Independence and freedom are fundamental to street children: the youngsters are the masters of their own life and Projeto Axé does not want to cage them with programmes and rules. Art transforms the lives of street children, who have been cast out of, and are invisible to, society: it makes them visible again! They perform (on stage). Art also leads the young people to expect admiration and respect rather than disrespect. A highly qualified team of art educators (education specialists and art teachers) takes the life story of the child or adolescent as the starting point and develops a course of training focusing on taking action and privileging his or her personality, learning potential and relationship with the family and community of origin. Flexibility and personalisation are extremely important concepts for Projeto Axé: the child or adolescent is at the centre and every activity and programme is implemented with respect for his or her natural rhythm (the youngster does not adapt to the programme as in a state school, but rather the programme is adapted to the youngster). The educators lead the youngsters in their chosen discipline (the children and adolescents chose the activity they like most and which they feel suits them best, but they can always switch during training should they change their mind): A - Dance and capoeira; B - Music; C - Visual arts; D - Fashion The activities are carried out at three levels (basic, intermediate and advanced), with classes running from Monday to Friday and lasting four hours a day.

-Develop artistic-pedagogical activities in which dance and capoeira have a primarily educational role, in keeping with the principles of Projeto Axé;
-Prepare future dancers and capoeira dancers through a more specialised course of training for those who show interest and artistic ability in this area (professionalising courses).
-Promote performances by the student dancers in state schools and their communities of origin, as well as for a wider audience, including on international tours.
The youngsters learn various styles of dance and capoeira, including classical ballet, Afro dance, pilates, contemporary dance and regional dance and capoeira.
They also study choreography and learn to play percussion instruments and/or the Birimbao, which is used to accompany capoeira performances. The Unit currently works with 100 youngsters, some of whom have already reached a professional level (for example the Gicà group).

Today this Unit teaches singing and string, percussion, wind and keyboard instruments. The groups BandAxé and Ge.ca are professionalising in nature and have performed in Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, New York and various cities in Italy, showing their potential for the personal, creative and professional development of the students and highlighting their competence as artists. The youngsters also study composition and start by learning to read music before deciding which technique to pursue.
This Unit, like the others, pursues education through art by using culture and artistic language as the fundamental charter in the process of integration and the redemption of self-esteem and the sense of belonging to a community. The basis is “the musical formation of the Brazilian people”: in all its activities, Projeto Axé aims to raise awareness and promote recognition of the culture of origin and to valorise the social and cultural pluralism of Brazil.

The workshops do not aim simply to provide technical skills, but also to create the basic conditions for the children’s insertion into the job market.


The programme’s objectives include making the students aware of their rights and responsibilities and of the different forms of social organisation, starting with the organisation of the labour process and workshops. The workshops involve two possible phases of activity, the first pedagogical and learning-oriented and the second involving production and marketing.

The pedagogical phase is aimed at children aged 12 and above and in it the specific technical activity is merely a pretext for more general learning. The learning component begins at 15, when the construction of a life/citizenship project becomes more structured and the technical apprenticeship (professional initiation) is more clearly defined.
The production/marketing phase involves students from the earlier phase, who by now are all of age and professionals in their particular field; in this way the educational project and the production project are reconciled. Each year the youngsters are given a theme to guide their efforts (for example in 2009 the theme was “An everyday saint”). The aim is not just to teach creativity, but also to educate: the students must fully understand the theme before they can begin to create, by carrying out research such as going to museums, reading, asking questions and conducting interviews. The results are exhibited at the end of each year (“Culminacion”) and are often also shown outside the Unit, for example in museums and other public places. In this way the youngsters learn how to present their work to society.

This workshop also involves two phases, the first pedagogical and learning-oriented and the second geared to production and sales, in such a way as to lay the foundations for future entrepreneurship; the production and sales phase shows that it is possible to reconcile social necessity and entrepreneurial activity.

The socio-pedagogical aim of Modaxé is to provide professional training for artistic young people with a special interest in fashion and design. The strategic aim of Modaxé is to support Projeto Axé as a whole through sales. Modaxé products have two main characteristics: they are of high quality and they are strongly inspired by the Afro-Brazilian culture of Bahia (obviously in observance of the latest fashions). Today all aspects of production (cutting out, modelling and sewing, etc) are outsourced in observance of the law and ethics banning child labour; however, one of the aims is to bring certain aspects of production “in house” in limited amounts by employing former students who have come of age, in order to promote their entrepreneurship. In July 2009 Modaxé got a new team of educators comprising nine artists, all of whom are well known fashion designers and/or graphic artists (including a former student); they are led by Alberto Pita, a famous artist from Bahia whose ethnic graphics are reflected in the AfricAxé collection which was successfully launched at the end of December 2009 with a fashion show in the centre of Salvador. The Modaxé collections do not include just garments, but also accessories (bags, costume jewellery, shoes).
Click on the banner “ModAxé” on your rightside and admire the latest collection spring/summer 2010.