With information, we're all equals | Dando de Antares | TEDxLaçador

Dando tells several stories and his introduction is quite simple, "I'm not a soccer player, I'm not a pagodeiro, I'm a researcher of social development. I buy others' dreams."

Born and raised in Antares favela, Dando was invited to participate in a samba group and was soon in charge of the operational part. It was through the need to add information technology to the group that Dando met with technology challenges in the favela and not only brought information technology to the samba group but also to the whole of Antares favela and Santa Cruz neighborhood. He founded the C.R.I.A. - Centro Revolucionário de Inovação e Arte (Revolutionary Center of Art and Innovation) with Gilson Moreira, hip hop teacher and video maker, Antonio Cabral, lawyer and professor at FGV, and the writer Jesse Andarilho. Repercussion of his work led to a participation in Fantastico, on Globo TV, in the Lan House sketch, hosted by Regina Case.
He is a lecturer at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), collaborator in the civil framework of the internet and winner of Transformadores prize from Trip magazine.

This talk was made in a TEDx event, formatted according to the TED conferences' guidelines but organized independently by a local community. To know more, visit http://ted.com/tedx

Hi.

Audience: Hi.

Dando de Antares: No, no, people.
I'll count one, two, three and you come.

One, two, three...

Audience: Hi!

DA: This is energy!

This is what I do.

This is energy.

I'll tell you a little,
in brushstrokes, so to speak.

First, I'm not a soccer player.

(Laughter)

Second, I'm not a pagode musician.

(Laughter)

But then, when I get to the airport,
somebody fetches my bag,

"So, which is your music band?"

"No, I'm a researcher."

"What?"

(Laughter)

Top to bottom check, checked, re-checked,
skeptical, "No, please, be serious."

"No, serious, I'm a researcher.
I research social development."

Antares is far away
so why did I ask for such a warm "hi"?

Because it is to be worthwhile.

I'm exchanging ideas
with everyone all day long.

People say, "Man! You don't stop talking!"

"Do you think I came
from so far away to stay quiet?"

(Laughter)

Do you really think I came to do that?

I do this well in practice.

That's how Dando of Antares came about,

with a crazy thing that was the internet.

I collected a lot of waste,

and created a digital provider
at Antares, don't ask me how.

All I know is it's working.

And how did that come about?

In a car wash.

Right.

(Laughter)

We started a car wash...

(Laughter)

Just like that, right?

"No, how come, Dando?
A car wash, a digital provider?"

We started a car wash and had
all kind of stuff to wash except cars.

(Laughter)

There were sneakers, water reservoir...

I've even bathed a beggar, believe me...

Then the government
had openings for community agents.

There was a line in front of the car wash,

and people began to say, "Hey, not even
Xerox machines can we find."

I said,"Man, it's true, no Xerox machine."

"Oh, no place to prepare a CV."

And the whole line talking about that.

And, right here on this stage,
was my brother for the last 28 years,

Jesse Andarilho, a writer,

and this came up with us.

He was my partner and today brother

we are traveling round the world;
me, one way; he, another.

We say, "It's been nearly a month
since we last saw each other;

we used to hang out
together all day long."

And, at the start of the car wash
we thought,"Let's start a Lan House."

So, we started a Lan House.

Each of us bought a computer
using someone else's credit.

(Laughter)

So then we call in the famous "creditor."

We take from the creditors
and get computers for the people.

And so, how do we connect people?

How are people going to use the internet?

I'm sure everyone remembers
the time we dialed to have internet.

(Sound of dialing)

(Laughter)

Yes...

Connect at midnight and hang up at 6am
otherwise the phone bill, you know...

Somebody said, "I know how this is."

Then comes the other part you'll love.

We managed to send one of the partners,

Marcelo dos Santos,

to London, he played
"capoeira", and we said,

"You'll play a different
'capoeira', you'll show..."

He had the opportunity, and off he went.

We started to make contact

and it was hard for him
to call me from there.

He called me at 11am,

and as we connected
from midnight until 6am,

he calls me at 11am and says, "Man,
set up an e-mail, we need to talk."

So I said, "Man, where will I
do this now at 11am?"

He went, "Use ICQ."

Who remembers ICQ?

(Laughter)

ICQ...

I called another guy who worked
in a public school, and said,

"Bro, can you use ICQ for me very quickly?
I've got to talk to Marcelo in London.

He wants to talk to us."

"I'm in my lunch hour."

"Man, it's got to be now, he's there now."

Then he sets up
my e-mail address, still valid,

[e-mail],
that means "fucking too much."

(Laughter)

So I said, "You're joking
with me, aren't you?

