Brazil’s Illiterate Share Their Stories with 'Magic Words'

In Brazil, there are more than 13 million illiterate people. Since their stories go unwritten, their memories may be lost forever. To ensure that not all these stories disappear, HP teamed up with Brazilian advertising agency AlmapBBDO on a project called “Magic Words.” Through the project, 30 individuals across Brazil had the chance to put their voices and life experiences down on paper.

How does it work?

Google Speech's voice recognition software was used to transcribe each individual’s story. Each story was then printed out in real time using the HP Ink Advantage Ultra printer and turned into a hand-bound book.

Professionally produced paperbacks containing the stories and photographs of each individual were also produced and presented to the authors, as well as the libraries and cultural centers of their city or village.

A documentary was also created that tracked the entire project—and the documentary and other materials were posted to the Magic Words website. People can also download a free copy of the book in Portuguese.

In addition, HP used the same printing technology to create a special photo booth that allowed Brazilians to take snapshots of themselves and dictate the messages they wanted to print on the postcard. Once printed, the postcard could then be sent to family and friends around the world—enabling users to reach out to those they loved with personal messages.

By capturing the reminiscences, stories, songs, and poems in the speakers’ native language, this project is reinventing how people preserve their memories for generations to come.