{"id":133,"date":"2026-07-07T18:10:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:10:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/agencyforfoodsecurityinbrazil\/?post_type=chapter&p=133"},"modified":"2026-08-30T19:52:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T23:52:47","slug":"chapter-9-copy-and-paste","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/agencyforfoodsecurityinbrazil\/chapter\/chapter-9-copy-and-paste\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter 9 - Lifewritings on Food Security and Sovereignty: Trajectories of Anti-Racist Activism and Resistance","rendered":"Chapter 9 – Lifewritings on Food Security and Sovereignty: Trajectories of Anti-Racist Activism and Resistance"},"content":{"raw":"Andrea Ferreira Jacques de Moraes*, <\/strong>Janete Santos Ribeiro, Gaio Jorge Ara\u00fajo Baptista de Paiva, Ver\u00f4nica Maria Corr\u00eaa da Silva (Omobirin Ver\u00f4nica d\u2019Od\u00e9), Roberta Rafaela Mendes Costa (Iyalorixa\u0301 Roberta Costa de Yemonja), Itanajara Dione Nascimento de Almeida (Iya Itanajara de Oxum), Maria Aparecida da Silva Lessa (Olamid\u00ea Lessa)\r\n\r\n*Corresponding author: amoraes@torontomu.ca<\/a>\r\n

