There is love at BXD – audiovisual students create campaign to finance documentary about Baixada Fluminense

Credit: Disclosure

By: Carlos Henrique Souza – Lupa do Bem / Favela em Pauta

The project “Is there love at Bxd?” arises from the idea of ​​bringing a new look to a peripheral region that already suffers from the stigma of violence, lack of basic sanitation and poor education. A stereotyped view, which is often also shared on the TV screen by newscasts that reinforce a reading of an abandoned land.

Proof of this reality is the way the region is portrayed, there is no lack of headlines to state that “it is the most violent region in Rio de Janeiro”, as well as in the 70s and 80s, when the city of Belford Roxo was titled as the most violent in the world. Something that today even finds some echo in current data, but that does not represent the city or the region as a whole.

Due to this context, many of the region’s own residents talk about the feeling that the Baixada is just a dormitory space, or about the need to move away from their own place of origin in different ways, such as when looking for fun and entertainment in other places. However, what is ignored by those who absorb this vision of the Baixada Fluminense is the fact that the region is home to talented artists and cultural movements with a lot of history.

Some examples of this cultural effervescence are organizations such as Ojuobá Axé, an NGO that has been teaching children and teenagers activities such as percussion, among many others, for almost 40 years; Or the Centro Cultural Donana, which has also focused on music and culture in general for decades.

In addition to social movements, the region is also birthplace of sambistas and composers of unquestionable talent, like Dicró from Mesquita, singer and composer of successful satirical sambas.

Another reference in samba is Bezerra da Silva, who was born in Recife – PE and has lived in Rio de Janeiro since he was 15 years old, having an intimate relationship with the Baixada. According to Samba researcher Amilton Cordeiro, Bezerra often searched for composers from Mesquita to have good songs on his albums. He made a point of honoring the region by singing a song that echoes the proposal of the documentary “Existe amor na BXD”, as the following quote illustrates.

“Place that occupies a piece
From my heart, from my heart
But unfortunately it has a reputation as a heavy place
This is all opposition’s intrigue
It’s a lot of lies and small talk
I explain why
The best place to live is in my Baixada” – Baixada, composition by Edson Show and Wilsinho Saravá, both composers from Baixada Fluminense.

The conception of a new documentary about BXD

Mariana Maux, creator of the project, resident of São João de Meriti and audiovisual student at EncontrArte, reported that everything started with a questioning tone. “Is there love at Bxd?”, the question used in the title of the project and which, throughout the documentary, intends to be answered.

“When I was younger, Baixada Fluminense was a place I had to overcome, from which I had to escape. That’s because, until then, it was this image that was reproduced the most, an unwanted place”, reports Marina.

The documentary will feature several interviewees who are references from Baixada Fluminense, such as Wesley Brasil, creator of “Site da Baixada”, Fábio Vieira, creator of CTN Nilópolis, Alessandra Mércia “Malê”, cultural producer from Duque de Caxias, among others.

Filming ended in October. The footage was captured in some of the cities that are part of the Baixada, such as Nilópolis, São João de Meriti, and others. The documentary also features the participation of people who move the culture of Baixada Fluminense.

How to support the project

To make the documentary real, the participants created a brand that seeks to present the good side of the region. Products such as blouses, caps and ecobags with the project’s logo printed on are sold. The sale of products is used as part of raising financial resources to pay for the production stages of the audiovisual piece.

To follow everything about the documentary and also purchase some of the products sold with the group’s identity, just follow the project’s Instagram profile at @existeamornabxd.