Contexto Magazine - Ninth Edition by Priscila Bellini

contexto 9th edition september 2014

The city is ours 1

Index #editorial

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#illustration

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#Brazil The city is ours

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RAP: More than Rhythm and Poetry

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The violence circle

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Water crises in S達o Paulo

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Feminist sci-fi literature

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#opinion Abortion: the candidates are afraid of speaking, women are afraid of dying

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#proseandpoetry

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#photocontext

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#editorial

Journalism for everybody (and always)

The Team Editor in Chief Priscila Bellini

Journalists

n the elections of this year, the youth needs to join the discussions about important issues that must be considered in the next governments. Youth must take a major role and make themselves heard. In this edition of Contexto magazine, you will find pieces written after the workshop Journalism for Everyone in Vila dos Palmares, with students from EMEF Marili Dias. They talk about the water crisis in São Paulo, rap and topics related to rough areas, and about about the photo exhibition “Palmares lives”. You also find pieces about police abuse and abortion, and the interview with Aline Valek and Lady Sybylla, about the e-book Deconstructed Universe. Once again, we thank Qatar Foundation International for the amazing support and we thank those who write for the magazine. We must also thank the teachers and students from EMEF Marili Dias and José Soró, who helped us with the workshop. We also thank professor Hamilton Octavio de Souza for his support. Priscila Bellini

Beatriz Carvalho Beatriz Mendes Cícero Ivanilson Gonçalves Gabrielle Lopes Giovanna Sousa Gustavo Lima Hitalo Antônio Igor Germano Itallo Gomes Jarid Arraes Jayne Silva Josaias Elias Lucas Kayque Luis Fernando Coutinho Matheus Silva Milena Pires Monalisa Galdino Murilo Carnelosso de Jesus Noemi Soares Paulo Henrique Hoffmman Paulo Henrique Pereira Samuel Santos Thainá Santana Thiago Reis Vanessa Panerari Vitor Rodrigues Vitória Carvalho

Poetry Rodrigo Martins

Illustration Rafael Malaquias

Editor in Chief

Design Fernanda Tottero

Seja bem-vindo à Contexto! Welcome! Ahlan wa sahlan!

Photography Cícero Ivanilson Gonçalves Diego Freire Felipe Felix Gilmar Rodrigues Karina de Carvalho

Translation Priscila Bellini 4

#illustration

Rafael Malaquias is a graffiti artist from S達o Paulo who gave workshops to students at EMEF Marili Dias. 5

#Brazil

The city is ours By Cícero Ivanilson Gonçalves, Hitalo Antônio, Josaias Elias, Lucas Kayque, Paulo, Henrique Hoffmman, Paulo Henrique Pereira, Thiago Reis e Vitor Rodrigues

The term “periphery” was created in the 1940s to understand the different roles in the capitalist world - the countries that were at the center and the countries that were on the periphery of capitalism. Today, the term is used to characterize the center and rough areas, asphalt and hill, rich and poor. Before, this was the division of which the term came from, but nowadays these areas acquire other meanings. The anthropologist Jacqueline Teixeira, University of São Paulo (USP), a researcher at the Center for Urban Anthropology (NAU) argues that we should not only see the periphery as geographical space, 8

but also as “discursive category able to permeate the entire city, which can take the central position of political and cultural production decisions. “After all, when the periphery becomes the center? One of the cases that come up when dealing with this conception is the “rolezinhos”, gathering of young people from rough areas of several towns and municipalities in areas associated with the middle class, especially shopping malls. “This location, the shopping mall is a private space, designed for meeting people”, explains the researcher Jacqueline Teixeira. “And if it is a space that receives often public investment

to be designed and built, then the place is also a public space,” she adds. Still, it is necessary to understand this social phenomenon from the perspective that the individuals involved have it. In this analysis, the school often fails, especially by limiting the periphery to its condition of geographical space. From this idea, it increases the negativity on such a space. One of the organizations and spaces that take forward in addressing the rough areas is Quilombaque Cultural Community, located in Perus.José Soró, member of the group, discusses the current movements in these areas. Giving voice to the movements of the periphery may have been a challenge in the past, but takes on new proportions and facilities today. “There has always been a concern in how to talk to people,

and today the communication can do it,” explains Soró, in an interview with our team. “The technology has improved things, enhanced the voice of the community, and now anyone can produce a video with cellphones and can release it in a few minutes on the internet,” he adds, comparing this situation with the difficulties faced in the past. Groups like Quilombaque have the idea that “the square is our classroom” in a project that brings together young people and art. This pedagogy, according to José Soró ensures that each one has its space is included in the dynamics, in an environment with art and culture. “It’s a chance so that the child can go to a theater, for example, and decide if she likes it or not. Let’s bring theater, music and cinema and wait for people

to come? Not like that, there has to be a construction, a training, we have to find ways to reach the public”, he explains. Thinking of all this, the movement in the area changed since you were an youth activist? “It’s much better,” responds without hesitation. “The fight was then united, we struggled to get the Elections and dreamed of a different country, and the speech of the group was to bring politics for people”. The fight, nowadays, is to show that being peripheral does not mean being smaller. The goal is to pursue the potential of each, because surviving in poverty is a challenge. When we know we have potential, that we have rights, we break the stigma. Initiatives like the art in Quilombaque have the power of dialogue and “is a mechanism that reduces segregation.”

