Fofão from Maranhão and Social Innovation: an initial approach via the Method of Stories Design

Abstract

This paper presents a research project in social innovation aimed at retrieving, valuing, and safeguarding the memory of the Fofão, a unique masked character from Maranhão's Carnival. It demonstrates how the Method of Stories Design, grounded in communicational sustainability, contributes to the generation of memory products through multisensory communication projects and physical or digital artifacts. It highlights that the hegemonic narrative regarding the origins and characterization of the Fofão is fragmented and dispersed, leaving gaps that can be filled through research actions, especially by valuing collective oral history. Next, data from the initial phase of the investigation are presented, proving that this cultural manifestation remains alive and in constant transformation. Finally, it discusses the next steps of the research, which intends to develop a system for the memory, dissemination, and sustainability of the manifestation that is not only innovative but also collaborative, updatable, and sustainable, based on the contribution of design. It concludes that this approach not only preserves tradition but also accepts cultural transformations by designing for the future in an innovative and updatable manner.