Quando o indizível ganha voz | Cláudia Negishi | TEDxBraga

Quick Overview

Cláudia Negishi advocates for including conversations about death, grief, and Alzheimer's disease in children's literature, sharing her personal story of writing a book for her daughter, Pérola, after her grandmother, Dona Sílvia, developed Alzheimer's and forgot her name, emphasizing that these difficult topics, when approached with care, give voice to the unsaid and help children process complex emotions.

Key Points: The speaker, Cláudia Negishi, is an architect, writer, and illustrator of children's books. The core topic stems from her grandmother, Dona Sílvia, developing Alzheimer's and forgetting the speaker's daughter's name, which prompted the creation of the book 'Vovó Sissi Esqueceu de Mim' (Grandma Sissi Forgot Me). Negishi argues that difficult subjects like death, Alzheimer's, and grief should not be censored in children's literature, as these experiences are part of life. The speaker shared the story with her daughter, Pérola, by creating a picture book where she wrote a dedication to her grandmother promising that even if she forgot names, she would always be remembered in a special place (the heart). When Negishi first told her daughter about the grandmother's condition, the grandmother did not recognize the child, leading to the question: 'Mom, why doesn't Dona Sílvia remember me?' The speaker emphasizes that children need tools to deal with these complex realities, and literature can provide the necessary language and emotional space to process them.

Context: Cláudia Negishi, an architect turned children's book author and illustrator, shares the deeply personal motivation behind her work, which was catalyzed by her grandmother, Dona Sílvia, developing Alzheimer's disease. This condition led to a moment where the grandmother could no longer recognize her granddaughter, Pérola, prompting Negishi to write a book to help her children process the difficult reality of memory loss and forgetting.

Detailed Analysis

Cláudia Negishi delivers a moving TEDx talk about the importance of incorporating difficult, often unspoken, themes like Alzheimer's, grief, and death into children's literature. She recounts the personal event that inspired her book: her grandmother, Dona Sílvia, who lived in the same building, developed Alzheimer's and eventually forgot her granddaughter Pérola's name. This painful realization led Negishi to create the book 'Vovó Sissi Esqueceu de Mim' (Grandma Sissi Forgot Me). She details an early interaction where her grandmother failed to recognize Pérola, causing the child distress and leading to the question, 'Mom, why doesn't Dona Sílvia remember me?' Negishi realized that children need language and stories to process these realities rather than silence. She decided to proactively give her children tools by writing the book, which she presented to her grandmother with a dedication promising that even if she forgot names, the memory of love would always be preserved in her heart. The speaker argues that adults often censor difficult topics due to fear or societal taboos, but children are perceptive and benefit from having these experiences validated through narrative, ultimately giving voice to the unsaid and transforming silence into a new perspective on the world.