A study carried out by NeuroSaber Institute shows that children’s stories and drawings help children in the construction of values and behavior towards society. That’s why it’s so important that they see themselves represented in these productions.
According to a psychologist who specializes in parental intelligence, Nanda Perim “the imaginary is the capacity that the child has, even without knowing the world well, to believe that absolutely everything is possible”.
The psychologist highlights that for black children, this development and discovery of representation in the stories feeds the children’s imagination.
And this development happens through 4 stages and with different age groups.
The first of these is the sensorimotor stage, from birth to about age 2, when children discover the world through their senses, manipulate objects, and begin to understand their own bodies.
While in the pre-operational stage, from 2 to 7 years old, they develop memory and imagination. In addition to symbolically understanding things and ideas from the past and the future.
And it is about this stage that the importance for the construction of children’s education is highlighted, also based on representations in stories, drawings and literature.
Fairy tales enter an age when the child is organizing the world mentally and they are figures on which they base themselves to form opinions, concretize abstract concepts and categorize the world.
Nanda Perim, psychologist and expert in Parental Intelligence
Children develop skills of more awareness of external events and feelings of others in the third stage of development, concrete operational, from 7 to 11 years old.
And they are still able to use logic and plan for the future from the age of 11, in the fourth stage.
It is known that the vast majority of children’s stories do not feature black characters or even less protagonists, and this can make a difference. “When stories and tales include black characters, they bring reference and admiration from an early age,” says Nanda.
One of the most famous stories among children is The Little Mermaid, released in 1989 by Disney. And this tale was represented here in Brazil as ‘Disney’s Little Mermaid – The Musical‘, with a super production, surpassing the mark of 60 thousand people who went to the theater.
This musical marks, in addition to the public success, a cast production with two black anthological protagonists and other dancers and actors. The actors Gabriel Vicente and Robson Nunes spoke in an interview with CNN about what it meant for both of them to represent these characters for children and young black adults who rescued their memories and were also able to see themselves in the show.
When I see a child seeing Gabriel as a prince, seeing me Sebastião, seeing Tiago and Amanda there as dancers, actors singing is very important and I say that because I didn’t have it, so I know, what is my daughter to watch a show where she sees herself.
Robson Nunes, actor
For Robson, just wanting to be an actor was absurd, it was difficult to see and imagine. “It was unthinkable to play a prince, to play another character with a little more prominence in a plot”.
Another question that the actor brings up is about self-esteem, “I think it is important that not only black children identify themselves and think they are beautiful, but also that our beauty is seen by other people”. “I think the self-esteem of our people is fundamental to this change.”
Gabriel, who played Prince Eric, points out that throughout the presentations he perceives the public’s identification and especially the children’s with him. “THE The child doesn’t know, right politically, exactly what is happening there, the importance, but it is exactly in them that I like to see how important it is”, says the actor.
It’s a different glow, it’s a different hug that gives you. You notice that you’ve touched her in a new way and you give her a chance to dream.
Gabriel Vicente, actor
The actor questions how long it took for this change to happen in the children’s world, remembering that in his childhood all the characters were very similar, and at the same time very different from himself. “We generate this representation also gives me hope to give these children the chance to see themselves as artists”.
The film and theater director and writer, Rodrigo França reinforces the importance of these prominent places being occupied by black people, but emphasizes that one should not focus only on who appears to the public, the entire production and direction of a project, such as a musical, is important for the construction of history and what message you want to convey to the public.
So we are talking about culture, about understanding. Only those who are inside can speak because you won’t go wrong or you will do as we have been doing there for centuries in this country.
Rodrigo França, theater and film director and writer
And he points out, “The lack of plural representation means that everything that is positive is universalized for white people”.
Rodrigo is the author of the book ‘The Little Black Prince’which tells the story of a boy who loves himself, loves his culture and traits and is aware of where he comes from and where he wants to go.
“The Little Prince Preto begins with a concern in the theater about the non-existence of characters for black children, especially for black boys”, says Rodrigo.
The work is dedicated to black children, so that they can be inspired and see themselves, also in literature.
Source: CNN Brasil
