Podcast Interview with Henrique Gomes da Silva & Andreza Jorge

Henrique Gomes da Silva & Andreza Jorge explore what it means to be a resident of a favela in Brazil. They explore how their work utilizes arts and research frameworks while challenging standard understandings of who lives in these spaces and even what a favela is. They also dig into how they have been able to mobilize favela residents and build community power.

Andreza Jorge is a black feminist, mother, academic, and resident of Complexo da Maré. She has worked with a variety of social projects focused on racial, gender, and sexual identity. She has published numerous articles, short stories, and poems and was named the “highlight” poet of the 2017 International Literary Festival of Paraty. She coordinates Casa das Mulheres, a space for women in Maré. Jorge uses dance, music, and composition to discuss themes pertinent to the daily life of women living in favelas.  Henrique Gomes da Silva is a black activist and resident of Complexo da Maré. He works with numerous local and international academics, artists, and activists. Silva also coordinates Maré que Queremos, a project which brings together Maré’s neighborhood associations to improve favela conditions, and Espaço Normal, a space for drug users and the homeless.

Interviewers: Desiree Poets, Assistant Professor in the VT Dept. of Political Science; Courtney Surmanek, Master's student in Urban & Regional Planning & Fine Arts; Molly Todd, PhD student in the ASPECT program

NOTE: Translation by Desiree Poets, PhD.