1.Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\u201cOur lifewriting brings the experience, the lived reality of our condition as Brazilian people of African origin\u2014a hyphenated nationality\u2014through which I position and express myself to affirm my African roots, to celebrate my ancestry, and to connect with African peoples, as well as with the African diaspora\u201d (Evaristo, 2020).\r\n\r\nThe concept of lifewriting (escreviv\u00eancia<\/em>), developed by Brazilian Black writer Concei\u00e7\u00e3o Evaristo, inspires this chapter, which presents fragments of six trajectories of anti-racist activism and resistance, as well as commitment to food security and sovereignty in Brazil. These narratives blend personal and collective experiences with global and local events and contexts.\r\n\r\nAccording to Evaristo (2020), lifewritings aim to bring writing as close as possible to oral speech (p. 37). Thus, the accounts presented here are either personal writings or fragments of transcribed conversations expressing lived experiences in the fight against racism and for social justice. What all these lifewritings bring to light are affirmations of experiences in food security or sovereignty that \u201cgo beyond mere contemplative action, becoming a deep discomfort with the state of things\u201d (Evaristo, 2020: p.34).\r\n\r\nFour of the co-authors of this chapter have included their Orunk\u00f3,<\/em> the sacred name bestowed upon an individual during their initiation into Candombl\u00e9. <\/em>Candombl\u00e9 is an Afro-Brazilian religion that connects practitioners with deities called orix\u00e1s,<\/em> voduns<\/em>, and inquices<\/em>, representing natural forces and human experiences. It emphasizes harmony between the physical and spiritual worlds, belief in reincarnation, and the vital energy ax\u00e9,<\/em> nurtured through rituals. These ceremonies, led by religious leaders in terreiros[footnote]Terreiros are the temples, sacred territories, also called houses, where Candombl\u00e9 ceremonies are performed.\u00a0[\/footnote]<\/em>, involve dance, chants, and offerings, celebrating key events and welcoming new members (Campos, 2025). <\/em>Thus, sacred names signify their spiritual identity and reflect their bond with the Orix\u00e1 <\/em>(Fortaleza, 2025).\r\n\r\nBorn out of the resistance of enslaved Africans, Afro-Brazilian religions, such as Canbombl\u00e9<\/em> and Umbanda<\/em>, have in the past and continue to have a vital role in the preservation and celebration of Afro-Brazilian lives, culture and heritage, including cuisine and food security.\u00a0 Members of Afro-Brazilian religions in Brazil claim their identity beyond religion, as Traditional People of African Matrix (POTMA).\r\n\r\nIn Brazilian law, Traditional Peoples and Communities, are defined \u201cas culturally distinct groups that recognize themselves as such, possessing their own forms of social organization, occupying and using territory and natural resources as a condition for their cultural, social, religious, ancestral, and economic reproduction, utilizing knowledge, innovations, and practices generated and transmitted through traditions\u201d (Brasil, 2007 as cited by Almeida, 2019, p.35).\r\n\r\nThe cultural centrality of food within the POTMA and the daily practice of food distribution in terreiros <\/em>have prompted leadership to seek institutional support. They mobilized the Brazilian government to implement public policies to address food insecurity among both practitioners and the vulnerable populations in their immediate vicinities (Brasil, 2011). POTMA members then created FONSANPOTMA, the National Forum for Food and Nutrition Security of the People of African Matrix in 2011 (Almeida, 2019).\r\n\r\nAlthough initially concerned with the criminalization of sacred animal slaughter in terreiros<\/em> in Rio Grande do Sul state, FONTANPOTMA became a national organization dedicated to preserving and restoring the cultural, social, and territorial values of African-descended traditions. Centred on the goal of\u00a0food sovereignty, the forum works to combat food insecurity by protecting traditional food systems from modern destruction.\u00a0 A core principle of the organization is the right to\u00a0self-identification\u00a0as Traditional Peoples of African Matrix. While they respect various historical or imposed names, they emphasize that\u00a0ancestral diversity\u00a0serves as a vital unifying force for their communities[footnote]For more information about POTMA and FONSANPOTMA see also the chapter of Nogueira et al (2026) in this volume.[\/footnote] (Morais & Jayme, 2017).\r\n\r\nWe begin this chapter with the lifewritings of educator Janete Ribeiro and the Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o (Caruru of Gratitude)<\/em>, an event of gathering, education, and celebration of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous culture within the Brazilian diaspora, centred around caruru<\/em>, a sacred and traditional Afro-Brazilian dish. All the contributors in this chapter share a connection with the Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o<\/em>.