Ailton Pinheiro is the film producer, directed by student of Cinema and Audiovisual of UFRB (Federal University of Reconcavo of Bahia), Larissa Santos, born in Salvador and member of the movement of black movie Black Screen. The documentary addresses the racial representation in children's universe and how the eurocentric standard of beauty affects self-image and self-esteem of black children, revealing the silent action of racism in childhood.
Tell me about the tittle of this movie and how children look at their skin color?
Ailton Pinheiro: "Crayons" is different from those films that talk about racism, here the children say how they see themselves and there is a process, talking about something very Brazilian, which is the whitening of people. We may be keeping our multicultural identity and the identity of black people is black. We cannot deny what we are. That does not mean we think we have to change places, we want to go together, but this requires an equality of rights and opportunities. The film is a bit about it, as the racial process in Brazil is perverse to the point of a child does not see something as simple as a crayon. There is not a pencil that symbolizes the black color there, beige is the color of skin, can never be my color, or those children. Then they grow up without reference, its reference is eurocentric. I have nothing against it, but we have to know what are our benchmarks, because it says a lot of what we are, then I am a black person with African heritage, some Portuguese form, but I will never be seen as Portuguese. I'll even seen as African, then it is a film comes a little about this subject that is racism in childhood, I do not think that is peculiar to Brazil. Arriving in Portugal, this is the first time in your country, I came upon natural situations, I am a black rasta, it is natural to be stopped at the airport because I'm not Portuguese and that is internalized in people. The role of the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries) is to deconstruct it, because it's about culturality, diversity and walk about, with moments of encounter and strengthening multiculturalism without loosing our identity. The film talks about the pattern they want us to impose.
How she chose the children who appear in the film? The school that had that particular group?
AP: Those children are the family of the director of the film, are sisters, cousins, people who are very close. It is a film that comes from her head, with these questions that she has within the family. If we talk about the changes and the process of racism, she has in her own house, that's what she experiences daily, the sister arriving at school and being called monkey. Then she opened her life, her intimate, to bring a portrait of Brazilian children, all of Brazil, they have these thoughts because they are educated by TV, the media being what they are, always be another.
What is the conclusion here, one has to change the school?
AP: We believed that education and culture plays a key role. We do art and our key role is to deconstruct the racist thinking and prejudice in the world's society. It is necessary for people to see that change comes from education and culture, but there is something central, it is important for us, that is racism. It's something secular, you can not deny all the atrocities done against the black and African people. So we need to go back to history and from that reflection, to take steps that can include all real and equally, you can walk that multiculturalism, so has to do with this plurality of tracking people who are blacks, whites, Portuguese, Brazilian, Cape Verdean and African. For us it is important that culture is thought within this reference. Then yes, we are promoting this diversity, multiculturalism seeing as these differences and identities.
