Trash cart superheroes | Mundano

60,143 views ・ 2014-12-19

TED


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Our world has many superheroes.
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But they have the worst of all superpowers: invisibility.
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For example, the catadores,
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workers who collect recyclable materials for a living.
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Catadores emerged from social inequality, unemployment,
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and the abundance of solid waste
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from the deficiency of the waste collection system.
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Catadores provide a heavy, honest and essential work
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that benefits the entire population. But they are not acknowledged for it.
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Here in Brazil, they collect 90 percent of all the waste that's actually recycled.
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Most of the catadores work independently,
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picking waste from the streets and selling to junk yards at very low prices.
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They may collect over 300 kilos
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in their bags, shopping carts, bicycles and carroças.
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Carroças are carts built from wood or metal
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and found in several streets in Brazil,
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much like graffiti and street art.
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And this is how I first met these marginalized superheroes.
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I am a graffiti artist and activist
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and my art is social, environmental and political in nature.
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In 2007, I took my work beyond walls and onto the carroças,
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as a new urban support for my message.
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But at this time, giving voice to the catadores.
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By adding art and humor to the cause, it became more appealing,
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which helped call attention to the catadores
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and improve their self-esteem.
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And also, they are famous now on the streets, on mass media and social.
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So, the thing is,
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I plunged into this universe and have not stopped working since.
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I have painted over 200 carroças in many cities
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and have been invited to do exhibitions and trips worldwide.
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And then I realized that catadores, in their invisibility,
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are not exclusive to Brazil.
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I met them in Argentina, Chile,
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Bolivia, South Africa, Turkey
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and even in developed countries such as the United States and Japan.
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And this was when I realized that I needed to have more people join the cause
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because it's a big challenge.
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And then, I created a collaborative movement called Pimp My Carroça --
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(Laughter) -- which is a large crowdfunded event.
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Thank you.
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(Applause).
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So Pimp My Carroça is a large crowdfunded event
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to help catadores and their carroças.
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Catadores are assisted by well-being professionals and healthcare,
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like physicians, dentists, podiatrists, hair stylists, massage therapists
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and much more.
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But also, they also receive safety shirts, gloves, raincoats and eyeglasses
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to see in high-definition the city,
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while their carroças are renovated by our incredible volunteers.
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And then they receive safety items, too:
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reflective tapes, horns and mirrors.
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Then, finally, painted by a street artist
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and become part of part of this huge, amazing mobile art exhibition.
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Pimp My Carroça took to the streets of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba.
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But to meet the demand in other cities, including outside of Brazil,
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we have created Pimpx, which is inspired by TEDx,
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and it's a simplified, do-it-yourself, crowdfunded edition of Pimp My Carroça.
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So now everybody can join.
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In two years, over 170 catadores, 800 volunteers and 200 street artists
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and more than 1,000 donors
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have been involved in the Pimp My Carroça movement,
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whose actions have even been used in teaching recycling at a local school.
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So catadores are leaving invisibility behind
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and becoming increasingly respected and valued.
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Because of their pimped carroças, they are able to fight back to prejudice,
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increase their income and their interaction with society.
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So now, I'd like to challenge you to start looking at and acknowledging
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the catadores and other invisible superheroes from your city.
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Try to see the world as one, without boundaries or frontiers.
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Believe it or not,
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there are over 20 million catadores worldwide.
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So next time you see one,
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recognize them as a vital part of our society.
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Muito obrigado, thank you.
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(Applause).
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