Cultural Center for Afrodevelopmentalism Machado de Assis
Located in the historic center of Rio de Janeiro, the Centro Cultural Carioca will create a new cultural space in the heart of the city, with enormous potential to become a new hub for the dissemination of Rio's art. Given that the most important thing is to democratize access to culture and to value the creative capacity of Rio's people, it will be accessible to all audiences, covering the multiplicity of languages.
THE REASON
The center of Rio de Janeiro has always been a place of intense artistic, political and social manifestations, from the presence of Madame Satã on the streets of Lapa, through the creation of Cinelândia and the countless traditional street carnival blocks. The choice of the marvelous city to host the 2016 Olympics made possible the great urban project that transformed the landscape of this important economic hub of the city: the end of the Perimetral Viaduct, the restoration of several warehouses in the port area and the construction of the Olympic Boulevard created a huge tourist center connected to the extensive public promenade surrounded by cultural spaces and squares. Rio de Janeiro is an infinite cultural hotbed, permeated by syncretism, originality and avant-garde and, therefore, we believe that there is much more to add to this universe called “Rio de Janeiro culture”. The Centro Cultural Carioca presents itself as a new space for leisure, entertainment and information capable of discovering and giving visibility to new voices and perspectives on the most varied aspects of Rio de Janeiro.
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OUR VISION
THE CULTURAL CENTER OF AFRODEVELOPMENTISM It will not be a static space for promoting art, where the relationship between spectator and work is defined only by the passive gaze of appreciation. Advances in technology have created a society that increasingly yearns for interaction and proactivity. The main goal is to surprise the public at each event. The people of Rio are creative by nature and our main objective is to give visibility to new talents, who rarely have access to the main commercial circuits of the art market. Our watchword is ACTION and CONNECTION. With this focus, we will create a lively and dynamic multicultural environment that stimulates the collective creative spirit, providing individual artistic experiences, but at the same time connected and capable of expanding the cultural production of Rio.
THE STREET OF OUVIDOR
Ouvidor Street already existed in the first century of Rio de Janeiro's colonization and its name pays homage to the Ouvidores, magistrates of the Portuguese Empire who settled there. The best shops selling fine goods, fashionable clothing, ladies' hairdressers, perfumeries, cafés, confectioneries, jewelry stores, music houses and bookstores were located there. It became an almost obligatory stop, where people who belonged or wanted to belong to the finest society of the time circulated.
RIO DE JANEIRO
With the opening of Avenida Central, now known as Rio Branco, the spotlight changed and Ouvidor began to experience its period of decline. However, this street, which was once a huge theater in terms of habits and customs, still retains much of its charm and history in its architecture. Therefore, it is essential to rescue and preserve this small cultural universe, immortalized by Machado de Assis and summed up in the words of a traveler at the time: “Rio de Janeiro is Brazil and Rua do Ouvidor is Rio de Janeiro.”
HISTORICAL REPAIR
Machado de Assis is considered one of the greatest names in Brazilian literature. His genius and vision have spanned the centuries, standing out not only for his work, but also for the fact that he was a black writer who, in one of the most challenging periods in our history, reached the highest position in national literature, presiding over the Brazilian Academy of Letters and giving shape to an institution that he himself conceived.
At the Machado de Assis Afro-Developmentalist Cultural Center, our mission is to highlight this representation and give even more visibility to Afro-Developmentalism — a concept that symbolizes the protagonism and transformative capacity of black men and women in society. The creation of this term reflects our commitment to supporting and promoting black writers, enabling our history to be told by authentic and diverse voices.
Furthermore, we contribute directly to the enforcement of laws such as 10.639/03, which makes the use of books with this perspective mandatory in schools. Our work strengthens both the cultural production and the financial empowerment of black writers, who, if organized and encouraged, will be able to occupy the space that is theirs in Brazilian literature and education.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE...
REVEAL THE NEW. CREATE IDEAS. FOSTER CULTURE. THE GOAL OF THE MACHADO DE ASSIS AFRODEVELOPMENTISM CULTURAL CENTER IS TO BE A CULTURAL REFERENCE FOR THE CITY AND TO TRANSFORM ITSELF INTO A TALENT INCUBATOR. ART IS ALSO A SOCIAL AGENT AND, THEREFORE, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE CREATE STRATEGIES THAT ALLOW ACCESS TO CULTURAL GOODS FOR LOW-INCOME PUBLIC AND TO DISCOVER HIDDEN ARTISTS WITH POTENTIAL. FREE WORKSHOPS WILL BE OFFERED EVERY SEMI-ANNUALLY FOR TRAINING IN THE MOST DIVERSE AREAS: LITERATURE, PHOTOGRAPHY, DRAWING, AUDIOVISUAL, THEATER AND PAINTING. IN ADDITION, WE WILL PROVIDE A SPACE FOR THE SALE OF WORKS PRODUCED AND A PORTION OF TICKETS AT A POPULAR PRICE FOR ALL OUR CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IS AN URGENT AND MANDATORY ISSUE IN THE WORLD TODAY. FOR THIS REASON, WE WILL ADOPT ACTIONS AND INITIATIVES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE RESPONSIBLE SOCIETY: GUIDANCE ON CONSCIOUS DISPOSAL, SELECTIVE WASTE COLLECTION, PREPARATION OF GRAPHIC MATERIAL ON RECYCLABLE PAPER, IN ADDITION TO COLLABORATION WITH NGOs THAT WORK TO PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT.
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THE MACHADO RIVER
The Machado de Assis Afro-Developmentalist Cultural Center will pay a fitting tribute to one of the greatest Brazilian writers: Machado de Assis. Black, poor and born in Morro do Livramento, he managed, like few other authors, to describe urban life in Rio with such precision and irony. Capitu, Brás Cubas, Simão Bacamarte and Quincas Borba are some of his iconic characters who reflect the plural, anachronistic and diverse Rio de Janeiro. Therefore, in addition to the construction of a statue of the Wizard of Cosme Velho around the building, the entire decoration and organization of the structure will be designed to value the work of this great name in world literature. "THIS IS THE GREAT ADVANTAGE OF DEATH, THAT, IF IT DOESN'T LEAVE A MOUTH TO LAUGH, IT ALSO DOESN'T LEAVE EYES TO CRY..."
Timeline
21
NOVEMBER
Start of Works
02
FEBRUARY
Opening and Launch of Exhibitions
16
FEBRUARY
Open to the Public
