I was born and raised in Aricanduva, in the East Zone of São Paulo. On the corner of my street was the headquarters of a small football team, wich has always been a community place for us. Everything happened there: there was a bar where men gathered, amateur football players, capoeira classes, and there were always birthdays on the weekends. This mural is based on a photo taken on my 3rd birthday, celebrated there. One of the women - the one with the watch - is Grandma Cleide, who was responsible for all our birthday cakes when we were kids and is known for her silver ball decorations and clown-shaped cakes. When I thought of a mural for the Jardim Ipanema Association, I wanted to portray this scenario, of a place that serves many purposes for the community. That welcomes, that fights, but that also celebrates. I wanted to unite these two places that are part of my history and that also tell the story of the outskirts of the East Zone, which, even in the face of so much neglect, insists on finding ways to teach the value of the collective.