RAP: More than Rhythm and Poetry By Gustavo Lima, Igor Germano, Itallo Gomes, Jayne Silva, Luis Fernando Coutinho, Noemi Soares, Samuel Santos e Vitória Carvalho

Who doesn’t like a good story? Especially when it comes to the history of rap, which fought against racism and the war among the gangs. The rap came from Jamaica more or less in the 60’s, when the sound devices were launched, which were placed in Jamaican slums during the parties. In general, the rap has a fast beat and the lyrics are sung in the form of speech - and many of them speak of the difficulties of life in the rough areas. Most of the time, rap is sung and played by a duo composed of DJ, which is responsible for the sound effects and mixing, and MC’s, who are responsible for the lyrics. It arrived in Brazil in 1986, in São Paulo, especially in poorer neighborhoods. In the beginning, people did not accept the rap, because they considered this music very violent and typically from periphery. But in the 90s, rap changes the game and win the radios. Thus, the recording industries begin to pay more attention to the style. The first rappers to make success were Thayde and DJ hum. Soon after, new faces began to appear in the Brazilian rap like Racionais Mc’s, Pavilhão 9 and Detentos do Rap. Nowadays, rap is part of the Brazilian music scene. It overcame prejudice and left the outskirts to make public. Several CDs are released each year, and rap

keeps denouncing the injustices of life on the rough areas.

Grupo Salmos The group is leaving its mark wherever it goes, with four members - Isaac Dee (DJ), Pedro MC (vocals), Anderson (vocals) and Sara Queiroz (vocals). The style of the group is lighter and romantic. They share messages of encouragement especially to the youth, so they can follow a good path. They have joined and the still participate in several projects within the community. One of the projects was Gusmao to Christ, more focused on the gospel music. According to them, no matter what style of music, it has to praise God. To know more about their work, we made an interview to ask questions and curiosities about the group. - Nas Ondas do Marili: Why did you choose the RAP? - Isaac: Obviously because we love the rap, as the hip hop culture has remained within the rough areas of Brazil for decades. They are approximately 30 years of existence in Brazil, because we grew up living this culture! But the most logical thing is that rap is the only style of music that really talks about our reality, and also have the persuasive power to transform lives. And that’s our goal: to 11

Grupo Salmos

show people a world of possibilities away from drugs and crime. - NOM: What do you think about the movement of RAP nowadays? - Isaac: The rap has been a major influence in the rough areas, because the rap itself is hip hop! The combination of 4 elements (DJ, FREESTYLE, B BOY and Grafitti) becomes the hip hop culture, encouraging youth to make good use of art, occupying their time in order to keep them away from crime. Thus, art becomes a profession, opening doors to jobs, providing opportunities in the market. - NOM: What message do you want to 12

send through your songs? - Isaac: As I was saying, the group itself has the goal of helping people showing a world of possibilities away from crime, trying to help people in all areas of their life. All this talking about the essence of our goal, spreading the word of Jesus, our main focus. Thus, we transform lives through hip hop, speaking of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love. - NOM: How does the public react to your music? - Isaac: When we sing in the slums where we know that a large proportion of the audience are people who are part of the crime, we try to be cautious in our

words when interacting with them. After gaining their attention, we sing. Through the songs, we realize the transformation in those lives, as many of them have a reaction of reflection. In other words, the lyrics make them reflect and we know that, when they reflect, they can try to improve their lives! - NOM: What was your incentive? Tell us a little bit of its history. - Isaac: Our harsh reality became our encouragement. The fact that we see people dying every day, starving families, unemployment. Especially the oppressed hearts, regardless of culture, color or religion. All this has encouraged us to write songs in order to help people, giving some comfort and help. - NOM: What is your main influence within the RAP? - Isaac: Actually, we strive to be authentic and have our own style musically, but I believe that each member has in particular someone who serves as an incentive and inspiration. Particularly speaking, I consider Pedro MC. I’m pretty eclectic, but I had someone in my life as a teenager that inspired me to sing that Rap. Another example is the Racionais mcs. - NOM: Do you believe that rap has lost its place in the rough areas? Many say that rap is being elitist, what you think about this? - Isaac: The rap has entered every place, every house. The rap has a new life, a new face, with more intelligent lyrics, pleasing the rich as much as the poor people. So, considering this, rap is no longer just a fringe movement but a

movement for all people. - NOM: And off stage, what do you do? What are their occupations? - Isaac: Offstage have a routine, just like everyone else. Wake up early for work, get crowded bus, spend a little angry sometimes, study...