\r\n\r\nGaio Jorge and the Coletivo Cria\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em> (Collective Creation) describe the inspiration and initiative of youth from the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro in the fight for life in their territory through programs such as Saberes e Fazeres de Cria (Knowledge and Doings from the Territory\u2019s Child)<\/em>, which promote food security, education, and sustainability.\r\n\r\nOmobirim<\/em>[footnote]Omibirim means daughter in Yoruba. (Ase Dan Fe Ero, n.d)[\/footnote] Veronica Corr\u00eaa\u2019s writing reflects on her path of activism and resistance from Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, highlighting the importance of youth occupying decision-making spaces and resisting structural racism. Veronica is also a coordinator of public policies for youth at FONSANPOTMA.\r\n\r\nNext is the account of Iyalorix\u00e1<\/em>[footnote]The Iyalorix\u00e1 is the religious, cultural, and social leadership of a Candombl\u00e9\u2019s terreiro<\/em> that mediates communication between the community members and the Orix\u00e1s (Santos, 2011).[\/footnote] Roberta from the Instituto \u00c1guas do Amanh\u00e3<\/em> (Waters of Tomorrow Institute) based in Sepetiba, Rio de Janeiro, who discusses the significance of food and the role of terreiro <\/em>kitchens in the ongoing struggle against hunger and food insecurity.\r\n\r\nIya<\/em> [footnote]Iya means mother in Yoruba. (Quadri-Adekambi, 2023)[\/footnote] Itanajara de Oxum<\/em>[footnote]Oxum, the divinity of fresh waters, is syncretized in Bahia with Our Lady of Candeias. Her archetype is that of women who, beneath a graceful and elegant appearance, conceal a powerful and vital inner will. (Memorial, 2009)[\/footnote] speaks about her territorial and national journey as a member of POTMA in the context of Porto Alegre, a city in southern Brazil. She emphasizes the dynamic engagement with events such as the World Social Forum, the Banqueta\u00e7o<\/em>, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in 2024.\r\n\r\nFinally, the lifewriting of Olamid\u00ea<\/em>[footnote]The prefix \"ola\" is associated with joy, dignity, and prosperity. In its literal translation, the name Olamide means \"wealth has come.\" (TAG, 2018)[\/footnote] Lessa interweaves a passion for education with the history of resistance of the POTMA through the creation of FONSANPOTMA and their ongoing fight for food security and sovereignty.\r\n\r\nIn presenting these lifewritings, we argue that the POTMA are not merely beneficiaries of public policies, but active agents in the development of truly sustainable solutions. These practices challenge the State\u2019s exclusionary structure and point toward a form of development that respects diversity, strengthens community bonds, and ensures a full life for future generations. To educate, to nourish, to preserve, and to resist\u2014these are the pillars of sustainability rooted in ancestry and projected toward the future. That is why narratives like these are not just life stories, but seeds of transformation that help bring global commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, n.d) to life.\r\n
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    Janete Santos Ribeiro and the Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    2.1 Janete\u2019s Introduction<\/em><\/h3>\r\nMy name is Janete Santos Ribeiro. I\u2019m a history teacher in the public education system at FAETEC \u2013 the Foundation for the Support of Technical Schools \u2013 where I work with elementary education and training of new teachers. I define myself as a woman of the triad: academia, education, and activism, being involved in projects that bring together these three elements.\r\n\r\nFor the past twenty-five years, my teaching practice has been centred on a transgressive approach to history. For example, since 2023 we have been doing a systematic reading of the book A Colour Defect <\/em>(Um Defeito de Cor<\/em>) by Ana Maria Gon\u00e7alves (2006), which blends literature and history, and helps expand the racial literacy of young people. We are not born Black\u2014we become Black, even though we are seen as Black. To confront the structural historical injustice of racism, we need to know who we are, where we come from, and what legacy we carry from our ancestors. So, through reading this classic book, we work on empowering youth from vulnerable communities.\r\n\r\nIn Brazil, the place of Black people is not traditionally a place of power. We are changing that through many struggles\u2014and that\u2019s where my activism comes in. I believe that this activism needs to happen inside the classroom, with young people who are paid to study, to become professionals[footnote]Referring to the Federal Cash Transfer Program P\u00e9-de Meia<\/em>, created in 2023 to combat secondary school evasion by financially rewarding students that finish their school years in public high schools. For more, see:\u00a0 ECLAC, 2023[\/footnote]. Because what often happens with our youth is that they study just enough to enter the job market. They study to work, not to gain knowledge that can transform them.\u00a0 The act of transgression is when they study to strengthen who they are and the communities they come from\u2014in short, to be who they want to be, not what society imposes on them. This has shaped my life deeply, and it\u2019s through these lived experiences that I move into the field of education.\r\n

