MINDJÉR PÓLON

Role: Creative Director, Brand Designer
Agency: Pela, UNDP Guinea Bissau
Year: 2022 - 2023

Mindjér Pólon is a visual storytelling project developed under the Women in Civic Spaces initiative, led by PELE in collaboration with UNDP Guinea-Bissau and the World Food Programme.

Selected through an Open Call, I had the honour of co-illustrating Mindjér Pólon: Stórias di Balentia alongside Elsa Djata. The project aims to amplify the voices of Guinean women by encouraging inclusive civic engagement through the universal language of art. It serves as a tool for dialogue, empowerment, and positive social transformation.

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The choice to use a fanzine format was intentional. Its raw, handcrafted aesthetic and comic-style storytelling made the content feel personal and approachable. Each page tells stories of courage and leadership, using powerful imagery and simple, universal visuals to break down complex ideas about civic participation.

The central illustration, Mindjér Pólon, places the Guinean woman at the heart of her community. Intrinsically connected to the pólon tree, a local symbol of nourishment and resilience. She represents a cyclical force of life, rooted in nature, constantly renewing. The artwork celebrates femininity in its wholeness: strength and softness, grace and power, all grounded in the cultural and environmental elements that surround and amplify her.

Mindjér Pólon became an educational tool, distributed locally to spark conversations about women’s roles in peacebuilding and community resilience. By merging design and storytelling, the project positioned art as a powerful medium for social impact, connecting information with emotion in a way that traditional reports rarely achieve.

MINDJÉR PÓLON

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