The I.C.B.I.E. Blog

Last Saturday afternoon marked the final stage of the Story Instinct Project, led by Tess, Sabika and Tubarão, who have been holding workshops with the children of several disadvantaged areas of Salvador.  The artworks and photographs were shown at the ICBIE (after two previous exhibitions in neighborhoods where the project was working), speeches were made and certificates were conferred to the participants.

Tess and Sabika will be posting their reflections on the project at a later date.  They are also preparing a video of their activities, with professional assistence from Stefano Barbi Cinti and Alberto Maganzini.

Photos by Meg Boaventura

After months of hard work, Tess and Sabika are ready to show off the drawings and photos of their students in the poor districts of Uruguai and Massaranduba, where, for the last three months, they have been conducting their Story Instinct project.

The exposition will open tomorrow at 7 PM at the School of Fine Arts of the Federal University of Bahia (Rua Araujo Pinho, 16-202 Canela).

The Story Instinct project is well into its 5th week now with the organization GRUCON in Massaranduba. Unfortunately we had to stop the project in the other organizations we were working in because of lack of presences and time. However, we have been given the opportunity to deliver the project as an official course in a public school in Uruguai, starting from the 20th of October.

GRUCON
Ana Rosa, GRUCON’s leader, fights for the rights of African descendants. She works with children and teenagers to remember their painful past, to treasure their rich culture and to understand their present situation – an admirable woman. It’s thanks to her that we have a group of active participants in Massaranduba.

The youth of the area don’t see the opportunities out there for them. They are blinded by the situation that is, to say the least, sad. Figures of responsibility such as adults, parents, older brothers and sisters sit on the street throughout the day with very little ambitions. It’s the young children who run around with their kites who spread some joy, but they too will soon fulfill the roles of the figures of responsibility that they look up to. That is why it is so important to get to these children, to give them a different view and to help them cherish that happiness which is innate in them.

The participants have started drawing their stories on A3 paper and have started snapping away with their disposable cameras. We want these works to be exhibited in various areas around Salvador; the first exhibition is to be held at ICBIE on the 13th of November. We are also hoping to exhibit at the University of Fine Arts and at the Museum of Modern Art in December.

After over a month of working with this group, we realized it was time to leave the area and go to the cinema. We went to see Salve Geral, a Brazilian film nominated for the 2010 Oscar for best foreign film. It is based on the true story of when Sao Paulo froze for two days in 2006 because the criminal organization PCC took control.  Although it was not a light-hearted film, it was definitely thought provoking.  We debated it outside the cinema, and it was interesting to see the reaction of the participants and hear their comments. We discussed the importance of recounting such stories and why they are necessary, and how they set the platform for debating issues that exist here in Brazil, but people tend to ignore.

We are planning on taking them to the museum next week or inviting a storyteller to the lesson.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Pan-American school in Salvador is collaborating with us on the project. They not only want to provide us with some materials, but they will also provide us with transport for the outings and general support. We take the opportunity to thank Maria Mandolini, a teacher and head of the volunteers’ club at the school.

Also, Tubarao, who started off as a helping hand on the project, is now a vital part of the project. He helps us overcome communication difficulties, supports the project by devoting it time and attention, is working on making our website, and guides us into the favelas on a daily basis. Our project wouldn’t be the same without him.

We’ll keep you updated!

Tess & Sabika

We reached Salvador de Bahia two weeks ago and received a warm welcome. We found it very easy to settle in thanks to Salvador’s pleasant atmosphere and the wonderful volunteers at ICBIE.

We have already visited the four barrios (boroughs) that we will be working in: Uruguai, Ribeira, Lobato, and Massaranduba.  In each barrio we have been given the space to develop our project with the collaboration of other independent organizations and groups that help local communities, such as Filhos Do Sol Nascente, ABEAC (Associação Beneficente Educação Arte e Cidadania), AMAR (Amigos de Adolescentes em Situação do Risco), and GRUCON (Grupo de União e Consciência Negra).

