Goats and soda: NPR

Edgard Gooveya puts communal games to help people connect and solve problems. Dancing together are part of its process. Above: at a circular dance at a festival in Berlin, he asked the participants to hug at least five other people. Many of them approached him to thank and hug him.

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I interviewed Edgard Gouveia Jr. More than two years ago about his efforts to use games and stories for the electrification of communities around the world. He is a Brazilian co -founder This is fromA non -profit organization dedicated to the creation and launch of joint games for positive changes. The organizational principle of gooveia is to build the world of our dreams in this way fast, free, cheerful and fantastic.

On the planet, which can feel more and more abandoned, I wanted to ask him about his last efforts, about the state of his movement and what he dreams about.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. This story is part Weekly series of subsequent observations In past posts.

What has happened in the last two years? How did everything develop for you?

My God, so much.

I was invited by various groups to lead the activity around the idea “Game for Changes”. For example, there is global artistry movement that has grown to respond to the growth of extreme law and fascism.

What is artivism?

We define artivism as an art designed for social and environmental changes.

In fact, we call an artist with three aspects. Firstly, they should be a strong and recognizable artist – be it dancing, singing, drawing, writing poems, etc. Their art should concern the hearts, minds and dreams of people.

Secondly, their work should be based on their own community. It can be the surroundings, a city, region or demographic, but it should serve, inspire and rise in this community. This is not the one who creates only in his studio. In other words, the artivist is also an activist.

Finally, they should be able to inspire people. They need to take others beyond their own communities. And these efforts should be large and effective.

Edgard Hoveya inspires the dance at the festival in Berlin.

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Martin Luther King is the youngest, Frida Kalo, Bob Marley, Mercedes Sosa, Bitles and Maya Angela – all artistists – people who used their art to move and inspire people.

So, back to the global artistist movement that you described …

They have Further observing Here, in Brazil, in the city of Salvador at the end of this year. The organizers appreciated how I attract and load communities in the field of game.

They said: “Edgard, we need you. We lose the battle from the story of changes against extreme law. We do not want only a seminar from you. We want you to help us develop participation in community communication, as well as the movement itself. ”

It was really exciting.

So I’m working on it now. I think that people are not just gathered inside rooms, hotels or conference centers. Rather, we create a seminar of a whole day in the black area of ​​Pelurino in Salvador, focused around the question: how can our art be a cure for changes?

This is a provocation. What can you bring and create to turn back the injuries, expand the capabilities of women, restore hope and restore infrastructure? What can we weave together from each other’s art practices to make changes that we want?

Thus, we unite artists, sponsors and amazing funds from around the world to share what I call black diaspora medicine. And people really like this idea.

What do you mean by the medicine of the black diaspora?

The Africans who were enslaved, and their descendants in Brazil, Cuba, Central America, the United States and in other places developed many strategies to survive, prosper and even rise. For example, there is the use of music, votes, drums, dances and martial arts.

These people have developed many powerful technologies – artistic, spiritual, emotional, mental – to survive the worst conditions and motivate and strengthen us.

I call it black medicines from the diaspora, because in Africa there were not many of the most powerful ideas. They were developed in the diaspora. People had knowledge from Africa, but in other places they improved and invented new strategies for survival.

Edgard Goveya discovered the power of games in childhood, when his community will begin annual competitive activities – as Find a pink elephant! He says that games are “a kind of collective intelligence … brainstorming the size of a city. I was a witness to the creative potential that we must decide everything. ”

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What evidence did you see in your own actions that this can work?

Let me tell you when I met I will find kumiGlobal activist from South Africa. He fought with Mandelia. And he was the former International Executive Director of Greenpeace International and the former general secretary of Amnesty International.

He stands behind the global conference of artivism and movement. And he was those who invited me to become part of this initiative.

First, we met in the Pyrenees in the fall of 2022 at a small meeting, perhaps 20 artistist leaders. This weekend, the nearest small medieval city celebrated its birthday.

When we appeared, we sat in one corner of the square, and the whole community was in another corner. There was an empty space between us. We were not connected. They could not speak our language, and we could not speak their language, even as artistists.

It was inconvenient to be there. Our small group was ashamed that he invaded their space.

And I said: “No, no. Stop it. ” Other artists prompted me to do something.

Therefore, I went on stage and asked the guys to play Michael Jackson there, “you are there,“ Kumbalave ”from Cirque du Soleil and a traditional South American song called“ Berekete ”.

Each – members of the community and artivists – we have created concentric circles, not to mention. I asked them to move like me. And suddenly we all began to dance, our hands joined, in unison.

And by the end of three songs, members of the community ran out of the square to their homes to return the tables and chairs. And they prepared lunch for us to eat all together. They divided us so that one or two artistists sat with each family, because they wanted to interact with us, not even to mention the language.

So this is one of the ways when we can break the silence and break the separation, even if we do not have a common language or connection. We can use art to find other methods of communication.

And by the way, we stayed until the evening – only from the energy that we created when we gathered together.

It’s like a human orchestra.

What is your dream, Edgard?

I want to include dreams that are enlightened, beautiful, connected and cooperating. I am trying to contribute to my experience, my technology, my movement on the planet in order to inspire people.

Edgard Gooveya at the PXP festival in Berlin, where he organized a circular dance. He believes by virtue of games and is currently developing a global game “so that the communities get together and use practical actions to restore the environment.”

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This is the opposite of reality based on war, struggle, hit, marching, demand.

If only 1% of humanity visits society with fear, revenge, suspicions and rage in order to maintain power … What if we dance? What if we rise, whatever, as Maya Angela said? What if we could use the Rock -N -Roll force, samba, carnival to build the world we are looking for?

This is the energy that I collect in the world.