Lá da Favelinha: Where Culture Meets Hip Hop in Brazil Lá da Favelinha: Where Culture Meets Hip Hop in Brazil

Smiles and inspiration. This is what Brazilian cultural center, Lá da Favelinha, has been bringing to the community of Belo Horizonte (MG) for three years now with the promotion of art, education and culture through hip hop culture. The project invites children, youth and adults in the community to particpate and experience new perspectives.

'Our goal is to promote cultural groups, independent brands, the local economy and sustainability,' explains the founder, Kdu dos Anjos. 'Making fashion in a fun and innovative way results in incredible pieces and reveals models of all the styles and ages that live in the Sierra Agglomerate.'

GoPro recently visited Lá da Favelinha and met up with Kdu to bring a better way of capturing and sharing the incredible work being done at the center to life. The vídeo above is just a small look intothe recent dance-infused Favelinha Fashion Week, hosted by Lá da Favelinha.

Kdu was born and raised in Novo São Lucas village (Favelinha), in the Aglomerado da Serra. In 2014, he participated in workshops of poetry and sarau and dreamed of a program that would encourage rap artists to build a career. Along with that, he also decided to rent a space for the construction of a community library. 'At the time I was asked: what is the name? Then I said 'Lá da Favelinha',' explains Kdu about the origin of the name of the project.

The program grew rapidly and became the Lá da Favelinha Cultural Center. The space has a community library that works daily with English, Spanish, singing and guitar classes, theater workshops, body and movement, communication, exchange of knowledge, capoeira, rhythm and poetry, ballet, and stencil.

The group also promotes public events such as the Nervous Dispute, which is a battle of funk, and Fika Ryca Favelinha, which is a series of lectures on entrepreneurship. There is also the Favelinha Sarau, which aims to reveal talents, gather poets independent of the whole community and, of course, the Favelinha Fashion Week depicted in the vídeo.

Now, with a GoPro in hand, Lá da Favelinha builds and captures from a new perspective. To which Kdu says, your experiences, moments and achievements of everyday life, however simple they may be, can put an extra smile on someone's face. For a new idea or opportunity to arise. From Favelinha to the world.