Entering these areas wouldn’t have been possible without the help and guidance of Julio, a local graffiti artist who has collaborated with ICBIE from the very beginning. He is known in these areas and people have learnt to trust him over time, therefore they were more open to let us in as well. We also received great support from Tubarao, a Brazilian friend and capoeira instructor we know from Rome. He spent a lot of time brainstorming with us back in Italy and has understood our project to the extent where he can introduce it on our behalf to the locals when we get lost in translation. To Julio and Tubarao - muito obrigada!

Our first impressions, thoughts and facts -

URUGUAI: The association Filhos Do Sol Nascente is working on improving the local community’s life by offering children after-school activities and tutoring. Alongside Mestre Pedro, the founder of the association, his wife Cristiane has formed the Grupo de Mulheres, which is a group of women volunteers who devote their time to help run the association and provide assistance and care for the children. 

We presented our project to them and they gave us a very positive response. It is likely that the participants from this barrio will be children ranging from ages 10 to15. We found the actual building structure very inspiring as it just so happens to be a broken down, gutted, and roofless old cinema. The space will offer a great ground for the various workshops of theatre and film. We like the idea that an old cinema still has the potential to tell, create, and share stories.

RIBEIRA: The association that works in this barrio is ABEAC. It is a well-established and known association run by a group of teachers under the guidance of Fernanda, a strong woman with a lot knowledge on how things work around here. Talking to her was useful and constructive as she has vast experience in this field. ABEAC offers similar activities as Filhos Do Sol Nascente, but is better equipped. In fact they have a computer room (with about 8 computers), a tiny room which serves as a library (although it is yet to be catalogued and shelved), a canteen, and an outdoor area that functions as a football pitch and a theatre. Once again a great location, also thanks to the presence of the theatre. Probably the participants are going to be both children and adolescents. Thanks to the experience of the staff and this association’s atmosphere, we feel the project will take off easily and in the right direction.

LOBATO:The association AMAR, run by Matilde, has recently moved to this area. Matilde told us they were forced to move due to threats they received by drug dealers in their previous location. Here in Salvador no one seems to like any association that educates people, teaching them their rights and giving them a chance to change things. It seems to be convenient for the government and big businesses to keep people uneducated, as this way there is no interference with their plans and no one to go against them with his/her knowledge and opinion.

AMAR’s work is very interesting as it helps adolescents who live in dangerous situations, by educating them through after-school tutoring and creative workshops. They are currently offering a “masked theatre” course. Because the children involved might have difficulty in recounting their stories, a mask makes it easier for them to express themselves openly and with less hesitation. We were offered to work with their drama teacher while developing our project and agreed to do so. This approach will make it easier for us to interact with the adolescents and gain a better understanding of their situation.

MASSARANDUBA: This barrio has the worst living conditions we have witnessed since our arrival. It includes an area known as Alagados. People live in hut constructions made out of a type of wood called “massaranduba”, hence the name, that are built on stilts fixed inside dirty seawater, due to the lack of a proper drainage system.

The difference between our work in this barrio and the other three, is that here we are recruiting participants from the streets. There is an association called GRUCON (Grupo de União e Consciência Negra) which owns an atelier here and has allowed us to use it. We have spoken to a couple of families who live in this area and they have shown great interest in taking part in the project. In fact, we met our first participants in this barrio and their curiosity and enthusiasm made us want to start the project as soon as possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fact that the project/course is free to attend and that materials are going to be provided by us was definitely an encouragement. We would therefore like to take this opportunity to THANK OUR SUPPORTERS IN HELPING US PROVIDE THE MATERIALS TO HELP RUN THE PROJECT.

So far we have bought disposable cameras, books, Mini-DV tapes, DVDs, books, pencils, colors, notebooks, folders, paints, colored paper, and much more.

We will try to post at least one blog entry per week, so do check up on updates and please give us feedback – we would really like to know what you think about our work and if you have any thoughts or advices, don’t hesitate in writing to us:

thestoryinstinct@gmail.com

We are planning on creating a website very soon and their will be a place for you to comment on our posts.

