Sargento Perifa and the reconstruction of the peripheral imaginary in Recife (PE)

Credit: Disclosure

By: Kauana Portugal – Lupa do Bem / Favela em Pauta

In May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, Gilberto Luiz and Martihene Oliveira kicked off the creation of Coletivo Sargento Perifa, an initiative aimed at echoing the voices of people who live on the outskirts of Recife (PE).

The idea, which arose during a course at the journalism school, brought together the two black students in pursuit of a dream: to connect residents and activists of Córrego do Sargento, located in the neighborhood of Linha do Tiro, in the North Zone of the city.

“We already had this concern about how the media portrays the favela, tarnishing the image of communities with news only about urban violence and drug trafficking”, explains Gilberto Luiz, Gil, co-founder of the project.

United by the desire to show the power of the periphery, the sargentinos – how people belonging to Córrego do Sargento not only geographic, but also affective, are called – united in the collective.

In practice, the horizontal communication promoted by “Seu Perifa” elaborates and puts into practice projects that reinvent the daily lives of residents. These are actions aimed at health, encouraging sports, education and combating food insecurity, such as Sargento Atitude, carried out during the pandemic in order to map vulnerable people and, thus, promote the donation of basic food baskets.

Another example is Cheios de Direito, an initiative that travels through the streets of the community discussing the fundamental rights of residents and answering legal questions.

Health efforts are also frequent, in addition to cultural programs and lectures on various topics. In all cases, the executors are members of Sargento Perifa, mostly young people, from different professions. Among them are journalists, physical education professionals, administrators, community leaders, pedagogues, lawyers and teachers: all committed to building a new imaginary about the periphery where they live. Everything is disclosed through the project’s social networks, in addition to a website that centralizes the information.

Belonging and racial identity among the “sargentinos”

Right when it was founded, in 2020, Sargento Perifa carried out a kind of “census” in the community. With the intention of understanding the main difficulties experienced by residents, in addition to obtaining data on gender and race, project members interviewed 187 families. Themes related to racial identity, gender and sexuality signaled the importance of promoting debates committed to combating oppression.

“Perifa also emerged because of the contradictions we experience in journalism. When we did the census, for example, there were people who declared themselves green. Then we realized the need to go deeper into this racial issue”, says Gilberto, highlighting how the issue of blackness can be seen as a taboo, especially crossed by the media, which insists on portraying black people as threatening.

By expanding access to culture, for example, new imaginaries are being built about what it is to be black in Córrego do Sargento. In addition, activities linked to sport and leisure are building a new imaginary about what it is like to live in the territory, which is not only crossed by violence, but also by creativity, pride and talent. At the end of the year, Sargento has been trying to form popular communicators through text workshops, recording and video editing.

Main difficulties and project horizon

Currently, Sargenti Perifa does not have any public support or private funding. Actions are carried out by volunteers who often use their own resources. To continue giving new meaning to the favela experience, Perifa needs help. Donate through PIX 81 984335797 or sargento.perifa@gmail.com.

Clothes, shoes, personal hygiene products and food are also useful and can be left at the project headquarters, which is located at Rua Córrego do Sargento, number 10, Linha do Tiro. This headquarters needs to be renovated to expand the events. With a donation, the dream can come true.

Follow @sargento_perifa on Instagram and follow the project through the website www.sargentoperifa.com.