The pilot project of “Indestructible Squares, created by Africa, was carried out in a court in Natal, RN
Budweiser presented a project to prevent the demolition of street basketball courts in Brazil.
The brand found a loophole in the Brazilian Tombamento Law nº 25/1937, which says that “a place of public interest with artistic value is considered public heritage and cannot be demolished” and launched the “Indestructible Squares” initiative, created by Africa.
“This is an extremely relevant project, which empowers people to demand what is theirs by law. Every day that passes it is more common to see abandoned courts, without care or lighting. People don’t deserve this neglect, they deserve culture and leisure”, said André Mota, strategy manager for the Budweiser brand at Ambev.
With the project, it is possible to enter a tipping request for the sites. For this, Budweiser summarized the process in five steps, described on the Indestructible Courts website: 1) Choose a public basketball court; 2) Find a topic relevant to the local culture; 3) Select an artist; 4) Budweiser connects the artist, the court and you; 5) Enter the tipping request.
The pilot project was carried out on a court in Natal, RN and Budweiser invited a local artist to create an art honoring one of the main Brazilian basketball players, also born in the city, Oscar Schmidt.
After the completion of the work, the request for heritage protection was made and taken to the secretary of culture with the mayor. Currently, the court is already considered a cultural heritage, it cannot be demolished and will serve for leisure, entertainment, culture and as a tourist spot in the city.
About 16 blocks have already been registered on the website, which are now in the process of receiving an artist and being transformed. In Mooca, a traditional neighborhood in the city of São Paulo, SP, a block has just been completed.
Street basketball courts are part of people’s lives. They are in the neighborhoods, in the centers, in childhood and youth and, therefore, end up becoming more than a place to play basketball. But if, on the one hand, the court is synonymous with leisure, culture, music and a sense of community, it is also a highly sought after space by the real estate market. After all, there are 420m2 of flat land that could make room for new parking lots and buildings.
Unfortunately, when a court is destroyed, not only 420 m2 are lost, but the entire culture that surrounds it, which is why Budweiser, an NBA partner and one of the spokespersons for basketball in Brazil, decided to act. The brand found a loophole in the Brazilian Tombamento Law nº 25/1937, which says: “a place of public interest with artistic value is considered public heritage and cannot be demolished”.
Entitled “Indestructible Blocks”, the initiative created by the Africa agency contemplates the realization of an artistic project, with cultural relevance to the place, in a street block. With the project completed, it is possible to enter a tipping order*. For this, Budweiser summarized the process in five steps, described on the Indestructible Courts website: 1) Choose a public basketball court; 2) Find a topic relevant to the local culture; 3) Select an artist; 4) Budweiser connects the artist, the court and you; 5) Enter the tipping request.
