Early in March, The Library of the Latin America Memorial, in São Paulo, opened its doors with almost no books to be seen. The initiative by AlmapBBDO and Amazon Brazil temporarily emptied the library’s bookshelves, leaving only those written by Black authors. The act was designed to provide a powerful visual demonstration of the inequality that persists in literary representation.
The Latin American Memorial Library, which has a collection of 50,000 titles, was left with only 5% of the books on its shelves.
The initiative also reinforced Amazon Brasil’s commitment to valuing Black writers through the Vozes Negras Kindle Award, a partnership between Amazon Brasil and leading publisher Companhia das Letras, which recognises the best works published by independent Black authors through Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s tool for self-publishing.
Though the situation has improved, the number of books published by authors of colour is still far below where it should be in a country like Brazil, where 56% of the population identifies as Black or Brown (IBGE, 2020). “Representation in literature is crucial to promoting equal access to culture,” stated Lillian Dakessian, head of Brand and Mass Marketing at Amazon Brasil. “This initiative invites readers to explore new perspectives and encourages more Black authors to have their stories amplified.”
“The Vozes Negras Kindle Award is a reaffirmation of Amazon’s long-term commitment to Brazil, and to the development of literature and diverse voices. We’re proud to lend visibility to all sorts of Black talents through Kindle Direct Publishing,” added Ricardo Perez, Amazon’s country manager for books in Brazil.
Beyond the visual impact of the emptied-out library, the event included a special event – a literary encounter dedicated to reading and discussing works by Black authors. The featured authors were Renan Gonçalves da Silva, reading A voz que ninguém escutou [The Voice Nobody Heard]; Vanessa Passos, who read excerpts from A filha primitiva [The Primitive Daughter], and Samuel Gomes, presenting his book, Guardei no armário [I Kept it in the Closet]. Renan and Vanessa are both former Kindle Book Awards winners, having participated in the contest that has honoured independent authors for the past nine years.
Submissions for the Vozes Negras Kindle Award are open through April 6, and the grand prize winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in November 2025. In addition to a cash prize, the winner will have their work published by Companhia das Letras, and finalists’ submissions will be produced as audiobooks by Audible Brasil. Find more information about the Vozes Negras Kindle Award here.
