makes it easier to communicate in other places, studying English can also help to get greater work opportunities in adult life, new aspects of study, other leisure options and even the possibility of exchange. In addition, it helps to bring a greater vision of the world, which allows to know different cultures and customs.

ÍPÁDÈ – MEETING, GET TOGETHER (YORUBA VOCABULARY)

A group of black women came together to seek intimate and comfy ways to get the youth together in the current political-economic-social scenario of our country. And so comes the idea of ​​an Afro cinema, whose objective is to encourage reflections and debates on issues related to the black Brazilian population and their condition in society.

The films are chosen carefully, with the participation of all. And, for each session a specific theme is displayed. Our debates are held from the films, not necessarily about the film. The purpose of this choice is to bring up conversations about the perceptions and similarities experienced by us all in our daily lives, which mostly reflect situations addressed in the films. The themes are related to education, society, culture, politics, sexuality, among others.

Our activity at Casa Amarela with the youth allows us to teach and learn, to be speaking and listening. We seek to assist in the development of critical thinking as black, suburbans and residents of Morro da Providência, interacting with each other and opening up for the collective to share their own experiences and their daily lives. Becoming a point of support, (r) existence and collision.

Creative entrepreneurship and the job market.

Creative entrepreneurship and the job market for teenagers living in Casa Amarela is a professional qualification project based on socio-emotional skills and competences. It is linked to the development of basic and specific skills and the relevant technical skills for the job market, such as the Office package, entrepreneurship , Afro-entrepreneurship, vocational guidance, diversity and inclusion, citizenship. With the differential of Afro-Brazilian civilizing values, appreciation of the territory, in a joint construction with a multidisciplinary team where adolescents feel strengthened in the construction of their identity, in a secure network of affection and have concrete possibilities to fulfill dreams and connect with the world around them.

PHOTO CREATING - WORKSHOP JUNE 2021

The Project aims to help the youth to enter photography in a creative way.

Learning to photograph, producing sets and rehearsals completely independently. Understanding that even without many resources we can represent a favela in a studio, and create an interactive fashion project with activities and independently of having a “great studio”. The objective is to highlight the best in the beauty of people in the favela through the eyes of the students and its residents.