IDL – Ideology disseminated lethally Wesllen Cosme de Souza is a rapper created in the city of Cotia, active in social movements, coordinator and student of Social Sciences at FFLCHUSP (Faculty of Letters, Philosophy and Humanities, University of São Paulo). - Nas Ondas Do Marili: Why did you choose the rap? - Wesllen: As a child, I already heard much rap at home for my brother’s influence. But when I turned 13, my father gave me a CD by Racionais MC (Sobrevivendo no Inferno). Thereafter I started understanding a little more about racism, inequality, political and police violence. As the Mano Brown says, “the rap helped me to be what I am today.” Today, I can say that rap has saved me and politicized me. - NOM: What message do you want to share with your audience? - Wesllen: I want to send the message that changing the world is possible and that if we join together and organize ourselves, anything is possible. I want people to question their situation, the police, the government and the bosses. I want to share our story, the story of a warrior and fighting people.

- NOM: How the public reacts to your lyrics? - Wesllen: I think they like it. Many come to talk to me, share some thoughts, want my cd. Some ask for autograph and the vast majority have the same ideas and say that they are also fighting against this system. - NOM: Talk about your referrals within and outside of rap. - Wesllen: In my rap references, I can include Racionais, Gog,Facção Central, Realidade Cruel, Inquérito and Na face

da Morte. In politics, Mariguella, Malcolm X, Mandela, Zumbi dos Palmares, the Black Panthers and Che Guevara. In life, my father and mother, and honest and humble people like them. - NOM: Do you believe that rap has lost its place in the rough areas? Many say that rap is being elitist, what you think about this? - Wesllen: I think rap has lost its place in the music market, but not in these areas. I still hear as much rap, and also funk. I think rappers didn’t renew the style itself, but rap still part of the houses and the hearts of everyone who lives in the rough areas. I think there is an attempt to elitism to make rap easier to sell, but I still think in the poor areas it is still a way f changing the community - and that’s what matters. - NOM: We know that you develop a beautiful work of political activism in Cotia. Tell us a little about your activities offstage. - Wesllen: I always seek to use music to transform the world we live in, and through rap I send this message. But words alone do not change the world, speech has to be linked to the practice and we have to decide to organize ourselves. In 2008, we began to establish a cultural center in the neighborhood, with cultural workshops, debates, films, theater, music, etc. We decided to start building the world we want. And today we are building our own space.

Wesllen

The violence circle

By Murilo Carnelosso de Jesus

Police abuses are increasingly frequent and show what they learn in the corporation About 80% of Brazilians are afraid of being tortured if they are held by some security force. This is an awful fact given by a report by Amnesty International, an NGO which defends human rights, released in May. The research took place in 21 different countries, and the world average index of fear of the police was 44%, below the national result. “Police violence is noticeable and is rooted in public security policies of the country,” Wadih Damous, president of the Human Rights Commission of OAB, told the BBC at the time of release of the study. Another study, organized by researchers at FGV (Fundação Getúlio

Vargas) named “Crime, public safety and institutional performance in São Paulo”, justifies the fear the population have of their own police. The survey was conducted with prisoners in São Paulo and one of the data that is most worth noting is that 55% of respondents said that was beaten to make or change their statement. Cases of abuse of power or police violence are also common besides the data. More and more cases come to the attention of public opinion and the way of acting of Brazilian police started to be questioned repeatedly. The most recent case that received good media coverage

was Fabio Hideki’s, Lab Technician at the Health Center at USP and journalism student at the same university. He was arrested on June 23 in a protest against the expenses the World Cup and got 45 days in jail based solely on the reports of the police of DEIC that approached him in the stairs of Consolação subway station and based on an artifact that the policemen told that was “explosive” and of course, they claimed it was Fabio’s fault. But it came to the conclusion that apparently was neither one thing nor the other. Hideki says the blatant that resulted in his arrest was fake, and worse than that, he was tortured inside the DEIC, the Department of Civil Police. He was beaten at least two times, during the “punches’ sessions”, before being forwarded to Tremembé prison, in São Paulo. This is a a guy who was described by his coworkers as “a normal person, calm, quiet”. “He wais very playful and very fond of children. They are his passion. He spent most of the time helping them and was always very attentive. “ In the first week of September, the Court of São Paulo considered photojournalist Alexandro Wagner Oliveira da Silveira guilty for taking a shot of rubber bullet in the left eye at a protest of teachers on May 18, 2000. The court did not condemn the violent attitude of the police forces to repress protests with indiscriminate shooting of rubber bullets. The fault was of the photographer for having “placed himselves in dangerous position.” Abraji (Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism) released a report rejecting 16