Look at me, bro, I'm a big nigger
and you conjure up this e-mail?"

(Laughter)

"You'd like to finish with my race!"

"And the password is dandoMole,"
that is "soeasy."

(Laughter)

"What is it? How do you do this to me?"

We changed the password,

that's how it came about,

and the internet boom and Lan Houses
started in Rio de Janeiro.

I participated in the internet civil
framework at Fundação Getúlio Vargas

and they said, "Dando, I'd like to talk
to you, to know more about this."

"I'll write my e-mail on the board..."

(Laughter)

The guys, "You're joking!"

"No, I'm not. This is it."

And people from Google asked me,

"Dando, what do you think is the future
of Lan Houses, what do you think?"

I said, "It's the new fever at the moment,
it's going to change."

This is what's happening today,
everyone is on their mobiles,

everyone using many other tools,

and the Lan House didn't make it,
it stayed as a reference point.

Many asked, "So, Dando,
what are you going to do?"

"Man, I'm a mutant."

And I thank you all,

for trusting crazy guys like me
who come up on this stage.

We generate ideas and people say,

"And now, what are you up to?"

I said, "I don't know, I've got to see
what the favela has, right?"

So we started the Jazz Orchestra.

The guys asked, "Dando,
do you know anything about jazz?"

I said, "No, I don't.

But we'll gather everyone
and see what happens, we'll jam,

let's see what we can come up with."

So the guys, "Charlie Parker."

I said, "I've heard something, far away."

(Laughter)

I went downtown Rio
and the guys began rehearsing

and I ended up at Fundição Progresso,
which is a very important place in Rio.

Then the guys said: "So, then,
are you the band's road guy?"

I said, "Yeah, man."

I'm working for the best jazz band
in Rio you've ever seen."

He said, "True, I've never seen it."

"Sure, because it's about to be born."

(Laughter)

Then a gig with Elza Soares took place.

It was awesome, it's on YouTube.

Elza sat by our side, I said, "Man,
do you know who's here? Elza Soares."

And she, "How can I draw the tone?"

"You're crazy, how can I draw
the tone from that woman?"

I barely play my "cavaquinho,"
which is a small guitar.

So a gig with Elza Soares came about,
Luiz Melodia came, too, all improvised.

And that's how I do things here for you,
how I do things in practice.

I don't plan much, I can't,

and neither want to, plan too much.

(Laughter)

I'm an intuitive guy, I feel things
and start checking possibilities.

Ryo, Miguel and I, we were
exchanging ideas and I said,

"Many things are coming up here."

(Laughter)

TED encourages that.

That's how the Antares Jazz Big Band
came about, it's a guys' orchestra,

that has played with Elza, with everybody,
so I said, "Now you're ready,

you play and I'll think up other idea,

participate in something else,
don't know what yet."

The guys, "You're crazy."

"But that's how I live my life."

So I was here and Daniel was speaking

and I got so thrilled to see him
and his mom, Ivonete.

He's a great buddy of mine.

I produce an event with CUFA as partners.

I do the Favela's Cup,

I coordinate around 240,000
youngsters from the favela.

Each favela with its team,

competing for two and a half months,

eight games per day.

All those kids dream
about becoming soccer players.

I say, "I can only promise one thing.

Play ball, show your art, do what I do.
Go into the world. It's up to you."

There are many astonishing stories
in this career as producer

between technology and music.

I've got a few stories,
and Fernanda was reminding me,

that exactly seven years ago
she was there.

She reminded me of Bill,
who was a doorman.

And Bill said, "So Dando,"

that very strong northeastern accent,

"let's put a machine together?"

I said, "Sure!"

"There's much waste inside the building."

I said, "Go ahead, bring it.
It's what we've got."

We assembled a machine for him.

For those who know more
about assembling computers,

it was a K6286,

512 memory capacity,

CD recorder of 52x...

Oh my God.

I'm from a time of small blue pendrives,
those that let go of the lid, get it?

But that's what it is.

It's melanine, OK, guys?
I'm nearly Mumm-Ra.

(Laughter)

So Bill started meddling with his machine,

and started to record his CD at home,

and upon researching things with me,
he was doing the work,

and Bill quit his job, asked to be out.

And yesterday, talking to Fernanda,
"Do you remember Bill?"

"Yes, sure, the doorman, right?"

"Well, today, Bill owns a company
with over 50 workers."

(Applause)

There was also Lady Lia,

she used buckets of wall spackling,
and showed me her craft.

I said, "This little bucket
is pretty nice with all its ornaments."

And guess what came up
in the meantime, very successfully?

