WeI then went through a cognitive mapping exercise of where they lived and what was important to them. For many it had been years since they had held a coloured pencil to a piece of paper. We had fun.‘Draw a map of where you live and where you go to buy bread, get water or meet your friends. Draw pictures of your community, of what you like and what you don’t like.’ The drawings were creative, naïve, wonderful and enlightening. They were open and free expressions of the women’s worlds which were small and simple but full of reality. I then used a comparative concepts technique introducing, through a series of photographs of better-off communities from all over the world, an expanded vocabulary of simple, easy to understand community themes – clean, dirty, safe, healthy, peaceful, green, public, open, social – to further stimulate thinking and discussion. We talked about change and betterment, concepts that undoubtedly lay in everyone’s mind but were not consciously linked to their own abilities. I gave them more cameras and asked them to photograph these themes in their own community. Their eyes and minds were expanding to a conscious awareness of their living environment, what was important, what should be preserved, improved, removed, changed. A mutually understood language was developing. After going through these steps of slowly expanding an awareness of where they lived, their identity within it, and developing a new vocabulary, we returned to another round of cognitive mapping. The new images were astounding. A new consciousness of place had developed. Their world had not necessarily expanded, but their awareness and perception of it certainly had. The beaming faces, pride in their work as a group, and new found confidence told it all. They were ready to communicate and take action. Not long after the exercise, women took the first steps of change into their own hands and I found new potted plants and freshly painted houses. The tool design was an inspiring process of creating awareness of community and individuals’ identity, while empowering and preparing favela residents to effectively participate and contribute to the upgrading process. Being conscious of who you are and how you live increases the chances of understanding who you could be and how you could live. The women from Rei do Gado may not have all the means but they now well know their way. g
above: women and planner interacting in identifying, building consensus and communicating potential changes
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right top: Community identity points – an objectified look. below: the Tool Preparation Steps that guided the process
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