I spent two and a half months working alongside various initiatives that were part of a larger Transition Brasilândia network while in São Paulo, Brazil. Brasilândia is located in the North East of the city, and a 2 hour and multiple bus ride away from the centre of São Paulo. It is also the only Transition Initative located in a low-income neighbourhood. These 25 images exemplify some of the amazing work different individuals, people and businesses are doing to bring about a better, greener, healthier, more beautiful and economically secure Brasilândia.
3D mural on a wall in Brasilandia’s alleywaysview over Brasilandia and to the Cantareira forest that borders the neighbourhood. An elderly resident, Quintino has spearheaded efforts to conserve and reforest this green space through his initiative Ousadia Popular. Read about how the forest is now invading the city here
My hostbrother, Dimas, checking on the readiness of the drums before an evening celebrating arts and culture in Brasilandia
Drumming jongo, a traditional Paulista (from Sao Paulo) form of poetry, music and dance with roots in the Kongo-Angola coast of Africa
Dancing jongo. Grupo Sambaqui led by Rosangela Macedo, teaches kids in Brasilandia, and performs this drum-dance-poetry in various places in the city
Old and used advertisement banners being recycled into pouches and bags by the women’s co-operative Grupo Brasilianas
an old and dirty Banco do Brasil messenger bag delivered to the co-operative to recycle
the bags are cleaned, dismantled, re-designed and sewn into different bags such as this pencil pouch
more of the finished products by the ladies of Grupo Brasilianas – all their bags, key chains and other products are made from reused materials, hence putting waste to good use
Selling Brasilianas bags and other wares at a co-operative market, right in time for Fathers Day
Another women’s co-operative, Doces Talentos, runs a restaurant and bakery
While the ceiling and walls got a new coat of paint the floor got a new… floor
the paint used on the walls and ceiling was mixed from red earth and water, sieved many times over, and then applied
The geodesic structure was built by several rounds of Gaia course participants. It is made of bamboo and adobe, and a multitude of reclaimed items such as glass bottles and plates, and ceramic tiles
Issa Menezes who has worked on supporting various Transition Initiatives in Brazil, including starting one in her neighbourhood, says, a movement that brings sadness will not reach anywhere. But the Transition movement brings joy which is why it’s growing. She has worked over many years to set up and support Transition in Brasilandia
Issa Menezes who has worked on supporting various Transition Initiatives in Brazil, including starting one in her neighbourhood, says, a movement that brings sadness will not reach anywhere. But the Transition movement brings joy which is why it’s growing. She has worked over many years to set up and support Transition in Brasilandia
All about repurposing and teaching kids that almost all things can be reused or recycled! This toilet bowl of flowers sits outside the geodesic and next to the CEU Jardim Paulistano school
More early environmental lessons as Rosangela instructs the children who live on her street in Brasilandia on the ins and outs of plants and compost.
And into the repurposed tyre the young hands went, eager to practise what they had just learnt
On one side of the clinic in Jardim Guarani, Brasilandia, there is a steep piece of land. It used to be the unofficial dumping ground of everything, even including bodies. The residents of the street adjacent cleaned it up and converted it into a garden. Two elderly residents are in the garden every morning to tend to it, and the vegetables and fruits are there for whoever needs them
Dimas, my host-brother refers to himself as a weaver, a connector of people, relationships and times. He found 2 wooden crates and an old ladder in a waste pile on the street on his way home one day. We sanded them down and reworked them into a shoe rack
the finished shoe rack later that evening, already in use – photo by Dimas
Small things can do much to change a place- such as these painted alleyways. See the full video of art changing neighbourhoods by Boa Mistura here