    2.2 Antiracist Activism and Education<\/em><\/h3>\r\nIn education, I crossed paths with Professor Azoilda Loretto da Trindade, and I became involved with issues of self-esteem and mental health of Black women. In this context of Black women\u2019s health, I participate in two key initiatives. One of them is the annual Rainhas Magas<\/em> (Wise Queens) gathering, which takes place on January 6th\u2014a day of care and empowerment for Black women, so they can begin the year with confidence and self-worth. I also support a group of Black women university students who came from public schools, called PodPretas (Black Women Podcast)<\/em>. They engage in dialogue and give back in ways that empower other girls like themselves once were.\r\n\r\nIn my classroom, I never leave out the Afro-Indigenous perspective\u2014it is always discussed through the lens of human rights and the enforcement of Article 6 of the Brazilian Constitution of 1988 that establishes social rights (Brasil, 2010). My projects are deeply tied to this perspective of building networks\u2014powerful networks within the school community that can act on many fronts. In this sense, I see myself as a woman who brings people together, someone who creates opportunities for shared knowledge. On top of that, every September, I\u2019m actively involved with the Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o<\/em>.\r\n

    2.3. Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o\/ Caruru of Gratitude<\/em><\/h3>\r\nThe Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o<\/em> takes place on September 27, a day dedicated to honoring Ibeji<\/em>, the orix\u00e1<\/em> connected to childhood in Afro-Brazilian based religions like Candombl\u00e9 and Umbanda. Ibeji is symbolized by twin figures who embody joy and see the world with the wonder and innocence of children. Also known as \u201cthe child orix\u00e1,\u201d this divinity represents the miracle of birth and the beginning of life. Ibeji\u2019s energy is present in everything that marks a new beginning\u2014such as a river\u2019s source, a seed sprouting, the spark of happiness, or a renewed zest for life\u2014reflecting purity, innocence, and the sacred essence of fresh starts (Barbosa, 2023). Thus, the Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o carries an emotional dimension but also serves as a space for connection and mobilization.\r\n\r\nThe first Caruru<\/em> was organized in 2015 to raise funds for the palliative care of the professor Azoilda Loretto da Trindade[footnote]Azoilda Loretto da Trindade (1957\u20132015) was a Black feminist intellectual and educator who dedicated herself to theories and practices in the field of anti-racist education (see Unicamp, 2023).[\/footnote].\u00a0 Sadly, she didn\u2019t live to see it\u2014it became her gurufinho[footnote]Gurufim or gurufinho:<\/strong> \u201cthe art of celebrating, singing, dancing, eating, and drinking to honor the deceased.\u201d (Nascimento, 2019, p.122)[\/footnote] <\/em>- farewell offering. Two years later, the Caruru<\/em> was transformed into an act of gratitude. It became a gesture among friends and admirers of Azoilda, meant to celebrate not only her memory but also the memory of other women who contributed to anti racist education and culture.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_211\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"806\"]\"Collage Figure 1.<\/em> Poster of Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o, 2025.\u00a0 Art by Lessa, 2025<\/span>[\/caption]\r\n\r\nCaruru<\/em> is a sacred dish, officially recognized in the Rec\u00f4ncavo Baiano, a region of Bahia state known for its strong historical and cultural significance (Governo do Estado Bahia, n.d.). It\u2019s also connected to resistance against religious racism, as it is a food offering to the orix\u00e1s, deities worshipped in terreiros, <\/em>Afro-Brazilian religious temples, that refer to the gods of the Ketu nation and the Angola nation, where they are known as Inquice (Alves & Pinheiro, 2013).\u00a0 <\/em>Specifically,<\/em> the dish caruru<\/em> is dedicated to the Ibejis (divine twins), which also ties it to Nigeria, the country with the highest twin birth rate in the world, the second being Brazil. This Rio-Bahia-Africa connection is central to the Caruru.<\/em>\r\n\r\nIn Bahia, caruru<\/em> is a traditional offering to children. It begins by serving seven children first, the Seven Boys[footnote]\u201cThe celebration in Bahia, which has spread to other states, begins with the offering of dishes to seven boys who symbolize Cosme, Dami\u00e3o, Do\u00fa\u2014a variation of Idowu in an African language [also known as Doum]\u2014Alab\u00e1, Crispim, Crispiniano, and Talabi. It is also common to see, alongside the image representing the twins, a third figure called Do\u00fa or Idowu, a name given in African families to the child born after twins.\u201d (Indio do Brasil, 2023)[\/footnote]. This tradition brings to light the importance of working in partnership with schools. As such, Caruru<\/em> da Gratid\u00e3o in Rio became a tool to strengthen the implementation of Law 10.639, which mandates the teaching of African and Afro-Brazilian history and culture in schools. In this sense, the Caruru<\/em> has become the culmination of a broader school-based process\u2014one that works through a range of topics to support not just anti-racist education, but also the affirmation of different identities within the school space, promoting respect for diversity.\r\n\r\nThe Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o is a celebration intertwined with the complex history of racial and cultural mixing in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, the Ibejis are syncretized as\u00a0 Saints Cosme and Dami\u00e3o, and in Afro-Carioca religiosity, the tradition is to give sweets to children. In Bahia, the caruru<\/em> is offered in gratitude for life, and the Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o forms a powerful cultural bridge between Rio and Bahia\u2014strengthening, here in Rio, a food tradition that has been under attack.\r\n\r\nThe caruru<\/em> dish is often served with acaraj\u00e9<\/em>\u2014a sacred bean fritter associated with Ians\u00e3, an orix\u00e1 from the Yoruba pantheon. Some Christian Pentecostal churches, through their demonization of Black and Afro-Brazilian culture, have appropriated elements of these traditions. For instance, they\u2019ve tried to rebrand acaraj\u00e9 as \u201cJesus fritters,\u201d stripping away or attempting to erase its cultural and spiritual roots.\r\n

    2.4. The Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o as Spiritual Reconnection<\/em><\/h3>\r\nThe Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o<\/em> is an act of resistance against the erasure of Black Brazilian heritage. Rooted in the memory of Azoilda, we build the Caruru<\/em> based on the Mandala of Afro-Brazilian Civilizational Values[footnote]Afro-Brazilian civilizational values are principles and cultural practices that reflect the influence of African culture in shaping Brazilian identity and history. These values, which are plural and interconnected, include elements such as circularity, religiosity, corporeality, musicality, cooperativism, ancestry, memory, playfulness, vital energy (ax\u00e9), and orality. For more see Trindade, 2005.[\/footnote] (Trindade, 2005), which Azoilda developed and mapped. These values include orality, memory, communitarianism\/cooperativism, religiosity, musicality, corporeality, playfulness, ancestry, circularity, and vital energy (ax\u00e9<\/em>). All of this is guided by the element of affection, which is a powerful, vital force. These values are guided by the concept of ax\u00e9<\/em>, a powerful vital energy and are not exclusive to Brazil; they are present throughout the African diaspora in the Americas.\r\n\r\nThese values are infused into the Caruru not only through the preparation of food, but also through the act of bringing people together. It\u2019s never just about the food\u2014it\u2019s also about affection and gathering, calling people to connect through their bodies and their memories. Our bodies hold memory, and the Caruru allows this ancestral memory to surface through interactive activities and workshops. In this way, the Caruru becomes an act of reconnection.\r\n

