OCCUPY CCVM: Enchanted Toys. Festejos Maranhenses, an exhibition of photographs by Albani Ramos, will open on Wednesday (12/04)

The Vale Maranhão Cultural Center opens this Wednesday (04), at 7 pm, the exhibition of photographs by Albani Ramos, selected by the OCUPA CCVM edict The Enchanted Toys exhibition. Festejos Maranhenses presents 40 images of various festivities recorded by photographer Albani Ramos over more than 20 years. Those little known outside their regions stand out and deserve attention, such as the Reisado, in São João do Sóter, also strong in Caxias, and the Corrida de Ascensão, which takes place in Penalva and some other places. There is no lack of beautiful images of the diversity present in the icons of Maranhão: Tambor de Crioula and Bumba-Boi. The amount of festivities present in Maranhão is immense, they occur in all regions, all year round and constitute an important element of Maranhão's identity. The exhibition's curator, Paula Porta, highlights the importance of these manifestations: “Devotion, payment of promises and obligations, family inheritance, the need for play are some important elements that explain this intense party activity. But we can also see in the festivities, a term most used here, an element of social aggregation, strengthening communities, favoring coexistence and exchange between generations, passing on traditions. There is also an economic dimension, since, regardless of their size, they move many services and commerce, formal and informal, providing work and income to many families. There are multiple social functions and layers of meanings that we can see in the celebrations. The most beautiful dimension of them all, however, is that they constitute the moment when a community displays its greatest wealth”. Photographer Albani Ramos is from Piauí from Parnaíba and has lived in Maranhão since 1993, where he arrived attracted in large part by the richness of the culture, which he has been documenting ever since. In his wanderings through the festivities, his teacher was the researcher Jandir Gonçalves, a great connoisseur of the culture of Maranhão. “Maranhao has always enchanted me. I've always wanted to get to know the state, because of the stories I've heard, the Indians, the culture. Jandir introduced me to everything I know. Little by little, I learned to look at the culture of Maranhão. This material was never exhibited in Maranhão. I saw other very successful experiences of CCVM in the photography area, so I signed up for the notice and it worked. I hope people like the work”, considers Albani. Free programming.