INTERCULTURAL

LEADERS

Rita de Cácia Oenning da Silva

Intercultural Innovation Award (IIA)

Rita de Cácia Oenning da Silva was born in Braço do Norte, Santa Catarina, Brazil. She studied chemistry as an undergraduate, but moved on to anthropology in her post-graduate studies. She worked as a professional actress for many years, while also giving art workshops to children from the favelas of Florianópolis. In 1990, together with friends, she founded CECCA, the Center for Culture and Civic Studies, which became a central space for the encounter between center and periphery in the state of Santa Catarina, discussing social justice, civic participation, and environmentalism. She concluded her MA in anthropology in 1998 with the thesis "The Half-Open Door", examining the relationships that homeless and working children maintained with their families and their communities, then went on to teach at various universities, including the UDESC and the Unisul. In 2008, she completed her doctorate in anthropology, studying child artists on the streets of Recife, Brazil, Overcoming Movement. She has been a visiting researcher at the University of New Mexico (2005) and won a prestigious Wenner-Gren doctoral research grant in 2006. She is working with Shine a Light since 2007 making movies and teaching cinematography to children from the margins of society.