the court’s decision. “The decision of Judge Abreu Amadei gives permission to this violence to persist and perhaps get worse, since it is not punishable. It is, therefore, a threat to press freedom”, the statement said. This type of treatment, forgiving police brutality and prefering to blame the victim instead is reflected in the morbidly performance of the corporation. The “acts of resistance”, the way to put who was murdered by a police officer to be considered “guilty” by violence suffered, were used indiscriminately in police reports to remove the responsibility of the police action. The Secretariat of Public Security of the State of São Paulo abolished this name in January 2013, and since then those who were murdered by the police can not enter further into the statistics as guilty for the death of themselves. A survey by the Brazilian Forum of Public Security at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas, which shows the opinion of both military officers and civilians, federal, forensic police and firefighters on the posture of the corporations where they work, showed some staggering data. Almost half of participants (43.2%) agree to some extent with the statement “a cop who kills a criminal must be awarded by the corporation.” More than 40% also consider fair that a police officer who killed a suspect can be considered innocent. Moreover, the police themselves have conviction that the way Brazilian police act today is insufficient. In this same survey, when asked what was the most appropriate model to the Brazilian police, 35% of officers themselves believe that

the creation of a new police, a civilian model is the best that can happen to the security forces. Other 22% think that the best thing to do is unify the Military Police and civilian, creating a new one. Only 14% of participants believe that the ideal is to keep the police system as it is, with military police with the ostensive work and the civilian police in the investigative and judicial work. Other data continue to show the dissatisfaction of those who work in the police, who are calling for urgent changes. 77% of respondents are against subordination of the Military Police and the Fire Brigade to the Army. Other 53% believe that police officers should stop being judged by a military court, and 58% agree that the very rigid hierarchy in the police structure causes disrespect and injustice for professionals. The government of Santa Catarina announced in early September that a survey shows that the number of deaths in clashes in the presence of police increased by 72% from last year to now.

The number of deaths rose from 36 to 62 in the period up to September, with 10 people killed by civilian police and 52 murdered by military police. This is a trend in several other states. The police is increasingly violent, and the data about the abuses continues to grow. The book “Route 66”, written by the journalist Caco Barcellos, was published more than 20 years ago, but its approach to police violence is still very current. One of his many criticisms of the modus operandi of the Military Police, in particular its elite squad, the so-called Route, is the high rate of mortality in these “confrontations” with criminals. He questions the large amount of deaths in clashes with headshots or shots in the back, very unlikely in real situations of confrontation. He says policemen use the excuse of confrontation to murder the residents of poorer areas, often innocent. Another research by the Forum for Security asked the police if it would be better to end the military courts for the 17

military police. 63% of police officers agree that this measure is interesting to retrieve the corporation. The rigid hierarchical and militarized structure of Military Police often ends up leaving aside primary aspects of the rights of those who work in these roles. Basic labor rights such as the right to strike, are left out in the enterprise environment. Over 86% of police officers believe that the right to organize and to strike should be regulated for the military police. Immersed in an environment where basic rights are not respected and humiliation by superiors is often part of

the routine, those who join the Military Police transfer that to the reality of how they treat population. Arbitrary arrests, brutality and fake flagrants, the use of tear gas and rubber bullets, that kills young people every day on behalf of an endless war on drugs, in rough areas. Police abuse do not end up showing as misconduct, but as playback of the problems faced within the public security forces systematically. The police themselves know that their corporation has defects, but usually have no other choice as professionals and start to show in their work what they suffer at the corporation.

Water crises in São Paulo By Beatriz Carvalho, Beatriz Mendes, Gabrielle Lopes, Giovanna Sousa, Matheus Silva, Milena Pires, Monalisa Galdino e Thainá Santana

In the last few months, the Southeast region of Brazil has shown an alarming crisis in relation to water. The main supply systems as Cantareira are at very low levels. The lack of rain is one of the main points. But how to explain the lack of water if the system that supplies the metropolitan region of São Paulo is one of the largest existing in the country? Faced with this problem, the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MASP) is in serious danger of being entirely without water. And also other cities that depend on rivers that supply the Cantareira System are already suffering from shortages - may primarily affect the population of the smaller towns, with little financial condition. In the country, there is a concentration

of about 12% of surface water around the planet. However, this water is distributed unevenly among the big cities where the majority of the Brazilian population is concentrated. And it has been a long way since the systems of water supply of the City of São Paulo is working on its limit. After all, not much was done to increase the reserve capacity and distribution. According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the last twenty years, there has not been constructed any system of water treatment. We have Cantareira (built in 1973); Alto Tietê (built In 1993); Guarapiranga (built in 1958); Rio Grande (built in 1957); Ribeirão da Estiva (built in 1973); Baixo Cotia (built in 1960); Alto Cotia (built in 1914); Rio Claro (built in 1937). This can be considered a 19

factor that justifies shortage in cities in the Southeast region, as we come to the point of the level is so critical. The problem is not as recent as it seems and it has been going on for some time. As another interesting point, surveys also show that the country loses a lot of water due to leaks between the pickup and the arrival to the consumer, especially in big cities. But since we’re talking about water, why do not we take a look at what the population (which in this case is most affected), has to say about the situation? To develop this conversation, we visited some housewives in the region to see how the problem affects the day-to-day lives of residents. Joselita, who lives in the neighborhood 20