    2.5. The Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o Celebration<\/em><\/h3>\r\nThe Caruru da Gratid\u00e3o<\/em> has been held every two years since 2018. The vision is for it to remain itinerant, with no fixed location, able to travel across different neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro. These are territories where Afro-Brazilian religions are practised, making the sacred preparation of this food deeply rooted in African traditions. The celebration nourishes not only the body but also the spirit and mind. Alongside the food, there are dance workshops, storytelling sessions, turban wrapping for Afro-aesthetic expression, and great care given to transforming the venue\u2014be it a club, street, community centre, or museum\u2014into a sacred space, a spiritual terreiro<\/em>. Another important dimension of the Caruru is a six-hour-long program that supports local entrepreneurship and the solidarity economy. It promotes small local businesses, artisans, and cultural workers.\r\n\r\nThe event is entirely community-driven,\u00a0 built through donations and volunteerism. There are no sponsors or owners. It is a space of action, responsibility, and commitment from people and institutions aligned with its purpose: celebrating life. Not just human life, but also nature, in an ecological activity that brings together the material and spiritual worlds. We leave the Caruru filled with ax\u00e9<\/em>\u2014energized and empowered to continue honouring and revitalizing our ancestral heritage. Because of this, it draws on a deeply Afro-Indigenous ancestral force and embodies a form of popular resistance\u2014especially against religious racism. The Caruru affirms this power not only within schools but also within community spaces, uplifting and strengthening the community as a whole.\r\n

    2.6. Caruru, Terreiro, and Resistance<\/em><\/h3>\r\nWe have territories of resistance. The terreiro<\/em> is one of them. Much of what we know today about ancestry and Afro-Brazilian civilizational values\u2014their materiality\u2014was preserved in the terreiros<\/em> (Afro-Brazilian religious spaces). Thus, when we fight for the preservation of these spaces of knowledge, we are defending our wisdom, even if we don\u2019t personally practise the religion. Terreiros have generated essential knowledge for survival.\r\n\r\nToday, especially with the implementation of affirmative action policies, there is an emergence of a Black intellectual class\u2014challenging academic norms and confronting the epistemicide <\/em>once perpetuated by universities when they dismissed or erased other cultures, and denied others the agency to speak for themselves. In this meeting of forces, there is no turning back. We have made significant progress, and that progress is tied to this movement to reclaim our narrative.\r\n\r\nCaruru is also about strengthening what we feel, about giving visibility to what lives in us. Our focus is on the joy of holding the celebration. Because otherwise, you end up a prisoner to a world that doesn\u2019t welcome you. As we are not focused on confrontation, Caruru becomes a celebration that attracts a wide range of ways of being in the world. It is a space for differences to meet, where we intentionally avoid sponsorship to preserve the autonomy of the event and keep it free from commodification.\r\n\r\nAs a work based in exchange, the words \u201cabundance\u201d and \u201cprosperity\u201d must be part of it because they are also deeply rooted in Afro and Indigenous cultures in Brazil. Collaboration creates abundance, and abundance brings sharing, and from sharing comes prosperity. A body, a spirit, and a mind that are well-nourished are far less likely to succumb to the oppressions imposed on them. That is what we believe in.\r\n
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      Gaio Jorge and the Coletivo Cria\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

      3.1 Gaio\u2019s Introduction<\/em><\/h3>\r\nMy name is Gaio Jorge Ara\u00fajo Baptista de Paiva. I am twenty-five years old, and I am a cria<\/em>[footnote]The expression \u201ccria\u201d<\/em> in Rio de Janeiro refers to someone who grew up in a place and embodies its customs, speaks its dialect, uses its slang, and carries the knowledge of that space.[\/footnote] (child) of Guadalupe. This is a peripheral neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro that faces several challenges in meeting basic Human Development Index (HDI) standards and the right to the city, such as public safety, urban mobility, access to cultural goods, health, and education. I was born in the Muqui\u00e7o favela<\/em> and, at the age of six, moved in with my mother to the main street in Guadalupe. Around the age of fifteen, I moved to Hon\u00f3rio Gurgel, a neighbourhood in the city\u2019s North Zone. At that time, my family was able to benefit from a national public housing policy program under President Lula\u2019s government, through which they acquired a home via popular financing.\r\n

