Vista para ser Visto
This project started with my journey through diffrent favelas in Rio de Janeiro. Within 3 months together with my project partners, we conducted calligraphy and workshops with children. I had a chance to discover the fact that people there have no basic habitants rights, such as the right to property, public health care acess, etc.
Through our activities we opened a dialoque and started from the basic right - respect towards each other. Those small steps can move to those bigger.
It is not only disrespect towards people who live in favela, there is also disrespect among citizens of favela, and it is not only towards each other but to oneself too. They do not respect oneself because they are not respected by others and it happens they do not know their very basics rights. The project then try to make awarness of their rights and try to build respect towards each other.
This skills exchange project concerns a calligraphy workshop that is specifically directed to children from favelas and also youth / adult who find writing difficult. The idea is to associate a playful and artistic activity with literacy practice, leading students to draw letters, words and phrases on the textiles (second hand, donated). The workshop also aims to open discussion on the issues of human rights and its frequent violations in the areas where these students live. Thus, they are encouraged to learn how to calligraphy words and phrases of their choice throught this theme. The second part of the project focuses on sewing. Together with local tailor from favela (Edina Rosa) we will be making clothes (t-shirts) from the textiles painted during the first session of the workshops.
During workshops participants have chance to exchange experiences, knowledge and skills. Those meetings are oportunity to talk or write down the dreams and fears. Also to learn techniques of writing with diffrent tools on diffrent surfaces and learn basic sewing techniques.
Writings made on the fabrics (and which are learned from International Human Rights - there are 30 of them) could spread awarness and point out the importance of collective work and stimulate activities of habitants from favela
Alfa Omegi ( www.alfaomegi.com ) is runned by Alicja Wysocka. The project aims to collective work with handcrafts together with people from poor districts around the word. Previous project were made in Kenya, at Mathare slums, where together with local shoemakers 60 pairs of shoes were created and sold to support education of children from the slum.
