Anu Preto

An ephemeral work commissioned by CUFA France for an event at the Théâtre de la Concorde, made with the participation of Isabella Ogeda and the CUFA team.

Presented in the Jardin des Champs-Élysées, the work depicts the anu, or smooth-billed ani, an emblematic bird of Brazil also found in other tropical regions of the Americas. Its glossy black plumage, its song of creaks and clicks, its undulating flight and its life in groups make it a familiar figure: it follows cattle to feed on insects and builds large communal nests.

During the colonial period, Portuguese and Spanish settlers used the name of this bird to insult enslaved people and people with Black skin. Over time, the anu became a symbol of ill omen, stigmatised by Brazilian society, including by Black people themselves.

In response to this history, CUFA (Central Única das Favelas) made the anu its symbol, overturning the stigma to celebrate the dignity of this bird and, by extension, that of Black and marginalised communities. The work affirms pride, solidarity and collective strength, and invites us to look differently at what has been unjustly scorned.

Made in Paris as part of Expo Favela Paris Innovation 2025, during the Year of Brazil in France.