© Anna Nunes 2024
O mundo imaginário
Even today, the echoes of colonization saturate relationships and manifest itself in gender inequality, expressed in the inferior position of women. While women's realities have improved, the concerns of daily security, equal profit and participation in the shaping of society remain a global challenge. However, through play and imagination, children distance themselves from imposed narratives and create their own stories, revealing the true essence and power of art.
In São Tomé today, it’s a frequent sight to see boys across the island playing with their tabua (self-made bodyboard), not only demonstrating their creativity but also offering new ideas and interactions that support the development of the social imagination. To stimulate creativity and in an attempt to contribute to new social imaginaries that favour greater gender equality, Nunes facilitated a space where the children of Santana share their creativity and boys support girls in making their own tabua. By creating space for mixed-gender playing and learning, Nunes embraces the unifying power of games, using children's playful creativity to make a socio-political statement and inspire an experience-based genuine change.
During the X Biennial of Art and Culture of São Tomé and Príncipe, Nunes shows an installation in which she combines two of her own paintings with a Santomean tabua, crafted by the generation that initiated this art from. The board symbolises the resurgence of social imageries in São Tomé and represents a movement towards gender equality. The paintings envision a possible future. Collectively, these artworks offer an opportunity to consider possibilities beyond the constraints of current reality.