Ever since he was a kid, be.Living’s music teacher Vinícius Medrado has always liked to play with sounds and words. In addition to making music, he also wrote poems, songs, and stories. As an adult, the teacher, musician and “story singer,” as he calls himself, still remains a curious, inspired soul. He is launching, as part of our Literary May, his book “The Origin of Shuttlecock.” In this story, inspired by traditional tales and songs of indigenous peoples, he recounts the adventures of two brothers who are in search of their “xerimbados”: puppy animals that have lost their flock or family, and who need humans to care for them. The book launch, specially arranged for be. Living, will feature a series of activities that he will carry out with the children of our school, ranging from a special reading with music and an image exhibit to reflection circles and games. Furthermore, on May 31, at 5 p.m., Vini will close our Literary May with an open live stream on our Instagram, when he will read the book for our entire community. Let’s find out how the idea to write this book came up! Read below our interview with our dear teacher and writer.
bL: How did you come up with the idea of addressing this topic?
Vinícius: I really like to learn about the so-called origin myths, which are the stories that tell us how the world, its things and beings emerged. Brazilian indigenous cultures have beautiful origin myths! Once, I was gifted with a beautiful shuttlecock, made of straw and adorned with blue feathers… And I wondered how such a special toy would have appeared. I did a lot of research to see if I could find a history of the origin of the shuttlecock, but I couldn’t find any. Then I began to imagine how this toy could have been created… And so the story was born.
bL: The book talks a lot about respect for animals, nature, and indigenous peoples. What is the importance of bringing this critical and sensitive look to the children of today’s world?
Vinícius: I realize that we human beings often believe that this planet is ours alone and that we can do whatever we want with it and with the beings that inhabit it. And so we’re destroying forests, leading animals and plants to extinction, polluting rivers and seas. Most indigenous cultures present us with other possibilities of being in this same world. Generally, these cultures have a great deal of respect for nature and animals, considering them even as brothers, as deserving of this planet as we are. I think it’s very important that our children know that there are other ways to live and relate to nature and other beings: fauna, flora, and minerals.
bL: How was the process of creating the story?
Vinícius: As I said earlier, I researched a lot and, as I did not find a story about the origin of the shuttlecock, I began to imagine one. It’s been more than 10 years since this story has been with me, and an interesting fact is that it has matured over time and with the help of the children. Throughout my career as an art educator, I took this story to several children and classes and, as it was an imagined story, I always made room for the children to talk about it. This exchange with the children was very enriching and helped me to make this version that was recorded in the book.
bL: What would you like to convey to families and children with this book?
Vinícius: I’d like this book to be an invitation! An invitation to imagine other ways to relate to the world. An invitation to get to know and treat cultures different from our own with more respect… An invitation to see the richness, beauty, and diversity of Brazilian indigenous cultures and, finally, an invitation to play shuttlecock!
bL: Are you as good a shuttlecock player as a writer?
Vinícius: No, I’m not very good at playing shuttlecock! (laughs). But I realize that when we make a shuttlecock circle with children or adults, everyone has a lot of fun because it’s a very funny toy! You hit one side, it goes the other, sometimes it falls on our head! Each shuttlecock flies in a different way! I think it’s so much fun! Playing is always a joy. I’ve noticed that people are playing less and less. You know? Play with the whole body, moving, running, jumping, dancing, all kinds of games. We should play more!
bL: You will play games and do workshops about the book with the children at school. Can you give us a spoiler?
Vinícius: Sure! Throughout the month of May, I’ll visit the classes at be.Living to show the book and tell the story in a very special way, with songs and visual elements. We’ll also have a moment to talk with the children about the book and about Brazilian culture, and finally we’ll play several games inspired by indigenous cultures! I’ve already started these meetings in Early Childhood Education, introducing some of the indigenous cultures through music, instruments, stories, and images, and soon I’ll bring these activities to Elementary School as well. I’m really looking forward to seeing my former students who are in Moema!