      3.2 Education<\/em><\/h3>\r\nIn high school, I completed a Technical Course in Environmental Studies through SENAI (technical school), made possible by PRONATEC\u2014the National Program for Access to Technical Education and Employment, a Federal Government initiative that promoted access to professional and technological education during President Dilma Rousseff\u2019s administration. Later, I earned a degree in Food Engineering from CEFET, Valen\u00e7a Campus, in the interior of Rio de Janeiro state. While pursuing studies in Environment and Food, I became deeply interested in the intersection of these fields and their importance in finding solutions for human dignity. Before I knew it, the pursuit of knowledge had become a passion, and I continued engaging in courses on solid waste management, waste handling, hazardous waste disposal, fruit and vegetable technology, digital technology training, among others.\r\n

      3.3 Ancestrality<\/em><\/h3>\r\nI grew up in a matriarchal household, led by my maternal grandmother, mother, and aunts. My mother is a social activist who has taken part in many struggles and achievements; she and her peers\u2014whom I call uncles and aunts\u2014helped pave the way for people like me to carry on today. She is my greatest inspiration, the person from whom I have learned everything, my first example of someone dedicated to creating change. Over time, I came to understand that my mother is the way she is because she learned from my grandmother, who in turn learned from my great-grandmother, whom I never got to meet. I feel this ancestral inheritance. My aunts are also involved in transformative work, each with their own expertise and capabilities, engaged in cultural, social, recreational, and even religious activities. Raised by these constantly moving women, I was introduced to the culture of the periphery, but also to a wide range of possibilities beyond my immediate territory.\r\n

      3.4 The Emergence of Coletivo Cria\u00e7\u00e3o (Collective Creation) <\/em><\/h3>\r\nThe Coletivo Cria\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em> (Collective Creation) emerged from the sharp awareness of a group of young residents of Hon\u00f3rio Gurgel, who already had notable backgrounds in other surrounding peripheral territories. At that time, none of us was even 20 years old. We were youth with strong community ties, who understood that we could operate more effectively in Hon\u00f3rio Gurgel and neighbouring favelas than the State itself. Our friendship was born within the Gera\u00e7\u00e3o que Move<\/em> (Generation That Moves) project, part of the Ag\u00eancia de Redes para a Juventude<\/em>[footnote]The Ag\u00eancia de Redes para a Juventude<\/em> is a social program developed by\u00a0 the non-governmental organization Avenida Brasil \u2013 Instituto de Criatividade Social. Avenida Brasil was founded in 2006 by artists and activists from peripheric territories of the city Rio de Janeiro and other cities. For more, see Ag\u00eancia de Redes para a Juventude, 2022.[\/footnote] (Youth Network Agency). \u00a0Initially, the project had a welfare approach, aimed at distributing food baskets to peripheral populations during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is important to note that our collective emerged in the context of a global crisis during the pandemic.\r\n\r\nWe began by organizing food donation and basket preparation actions, but quickly expanded the work of Gera\u00e7\u00e3o que Move<\/em> far beyond expectations. If the initial goal was to distribute five meals, we delivered twenty. The impact of our work soon became visible, and we formed various partnerships with local businesses. It became clear that we could not limit ourselves to Gera\u00e7\u00e3o que Move<\/em>. We were a group, a collective, and in April 2020,\u00a0 the Coletivo Cria\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em> was officially born.\r\n

      3.5 Coletivo Cria\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em><\/h3>\r\nThe creation of Coletivo Cria\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em> was driven by a humanitarian emergency. In Hon\u00f3rio Gurgel, many families lacked even basic access to food. A symbolic image from that period was the line at a butcher shop in Rocha Miranda, where people waited to collect bones because they could not afford meat. The reality in the outskirts of Rio\u2019s North Zone was harsh: workers could not stop working during the pandemic, and by continuing their activities, they contracted the virus and lost loved ones. It was a brutal dilemma. How to survive under these conditions? Who could help? It should have been the responsibility of the State, but we realized that we had the tools, the connections, and the organization to act effectively. And we did so with excellence; our work from that time is still remembered today.\r\n\r\nSince then, the Collective has not stopped. We have engaged in both relief actions, like distributing basic food baskets to 250 families for eight months in 2020, and cultural and solidarity initiatives, such as Solidarity Christmas<\/em>, which served 150 children in 2020 and 2021, and Solidarity Easter<\/em>. We also organized several editions of community soup kitchens for people living in street situations. We successfully applied for and received some grants, including from Casa Fluminense<\/em>, a local Non-Government Organization (Casa Fluminense, 2025). The name Coletivo Cria\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em> carries three core meanings:\r\n