Vila dos Palmares-Morro Doce, said that “water is a natural right and should be distributed equally to all.” It reinforces: “I save it while reusing all water from washing clothes to wash the garage and the sidewalk. After all that, my bill has decreased. “ Other residents of the region report situations which are similar to Joselita’s. Gildete, one of the housewives, argues that “water should be used more carefully by the population, to avoid shoratages”, she also highlights the public awareness. But the lack of water in São Paulo had, in her case, negative effect. “After that, my problem has increased because it has no water - only air passing through the pipes,” explains Gildete. Dona Aparecida, who also lives in

the region, noting that “the solution to this problem is to realize that depend on nature, and use water responsibly.” The chat with the locals makes it clear that the population is much affected by the issue. In an interview with the team, technician Reginaldo Prado, from Sabesp, says the city still does not pass by real shortages, and ensures that the problem is just the wave of heat that the city suffered last summer. That would have triggered the sudden reduction in rainfall season. Reginaldo has been an employee of Sabesp for 26 years, formed in Technology of Hydraulic Works, and works in Community Education project in the region. To prevent water

rationing, “Sabesp adopted a culture of peace, which is offering a bonus for those who reduce consumption by 20%.” Thus, over 80% of the population is already collaborating saving water. Also valves are being installed, which reduces the water pressure (RVP) to avoid leaks in the system. “Additionally, the interconnection system ensures an increased supply of water resources in the region,” added the technician. Reginaldo also states that the city of São Paulo will not suffer from lack of water. To reinforce this, he calls for a meeting to take place on November 29 with the entire team of Sabesp Center Unified Turkeys Education (CEU). Left us all follow up with that.

Feminist sci-fi literature Interview with Aline Valek and Lady Sybylla By Vanessa Panerari

Feminist science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that has emerged to challenge gender roles and inequalities. Sultana’s Dream was the work that launched the style. In this masterpiece, the author Roquia Sakhawat Hussain addresses issues related to gender roles in society. The science fiction has always been a possibility to make social criticisms, bring questions about behavior or about politics - but still mostly written by men. In Brazil, Aline Valek and Lady Sybylla published a collection of short stories called Deconstructed Universe, which deconstructs stereotypes of gender, engaged in discussing racism, misogyny, homophobia and violence. 22

-Did the science fiction you already knew represent what you wanted? Aline: Not at all. I recently started noticing this, that most authors I know are men and the movies, books and TV series have male heroes. The woman is always in a secondary role, and I was thinking: is this the only representation we have? Asimov, for example, has two completely opposite works when it comes to female representation. “I, Robot” has the participation of a woman narrator, who is very present. But the “Foundation”, which I think was when this female representation began to bother me, it doesn’t have any female character. A woman appears in thel history, but it is

hardly a glimpse. So we started to discuss whether there are books that will discuss issues that are interesting to us. We’ll have to wait someone to handle it for us? It was then that we decided to do it our way and write the stories we like to read. -Are there differences between feminist sci-fi in Brazil and outside the country? Aline: Absolutely. Outside of Brazil, it is more accepted, there is more material. In Brazil, there was no initiative that highlights this genre. In foreign sites, for example, they have many feminist scifi contests. Here in Brazil there was no such production, because science fiction itself does not have much space. It is considered a minor genre, is not taken seriously. Outside, it is the opposite. Sybylla: Not only the literary market is bigger out there, but there is a bigger quantity of fans. Production on TV and in movies is also much higher than here. So there the market ends up being bigger and you have more space. Before Deconstructed Universe, I think the term “feminist science fiction” did not exist here. We had people complaining about it when it was released and claiming that we were delegitimizing the movement, as if science fiction was not something serious. But also within the movement many girls thanked us for the work. -How is the creative process of you? Aline: In the case of Deconstructed Universe the work was very collaborative. We created a group of people who like what they write and let each one write what they wanted. We limited the time and the limit of the text. Then we created

a group to share ideas on the Internet, cool things we saw and what we found interesting. Everyone gave opinions. I started writing a story, I was seeing what people sent me and ended up having an idea for another story, which is the “I, incubator”. That was it. Gathering these people, each one brought their own vision and it was a very good exchange of ideas not only about stories, but about our own vision of feminism. Sybylla: There were people in the group that were a little afraid to write science fiction. People are not very used to writing this genre. -Who is the audience for you? Aline: I think our audience is quite young, since it is a world of imagination that attracts more young people. Feminists are also part of our audience, because they want to see the ideas that we believe reflected in this universe. Part of this desire to change the world, the desire to imagine a different universe. And the curious people, of course. Many guys read and ended up feeling ok not only with the idea of constructing other worlds as well as with the contact with feminist ideas. I think it helped a bit to assimilate ideas. Sybylla: There were also people who commented on the blog that had stopped reading and liking science fiction because of sexism, prejudice, misogyny. Many nerd girls end up feeling bad because their opinion is always seen as something to draw the attention of men and not as a genuine taste. Many of them returned to read this genre because of Deconstructed Universe. It’s a feeling of accomplishment.

