| Story | Before Africans became enslaved, they were experts in many fields, contributing to human history with important inventions that range from the telescope to setting the basis of cubism in art. It should be in school books, but it is not. Zumbi dos Palmares College, the only black college in Brazil, and J. Walter Thompson Brazil developed the project Black Box, unveiling this side of history in order to bring pride and knowledge to Afro-descendants, to promote a historical correction and to spread hidden stories about black people’s cultural legacy to the spotlight. “After 300 years of slavery in Brazil, it is urgent to change the mindset that permeates a hidden past fundamental to regain self-esteem and correct crucial historical omissions that were the basis of racism in Brazil. We chose this path, through education, because we believe that is the right start. Correcting the past we can create a different future with more justice and opportunities.” Danilo Janjacomo, Creative Director, and Talita Cardozo, Head of Art of JWT Brazil. 15,000 hours of work of African-Brazilian researchers, historians, journalists, teachers, and people involved in black militancy turned into a 200-page book that brings black people’s cultural and historical legacy into the spotlight. The book includes black boxes in translucent tracing paper that reveal important historical information and names of black heroes when the pages are turned over. “When the idea of writing this book came up we didn’t realize it would have so many subjects. But as we started searching, a whole world opened up in front of us with discoveries we never could imagine. And the result is a fascinating material, filled with historical correction and stories that no one in Brazil ever knew of. Now, we deliver this book to black students with the hope to provide them with pride about their color, to restore their identity with a feeling of mission accomplished, but still, knowing that this issue is inexhaustible. And that’s why we’ll never stop discovering”, said Ariane Polvoni, Editor in Chief, and Thamara Pinheiro, content research and copywriter of the project. The map of Palmares area* was used to form every image in the book through generative design. A code was developed to transform the map into tiny particles that were put together to form the image, inserting the DNA of black history in every illustration. Also, each chapter of the book became a subject and was integrated into the syllabus of different college grades. ** The Palmares quilombo was the greatest symbol of resistance to slavery in the history of Brazil and was established towards the end of the 16th century, on the border of the states of Alagoas and Pernambuco. There, under the leadership of Zumbi dos Palmares, the quilombo received some 20,000 runaway slaves. |