TASTE AND TRADITION TO BREAK WITH INEQUALITIES
This is the column Who Makes Redes, a compilation of the stories of people who build our organization and who work hard every day to do what we do best: actions and projects for residents of Maré. Learn about these stories, trajectories, experiences and the history of Redes da Maré itself - and how this work and the challenges faced since the pandemic have transformed them.
Mariana Aleixo (33) was born in Parque Maré and, from her experience with the territory, she made her academic and professional choices. One of Mariana's earliest memories are seasoned with the flavor and tradition of a culture very prevalent in Maré: that of gathering and celebrating with northeastern food: "my parents were entrepreneurs in Maré, so my brothers and I were always together with them in the store or in our grandparents' house, which was seasoned with northeastern food."
Soon after finishing her degree in gastronomy, she worked in restaurants that catered to a public with a very different reality from Maré. This experience provoked Mariana to think of other alternatives to work with the profession and also allowed her to get closer to Redes da Maré. In 2010, she began to teach gastronomy workshops for residents, which later became the qualification course ‘Flavors of Maré’. From a group of students in the first class of the course, the ‘Flavors of Maré’ buffet was born, "which recognizes how women are in a process of taking back our protagonism in the maintenance of cultures, and that includes a food linked to our ancestry," says Mariana. "Investing in the women of Maré is structurally breaking with inequalities"
Mariana highlights the protagonism of women in guaranteeing rights in the favelas, including food security, especially at this time when the situation of many families is very serious. This scenario also motivated Redes da Maré to create the ‘House of Women Of Maré’, a space that develops professional qualification activities, psychological support, social and legal assistance, and research that aims to transform into data the daily life of women in Maré, a space also co-coordinated by Mariana. "It is urgent that we empower women economically. That way, we can have more autonomy, expand the possibility of choices and claim access to healthy food and break cycles of violence."
In the "Maré says No to Coronavirus" campaign, Mariana coordinated the actions developed by the House of Women and Flavors of Maré. Women who already worked in the activities of the house and volunteers produced 65,000 meals that were distributed to the homeless population in Maré. The distribution of meals will continue in 2021, within the monitoring offered by the ‘Conexão Saúde’ project, in which the buffet ensures healthy food for residents.
Mari won a very important award for her work leading Flavors of Maré. She entered the '50 Next' list, which elects young people who are shaping the future of gastronomy. In its first edition, the initiative is promoted by the World's 50 Best, considered the Oscars of the industry! Congratulations, Mari. May we continue to fight together!