Aline Valek by Marcos Felipe

-What other authors or productions you like? Sybylla: I think Hunger Games was a production that not only showed that woman can write less romanticized works, but put a female protagonist who does not have to be depending on a male character. Mary Shelley, who is considered the founder of science fiction, author of Frankenstein, broke several barriers as a woman. The author of Divergent, though not as good, also brings more female characters. Aline: Virginia Woolf, who was a feminist, and Jane Austen. In Brazil, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m thinking of something beyond Clarice Lispector. Olivia Mayer, in the detective genre, is very good, I like much of what she writes. Clara Averbuck. Women have a lot of production, what is missing is visibility. -Which are the individual projects of yours? 24

Sybylla: Both me and Aline ended up writing more for the public that is in the blog. We always end up doing stories for the blog or free e-books. But the thing is, you can not reach a very large audience. It is difficult to disseminate beyond feminist circles. Sometimes the feminist circle itself got more clicks outrage than approval. I wanted to increase the scope of the universe deconstructed, I think we have much to talk about yet. Aline: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m embarking on this difficult path of being independent author. Have released an e-book mine this year and have another to edit and launch later this year. I am writing a science fiction novel because it is the genre that I like to read, watch and search. Charter Capital to write now, I still have my blog and newsletter. The deconstructed Universe is one of the initiatives that are part of this my personal project to work with literature, creating or editing.

-Is the space that you have created in Deconstructed Universe important to talk about issues like abortion, for example?

collection made a collective blogging, so each of them could achieve their own audience. Feminists and science fiction shared pages too.

Aline: Of course. I can use the example of the abortion issue. In the short story I wrote for the compilation, I was imagining a future in which the fetus was indeed a citizen from the moment of conception and that there could be no abortion. So I used this scenario that was one fear of mine, that the bill was approved to bring the questions to my own tale. Fiction allows us to put ourselves in another’s place, in a situation that does not normally place ourselves. If there’s no debating about the issue because people have already formed their opinions, we create something new, a new reality and see where it will lead to. I get comments from people who read the Deconstructed Universe, telling me that they find out more about feminism to understand the ideas that bring to our pieces and they begin to consider other points of view. It ends up being a gateway, a first contact. It has tales that touch on very controversial topics like transgender and gender identity issue, so for many people this first contact with this topic is important.

Aline: The e-books are free, we really want more people to read it. In order to download it, one needs posting it on Facebook or Twitter before. It is the “price” we charge to help with publicity. We have no resources to pay for ads, so it was a mechanism that we found. The reviews that people write also help us. What does a tweet cost? Everybody else who posts these reactionary columnists tweets all week… Well, instead of giving audience to bad people, it’s better to appreciate what is positive.

Sybylla: This subject is often considered controversial, there’s always an overreaction of people - so fiction may help and make it much easier. The reader will be more open to reflect on what is being treated there. And this is great. -How is the advertising of your work? Sybylla: Basically the internet, through our blogs. The authors of the first

What are the next plans in relation to the Deconstructed Universe? Aline: Now Deconstructed Universe is more than a single work. With the release of Sultana’s Dream, we turned it into a publishing imprint, in bringing new works along the same style. We bring new and classic works written by women or feminist science fiction, and new translations to make these works more accessible to the Brazilian public. Sybylla: I always ask what is the next. And it’s funny, I saw comments from guys saying “are these tales written by women?” As if we were not able to produce something like this. We are deconstructing a myth regarding the female literary production. We do what we can, but the thing is, it’s just me and Aline. Our work is important but we have to do everything.

#opinion

Abortion: the candidates are afraid of speaking, women are afraid of dying By Jarid Arraes