Tess & Sabika

OFICINA DE RUA - MUTIRÃO 12 DE SETEMBRO

(English translation below)
La seconda fase del Progetto Oficina de Rua é in pieno svolgimento con la realizzazione degli atelier di disegno per bambini nei quartieri di Uruguay, Massaranduba, Saramandaia e Ribeira.

Proprio a Ribeira nell’occupazione del movimento dei Sem Teto, dove si sta svolgendo il laboratorio di disegno tutti i lunedi e giovedi, si svolgerá il prossimo evento del Progetto, mirato a coinvolgere tutta la comunitá del luogo e non solo i bambini.

Il 12 settembre si svolgerá quindi il mutirão di grafiti e non sará solo una giornata di grafiti ma di diverse attivitá: piccoli laboratori di artigianato, apprendimento dell’italiano giocando con i bambini, teatro, danza, musica, sport, e tutto quello che ancora ci potrá venire in mente.

All’organizzazione della giornata stanno partecipando tutti, veramente tutti: l’ICBIE (Lahis, Marcella, Marlene, Maggie ed altri per l’insegnamento dell’italiano e non solo), le volontarie Tess e Sabika, il gruppo teatrale dell’ABEAC, il gruppo di grafiteiras Sista Crew, il maestro di hapkido Augusto, Stefano Barbi Cinti che filmerá l’evento, ed altri ancora ma soprattutto, mi sento di fare i complimenti per l’instancabile dedizione al Progetto e alla sua realizzazione al coordinatore del progetto Oficina de Rua, Julio Costa.

Speriamo di realizzare davvero qualcosa di significativo ed importante per la comunitá del movimento dei Sem Teto che vive in condizioni disagiate e difficili, e magari riuscire anche a far conoscere maggiormente la loro situazione soprattutto alle istituzioni pubbliche che dovrebbero magari risolvere la loro situazione in maniera definitiva ed ufficiale.

Marcella
———————————–

The second phase of the Oficina de Rua Project is in full swing, with the establishment of drawing workshops for kids in the Uruguay, Massaranduba, Saramandaia and Ribeira districts.

In Ribeira, in the occupied buildings of the Sem Teto (”without a roof”) movement, where one art laboratory operates every Monday and Thursday, the Project’s next event will take place, aiming to involve the entire local community, not just the kids.

Therefore, on the 12th of September there will be a graffiti happening, although it won’t just be graffiti, but also different activities such as handicraft workshops, playful lessons for kids to learn Italian, drama, dance, music, sport, and everything else that we can think of.

For the event’s organization, everyone, and I mean everyone, is participating:  the ICBIE (Lahis, Marcella, Marlene, Maggie and others, for teaching Italian, among other things); the volunteers Tess and Sabika; the theater group from the ABEAC; the graffiti group Sista Crew; the Hapkido master, Augusto; Stefano Barbi Cinti, who will film the whole event; and others, but, above all, I have to give special credit to the coordinator of the Oficina de Rua Project, Julio Costa, for his tireless dedication to the Project and it’s realization.

We hope to accomplish something really significant and important for the community of the Sem Teto movement, which survives in difficult and impecunious circumstances, and even manage to make their situation better known, above all to the public service institutions that should resolve their problem in a definitive and official way.

(English translation below)

QUANTE PRESENZE ALL’ICBIE!!!!!!

E´ormai molto tempo che tra andate e ritorni “freqüento” questo meraviglioso incrocio di vie e di persone che é il nostro Istituto.

Ma mai come in questo momento l’ICBIE é stato pieno di ospiti a loro modo originali e impegnati in maniera ciascuno diversa a riempire le loro giornate qui a Salvador.

Innanzitutto il nostro fantastico ostello é pieno!!! Lo animano: Consuelo, Rosa, Paolo, Luca, Tess, Sabika, Tubarão e giusto stamattina sono andate via Mahira e Cristabel. Le nostre amiche dopo aver vissuto le esperienze dell’atelier di disegno in Uruguay e aver partecipato a qualche attivitá nell’ABEAC (l’Associazione qui a Ribeira che opera con minori) sono partite per un tour a Rio de Janeiro e le aspettiamo al loro ritorno per collaborare qualche giorno con Mary nelle sue lezioni di inglese.