Mercado Livre, a free online market.

I said, "Exhibit it there, man,
snap some photos and place it there."

She, "Ah, Dando, it doesn't work,
I've got no patience."

I said, "Come on, I'll help you,
we'll do it together."

And she's selling like crazy,

I don't think there's room for more stars
on her link at Mercado Livre.

There's info about delivery,
positive remarks and so on.

There are people who sell dreams, right?

I buy other people's dreams.

(Laughter)

(Applause)

There are times when you think
you'll be lost in the way,

because everybody has these moments,
many people here have spoken about that,

about whether the numbers
are going to be okay or not.

I spoke with Fernanda,
with Paulinha and with Ana,

"In Brazil it takes 50 years
for results to appear

of some good someone is doing."

As my speech changes much,
according to information,

I can tell you,
this information has changed.

It changes for three years.

Here's the result of it all.

Many, many people doing
many good things in such a short time.

Making things happen.

I thanked Eder,
Wesley's teacher and I said,

"Wesley, you're a living proof
of what I do, man."

Because I think someone from a classic
background, playing classic piano,

playing Bach, Beethoven,

will have a hell of a difficult time
to make favela music.

But you're from the favela
and you're playing classic music,

you can tread the two worlds."

I tread the two worlds and I've chosen
to link the favela and the asphalt,

but without the aggression, without saying
you're from there and I'm from here.

No, no, it's not that.

I know there's a great
creative sense in the favela,

companies are in desperate need
of creative sense.

I don't want to talk about
my suffering, about my favela.

I've had a lot of that
but it's my smile that I bring you.

We've got to move with a creative sense.

If there's a campaign inside your company

and you're so focused,
you can't see a thing,

look for someone from a slum.

Listen to their story.

He's going to give you insights
you haven't had and you'll create.

Today I do some design campaigns for Nike.

The guys tell me,
"Dando, let's do this way."

"It's all wrong."

(Laughter)

The guys, "What?"

"Let me tell you one thing.
You're Brazilian, man.

This type of thing works in New York.

Are you going to give popcorn
to these guys? It doesn't work."

So he, "Yeah..."

It means, when you allow yourself
to open up, hear, just let it go,

take away all the technological design,

of balance sheets, tables and go,

"Let your feelings flow
and your promotion will be better."

Help others because that's
what we do all the time.

And make a great design of all of it

and stop thinking that that guy
will knock you down,

and start thinking it's a company
and a great partner, like I do today.

This week I went to Bangu 1 penitentiary.

In fact, I was almost subpoened
to go there, to pay a visit.

A guy in a gallery passed by
and said, "Hey, Dando!"

I said, "Hey, what's up?"

"Do you remember me?"

I said, "Sorry, too many people."

"Man, I slipped."

I said, "But there's a chance, man.
Let's fall inside."

"So, will you help me?"
"Sure, that's why I'm here."

And that's why Carmela is doing the job
she does at Porto Alegre's prison.

There's no dimension.

You guys are here to hear just that.

To hear talks like mine and my friends',

but, start looking around you,
near your home.

It's the first step.

Get out of the house, stop at the gate

and have a look from the gate.

Look and think, "That garbage
out there is in the wrong place."

It won't take any time, man.

"But it wasn't me."

OK, man, just put it there. It's a start.

It's a good start.

Relax, breathe, try to understand
what is happening with you,

why so much money is needed
to do what needs to be done.

"Man, money needs to return."

Sure, there are bills to pay.

But the reward of doing something so great

is, ten years later,
you don't remember the person

but they go, "Thank you."

I said, "For what? I don't remember."

"You helped my son and so on."

Today, we've got an athlete,
Alan, a judo athlete,

he was working for drug dealers
and I said, "I'm on my way there."

Jesse and I went, "So what's the deal?"

"Oh, no, I'm going to stick around."

"Why? If you think I've come to massage
your ego, you're damn wrong,

because I'm not here to massage your ego.
Do you want to take the chance?

So first you're going to study,

afterwards you can do
what you want, gunfire if you will,

but don't come out here with,

'Oh, poor me, I'm from a favela,
I haven't had any opportunity.'

Here today, two examples:
Jesse Andarilho, a writer,

who released a book from the greatest
publisher of Brazil, Objetiva;

and me, who campaigns the world.

So? Is that what you want?

No? So, stick with us
and let's go on a ride.

Let's play."

And off he went to Miami to judo there.

He's there now making things happen.

So, guys, to wrap up my talk
I'll leave you with a phrase of mine,

"With information, we're all equals."

Thank you.

(Applause)