The first debate with presidential candidates took place on 26 August on Band channel. For the feminist movement, what drew attention was the speech of two candidates: Eduardo Jorge (PV) and Luciana Genro (PSoL) defended the right to legalized abortion and women’s lives on TV, while maintaining a combative approach. Jorge Eduardo asked the candidate Aécio Neves, asking if he agreed with the arrest of women who chose an abortion. Aécio answered the question unclearly, visibly uncomfortable with the topic. The subject is a taboo and clearly frightens many candidates as well as the president Dilma Rousseff (PT). After all, they need the votes. In the 2014 elections, there is pressure from conservative religious groups so that issues like abortion are not discussed. Candidates who are in focus do not want to put their reputation in risk or risk losing the valuable support of fundamentalist layers. It was with this fear that Rousseff led her government, barring advances and setbacks instead of giving public health for Brazilian women. The act 415/14, which regulated the procedures of abortion which were already legalized in the public health system, would be an important achievement for Brazilian women, but it was revoked in June 2014 by the Ministry of Health.There was indeed a huge pressure from fundamentalist religious 26

authorities in the Congress. Although the act only gave an amount of R$ 443.30 for each interruption of pregnancy - only in cases of rape, fetal anencephaly or risk of death for pregnant women, all previously legalized - the well known blackmail practices of the Congress revoked the act right after its approval. This is only one example of how the abortion issue is treated in Brazil. While most presidential candidates avoided the issue, thousands of women die every year, victims of a reality created by the misogyny and nourished by ignorance. Most of these statistics is composed of poor black women, but all we have seen is the omission of candidates and political parties. There is no candidate among the three main ones - Marina Silva, Dilma Rousseff and Aécio Neves who has any commitment to guide the need for legalization of abortion as a public health problem, a question that needs to go beyond the prejudices and personal beliefs. As is really common in Brazil, the abortion issue is guided by social movements and the Leftist parties, both segments formed by groups of stigmatized and politically persecuted people. The feminist movement often need to face the shadow of criminality in the fight for the legalization of abortion and welcomes women who are victims of that. Unfortunately, even in cases already legalized, as when children

a re r a p e d a n d b e c o m e p re g n a n t , feminist activists suffer reprisals from religious communities.

Why abortion needs to be discussed in elections According to WHO, about 70 000 women die every year because of clandestine abortion. This happens because the countries where these clandestine abortions are performed, mostly, have retrograde and prohibitive laws, which doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide any kind of help to these women. Brazil is among these countries, and counts more than 250 000 hospitalizations per year due to complications in abortions. Many of these women are harassed when they seek medical help and have intentionally neglected and delayed care.

Mistreatment by the staff nurses are also recurring in several reports. On the other hand, in countries where abortion is legal, women do not die because of that and, in fact, even the number of abortions decrease. Such as in Uruguay, which legalized abortion in 2012 and today celebrates the decline in maternal mortality rates. This is all possible because these countries provide psychological counseling and assistance to educate the public about the contraceptive methods and on family planning. The legalization of abortion would be an excellent way to fight many reproductive problems in Brazil. This measure certainly save thousands of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives and contribute to the stimulation of critical thinking,

reinforcing the obligation of State secularism and ensuring respect for the diversity of opinions, beliefs and choices.

Facing the backlash It is extremely unlikely that candidates like Eduardo Jorge (PV), Luciana Genro (SoL) or Mauro Iasi (PCB), who openly advocate for the legalization of abortion, conquer votes to ensure a remarkable participation even in the first round of elections. But part of what causes this reality is the lack of motivation that takes the voters themselves, who despite identifying with more assertive proposals, fear that more conservative candidates win the elections. Thus, the culture of the vote in the “least worst candidate” remains strong and dominant, taking the strength of the votes of those who could represent feminist demands. It is necessary that people are aware about the importance of voting and engage politically, critically questioning the next government to be elected. As a population, we need to ask ourselves on why the legalization of abortion has not been our policy priority.

The fact is that while women’s needs are considered secondary agendas including in social movements and leftist groups - we continue counting deaths of women due to clandestine abortion. The feminist movement also need to take preventive actions of protest and political awareness campaigns, instead of only reacting to conservative candidates. Despite the negative picture, there are other candidates for deputies, for example, that prioritize the feminist cause and are advocate for legalized abortion. The Facebook page “Vote for a feminist” (https://www.facebook.com/ votenumafeminista) is an excellent point, listing women openly engaged with the female rights and demands in each state of Brazil. Without the support of feminists, we will never lead candidates committed to the rights of women to Congress. We must insist that abortion becomes more than a detail for the leading candidates, but a legitimate right of Brazilian women - who deserve to have their lives protected and to have preserved their right to make choices.

#proseandpoetry

Forgive me, my reader but I do not know if I’m writing a verse I’m not sure if I’m building this poem. And if you do, friend I can not guarantee you anything, anything but words. Lately I have put an end on all love I read enough traveling “unfeeling” everything and the lines drained much more than only the ink. Forgive me, my dear By writing this letter to you, I know that there is nothing here that can help you (and we just want to help too) but do not stop reading (please) I know you will not above all, I want to know about the miserable poet and it feels good to feel needed by me keep reading, I keep keep writing.

I miss the rhyme, you know, the Love no, no, no this whole metric from Camões or a little more about Drummond ballads but my only, only love yet non-poet; What have I done with the screams and cries was it Love? If it was not great, it must get old with white hair wrinkling like skin below my eyes and as an old leaf turns into a new leaf now if I’m wrong, and I do not know if that makes me, sorry. Forgive me, reader but this will be my last letter

•••

Rodrigo Martins is a student at Lyceum of Arts and Crafts of São Paulo.