Il corso che Consuelo sta offrendo alle donne della Comunitá per la loro autostima, rilassamento ed in generale un pó di psicologia sta andando a gonfie vele e la stessa Consuelo insieme a Samantha (altro nuovo prezioso acquisto tra i volontari ICBIE) e Val sono entusiaste dei risultati e della partecipazione delle donne. A proposito del corso Consuelo vi saprá presto descrivere meglio le sue sensazioni.

Samantha é giunta all’ICBIE insieme al suo compagno argentino Miguel che si é da subito offerto anche lui per aiutare l’Istituto…ed allora, eccolo trasformato in professore di lingua spagnola!!!  Solo due giorni fa sono arrivate Tess e Sabika che hanno giá entusiasticamente cominciato a pensare ed organizzare i workshop per il progetto The story instinct: il loro primo step é conoscere la realtá del posto e come poter coinvolgere i potenziali partecipanti al progetto stesso. Da settembre inizieranno a pieno regime i loro workshop, per adesso esplorano la zona in compagnia dell’amico Tubarão che é giá qui da qualche giorno in piú di loro ed oggi Julio li ha accompagnati per un tour conoscitivo degli Alagados.

Ieri io e Pietro siamo stati accompagnati in Prefeitura de Salvador, a parlare di vari progetti con il Segretario alla cultura ed educazione, Carlo Soares, da uno dei nostri avvocati (nominato sul momento e per l’occasione!)….si sto parlando di Paolo Mauriello, arrivato in compagnia del suo amico Luca, a Salvador in vacanza ma giustamente coinvolto nelle attivitá ICBIE, oltre che come avvocato – per scherzo - anche come cuoco!!!!

Rosa continua a lavorare con il suo progetto di tesi per il master e aiuta l’istituto anche affiancando Niccoló in biblioteca.

Ah giá Niccoló!!!! E’ arrivato a Ribeira in cerca di un lavoretto di volontariato per occupare un pó il suo tempo e dare piú senso alla sua permanenza “turistica” a Salvador. Si é subito inserito nello staff ICBIE e sta facendo un ottimo lavoro di catalogazione di libri e riviste continuando l’immenso lavoro di organizzazione del nostro patrimonio bibliotecario.

Insomma atmosfera viva, frizzante ed operativa all’ICBIE e ventate di novitá e sferzate di energia rinnovata, grazie ai continui nuovi arrivi…é quello che ci vuole per sorridere e sentirsi piú forti nel proprio lavoro: l’unione fa la forza!!!

Marcella

SO MANY PEOPLE AT THE ICBIE!!!!!!

At this point, between arrivals and departures, it’s been a long time that I “freqüento” this marvelous crossroads of projects and people that is our Institute.

But never has there been a moment when the ICBIE has been so full of original and committed guests, each of whom fill up their days here in Salvador in different ways.

Above all, our fantastic hostel is full!!!  The occupants:  Consuelo, Rosa, Paolo, Luca, Tess, Sabika, Tubarão and only this morning Mahira and Cristabel departed, after experiencing the drawing workshop in Uruguay and participating in various activities of the ABEAC (the Association here in Ribeira that works with children).  They are now off on a tour of Rio de Janeiro and we await their return, when they will help Mary out with her English lessons.

The course that Consuelo is offering to the women of the community, dealing with self-esteem, stress-relief and offering a bit of psychology in general, is going extremely well, and Consuela, together with Samantha (another precious acquisition among the ICBIE volunteers) and Val, are enthusiastic about both the results and the participation of the women.  You’ll be hearing from Consuelo, who is eager to share her impressions.

Samantha came to the ICBIE with her Argentine boyfriend Miguel, who immediately offered his services to the Institute and has been transformed into… a Spanish professor!!!  Just two days ago, Tess and Sabika got here, and they have already enthusiastically begun to plan and organize the workshops for their project, The Story Instinct: their first step is to get to know the realities of the neighborhood, in order to know how to involve the potential participants in their project.  Their workshops will begin full steam in September, and for now they are exploring the neighborhood in the company of their friend Tubarão, who arrived a few days before they did, and today Julio accompanied them on a reconnaissance tour of the Alagados.

