A brincadeira das quebradas: a pipa como espaço de pertencimento cultural e ferramenta de criação artística

Abstract

This project seeks to reflect on kite flying as a cultural, artistic, and educational practice, focusing on the narratives of Brazilian peripheries. Inspired by the figure of Erê from Afro Brazilian religions4symbolizing ancestral wisdom and the playful imagination of childhood4it highlights the authenticity found in children to confront the hardships and adversities of the world. The study proposes investigating the kite as an instrument of artistic creation and a space for knowledge construction, connecting aspects of memory, identity, and belonging. Kite flying is analyzed as a peripheral cultural manifestation, predominantly associated with Black children and adolescents, and as a means of confronting the structural violence imposed by hegemonic, racist, and exclusionary systems that disregard the narratives and cultural perspectives of Black and non-White childhoods. The work is structured into three main stages. The first explores the history and evolution of kites, their symbolism, and cultural languages, such as codes, slang, aerodynamics, and visual arts. In this context, the kite is understood as a tool for identity communication and generational knowledge transmission. The second stage introduces a practical methodology developed through workshops that use kite creation and crafting as pedagogical and artistic resources. The third stage culminates in an artistic installation4the final product of this work4featuring diverse artistic languages that compose the imaginative space created by kite flying. The methodology combines visual arts, such as graffiti and tagging; spoken word and street poetry; and traditional peripheral practices, integrating these experiences with ancestral knowledge and the sensitivities of memory. Additionally, the project places interdisciplinarity at its core, intersecting artistic, educational, and cultural languages to foster learning spaces that promote the recognition of the unique identities of racialized Black and peripheral bodies. It also reflects on the child's capacity to produce authentic knowledge, challenging adult-centric perspectives. The research expands on initiatives such as workshops conducted at the Universidade Livre do Teatro Vila Velha in Salvador, the <Erê nas Encruzas: Meu Pé de Palavra Rima= project, the workshop held at the D’oiti quilombo, and the first workshop given in São Paulo. It explores the author’s experiences in their native territory, emphasizing traditional games and the autonomy of children in constructing cultural narratives and identities. This proposal highlights the kite as a symbol of cultural resistance and collective creation, contributing to the preservation of cultural knowledge, confronting stigma-related violence, and reaffirming processes of re-signifying Afro-diasporic bodies and narratives within the Brazilian context.