#photocontext

Photography “Palmares Lives” By Cícero Ivanilson Gonçalves, Diego Freire, Felipe Felix, Gilmar Rodrigues e Karina de Carvalho

What is the role of the school? It is the space of shaping of the citizen with the power of opinion and criticism, or is the school the space for citizen action of the student? The class can and must overcome the concrete walls and reach the street, in the community where students live. To achieve this, the lesson should make the integration of what we live with what we learn. When “where I live, because I live and what I live” is put into question, in the need for identity, it awakens the taste for knowledge. Thus, it brings practice, fabulous experiences and collective constructions productions. And the good thing is that it is already happening! Throughout the school year, the Project Nas Ondas do Marili (EMEF

Professor Marili Dias) made the WORKSHOP OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND EDITING IMAGING with the journalist Wesley Diego Emes and the photographer Thayná Diego Emes, aiming to learn and produce materials related to photojournalism. These workshops provided students of Elementary Education II experiences in photojournalism. At first, the idea was to make a memorial of the biographies of the neighborhood. Field work would consist in collecting names of the personalities of the streets. In practice, this has not happened, and when the students came to collect material, they had a different view of the proposal. If the teachers explained who was Noel Rosa, for example, students responded 31

telling us what happens in Noel Rosa Street, “when it rains, it opens a hole right there” or “one night I fell on the sidewalk, as there was no light in the street” and there were complaints. Watching the students, the teachers decided to adapt the proposal to build the field notebook, and it also contain the reports. Another idea that came up was to use a poll for public participation, the community in general. So, later, a democratic Forum happened with the school, with residents and political and cultural authorities to sum up the project’s actions in the year. The student Diego Freire, who participated in the workshops, reports: “In photography workshops, we learn much more than just the function of the camera buttons. Besides having gained theoretical knowledge about plans, colors and great photographers, we had the opportunity to put everything into practice photographing the streets and problems from different angles of the neighborhood. And all this following the tips from the instructors! The best is that after shooting the neighborhood, we learn how to edit photos on the computer, and the right programs for this. And it does not stop there: now we will select the best, and expose a show. The hard part will be choosing between one another! “ And of course, let’s not miss the opportunity to do an interview w i t h fi l m m a k e r s w h o b r o u g h t u s this workshop, but also brought us the opportunity to be a citizen and participate in the practice of community mobilization of the authorities.

-Nas Ondas do Marili: What is your background? -We s l e y : I’ m g r a d u at e d i n S o c i a l Communication, with an emphasis on journalism. -Thayná: Photographer. -NOM: Where have you worked? -Wesley: I worked for 8 years at the Folha de S. Paulo, I was editor-in-chief of a website for music and also presented TV programs online. -Thayná: With personal essays. -NOM: You’ve worked as a journalist, but where did the interest in photojournalism come from? -Wesley: I always liked the photography, and during the photojournalism classes in college I had good accomplishments, but the interest has emerged about two years ago. But first, came the interest in the photo and then by photojournalism, as it is more connected to my training. -NOM: How important is the photojournalism of the social point of view? -Wesley: Not only photojournalism, but any other type of photography that has a certain commitment. The photo can bring feelings a text or a video can not textures, shadows. Because it is a record of the moment, it brings a more sincere relationship between the photographer and the person who sees the photo. -Thayná: Photojournalism is important because it shows the reality of the place, the people and shows exactly what the photographer wants. -NOM: What do you think of the initiative of our school project? -Wesley: This project is wonderful, it

very talented students. The best thing to shoot with young people is precisely because they have more open minds than adults, are very creative and it is crucial to the picture. -Thayná: I really enjoyed and I intend to continue this project. It was one of the best experiences I have had.

is very important that young people have access to various types of artistic expression. I had a little in the schools where I spent, I think you should make the most of all the alternatives that the school offers. There are not many opportunities like this in other schools, or in high school. -Thayná: It’s a great project and can lead to other neighborhood schools and show the side of art for many teenagers. -NOM: Did you enjoy working with young people? How was the experience? -We s l e y : I l o v e d t o s h a r e s o m e experiences and knowledge, I want this project to continue. I discovered some

-NOM: What are your expectations of this work with teens? -Wesley: The best possible, but mostly I want them to understand that they are capable of producing high quality art materials. -T h ay n á : S h o w t h e m t h e s i d e of photography, how magical is this side of art. -NOM: And for you, how was the experience of shooting our neighborhood? -Wesley: Very good, whenever I go out to shoot, I’m almost never photographing the neighborhood. It’s good, it gives me another view of the neighborhood. I found very beautiful things, still want to do an essay of portraits in Morro Doce. -Thayná: It was a great experience and I plan to start my project in the neighborhood.

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