Yesterday Pietro and I went to an appointment at the Salvador City Hall, to talk about various projects with the Secretary for Culture and Education, Carlo Soares. We were accompanied by one of our lawyers (hired on the spot for the occasion!)… and I am speaking of Paolo Mauriello, who is visiting us along with his friend Luca;  officially, they are here on vacation, but they have rightly been recruited into the ICBIE activities, not only as (so-called) lawyers, but also as cooks!!!!

Rosa is continuing her work on a project for her Master’s thesis, and she helps the Institute by working with Niccolò in the library, among other things.

Ah, and then Niccoló!!!!  He came to Ribeira looking for some voluntary work, in order to pass the time and to do something meaningful during his visit to Salvador as a tourist.  He fell right into things, becoming a real ICBIE staff member, doing an excellent job cataloging books and magazines, continuing the immense job of organizing our library’s collection.

As you can see, there is a lively, bubbling and productive atmosphere at the ICBIE, and, thanks to the sequence of new arrivals, the fresh winds of innovation and the whiplashes of renewed strength are just what the doctor ordered, making you smile and feel stronger in your own work:  power comes by working together!!!

Marcella

Last night, thanks to the efforts of two talented and resourceful young women, the ICBIE story reached a new audience of filmmakers and cinephiles during the opening ceremony of the 15th International Short Film Festival “La cittadella del corto” in Trevignano romano, on the shores of Lake Bracciano.  Tess Deeks and Sabika Shah Povia worked tirelessly in order to give the entire ceremony a Brazilian flavor:  at 7 PM, in front of the Trevignano City Hall, Sidney Santos “Tubarão” assembled the members of Lembrança Negra, his capoeira group in Anguillara, and began a concert of rousing and irresistible samba drumming that proceeded through the narrow streets of the village to the Cinema Palma.

In front of the cinema on a red carpet, Sabika was the master of ceremonies, as the jury of the festival and the participating directors were introduced one by one.

At that point, she presented the ICBIE.  Pietro Gallina, blocked in Rome with a bad back (Get well SOON!), was unable to attend, so Roy Zimmerman stood in for him, giving a brief description of the ICBIE story and mission.  Then Tess took the microphone to talk about The Story Instinct project that she and Sabika will be teaching at the ICBIE next fall, where the students will explore the topic of storytelling, using writing, narration, drawings, theater, film and photography.  This ambitious and innovative course will require costly equipment and materials, so the girls have been working for months, organizing fund raisers, including this one.  Parabens!!!

The ceremony ended with Tubarão’s berimbau setting off a rousing capoeira exhibition, while Tess’s friends hustled the crowd for donations.

These talented young ladies, who enigmatically prefer to call themselves Word and Image, will be teaching an innovative course at the ICBIE, starting in August.  They are already doing brilliant work, promoting the ICBIE and their project, The Story Instinct.  This is Word’s description of a delightful fund raising party they held in Trevignano, north of Rome.

On Valentine’s day, as many of you single bunch were home alone sipping chocolate, and some of you lazy couples were having the same old routine dine out or an attempt to romance with the classic home-cooked meal, Word & Image had planned the ultimate romantic night for the friends of their project The Story Instinct, supported by ICBIE. In fact, at the Bar La Vela, on the edges of Lake Bracciano and in the lovely village of Trevignano Romano, their guests had an amazing night. A pianist delighted the crowd with his unique compositions. A legend is rumoured… It is believed that whoever heard the magical notes of his enchanting piano, fell in love at once…  no, not with the person in front of them nor with the pianist, but with his blissful music.

A surreal atmosphere, beautiful dream catchers decorating each table, heavenly music, candle light, friends, lovers, and supporters of The Story Instinct Project were all there. The turnout was surprising since the location was so remote. However those who came, not only showed genuine interest for the project and had a really good time, they also gave generous donations. Many have signed up to stay updated with future Word & Image events, hoping they will take place very soon. These will involve capoeira shows, more live music, and many other surprises. Keep reading our blog to find out more. See you soon. – Word.