The nature in us

a sensitive look at identity and diversity through the forms of nature.

Abstract

This work was carried out in partnership with the Gonçalves Dias Municipal School, located in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro, through workshops from the teaching pro-teaching project of the Faculty of Education of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). The proposal arose from the complaints of a student who was bullied at the institution because of her hair. Given this situation, during the school's science fair, the class teacher invited us to present a workshop that would highlight a proposal to reduce this issue in the class. Therefore, a workshop that valued nature was designed, the proposal consisted of using images of natural elements that refer to the shapes of the students' own hair, in which photos were requested. According to Gomes (2022), black hair aesthetics are often the target of criticism and jokes in the school environment, which contributes to the devaluation of the identity of black students. Thus, the workshop aimed to deconstruct these stigmas, bringing curly and frizzy hair closer to elements of nature, such as trunks, spirals and leaves, highlighting their beauty and uniqueness.