The caracter is well known. Kids like him, wearing bermuda shorts and bare chests are in the streets of the big cities and towns throughout Brazil, specially in low income areas. He is Cambito, a creation of the Web designer and cartoonist Otávio Rios. For the last couple of years, this kid and his bunch have been working on a special mission: contribute to lower the statistics on digital excusion in Brazil. This project has two fronts: a children´s link on Viva Rio´s site, with interesting teaching material, games and plays ambiented in a low income environment area, and a grown up side with over 400 comic strips already published, and animations as well. Know a bit more about Cambitoland on Otávio Rio´s interview:

Q&A:
How did Cambito come up and what´s his caracter´s main purpose?

In July 2001, Viva Rio´s IT manager, Eugenio Costa, asked me to create a caracter with a social message to the Viva Favela link on the Viva Rio´site. In the computer labs on these low income areas, it was pinpointed, that the children were very interested on cartoon´sites, unfortunately they were in great number in English, therefore, a language barrier for them. There wasn´t a single cartoon site showing their own reality. Children have less barriers against new technologies. To conquer the children´s crowd; this was the point of the digital exclusion project. This way they can build a brigde between computers and teir parents. Another point is to protest against Social Exclusion in Brazil. Since in our country there are two worlds, I prefer to work for the weakest and influence people around for the cause. My dream is to see Cambito as " the most loved outcast boy in Brazil" and, through compassion touch people´s minds to help lower this reality.

Schoolwise what is your background? Have you worked with comic strips before Cambito?

I guess that the fact of having na artist parent I´ve always liked the creation process. After 3 years in Advertising ( The Drawing board area..) I paused Business School, and started a casual wear business. I used to create prints for tshirts with cool graphics and messages. When computers became more accessible I re started drawing, but this time with the help of the mouse. After working for a small design office, I was invited to share a web business partnership. Things weren´t all that great, and I started to develop a cartoon´site (animazone.com.br)during my coffe breaks just to chill out, that´s when I received na invitation to create the caracter.

What were the basis to create Cambito´s bunch caracters?

When I started sketching Cambito, I wanted something funny, uplifting, with a big nose and a winter like hat sunk down in his head. When it was done it came to me that I could associate this idea with the fact that many children that live in low income areas are living various risk factor situations, and also involved in violence.In Brazil, when children are shown in these circumnstances, their identities are always preserved, by covering their eyes with a black stripe, be it on the TV news or on the morning paper. That´s why all the cararcters are eyeless. Bookworm is the only one whose eyes are shown and wears glasses because he´s already seen the way out through school and studying. Vaporzinho is the only kid that has cool and expensive clothes showing off the efemeral economical success that the drug dealing gives out.

What does Cambito strips contain?

Although I do like to work for the children´segment, I think I am contributing for a better future, I was craving for something that would allow me to express my ideas towards the grown ups. My personal unhappiness with this embarrassing situation my country is in. Many times I criticize some facts of the moment, letting the strips with a political charge look. Sometimes I aproach general matters but always putting a lot of hot pepper on it. This way I can do a social critic and try to transmit a non conformity message that motivate people, so they can gather together towards one goal. That is a saying that goes; " The culture allows people to fight with words not guns." The site(cambito.com.br/tiras) have over 400 published strips and we are also with 4.800names that get the strips daily on their email for free.

Have you ever suffered any critics just by showing the reality of a caracter? Involved with drugs for instance?

Not yet. Iguess people are getting my idea pretty well, which is to show the reality of many low income brazilian children. It will not work out if you show the drug dealer as a monster. These children play soccer, and, are friends with other children that are getting involved with the drug dealing world. I just make my point crystal clear that this is not the way. Vaporzinho is a very important caracter, because he is a really bad example. The other caracters like him and because of it they are always trying to convince him that5 this type of life is pretty short.

What do children and teens find on Cambito´site?

Cambitoland has over 450 different pages whimsically filled with plays , games, art, and teaching material, all of it ambiented in a virtual low income community. Part of our educational content has been given through opur partnership with Mingau Digital. The top among the children are the games.
Iam trying to create a new game per week alternating educational ones with entertainment. But never games with violent content.

How do you find the feedback on Cambito´stories and his bunch among the children? Do they identify with the caracters?

In Cambitoland , children can send their messages to all the caracters. It´s very interesting to see how Vaporzinho is reprehended By the children. Also, we´ve been receiveing many emails from middle and upper class children telling how touched they get. We are reaching out both sides, the hill(favelas) and the asphalt (the city).

In Brazil we are used to talk about our bad sides using humour. Do you think about this when you write Cambito´stories?

I´ve really found out the pleasure of creating texts. The feeling is the same , or close to when I used to work with graphics. When you make your point trasmitting a message and it raises some sort of feeling, is gratifying. I do think about the humour, however is never pointless.

You are creating Cambito´s friend network. What is it and how to get in?

The network is na effort to show our project everywhere through the exchange of banners with other sites with the same outlook Cambitoland has, I mean , they must have a sicial commitment. To be part of it, just get in touch. I always say that we can build a fairer country.