On June 21 and 22, IBEAC’s general coordinator, Bel Santos Mayer, took part in A Feira do Livro de São Paulo (The São Paulo Book Fair) in two remarkable meetings that celebrated the power of black narratives for transformation, memory and the future.
Living memory: black narratives between the past and the future
On Friday (21), Bel was part of a special panel alongside writer Silvana Jeha, mediated by Dolores Prades. The theme of the conversation – Living memory: black narratives between the past and the future – proposed a dive into the powers of orality, ancestry and black resistance as forms of (re)existence.
The meeting was an invitation to take care of the memories we carry and to commit to the futures we want to build. At the end of the panel, Bel signed the book Parelheiros: Idas e Vi(n)das – Ler, viajar e mover-se com uma biblioteca comunitária, a work that brings together stories of mobility, reading and belonging from the Caminhos da Leitura Community Library, in the southern region of São Paulo.
Sueli Carneiro as a pedagogical path
On Saturday (22), Bel Santos Mayer mediated a conversation with writer Cidinha da Silva, who launched her book “Só bato em cachorro grande, do meu tamanho ou maior – 81 lições do método Sueli Carneiro”, published by Editora Rosa dos Tempos.
The book celebrates Sueli Carneiro’s 75th birthday and presents, in the form of short lessons, the ethical, philosophical and political depth of one of Brazil’s greatest intellectuals. The talk was an open lesson on anti-racist education, black thought and social justice – values that guide the practices of IBEAC and so many collectives working for a fairer world.
Present and future intertwine
Bel’s participation in the Fair reaffirms the importance of occupying book and reading spaces with voices that come from territories, struggles and community knowledge. Telling our stories is a political act.
To everyone who attended: thank you very much for continuing to build this living memory with us.
